May the Horse be with you: 14 cars to look forward to in 2014

If any year is slated to be a good one for the automotive industry, it should be this one tied to an animal inevitably associated with the automobile: the Year of the Horse. The horse symbolizes movement and power, as well as a certain nobility, all boding well for car companies.

Here are fourteen new horses that you can expect to see in 2014:

Small horses, tall horses

Launching on the eve of the New Year is the Ford Ecosport. Appropriately for a company best identified with replacing the animal itself with the horseless carriage, Ford is entering an entirely new category. Or at least rejuvenating one. The Toyota RAV4 invented the subcompact crossover based on a passenger car platform, before it grew in girth and moved upmarket. Now the Ecosport is set to combine a small footprint with tall ride height and substantial wading capability—a useful combination in Metro Manila.

More along the lines of conventional compact goodness is the upcoming fourth-generation Honda City. It promises to continue the line of good-to-drive and efficient sedans. Likewise its hatchback sibling, the Jazz. The Jazz will receive a healthy dose of style versus the sedan.

On the other end of the scale is Chevrolet’s full-size Tahoe SUV. With all the brawn and interior room expected of the twin to the Suburban, the Tahoe might make it to your favorite senator’s garage soon. A 5.7-liter V8 mated to a  six-speed automatic provides plenty of horsepower.

Squeaky power, super power

Toyota is set to re-enter the A-segment market with the Wigo hatchback. With a  1.0-liter three-cylinder engine, it will be one of the smallest-output Toyotas in recent memory, but surely enough for the Wigo’s diminutive frame.

Packing more than adequate power will be thoroughbreds like the Porsche 911 Turbo S, 560 horses from its six-cylinder boxer engine. The mission to bring in the Corvette Stingray, should Chevrolet choose to accept it, will give the Europeans reason for pause as the new Corvette ratchets up its performance credentials with a smaller price tag, to boot. Not one to usually quote horsepower, Rolls Royce also goes all-out with its Wraith coupe. Boasting of a 624-hp (well, there) turbocharged V12, the big bank on wheels can go like a horse out of hell.

Practically speaking

Mazda will launch the latest version of the car that put it back on the map, the 3 C-segment sedan. With a newfound style and the latest Skyactiv engine technology under its skin (hopefully with the hybrid-like iEloop energy-recapture system), the 3 will again be hovering near the top of the compact class.

With the D-Max selling like horse cakes, Isuzu is also betting that the Alterra SUV will follow in the success of its long-lost twin model the Trailblazer. Recently re-introduced to the press is the VW Jetta, with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine. A 1.2-liter gasoline turbo version is expected in the first month of the year of the horse. Mated to a manual transmission, the Jetta promises fuel efficiency to match its solid roadholding dynamics.

Veering a little from the four-dour practicality of the 3 Series, the 4 Series add a healthy kick of style to the formula. Looking lower and wider, the coupe should also carry the willingness of the 3 to follow its master’s directions.

Charging horses

Subaru will unleash the Impreza WRX STI this year, just to make sure you forget all notions that it had already gone to the glue factory. The WRX STI will feature the latest raucous version of the four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engine.

And of course, the ponycar herself, the Ford Mustang. With new styling that nearly drops all hints of retro design, the new Mustang will entice a new group of fans to saddle up. It may carry a (whinny!) four-cylinder option but the available V8 should be able to stir up all the gallop that the esteemed car deserves.

Gong Xi Fa Cai to all!