Your Best Automotive Predictions Of 2022, And How They Worked Out

At the start of 2022, we here at Jalopnik asked you for your automotive predictions for the year. We wanted to know what you thought would take place this year in the wonderful world of four-wheeled vehicles, and plenty of you delivered with hot takes, low-hanging fruit, or shockingly astute predictions.

My own prediction for 2022 was that the tradition of the auto show would die. I was kinda-sorta correct on this one; while plenty of shows still took place, they were pretty depressing. In our digital age, having a physical show isn't really all that important if you can make an announcement at any time of the year. Car companies can also choose the journalists and outlets they invite to their own hosted events, something they can't control as one of dozens of exhibitors at an auto show. The heyday of the car show — at least from the perspective of journalists and automakers — is over.

But let's see how the rest of your predictions fared.

This worked out well last time, so let's try again!

- chip shortages are going to continue into 2023 and cause all sorts of havoc on the car market. The auto lobby is a powerful one, so I'm guessing that they'll succeed in prioritizing more capacity for automotive related electronics when it's clear the strategy of hoping things get better doesn't work. Which really means: I hope y'all weren't looking forward to a new graphics card in '22.

- people will continue to complain about range anxiety even though they are driving less than they ever have and their current car has less range than several of the EVs on sale today. Meanwhile, the grownups in the EU will continue to drive the global demand for EVs.

- fuel prices are going up! People will blame Biden. It'll be high enough that some folks will seek out fuel efficient vehicles, placing greater demand on the most economical cars and further raising their prices.

- Bro-dudes upset at gas prices will stage protests by parking their jacked pickups in supercharger spaces. Many won't realize that the fuel type is different.

- interest rates will rise to combat inflation. Which means a bunch of people tettering on the edge of vehicle affordability are going to be forcefully pushed out.

- the Lightning will be a smashing success. Also, the Lightning will be recalled immediately after availability. Also, some idiot Ford dealership will add a $30k markup to one.

- basically: '22 is going to suck if you're a low to middle income earner.

Alright, dolsh. Are you from the future? Because this is all suspiciously on point.

Submitted by: dolsh

Someone will release a car which everyone here will hate because of the stupid grill, the rest of the car will be fine though.

Listen, BMW knows it has a captive audience in Jalopnik writers and readers.

Submitted by: Pitchblende

Tesla: FSD is really happening next quarter! Except for all these exceptions that is.

Stellantis: We charge you for every feature not required by regulation! Who else will sell you a 700+HP V8? Nobody? Fork it over, Boomer!

GM: Hummer compensation is in again!

Ford: Look, we can EV too! Except our dealers keep sabotaging us with insane markups!

Rivian: You want a R1T/S? Get in line, 99,732 more Amazon vans to go before we'll get to you.

Lucid: Heh, we'll take all the pissed Mercedes customers we can get!

Apologies to those automakers I forgot.

I love the specificity of this one. The range. The depth. Not everything here came true, but damn.

Submitted by: Science fiction couch – with bonus snuggle puppies

Making a separate post for my actual predictions:

-Supply shortages and associated markups will continue throughout the year, making 2022 as bad a year to buy a car as 2021.

-Related to the above, the average new vehicle price will cross $50,000 during 2022.

-Gas prices will be higher on average than 2021, but because of the shortage of new cars and wider availability of more fuel efficient models, the overall market share of trucks and SUVs will reach a record high in 2022.

-The C8 Z06 will (narrowly) become the fastest US branded car to lap the Nurburgring, edging out the Viper ACR.

-The Hummer EV will be poorly reviewed by this website.

I really wish I'd gotten to review the Hummer EV so I could have proved you right.

Submitted by: V10omous

Privacy will become a bigger deal as automakers, tech companies and lawmakers debate how much car-related data can be collected and distributed. Demand for "off-the-grid" cars will grow.

If there's a demand for "off-the-grid" cars, automakers sure haven't been listening.

Submitted by: Paaron

Here is my "prediction" and I say that in parenthesis because I have been wrong over and over and over when it comes to the virus and all it affects. But here goes...

I think we might be towards the end here. Omicron is turning out to be less severe because it goes for the upper respiratory tract versus the lungs. Getting stuff in your lungs is way more difficult to clear. It is most likely going to get rid of delta as its so much more successful at propagating and spreading. Covid isn't going away. But it is probably going to instead join the ranks of other common annual flu viruses. Combine that with the population either at high levels of natural or vaccine induced immunity along with upcoming oral treatments and it can be managed.

