The end of the year is a great time to reflect on the previous 12 months, but it’s also a perfect time to look forward. Sure, it’s just a calendar change, and a lot of things will stay the same, but there will be plenty of new things, too. And heck, you might even successfully achieve some of those goals you set for yourself. I started making changes and losing weight in January 2024 and ended up losing 70 pounds, so at least one person you know has done it successfully. 
But the new year isn’t just about setting new goals to eat your damn vegetables or yell at your kids less. It’s also time to consider all the new cars you have to look forward to, even the ones you’ll probably never drive, much less be able to afford. It’s fun, and no, it’s not a distraction from spending time with family or thinking about the more depressing things that are probably going to happen next year. It’s cars. Cars are important and fun. 
Personally, I’m probably the most interested in the Rivian R2. Visually, it sticks pretty close to the design language we’ve seen on other Rivian models, so in that regard, it isn’t necessarily the most visually exciting new car that we’ll see next year. That said, for the last several years, Rivian’s been building luxury vehicles. As great as the R1s are, they still cost more than $70,000. The average person in the U.S. doesn’t even make that much money in a year. But the R2 is supposed to have a base price of about $45,000, which opens up Rivian ownership to a much larger group of potential buyers. 
Still, a good car is about a lot more than specs, and it’ll be fascinating to see just how well Rivian is able to deliver a more affordable vehicle. Initial impressions from people who have gotten to poke around inside pre-production R2s seem to be pretty solid, so maybe it’ll be outstanding. On the other hand, maybe we’ll drive it and be able to immediately feel where every dollar was saved compared to the R1S. And once the R2 starts rolling off the line, we’ll also get to see how it sells. Is it going to be the breakout hit the company is hoping for? Either way, we’ll find out next year. 
What about you, though? What car are you looking forward to most in 2026? Be sure to let us know down in the comments. 
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