Automakers are continuing their EV product offensives in Europe in 2024 even as demand for battery-electric cars is slowing down among car buyers.
Renault, Citroen, and Fiat are among the European brands launching affordable EVs to counter competition from electric cars imported from China. They will face tougher competition as more Chinese brands, such as Chery, target Europe.
At the higher end of the market the Mercedes-Benz electric G-Class and Range Rover Electric will appeal to wealthy buyers looking for environmentally friendly off-roaders.
Here is an overview of the most anticipated models arriving in 2024.
Alfa Romeo
Deliveries of the Milano, Alfa Romeo's first small SUV and its first full-electric model, will start in September, followed two months later by a mild-hybrid gasoline version. The Milano will be built in Stellantis' plant in Tychy, Poland, alongside sister models, the Jeep Avenger and Fiat 600.
Audi
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The Q6 E-tron, which Audi has developed with the electric Porsche Macan, is coming in 2024 after delays because of parent Volkswagen Group's software problems. With the Q6 E-tron, Audi is targeting competitors such as the Mercedes EQE and Tesla Model Y.
The Q6 E-tron has Google's Android Automotive operating system. There are also three large screens, two of which are integrated into the curved display for the driver. The front passenger has a separate screen, which is not visible to the driver so that it can be used to watch movies, for example.
Other Audi launches include a new A6 including a battery-electric version and a new A4 family, which will be called the A5 because of the brand's new naming convention under which even numbers will be used for EV-only models, while odd numbers will designate internal combustion cars, including plug-in hybrids.
BMW
BMW will launch the second-generation X2 crossover, which is significantly larger than the first generation to distance it from the X1. It also adds a full-electric variant called the iX2. BMW will also start sales this year of the i5 Touring full-electric station wagon. The wagon is part of the new 5-Series family introduced last year.
Citroen
The New e-C3 is Citroen's answer to low-cost Chinese EVs that are being exported to Europe. The battery-electric hatchback starts at 23,300 euros. The boxy small car replaces the C3. Like other new Stellantis models, it will be sold as an EV first, with combustion-engine variants to follow. The e-C3 has a lower-priced 44-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate battery with a range of 320 km. Coming in 2025 is an even-cheaper version aimed at city driving, for 19,900 euros.
Dacia
The new version of the Duster, Dacia's best-selling small SUV is based on the Renault-Nissan CMF-B platform. It will continue to be available with four-wheel-drive, and Dacia is adding a full-hybrid powertrain to gasoline and LFP duel-fuel options. The Duster will also be the base for a compact SUV expected to be called the Bigster that will be revealed later this year with production scheduled for 2025.
Fiat
Fiat will launch an all-electric version of the Panda, underpinned by the same the platform as the Citroen e-C3. The combustion engine Panda will continue to be sold until 2026.
Ford
The Explorer -- Ford's first all-electric volume model in Europe -- will arrive is showrooms in the summer. The compact SUV uses the same platform as the Volkswagen ID4 and ID5 SUVs as part of the Ford's industrial partnership with VW. Ford is building the Explorer in Cologne, Germany, after axing the Fiesta that was built there as it goes all-electric in Europe. A sportier, coupe-styled Explorer sibling is due next year.
Hyundai
European buyers of the latest Santa Fe large SUV have the choice of 1.6-liter plug-in and hybrid drivetrains, while North America and South Korea can choose a 2.5-liter gasoline engine of 1.6-liter hybrid.
Kia
Kia adds the EV5 battery-electric compact SUV, joining the EV6 and EV9 in the brand's EV lineup. The EV5 is likely to cost just over 40,000 euros in Germany. The EV5's design is similar to the boxy, rugged looks of the full-size, three-row EV9, only in a more compact, young-family form.
Lancia
Lancia will expand beyond Italy with the third-generation Ypsilon small car, starting with a full-electric variant. The new Ypsilon is based on the Stellantis e-CMP2 architecture used on other Stellantis cars including the Alfa Romeo, Peugeot 208 and Opel Corsa.
Lexus
Lexus is targeting youg urban European buyers with the LBX full-hybrid small crossover. The LBX is based on Toyota’s TNGA-B architecture also used by the Toyota Yaris Cross. It will be offered in Europe only with a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder gasoline full hybid powertrain.
Maserati
The Stellantis luxury brand will launch the Gran Cabrio, a convertible version of the Gran Turismo coupe that went on sale in 2023. Like its coupe sibling, the Gran Cabrio will offer a 3.0-liter V-6 gasoline engine. There will also be an all-electric version called the Gran Cabrio Folgore. Deliveries of Grecale Folgore, the battery-electric version of the Grecale midsize SUV, will also start in 2024.
Mercedes-Benz
In 2018, at the Detroit auto show, the then Daimler boss Dieter Zetsche promised the former Californian governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger that the G-Class would also be available as an electric variant. After six years of development work, the promise has become reality.
A few weeks ago Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius visited Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. The contract manufacturer builds the G-Class ICE versions and will add production of the full-electric variant this year. During a test drive, Kallenius was able to test see the capabilities of the EV for himself on rocky hillsides and gravel tracks in the area. The G-Class has a motor for each wheel so it is extremely maneuverable. "If you suddenly come across a tree lying across a narrow path, that can be very helpful," Kallenius says in a video of the test.
Mercedes has not yet disclosed the electric G-Class's range or battery size. Thanks to a new cell chemistry, the electric SUV should also be suitable for everyday use, the automaker says.
