Many all-new and redesigned vehicles have hit the market over the 2024 model year, but the vast majority of them have done little to move the automotive world forward. While options like the Buick Envista and Toyota Grand Highlander are certainly proving to be sales successes, they simply capitalize on a proven formula rather than pushing boundaries in new ways and providing drivers with unique options. That is why our Most Influential Autos of 2024 awards seek to highlight the vehicles that do something different and blaze new trails for other brands to follow.
While our Most Influential Autos awards of the past few years have included their fair share of electrified vehicles, 2024 is notable for being the first year that every vehicle chosen displays some form of electrification. From performance-oriented hybrids to fully-electric powertrains, this is a strong sign of the direction that the industry is heading in.
The 2024 awards also stand out for not including an award for Most Influential Sedan. While a sedan did make its way onto the list as our Most Influential Luxury Vehicle, there was a surprising lack of new or redesigned mass-market sedans this year, with the only potential candidate being the lightly refreshed Tesla Model 3 (which is yet another electrified vehicle); this is another sign of changes in the industry.
Most Influential Truck: 2024 Toyota Tacoma
- i-FORCE MAX Hybrid
- Six-Speed Manual
- More Off-Road Features
- Available Six-Foot Bed
The Toyota Tacoma is a beloved name among truckers everywhere, from small business owners to hardcore off-road enthusiasts. To give you an idea of just how beloved, so far in 2024, the Tacoma is outselling the next two most popular trucks in the midsize segment (the Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier) combined. So it’s no surprise that the redesigned 2024 Toyota Tacoma handily claimed our Most Influential Truck of 2024 award.
However, the new Tacoma has a lot more going for it than simple popularity. Toyota thoroughly overhauled its midsize masterpiece for the modern age, finding a remarkable balance between old-school features and cutting-edge engineering that points the way for other manufacturers to follow.
The biggest change for the 2024 model year—and a unique feature in the segment—is the new i-FORCE MAX turbocharged hybrid powertrain. Toyota is notorious for keeping proven engines in production, and the 3.5L V6 that powered the 2023 Tacoma dates back to 2015, but Toyota is also known for its dependable hybrid technology, so this update is not as big of a shift as it might first appear. While the i-FORCE MAX isn’t the most efficient hybrid in the world, its 24 MPG combined rating is still enough to give the 2024 Tacoma best-in-class accolades, which it follows up by also providing a best-in-class 465 lb-ft of torque (more than the Ford Ranger Raptor or Chevy Colorado ZR2).
But Toyota didn’t forget about the traditionalists either and continues to offer the Tacoma with a six-speed manual transmission, a single-row cab, and a six-foot bed—all options that are rapidly vanishing from the market despite the utility they offer truck owners. Finally, the new model year comes with a slew of fresh off-road features, including two new adventure-ready trims: the back-to-the-basics PreRunner and the fully-kitted-out Trailhunter.
All of these options are part of the reason why the Tacoma appeals to such a wide range of drivers and sells so well. Unless other midsize truck manufacturers start borrowing a few pages from Toyota’s book, the Tacoma is set to continue being the unchallenged king of the segment.
Most Influential SUV: 2024 Kia EV9
- First Affordable Family EV
- Luxury-Level Cabin
- 304 Miles of Range
- 800-Volt Charging
The number of electric vehicles available has been increasing rapidly in recent years, but there are still many segments of the automotive market where there are few to no EV options—for instance, three-row family SUVs. While there have been some models, like the Tesla Model Y and Mercedes-Benz EQB, that offer optional third rows, the 2024 Kia EV9 is the first mainstream three-row electric SUV, and the forward-thinking way that it has brought electrification to this segment has won it our Most Influential SUV of 2024 award. With advanced design and features, it blazes a trail for other manufacturers to follow.
With a starting price of $54,900, the EV9 costs about as much as a top-trim gasoline-powered three-row SUV, such as the Toyota Grand Highlander Platinum ($53,795), Chevy Traverse RS ($54,200), or Ford Explorer Platinum ($54,770)––but that’s before you take into account the $7,500 federal EV tax credit that is available if you lease.
