Photo: Ford
For example, there's a new Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for series-produced EVs, the Ford Mustang is popular as ever, Toyota's GR Supra is not so much, and you can also get an old Nissan Skyline GT-R now in America.
I know that everyone makes new-year resolutions, but I'm not exactly accustomed to plans on the first day of the year and then becoming oblivious to anything for 364 (or 365 in 2024) days. Instead, I usually make smaller or larger plans throughout the year and then just watch them unfold. For example, right before the Nissan Z appeared on the market, I believed it could be that season's most significant sports car introduction.
A couple of years later and a 2024 Nissan Z Nismo variant, my predictions missed the mark by a heavy margin. How serious, you might ask? Well, no one would have imagined the Ford Mustang could be beaten – especially since, in 2023, the company also introduced the latest and (arguably) greatest iteration. So, the S550, together with the S650 seventh generation 2024 Mustang, proved the most popular sports car in the US last year.
Sales increased just 2.2 percent to almost 49k, but that was more than enough to beat the defunct Dodge Challenger (minus 18%, 45k deliveries) and the eternal third-placed Chevy Camaro (up 26% but only to a little more than 31k units). As for my pick for a favorite sports car, the Nissan Z tallied just 1,771 units instead of its archrival GR Supra, reaching just 2,652 vehicles delivered to customers! It is no wonder no one wants to deal with the sports car field anymore!
If you're still looking for something with two doors and the desire to spin the wheels uncontrollably during a burnout, the good news is that in 2024, you can legally import the famous R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R. However, the crazy Fast & Furious fame has led to many examples getting modified, and it will be a pain to find one untouched. Along with the R34 GT-R, you could also think about importing stuff like the Alpina B12 6.0 (based on the E38 BMW 7 Series), B5 Audi RS4, (ugly) Hyundai Equus, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VI, S15 Nissan Silvia, Pagani Zonda, 996.1 Porsche 911 GT3, or the TVR Tuscan Speed Six if you crave for something incredibly exotic.
By the way, among the things that stayed the same, there were also the eternal winners of the US automotive market's sales – General Motors ducked it out with Toyota and beat them sanely with almost 2.6 million deliveries against over 2.24 million sales, but the Japanese automaker still held the crown for mid-size pickup trucks while the Chevy Colorado remained second in a year of switching generations for the Tacoma, for example. Ford also came third with almost 2 million vehicles and took bragging rights for keeping the best-selling truck nameplate crown for 47 years in a row.
However, suppose you look at the full-size pickup truck market from a different angle. In that case, General Motors claims they're the ones we should applaud because its Chevrolet Silverado plus HD and GMC Sierra plus HD sales were above the evolution of the Ford F-Series when tallied together. Stunningly, there were also models that registered immense positive sales. For example, the Toyota Sequoia jumped 287%, the tiny Chevrolet Trax was up 311%, Audi's Q4 e-tron Sportback reached +358%, the Nissan Z was at +518%, the GT-R at +586%, Toyota bZ4X at +667%, Subaru Solterra at +865%, Nissan Ariya at +6,598%, and the Cadillac Lyriq at a whopping +7434%, according to the good folks over at the car News Network channel on social media.
True, these figures are a bit artificial as the models didn't get a full sales year in 2022, but it's still important to note that some of them might remain popular even during 2024 – especially the compact EV crossover SUVs. For example, Toyota just updated the bZ4X to 2024 model year status with standard perks like a dual-voltage (Level 1 and 2) charging cable, Advanced Park on Limited grade, eight-way powered driver's seat, and power liftgate on XLE, new info on the Multi Information Display, plus one year of complimentary charging through EVgo's nationwide charging network with any purchase or lease.
As opposed to the 2023 model year, which started from $42k, now the 2024 Toyota bZ4X kicks off from $43,070 on the XLE grade and $47,180 on the Limited trim – a difference which could be easy to absorb thanks to the complimentary charging feature if you want to travel more than usually. Last but not least, let me offer yet another prediction about 2024's most eagerly-awaited vehicle – I think it's pretty evident that Tesla will snatch the laurels with the Cybertruck. Unless they launch both the Model 3 Highland and Model Y Juniper updates this year, in which case it's going to be quite challenging to choose between this high-powered trio. Oh, and I would also venture to say that we should be on the lookout for Cadillac's EV efforts.
