More than 60 new cars to watch out for in 2026

SINGAPORE – While China dominated Singapore’s electric vehicle (EV) segment in 2025, the next 12 months will see Japanese brands from Honda to Subaru launching EVs in a bid to regain their market share.

The Japanese entries will be among the 61 models expected to be launched in Singapore in 2026. These include new cars, as well as variations of existing models and facelifts.

The trend of new brands entering Singapore continues with the entrance of KGM from South Korea, as well as Nio and

Hongqi from China.

These brands are arriving even while the class of 2025, including brands like

Avatr

and Deepal, are still in the early days of gaining consumer recognition.

At the same time, key German carmakers will be launching a slew of new models in electric and combustion engine forms.

Meanwhile, despite the supply of certificates of entitlement (COEs) being much higher than in the past two years, premiums have remained elevated in 2025, leading to high vehicle prices. With so many new models expected to be launched in the next 12 months, it remains to be seen if COE premiums can soften.

But all in all, 2026 looks exciting, with plenty of hot wheels to watch out for.

Japanese plugs in, for real this time

Apart from offering a handful of fringe models, Japanese car brands have been largely under-represented in the EV segment. This will change in 2026.

One of the most significant Japanese EVs for 2026 is the Mazda 6e. Being a mid-sized saloon, the electric car takes the fight to the likes of popular models like the BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3.

Expected to go on sale in Singapore by July 2026, the car will be available in single-motor, 190kW form.

Toyota will shift into high gear in terms of product launches in 2026. Including the carmaker’s premium sub-brand Lexus, consumers should expect no fewer than seven different models, four of them being EVs.

After a false start in 2022, the Toyota bZ4X will arrive here in the first quarter of 2026 in facelifted form. The car features improved battery and motor technology compared with the original version.

In the second quarter, Toyota will launch the Urban Cruiser, a compact electric Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) that is roughly as big as the familiar C-HR crossover.

Over at Lexus, the updated version of the RZ electric SUV is slated to arrive in the second quarter, but the bigger news is the next-generation ES mid-sized saloon that will be launched around the same time. This is the first time that the ES will be available as an EV, although a petrol-hybrid version will also be introduced slightly later on in the year.

Toyota is not neglecting fans of its petrol-hybrids. In January, it will be launching the new Vios 1.5-litre compact saloon and the 2.5-litre RAV4 mid-sized SUV. Sometime in the second to third quarters of the year, Lexus will launch the facelifted Lexus IS300h hybrid.

Subaru will be going electric in January 2026 with the Solterra XT, which is the mechanical twin of the Toyota bZ4X. In the second quarter, it will launch the e-Outback as the brand’s premium electric SUV.

Honda will launch the Super-One, a pint-size electric city hatchback, also in the second quarter. This is the first electric Honda to be officially available in Singapore.

Suzuki is also plugging in with two electric models to be launched in the first quarter of the year. Both the e Vitara and the Fronx are compact SUVs, competing against the likes of the BYD Atto 2 and Atto 3.

Nissan’s line-up will be updated significantly, albeit with petrol and petrol-hybrid models and not EVs.

Besides launching the facelifted Serena in seven- and eight-seater forms in the earlier part of 2026, the brand will introduce the Elgrand, a luxury multi-seater that rivals the Toyota Alphard, in the last quarter. The car will use Nissan’s e-power technology, where the combustion engine onboard only charges up the battery to power the electric motor, instead of driving the wheels like other petrol-hybrid cars.

Also scheduled to debut in Singapore are a compact SUV called Kait in the third quarter and the Fairlady Z, a two-seater, non-hybrid sports car, in the fourth quarter.

Battle of the premium brands

BMW and Mercedes-Benz are not letting up in their fight for supremacy in the premium segment. Mercedes-Benz will launch its electric GLC mid-sized SUV in the first quarter of 2026, ahead of its class-rival BMW’s iX3, which will arrive in the middle of 2026.

The two brands are expected to continue to match each other in other segments. BMW will have the updated version of its top-end 7-series and i7 in the third quarter, just as Mercedes-Benz launches the facelifted S-class in the second half of 2026.

The brand with the three-pointed star will also be unleashing its smaller models in 2026.

The new four-door CLA saloon is expected in both electric and petrol-hybrid forms in the first half of 2026, around the same time as the electric GLB compact SUV. The petrol-hybrid version of the GLB will follow in the second half of 2026.

