New car of Mercedes-Benz

When: Late 2013
How Much: TBD
My Guess: As high as $45,000 for the AMG, mid-$30,000 range for later CLAs
 

Mercedes has been toying with bringing Americans a compact Benz since Harry Truman was in the White House. Okay, not quite, but it seems that way. Think of how much money Mercedes hasn't made while BMW brought the 1 Series, and then several hundred thousand Minis, to the U.S.

Now Mercedes is finally pulling the trigger. What the CLA promises, Mercedes says, is something slicker than we've seen on American shores, and the first A-Class to grace the New World will arrive as an AMG with a muscular 300-hp turbocharged four-cylinder fed to all-wheel drive. It's even possible we'll see a double-clutch, seven-speed automatic. Only the sedan version of the smallest Benz will come to America, probably because the hatch versions of the 1 Series and the Audi A3 haven't sold well here. After the CLA AMG debuts, though, we will see more fuel-efficient CLAs with smaller engines, possibly a diesel, and front-wheel drive.

Mercedes-Benz CLA

New Car of Porsche

When: Mid-2013
How Much: Low $40,000s

Porsche loyalists, look away. You might cry foul over this latest VW Group tie-up with Porsche, but Porsche can't hear you over the ka-ching of all those dollars, euros, yen, and yuan. We actually have high hopes for the Audi Q5–based Macan. The reason: The Q5 could be much more capable than it is, but while we don't foresee Audi bringing us an R-edition Q5, we can believe Porsche would go there.
At first, we expect Porsche to go for improved handling, the way it built the Cayenne to be a more capable high-speed machine than the VW Touareg. AWD will be a given, as will two Audi-derived engines, the 237-hp 2.0-liter turbo four and the 288-hp V-6. Rumors suggest that a manual gearbox could be possible, but we're betting on a seven-speed auto, though there's still hope it could come in a dual-clutch arrangement.

Porsche Macan

New Car of 2014

When: Mid-2013
How Much: TBD
My Guess: $22,000 to $24,000

Jeep has a real conundrum on its hands. Diehard off-roading loyalists want every Jeep to be capable of conquering mule paths and mud bogs. But the RAV4, CR-V, and Santa Fe buyers that Jeep would like to entice don't care about rock-crawling prowess. They care about modern amenities such as hitting 70 mph highway speeds with low noise and vibration and little harshness; carlike handling; and reliability. All-wheel drive is fine if it gets you out of the driveway on a snowy morning, but that's as much Trail Rating as they need.
We think that means Chrysler is going to push back against those sensitive Jeep fans, hard. That translates to a Liberty that is a Jeep in name but carries the same chassis that undergirds the new Dodge Dart. Expect a fully independent suspension and 4WD but no low range, even if hill-descent control is an option. There's also rumor of an all-new V-6 (the outgoing 3.7-liter V-6 was anemic, unrefined, and thirsty), and a ZF-sourced nine-speed automatic. That would mean a whopping five more forward gears than the outdated four-speed auto in the old Liberty (pictured above). The base Liberty could have the same 1.4-liter turbo deployed in the new Dart, and, though it is sacrilege to some Jeep fans, front-wheel drive.

2014 Jeep Liberty

New Car Chevy Corvette C7

When: Fall 2013
How Much: $50,000 and up

We know more about the next Vette than we did just a few months ago. Gone are thoughts of a split rear window, a turbocharged V-6, or a midengine design. It now appears that the C7 will debut at this coming winter's North American auto show in Detroit with a 5.5-liter V-8 that still uses pushrods. However, thanks to direct injection and higher compression, it's reasonable to expect the new Corvette to put out 440 hp, so it could match or best the outgoing 6.0-liter.
The car will be visually arresting for certain. Inspiration will come at least in part from the present Camaro. One sure bet—GM will finally, praise heaven, give its $50,000 Ferrari slayer an interior that's gorgeous, and with seats that hold the driver comfortably on track day.

Chevy Corvette C7

New car Of Audi

When: Mid-2013
How Much: $30,000 and up

The forthcoming A3 will be based on the VW Golf. It would be nice if the U.S. got the hatch, but that's unlikely. We probably will get a diesel A3, though, and the four-door sedan will come in a hotter S3 version that's also a possibility for North America, though an über-powerful RS3 is highly unlikely.

Hopefully the chassis that underpins the new Audi will be more modular than previous versions. That would allow integration of hybrid tech and front-drive or AWD setups that could shave weight on various Audis and Volkswagens, helping engineers to increase fuel economy while downsizing displacement.

2014 Audi A3