The best new cars of 2019

Polestar is the performance brand offshoot from Volvo. This is a car that will frighten the life out of Tesla – it is an all-electric rival to the brand’s Model 3. Power comes via two electric motors developing a total of 402bhp which gives you a zero-60mph time of under five seconds, and Polestar reckons it has a range of at least 300 miles. All-wheel drive comes as standard, and the infotainment system is powered by Android and brings Google services to a car for the first time, including Google Maps. Cars are due to arrive either at the end of this year or early 2020, and you can pre-order one for around £35,000. With the clout of Volvo behind them, this Polestar could be a game changer. 

Who’d have thought it? A car built in Leeds is trying to rival the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini. Well, Ginetta is plainly onto something. It’s hoping to build 20 Akula models, and two thirds are already sold. Its 6.0-litre V8 engine develops 600bhp, which all goes to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential paddle-shift. The bodywork might be light, but the car generates a mass of downforce, which you’ll need because although there’s no zero-60mph time yet, this Ginetta will crack 200mph. Price? £340,000. Will it be really be that good? Judging by the brand’s success in motor racing, we’d say yes. Oh, and Akula is Russian for ‘shark’. Not that you’ll find many of them in West Yorkshire.

BMW is steadily trickling pure electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in electric vehicles (PHEV) into its range. The latest to break cover in Geneva is the BMW X3 PHEV. BMW call this its SAV – Sports Activity Vehicle. The PHEV model will arrive in the autumn followed early next year by the EV. BMW say that the PHEV will hit 60mph in 6.5 seconds with the four-cylinder petrol engine developing 240bhp and the electric motor adding 40bhp when needed. There’ll be a switch so that you can run in EV mode alone with a predicted range of 31 miles on battery power. Fuel consumption will crack 100mpg. 

One of the biggest announcements is traditionally made on the day before the Geneva show starts: the European Car of the Year award. Your winner? The all-electric Jaguar I-Pace. It was a tight-run thing between the Jag and the Alpine A110, but the I-Pace just sneaked it. Jaguar, along with Land Rover, Ford, Volvo, Hyundai and Vauxhall, skipped Geneva because it would rather unveil new models at a time when they’re likely to get more exposure. This plan worked well for Jaguar because its new XE has been warmly received. It promises more tech, more goodies and better value with a starting price of £33,915. 

The new Bentayga Speed is the world’s fastest production SUV, pipping the Lamborghini Urus by just 0.5mph. (No coincidence, that – those cheeky chaps at Crewe have a head for numbers.) It has a top speed of 190mph and even though it has the dimensions of a small house, it will reach 60mph in 3.9 secs thanks to a thunderous 6.0-litre W12 which develops 626bhp. Pricing won’t be far away from £190,000 but you can guarantee that most buyers will dip into the extensive extras catalogue. The suspension has been tweaked and, if you hit the Sport mode, you’ll be able to hurtle around corners with even more bravado. There’s some subtle extra body styling, too, making the Bentayga even more of a beefcake – if you like that kind of thing.  

One of the most important cars to break cover at Geneva is the Renault Clio. It’s a massive seller across Europe. This is the fifth generation Clio and is the first to have a mild-hybrid option which comes with a 1.0-litre petrol engine. There’ll be no all-electric Clio – get the Zoe instead. It boasts two 1.0-litre three-cylinder units (one turbocharged) and a four-cylinder 1.3-litre engine – all petrol. Most will have an auto option. There’s a 1.5-litre diesel, too. No idea of prices, but expect a small increase on current models, which means £14,250 for the entry-level Clio. Cars arrive in the UK late this summer. 

Audi called this a concept car. It isn’t. It’ll be the new Audi Q4 e-tron, which will be the smaller stablemate to the chunky, full-fat Audi e-tron which finally arrives in the UK in the next few weeks. The car in the photo is a four-door compact SUV, but the car that arrives next year will have a rear hatch. Audi has already confirmed that it will have an expected range of 274 miles – and zero-60mph takes a shade over six seconds. Top speed is limited to 111mph. The huge battery takes up most of the underfloor space between the two axles so, with all that weight placed low down, this car should handle really well.

We love estate cars in the UK so this will be a big seller for Merc. The car arrives in September and is aimed at introducing new buyers to the Mercedes brand. It’s a load-carrying version of the A-Class and looks really smart. If you want to know what the interior will look like and what sort of mechanical options there’ll be, look at the A-Class as they’re identical. Don’t expect to haul a wardrobe in the back; this CLA is more of a lifestyle statement than a load lugger. Strap a bike rack on the rear or a surfboard on the roof. Prices will kick off in the low £30ks.

Battista Farina was an Italian car designer – and his nickname was Pinin. In 1930, he founded Pininfarina, which became one of the world’s finest car design and coachbuilding companies. His work with Ferrari, Maserati, Lancia and Alfa Romeo is renowned, but the company has never build its own car. Until now. The Pininfarina Battista is not only its first car, it’s one of the fastest road-legal cars ever produced. And it’s all-electric. Power peaks at 1,900bhp. Yes, 1,900. Zero-60mph in reportedly less than two seconds; and 186mph in less than 12 seconds. Top speed? 250mph. Range: 280 miles (not at 250mph, obvs.). Price is around £2m. Pollutants – zero. This car was arguably the star of Geneva 2019.