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New electric cars from unexpected quarters and some defiantly old-school machines make next year an enticing one for car fans and practical buyers alike 
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[SINGAPORE] If this seemed like the year Chinese carmakers stormed the Singapore car market, 2026 is when the legacy brands push back with a slew of exciting new models – some electric, some hybrid and some defiantly old-school. These are the cars that matter next year.
Audi will roll out the new Q3 and Q3 Sportback at January’s Singapore Motorshow 2026, alongside the Q6 Sportback e-tron, the sleek coupe-sport utility vehicle (SUV) sibling to the electric Q6 e-tron.
But the humbler Q3 has been one of the brand’s biggest sellers, and the new model sticks to a winning formula in both SUV and Sportback forms. It offers a genuinely usable cabin and a digital-heavy interior, while borrowing its lighting signatures and driver assistance tech from Audi’s larger models.
Power comes from a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol engine producing 150 horsepower (hp) and 250 Newton-metres (Nm), good for 0 to 100 kmh in 9.1 seconds. It won’t offer thrills, but if it remains as polished and easy to live with as the previous Q3, it should be a high achiever for Audi.
Developed by state-owned Changan Automobile and Huawei, the Avatr 07 is a mid-size electric SUV aimed squarely at the premium market. A single-motor version with 343 hp reaches 100 kmh in 6.8 seconds, while a 598 hp dual-motor flagship cuts that to a Porsche-like 3.9 seconds.
An 82 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery gives them 488 km and 463 km of range, respectively, with 800-volt architecture to support 420 kilowatt (kW) ultra-fast charging. At that rate, 10 minutes of charging adds as much as 244 km of range.
Air suspension and active dampers suggest comfort won’t be sacrificed for control, while a fold-flat 32-square-foot bedding platform paired with a cinema mode hints at a new, slightly surreal idea of car-based getaways.
Fresh off finishing 2025 as Singapore’s best-selling car brand for the second year running, BYD starts 2026 by launching a long-distance champion, the Seal 6 DM-i. Its plug-in hybrid system blends electric driving for daily use with a 15.87 kWh battery giving up to 90 km of range, while a petrol engine powers longer journeys. The total claimed range is a headline-stealing 1,505 km.
A sleek mid-size saloon rather than yet another SUV, the Seal 6 DM-i targets buyers who want an EV without fully committing to battery power. Singapore has yet to see a breakthrough plug-in hybrid sell in big numbers; could this be the one?
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BMW’s high stakes iX3 arrives in Singapore around July in dual-motor iX3 50 xDrive form. The first production model of BMW’s Neue Klasse (“new class”) programme, literally “new class”, a clean-sheet technology rethink that reportedly cost 10 billion euros (S$15.1 billion) to develop.
With 469 hp, 0 to 100 kmh in 4.9 seconds, fast charging at up to 400 kW and up to 805 km of range, the iX3’s numbers look tantalising, but The Business Times’ test drive found a lingering question over whether the cabin feels posh enough for the price – an estimated S$390,000 at today’s Certificate of Entitlement (COE) levels. The upside? Behind the wheel, it’s unmistakably true to the BMW badge.
Deepal’s S05 will be a stylish new entrant in one of Singapore’s most hotly contested segments when it goes up against the likes of BYD’s Atto 3. It’s meant to woo buyers who want compact dimensions with a high-quality, spacious cabin.
Market speculation says it could be tuned for the cheaper Category A COE, which would immediately sharpen its appeal in a price-sensitive segment.
A sub-brand of Changan (which recently built its 30 millionth car), Deepal has shown with the larger S07 that it understands how to blend design flair with practicality. If the S05 follows that template, it could become a serious volume contender rather than just another face in the electric crossover crowd.
A plug-in hybrid from BYD’s premium Denza label, the B5 wears a deliberately square-jawed look to project off-road intent, even if its true mission is everyday family duty. Power comes from a dual-motor setup producing 687 hp and 760 Nm, backed by a 31.8 kWh battery that allows up to 90 km of electric driving.
Inside, it majors on space and comfort with rugged aesthetics. BT estimates it could sell for around S$290,000 at today’s COE levels.
Before April, Ferrari will relaunch one of its most loaded names with the new Testarossa, offered in both coupe and open-top Spider form, yours for S$2.1 million without COE and S$2.28 million respectively.
Ferrari’s latest hybrid powertrain may not scream like a naturally aspirated V12, but its 4.0-litre V8 spits out 830 hp while electric motors add 220 hp, for a formidable 1050 hp overall. Performance is suitably superlative: 0 to 100 kmh in under 2.3 seconds, with a top speed north of 330 kmh. Ferrari’s pivot towards electrification will culminate in this year’s Elettrica, its first full EV, which will offer four seats, a sound generator and styling inspired by Formula 1 racing.
Another Singapore Motorshow debutante, the Kia EV4 will arrive as the brand’s first electric sedan here. Built on a dedicated EV platform, its shape is the most slippery ever produced by Kia, yet despite the swoopy looks it offers class-leading cabin room.
The 58.3 kWh battery powers a 204 hp front motor, which in turn gets the EV4 to 100 kmh in 7.5 seconds. Kia claims up to 546 km of range, while charging is pegged at 29 minutes (10 per cent to 80 per cent) on a 150 kW DC charger.
Crowd-pleasing features include a panoramic three-screen freestanding display, physical buttons to make it user-friendly, and a three-pin socket in the cabin that can power home appliances. 
Leapmotor is still new to Singapore, but back home it has quietly climbed to the top of the sales charts among China’s EV startups. It’s a size down from the C10 (the first Leapmotor launched here by importer Cycle & Carriage), and will likely be in Category A, so expect competitive pricing.