A couple of years later and a 2024 Nissan Z Nismo variant, my predictions missed the mark by a heavy margin. How serious, you might ask? Well, no one would have imagined the Ford Mustang could be beaten – especially since, in 2023, the company also introduced the latest and (arguably) greatest iteration. So, the S550, together with the S650 seventh generation 2024 Mustang, proved the most popular sports car in the US last year.
Sales increased just 2.2 percent to almost 49k, but that was more than enough to beat the defunct Dodge Challenger (minus 18%, 45k deliveries) and the eternal third-placed Chevy Camaro (up 26% but only to a little more than 31k units). As for my pick for a favorite sports car, the Nissan Z tallied just 1,771 units instead of its archrival GR Supra, reaching just 2,652 vehicles delivered to customers! It is no wonder no one wants to deal with the sports car field anymore!
If you're still looking for something with two doors and the desire to spin the wheels uncontrollably during a burnout, the good news is that in 2024, you can legally import the famous R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R. However, the crazy Fast & Furious fame has led to many examples getting modified, and it will be a pain to find one untouched. Along with the R34 GT-R, you could also think about importing stuff like the Alpina B12 6.0 (based on the E38 BMW 7 Series), B5 Audi RS4, (ugly) Hyundai Equus, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VI, S15 Nissan Silvia, Pagani Zonda, 996.1 Porsche 911 GT3, or the TVR Tuscan Speed Six if you crave for something incredibly exotic.
By the way, among the things that stayed the same, there were also the eternal winners of the US automotive market's sales – General Motors ducked it out with Toyota and beat them sanely with almost 2.6 million deliveries against over 2.24 million sales, but the Japanese automaker still held the crown for mid-size pickup trucks while the Chevy Colorado remained second in a year of switching generations for the Tacoma, for example. Ford also came third with almost 2 million vehicles and took bragging rights for keeping the best-selling truck nameplate crown for 47 years in a row.
However, suppose you look at the full-size pickup truck market from a different angle. In that case, General Motors claims they're the ones we should applaud because its Chevrolet Silverado plus HD and GMC Sierra plus HD sales were above the evolution of the Ford F-Series when tallied together. Stunningly, there were also models that registered immense positive sales. For example, the Toyota Sequoia jumped 287%, the tiny Chevrolet Trax was up 311%, Audi's Q4 e-tron Sportback reached +358%, the Nissan Z was at +518%, the GT-R at +586%, Toyota bZ4X at +667%, Subaru Solterra at +865%, Nissan Ariya at +6,598%, and the Cadillac Lyriq at a whopping +7434%, according to the good folks over at the car News Network channel on social media.
True, these figures are a bit artificial as the models didn't get a full sales year in 2022, but it's still important to note that some of them might remain popular even during 2024 – especially the compact EV crossover SUVs. For example, Toyota just updated the bZ4X to 2024 model year status with standard perks like a dual-voltage (Level 1 and 2) charging cable, Advanced Park on Limited grade, eight-way powered driver's seat, and power liftgate on XLE, new info on the Multi Information Display, plus one year of complimentary charging through EVgo's nationwide charging network with any purchase or lease.
As opposed to the 2023 model year, which started from $42k, now the 2024 Toyota bZ4X kicks off from $43,070 on the XLE grade and $47,180 on the Limited trim – a difference which could be easy to absorb thanks to the complimentary charging feature if you want to travel more than usually. Last but not least, let me offer yet another prediction about 2024's most eagerly-awaited vehicle – I think it's pretty evident that Tesla will snatch the laurels with the Cybertruck. Unless they launch both the Model 3 Highland and Model Y Juniper updates this year, in which case it's going to be quite challenging to choose between this high-powered trio. Oh, and I would also venture to say that we should be on the lookout for Cadillac's EV efforts.
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