It's not been a quiet year for the automotive industry. The big topic of 2019 was, perhaps inevitably, the electrification of most mainstream manufacturers' line-ups, but there were plenty of combustion-flavoured industry developments, as well.
This year gave us our first look at Land Rover's long-awaited new Defender, the eighth iteration of Volkswagen's segment-leading Golf, Porsche's first electric car and tonnes of other important new models, but we also got an idea of what to expect from other manufacturers in the years to come. Take a look at the hottest stories from the last twelve months:
10. Mazda could revive RX sports car lineage
Speculation that Mazda could revive its line of rotary-powered sports cars was fuelled in September, when details emerged of an unmistakably performance-oriented chassis patent the company had filed. Two months later, the company’s R&D boss told Autocar that rotary technology being developed for use in the firm’s new range of hybrids could soon find its way into a sporty successor to the legendary RX-7 and RX-8 coupes. One obstacle is the relative inefficiency of a rotary motor, but electrified powertrain trials will help Mazda to confirm the technology’s production viability.
Mazda RX-9 hopes boosted by new rotary-engine technology
9. Nissan 370Z and Nissan GT-R could go electric
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