It trades on clean, contemporary design, a strong focus on space efficiency and usability and a value-led approach. If the C10 introduced the brand, the B10 could be the car that makes it popular.
Lexus has yet to score a hit EV in Singapore, so the pure electric version of the new ES, its big-selling saloon, is a highly promising prospect. The front-wheel-drive ES 350e with 224 hp arrives in the second quarter, with the all-wheel-drive, dual-motor, 343 hp ES 500e arriving a quarter later.
The former uses a 77 kWh battery and reaches 100 kmh in 8.2 seconds, while the quicker ES 500e employs a 75 kWh pack and cuts that to 5.7 seconds; both offer more than 500 km of claimed range, with150 kW fast charging taking the batteries from 10 to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.
Lexus says it calculated the car’s height, width and length to deliver maximum elegance, and fussed over tyre position down to the millimetre for the perfect stance.
Inside, expect the usual confluence of space, refinement and quality, but fewer buttons. Instead, a digital cabin sees the biggest touchscreen ever used in a Lexus (at 14 inches) running a new interface.
The first half of 2026 will be busy for Mercedes-Benz, with a launch slate that includes an all-new CLA sedan and the boxier, family focused GLB, both of which will come with pure electric options.
The CLA also introduces Mercedes-Benz’s next-generation operating system, MB.OS, which underpins how its future cars will think, respond and update. Built on a chip-to-cloud architecture, it allows the car’s infotainment, connectivity and driver-assistance systems to work more closely together, while learning a driver’s preferences over time.
But the car that really matters next year is the new electric GLC, which recasts Mercedes’ best-selling model for the EV crowd. The GLC 400 4Matic uses dual motors and all-wheel drive to deliver 490 hp and 800 Nm, enough for 0 to 100 kmh in 4.3 seconds.
A 94 kWh battery enables up to 715 km of range, while 800-volt charging allows a 10 per cent to 80 per cent top-up in roughly 22 minutes. Expect practical touches like generous boot space and spacious seating to underline its role as a plush family SUV, just without the engine noise.
MG will debut the MGS6 EV at the Singapore Motorshow. It pushes MG decisively into the medium-size electric family SUV space currently dominated by the BYD Sealion 7. Dual-motor versions produce 361 hp, with MG quoting a 0 to 100 kmh time of 5.1 seconds, with 484 km of claimed range. Inside, the S6 plays up space and perceived quality, signalling MG’s desire to move beyond value-brand stereotypes.
GWM Ora, best known here for its adorable hatchback, the Ora Good Cat, gets its first SUV in 2026 in the form of the Ora 05.
Measuring 4,471 mm long with a 2,720 mm wheelbase, it arrives as a Category A electric SUV, putting it right in BYD Atto 3 territory.
Final local specifications are still to be confirmed, but a 58.3 kWh battery should deliver at least 400 km of real-world range. True to Ora’s brand character, the 05 swaps sharp creases for rounded, almost retro styling, offering a visual standout in a segment crowded with lookalike cars.
Porsche’s new 911 Turbo S, arriving in the first half of 2026, to keep its loyalists happy, but it is the Cayenne Electric that is likely to make the bigger splash when it lands in the second half.
Offered initially as the Cayenne Electric and Cayenne Turbo Electric, it’s a full-size luxury electric SUV for adrenaline addicts. The Turbo version grabs headlines with 1,156 hp on tap and 0 to 100 kmh in a dizzying 2.5 seconds.
A 113 kWh battery enables up to 642 km of range, with ultra-fast DC charging at 400 kW adding as much as 325 km in 10 minutes. For buyers looking to lord it over a sea of Tesla Model Ys, this may be the new status benchmark.
Subaru’s first electric vehicle for Singapore finally goes on sale here in 2026 in the form of the revamped Solterra, after the original version quietly skipped our market. It comes standard with Subaru’s trademark all-wheel drive and a 73.1 kWh battery, delivering a range of around 436 km.
Dual motors produce 338 hp for 0 to 100 kmh in a speedy 5.1 seconds. With X-Mode off-road settings and generous ground clearance, the Solterra leans into Subaru’s outdoorsy DNA.
The Japanese may be late to the EV party, but this offers something for buyers wary of jumping straight into unfamiliar Chinese names.
Toyota’s 2026 is packed with EVs and hybrids. January sees the launch of a new Vios, the brand’s entry-level sedan, powered by a 1.5-litre hybrid powertrain that will make it use less petrol than some motorcycles.
A revamped 2.5-litre RAV4 hybrid with sharper design and a modernised cabin joins the line-up in the first quarter, along with a revamped bZ4X, a dedicated battery-electric SUV with more range and more power than before.
The second quarter brings Urban Cruiser, a pure electric compact crossover in Category A, with a 49 kWh battery a 144 hp motor driving the front wheels. It’s marginally smaller than the BYD Atto 3, but comes with a sliding rear seat that lets occupants choose between legroom and boot space.
Suzuki’s e Vitara (set for a first quarter launch) is a mechanical twin, but much is riding on the Urban Cruiser’s shoulders to deliver big sales for Toyota.
2026 could be Chinese startup XPeng’s big year in Singapore, with the arrival of the G6 in Category A form. The lower-powered version will be slower but more affordable, bringing it into much closer contention with the Tesla Model Y.
Speed was never the G6’s strongest point, anyway. Its appeal lies in a high-quality interior, a smart operating system with a highly customisable user interface that lets drivers prioritise and rearrange key functions, and excellent space packaging that makes it practical.
It also boasts the best self-parking system in the business. With more than 1,000 cars already on the road here in a little over its first full year, XPeng could use its first Category A car to increase its momentum.
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MDDI (P) 046/10/2024. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2025 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

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