Audi will continue to refresh its line-up in 2026 with a new Q3, in both SUV and Sportback formats, and the Sportback version of the Q6 e-tron electric SUV in the first quarter of 2026. The brand will be reintroducing the e-tron GT in the updated “S” form in the second quarter.

Scheduled to make its world debut in 2026 is a new RS5, which will be pitted against the likes of the BMW M3 and M4.

Fans craving performance can look forward to the latest Porsche 911 Turbo S in the first half of 2026 together with the GTS version of the electric Macan SUV. In the second half of the year, expect to see the new electric Cayenne in base and Turbo forms.

Alfa Romeo and Jeep are owned by global automotive giant Stellantis, and since mid-2025, the brands have been distributed by Red Rock & Rosso in Singapore.

In the second quarter, the Alfa Romeo Junior Elettrica will be launched, marking the Italian brand’s maiden foray into the EV segment. Jeep will launch its Avenger e-Hybrid in the third quarter. Both are compact SUVs which are related under the skin, but with the respective brands doing their own tuning and set-up.

Staying off the beaten path, Land Rover will not only be launching the updated version of its Defender by the third quarter, but also debut an electric Range Rover by the last quarter.

Swedish brand Volvo will launch two EVs, the ES90 saloon and the EX90 SUV, in the first quarter of 2026.

Spicy South Korean wheels

South Korean brand Ssangyong has been renamed KGM and it will launch two new SUVs and an electric twin-cab pick-up in 2026.

The Torres is an SUV as big as an Audi Q5. It will initially be offered as an EV in the first quarter of 2026 before a 1.5-litre hybrid version is introduced in the third quarter. Also slated to arrive in the first quarter is a dual-motor, electric Musso pick-up truck.

In the second quarter, KGM will launch the Actyon Hybrid 1.5-litre, which is about the size of the Toyota Harrier.

Kia will also be beefing up its electric car line-up in 2026, starting with the EV4 in January. This is a compact family car with 150kW of power. At a later and yet-to-be confirmed date, the South Korean brand will also be bringing in the PV5, which is an electric van not unlike the funky Volkswagen ID. Buzz.

More exotic cars to dream about

Several levels up from the realm of mass-market and premium models is the world of Italian supercar brands.

The

Lamborghini

Temerario, a 900hp mid-engine petrol hybrid, will be in Singapore by the first quarter of the year. Over at Ferrari, the Prancing Horse will unveil the production version of its first EV in the second quarter. The name of the four-motor electric Ferrari has not been confirmed.

The chase of the Chinese dragons

The influx of Chinese brands and models will not slow down in 2026. BYD is keeping its product launches a secret at this point, but expect the Chinese brand to be anything but quiet in the new year.

In January, newcomer Nio will make its official debut in Singapore with the

firefly

, a 105kW electric hatchback. In the same month, Chery Group, the automotive conglomerate behind brands Omoda and Jaecoo, will launch ICaur, starting with the V23, a rugged-looking electric SUV, while Xpeng will release the G6 Air, which is a version of the popular G6 mid-sized electric SUV that has been tuned to make 110kW of power. This is the first Xpeng to be competing in the Category A COE.

Aion, which has been a strong seller in 2025, is expected to launch the UT compact electric hatchback in 100kW form.

In the first quarter, Avatr will launch the 07, a Porsche Macan-size electric SUV, with the top-range Ultra version packing 440kW of power. MG will launch its S6, which is an electric family SUV.

Deepal will launch its

S05 electric SUV

, which will go up against the BYD Atto 3, in the second quarter of 2026.

Hongqi

, the brand known for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s limousine, will launch the E-HS9, an electric SUV that is as large as the Range Rover LWB, and the BMW X3-size electric E-HS5 in the second and third quarters respectively.

This follows the preview that the brand is holding at the

Singapore Motorshow,

which runs from Jan 8 to 11 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.

In the second half of 2026, Dongfeng will be launching three EV models – the 008, which is an electric seven-seater SUV; MHero2, which is a plug-in hybrid five-seater SUV; and the Voyah Dream, a premium multi-purpose vehicle in both EV and plug-in hybrid forms, aiming at the Denza D9.

Within the next 12 months, there are at least two other compact Chinese electric SUVs confirmed for Singapore – the B10 from Leapmotor and the 05 from Ora.