The next big cars are coming—and they’re worth the wait

In a world built on instant gratification—one-click ordering, self-checkout, and fiber-optic speeds—the automotive industry still plays by its own clock. The vehicles you’ll see here won’t arrive at dealerships for months, sometimes years. Some are just rolling off the assembly line. Others haven’t left the design studio. But we’re telling you about them now because these are the models that will actually matter, not just another wave of forgettable crossovers. These are the ones to hold out for.

Joey Capparella grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, surrounded by base-model Hondas and Toyotas—maybe that’s what sparked his obsession. He started writing about cars for his college newspaper at Rice University, then moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional gig at Automobile Magazine. Since 2016, he’s been part of the Hearst Autos team, now based in New York City.

Caleb Miller was blogging about cars at 13. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, he landed his dream job at Car and Driver. He’s drawn to quirky, offbeat vehicles—his bucket list includes a Nissan S-Cargo—and he’s a die-hard motorsports fan.

Also in this issue: Larry Chen and Pennzoil team up to preserve car culture; the most expensive cars and trucks made in America; a complete guide to every EV sold in the U.S. for 2026.