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The most exciting Toyota in recent memory, GT 86 is a lightweight, rear-wheel driven, four-seat coupe powered by a 147kW 2-litre boxer engine. It should be well worth the wait until the second half of next year.
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Ford hopes to shake up the hot hatch pack next year with the all-new Focus ST. Its new 2-litre EcoBoost turbopetrol motor pushes 184kW and 350Nm (up from 166kW/320Nm), yet it is said to be 20 percent more efficient than the old ST.
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Available by March 2012, the bigger, less-thirsty and more sophisticated 3 Series will initially be available with three turbocharged options: 180kW 328i, 225kW 335i and 135kW 320d. Smaller engines will follow during the year.
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BMW is taking on the CLS, Panamera and A7 with this four-door version of the 6 Series, called the Gran Coupe. It will be available during the second quarter in 235kW 640i and 230kW 640d versions, with the 330kW V8 650i coming later in the year.
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Sporting a new face and slightly revised, more efficient engines the new Audi A4 will reach SA in the first quarter (Just in time to make life harder for the all-new BMW 3 Series). Expect the Audi A5 Coupe and Sportback cousins around the same time.
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The Nissan GT-R returns with more fire in its belly early next year, the 2012 beast being faster, stiffer and more balanced. Outputs from its twin-turbo V6 rise from 390kW/612Nm to 405kW and 632Nm.
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This strange-looking space shuttle on four wheels, also known as the new Honda Civic hatchback, will land here around May 2012, while the more conventionally-styled sedan version will hit the shelves at the beginning of the year.
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Less brash, but a tad more elegant than its bad-ass predecessor, the all-new Chrysler 300C still has a V8 Hemi heart. Expect to see it in South Africa later in 2012.
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The Golf Cabriolet returns to our sunny shores in the second quarter, the soft-top offering a decent 250-litre boot capacity even with the automated top down. You can order it with either a 90kW or 118kW 1.4 turbopetrol engine.
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Based on the VW Tiguan and rearing to give the BMW X1 a run for its money, the Audi Q3 arrives here during the second quarter. Four turbocharged 2-litre engines will be offered, namely 125kW and 155kW petrols as well as 103kW and 130kW diesels.
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With a more muscular style about it (in relative terms) the retro Beetle returns in the second half of 2012. Also more sophisticated thanks to Golf 6 genes, the local range will offer 77kW 1.2 and 118kW 1.4 turbopetrol options.
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Ok, so not exactly hot, but the Toyota Etios could easily become a best seller if Toyota gets the price right. Set to rival the Ford Figo and Renault Sandero/Logan, the Toyota hatch and sedan range will be powered by a 66kW/132Nm 1.5-litre engine.
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Romping into SA by March 2012, the new Suzuki Swift Sport aims to entertain boy racers with its high-revving 100kW/160Nm 1.6-litre petrol engine, sporty suspension and racy design.
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Evolutionary looks meet advanced fuel-saving technology in the new Porsche 911, due here very early in the New Year in 257kW Carrera and 294kW Carrera S formats.
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Due in South Africa around September 2012, the Peugeot 208 is shorter and lower (yet roomier) than the 207 it replaces. Albeit slightly quirky, this one really looks like a French car too.
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Set to arrive before midyear, and powered by the familiar 132kW 1.6 turbopetrol engine, the Astra GTC will inject some serious style into the local Opel range.
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The first two-seat roadster that Mini has ever produced will arrive in South Africa early in 2012. As with the new Coupe, you can have it in either 90kW Cooper, 135kW Cooper S or 155kW JCW guise.
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Due in South Africa in the second half of 2012, the CX-5 takes the fight to RAV4 and Tiguan with advanced weight-saving tech and efficient new four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, with outputs ranging from 110kW to 129kW.
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Kia is set to take on the Honda Accord and Mazda6 in SA with its relatively daring Optima sedan. Due in the first half of the year, the engine-lineup has yet to be announced but we hope both the 147kW 2.4 and 204kW 2.0 turbo are on the cards.
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The bland i30 we know will make way for this far more striking replacement around August 2012. The line-up will hopefully include the new 99kW, direct-injection Gamma petrol engine.