The supply chain issue will eventually be resolved. There will still be pent-up demand which will keep prices artificially inflated. I would not be surprised if its another year before things settle down on supply and prices.

I am also preparing myself for what will possibly be the end of democracy when the GOP gerrymanders itself back to power in the mid terms.

I am sorry about your foresight, ROBOT TURDS.

Submitted by: ROBOT TURDS

Inspired by the above Subaru, and trying to stay ahead of the curve, someone will release a car CUV with body panels made entirely of black plastic cladding.

No one was this daring in 2022, but I still think of this one as a COVID recovery year. Better luck next year.

Submitted by: thedevil

Trucks will sell.

Damn. Was it really that obvious?

Submitted by: FutureDoc

The traditional dealership model will start being replaced with a Tesla-like direct-to-consumer purchasing option straight from the manufacturer.

The direct-to-consumer trend definitely grew in 2022, but I wouldn't say we're quite far enough along to start talking about full replacement. Not just yet.

Submitted by: paradse

Oil prices will stabilize faster than chip production; which leads to a delay in EV adoption as legacy automakers prioritize less-chip-intensive ICE vehicles and limit their biggest chip requirements to their halo/flagship EVs, which means that most EVs will still not be accessible for most average citizens.

Toyota will fully unveil their supposed solid-state battery tech late in the year and hawk it on their next-gen Hybrids, EVs, and FCVs. It will start on their flagship models and top-end trims of popular models (say top-end Prius and maybe theRAV4 Prime) to help ameliorate costs, then trickle down.

Related, no major charging infrastructure is set up throughout 2022 because of chip shortages and ongoing research to pick the best places to set up charging stations with the limited funds available (just like how GM is being cautious about where to offer complementary charging facilities).

We get another week-long nuclear winter and Texas once again collapses because the power producers didn't implement back-ups on the basis that it was just a once-in-a-decade freak event and TXDoT didn't buy more snowplows and salt. Resulting in even more auto-related crisis whether it's powering up the house with the hybrid/EV or death by exhaust.

Compact nuclear might have a breakthrough, and instead of another renewable project, a compact reactor is built in the hopes of being able to provide more power with less space. Auto-related because this would help deal with increased load on the power grid.

Cybertruck will be delayed another year, while the Lightning strikes hard and fast and Rivian attempts to capitalize on the limited competition (while still honoring its Amazon commitments). GM reveals its more powerful Hummer EV with 3 motors as well as the cheaper single motor variant, alongside it's normal EV truck.

Hydrogen-based power will have modest breakthroughs throughout 2022 and start seeing some infrastructure put up outside of California; partially sponsored by Big Oil as they start seriously planning for a post-gas/diesel automotive future, and also sponsored by long-haul shipping/trucking companies.

Autonomous driving will be focused on long-haul trucking to aid and eventually replace the troubled CDL driver shortage and also to help cut down shipping delays. In parallel, shipping firms will have to start working in some kind of stipend for drivers who are stuck in hour+ delays, instead of completely going without pay from idling.

Like the Spanish Inquisition, no one could have predicted Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the start of 2022. But other than oil prices, you were pretty on the nose.

Submitted by: GenericUser

Gas prices will drop below $2/gallon and MAGA will still claim gas have never been more expensive and blame Biden.

Thanks a lot, Russia.

Submitted by: 4jim

Stellantis will unveil some mock-ups of the next 300C (which they'll call a 300E because it'll be electric), Charger and Challenger. The general response to all of which will be a resounding "meh... what about the Hellcat versions?"

Not bad, Forkish. Not bad.

Submitted by: Forkish

Elon Musk will try another stunt to try to crash Tesla's share price so he can reprivatize the company. The stunt will backfire because of his cult of personality.

So is that why he bought Twitter?

Submitted by: Miles Teg

For car styling, I think we're headed to a futuristic retro designs. Think along the lines of the IONOIQ 5. I for one hope they companies can stop with the over styling and get back to simple, clean, designs.

I won't settle until automakers bring back fins. We already obviously don't give a fuck about injuring pedestrians with the sheer size of our trucks and SUVs. A fin design would be fine.

Submitted by: mike

Crypto mining enabled CUV's will come on the market, but instead of you keeping the Cryptocurrency you can exchange it to enable features on your car. For example to enable remote start this month you need to mine at least 2 Dodgecoin or maybe 75 Fiatcurrency.

Well, I think we definitely could have seen this happen if crypto hadn't turned out to be a massive implosion. The closest we got were automotive NFTs.

Submitted by: StarsForCars