Mercedes will also launch an all-electric CLA that was previewed by the Vision CLA concept car at the 2023 IAA Munich Mobility auto show. It will be the first car built on the MMA platform, which Mercedes describes as "electric first," meaning it can also accommodate internal-combustion engines. The EV will have more than 750 km (466 miles) of range.
Mini
Mini begins sales of two new full-electric models as the automaker moves closer to becoming an all-EV brand by 2030. The three-door Mini Cooper will replace the current battery-electric version of the Mini hatchback. It will be built by a BMW/Great Wall joint venture in China. The other new EV is the latest Countryman, which has grown in size to move it into the compact SUV category from the small crossover segment. The SUV will be built alongside the sibling BMW iX1 in BMW's plant in Leipzig, Germany.
Peugeot
Peugeot has redesigned the 3008 compact SUV with a more coupe-like design. Under the skin, it will be the first vehicle on Stellantis' STLA Medium platform, which is focused on a full-electric drivetrain and offers up to 700 km of range. There will be internal-combustion engine versions available, but Peugeot is positioning the 3008 primarily as a BEV.
Polestar
The Polestar 4 will come on the market in Europe in the summer after it makes its debut in China. The long-delayed Polestar 3 is also scheduled to arrive in Europe. It shares its SPA2 underpinnings with the Volvo EX90, which has also been delayed.
Porsche
Porsche says the battery-electric Macan has been developed with a keen focus on the driving dynamics typical of the brand. The rear-focused all-wheel drive Macan is the first Porsche model built on Volkswagen Group's new Premium Platform Electric underpinnings, which it shares with the Audi Q6 E-tron. Macan buyers will have a wide range of options for charging the battery pack. Its 800-volt battery can be charged at 400-volt charging stations because a high-voltage switch in the battery enables "bank charging" by effectively splitting the 800-volt battery into two batteries. It's likely to be priced between the 70,000 euros cost of the combustion engine Macan and 95,000 euros price of the cheapest Taycan all-electric sedan.
Opel
The Grandland -- a sibling model to the Peugeot 3008 -- will be launched in midyear. Stellantis has invested in its factory in Eisenach, Germany, to ensure that the Grandland, its flagship model, will continue to be built in Opel's home country. Like the 3008, the Grandland will be promoted as a BEV first.
Range Rover
Since launching the Jaguar I-Pace in 2018, JLR has been slow to electrify, lagging behind premium rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz. However, its flagship full-electric vehicle, the Range Rover Electric, should attract a lot of attention when it launches toward the end of 2024. JLR says the Range Rover Electric will be the "quietest and most refined Range Rover ever created" but it has only released a few hints about the luxury EV, saying it will have "active road noise cancellation" to help create a quieter cabin environment and an 800-volt architecture to enable faster charging.
Renault
Fiat has shown how a cult car like the 500 can be successfully transferred into the electric age. Renault is following suit with an all-electric modern version of the Renault 5. The retro-styled hatchback will replace the long-running Zoe in Renault's lineup and will be its least-expensive battery-electric vehicle, with prices starting at about 25,000 euros. Nissan is planning a successor to the Micra small car on the same platform.
Skoda
Skoda continues to compete in Europe's segment for midsize cars that many rivals have exited as buyers switch to SUV. The new Superb, which will be sold in hatchback and wagon variants, is longer to increase cabin room. The plug-in hybrid version gets a larger battery that increases its electric-only range to 100 km (62 miles. The Superb has been designed by Skoda alongside the VW's new Passat, which drops the sedan version in Europe. The Superb and Passat wagon will be built together in VW Group's factory in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Toyota
Toyota will add an all-electric small SUV that its expects to be a key contributor to its European sales. The EV was previewed last year by the Urban SUV Concept. The production version will offer two battery sizes and optional all-wheel drive. The small SUV is being co-developed with Suzuki. It will compete cars such as the Hyundai Kona, Opel Mokka-e, Peugeot e-2008 and the coming Ford Puma EV.
Volkswagen
VW brand starts sales of the ninth --and likely last -- generation of its Passat midsize model in the first quarter. The Passat will be available in Europe only as a station wagon. In addition to a rounder shape and optimized aerodynamics, the Passat also has a new infotainment system with large screens. A plug-in hybrid model is also being offered with a significantly longer range than its predecessor.
The ID7 full-electric car is taking the Passat's place as a roomy midsize car suitable for long distance driving. The ID7 will get a station wagon version this year called the ID7 Tourer. The largest battery option for the ID7 could offer a range of up to 700 km (435 miles), which will be of particular interest to company car drivers who have to cover longer distances.
VW's Tiguan crossover is also being updated with sleeker design that the automaker claims reduces the car's drag coefficient to 0.28Cd from 0.33. The plug-in hybrid version will have an electric range of up to 100 km (62 miles).
Volvo
Volvo will begin deliveries the EX30 full-electric small SUV in early 2024. It will be the brand's most affordable model -- with a starting price of 36,590 euros in Germany -- and also be its quickest, boasting 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) acceleration in 3.6 seconds for the top-performing version. The EX30 shares its platform with other Geely Group models including the Smart #1 and Zeekr Z.
The EX90 is due to arrive in 2024 after a lengthy delay caused by software issues. It is Volvo’s electric flagship SUV and the sister model to the Polestar 3. The EX90 is the first Volvo that will include a lidar system from Luminar.
Douglas A Bolduc, Luca Ciferri, Nick Gibbs, Andrea Malan, Peter Sigal and Automobilwoche contributed to this report
