From muscle cars to hybrids, automakers are gearing up to launch a slew of new cars and redesigns this fall. Consumer Reports just released its yearly compilation of models you should watch this year, with a special emphasis on compact SUVs, which are becoming increasingly popular.
“Every October, we list a rundown of new cars in the pipeline, whether brand new or redesigned,” Gabe Shenhar, project leader and senior engineer at Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center, told The Fiscal Times. “We try to concentrate on cars that are really significant to the market.”
SLIDESHOW: 10 Hot New Cars for 2015
Most of the cars on the Consumer Reports list will be released in the fall, although some will come out in 2015.
The auto industry struggled following the financial crisis but Americans have renewed their love affair with cars this year. Industry sales surged in August to an annualized pace of 17.5 million, according to Autodata Corp., putting 2014 on track to potentially be the best year for sales since 2006.
Shenhar noted that some of the fastest growing segments are compact SUVs such as the Honda HR-V as well as compact luxury SUVs such as the Lexus NX. Consumers are attracted to these types of cars because of the convenience and ease to maneuver and the fact that they are seen as fashionable.
He also mentioned that hybrid versions of existing conventional cars are become more common, but “they don’t tend to succeed in the market as the Toyota Prius did.”
To find out which models are worth keeping an eye on, click here for the list of 10 hottest new cars for 2015.
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