The optional extended-range battery can be had for $59,200 before the tax credit and provides 304 miles of range, which is more than best-selling EVs like the Ford Mustang Mach-E or Honda Prologue. Kia managed to achieve that range without using a large, expensive battery through clever engineering, including an electric motor that can change configurations on the fly and even act as a voltage boost converter when charging.
The EV9 also stands out for its futuristic exterior design (which is eye-catching without being outlandish) and its extremely well-appointed interior. The class-exclusive lounge seats in the first and second rows provide a level of comfort normally reserved for ultra-luxury vehicles and are a great way to relax when you are stopped to recharge––not that you will be stopped for long, as the 800V architecture means the battery can go from 10% to 80% state of charge in as little as 20 minutes. In short, the EV9 is the complete package, and other manufacturers will have to work hard to claim a share of the three-row electric SUV segment.
Most Influential Off-Road Vehicle: 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser
- Body-On-Frame
- Advanced 4×4
- Classic Looks
- Hybrid Power
The Land Cruiser is a legendary name in off-roading, but here in America, we haven’t had a real off-road-focused version of it since the 1980s. However, for 2024, Toyota brought a new version of the Land Cruiser to market that downsizes the old luxury-focused full-size model into a retro-inspired trail-ready midsize machine that goes toe-to-toe with segment leaders like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. While it might not have a detachable roof and doors, this model’s ability to combine classic Land Cruiser performance and looks with modern capabilities has won it our Most Influential Off-Road Vehicle of 2024 award.
Toyota is known for building rugged vehicles, and the new Land Cruiser starts off with a traditional body-on-frame platform that it shares with the new Toyota Tacoma and upcoming 2025 Toyota 4Runner. It then complements the platform with a standard four-wheel drive system that includes a locking rear differential. (The Wrangler and Bronco both come standard with open rear diffs.) It also offers a stabilizer bar disconnect, giving it a better Ramp Travel Index than all but the Rubicon and Sasquatch variants from Jeep and Ford. Add the standard i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain with its 465 lb-ft of torque, and you have the makings of a real off-road monster.
However, Toyota knows that the modern adventurer also wants some niceties in their vehicle. Even Jeep has been forced to add power seats, power windows, and large touchscreens to the Wrangler to stay competitive. That’s why the 2024 Land Cruiser comes equipped with all the latest infotainment, comfort, and safety technologies from Toyota, just with an off-road twist. Surround-view cameras come in handy on the trail, and 2.4 kW of onboard power—courtesy of the hybrid system—means you can power your campsite. The new Land Cruiser is a blueprint for a go-anywhere, do-anything vehicle that more manufacturers should copy.
Most Influential Performance Vehicle: 2024 Chevy Corvette E-Ray
- Attainable Hybrid Supercar
- All-Season Performance
- Daily Drivable Design
- Quicker Than a C7 ZR1
Everywhere you look, it seems like another supercar is getting the hybrid treatment. The floodgates opened in 2013 with the debuts of the Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari, and McLaren P1 coinciding with the introduction of electrification in Formula 1. Now, it seems like a hybrid powertrain is a prerequisite to be considered a real supercar, so it’s no surprise that Chevy brought electrification to America’s favorite sports car with the 2024 Corvette E-Ray.
The latest addition to the Corvette family has put all the benefits of electrification on full display in a far more attainable package than your average supercar (even if its $104,900 price tag is far from cheap), winning it our Most Influential Performance Vehicle of 2024 award.
Unlike many electrified models, which use the additional power from the electric motors as an excuse to downsize the gasoline engine, Chevy simply slapped a motor on the front axle and kept the rest of the C8 Corvette Stingray powertrain unchanged. The result is a total 655 hp––more than the supercharged C7 Corvette Z06. But that’s not all. The combination of instant torque and sending power to all four wheels results in a 10.6-second quarter mile, outrunning even the C7 Corvette ZR1.
Standard Brembo carbon ceramic brakes (another real supercar feature) can bring the E-Ray to a stop from 100 mph in 300 feet—and although the E-Ray shares its gasoline engine with the base Stingray, it has the same widebody design derived from the C8.R racecar as the Corvette Z06. But while the E-Ray certainly has the performance credentials to claim the title of “supercar,” Chevy intended it as a more livable alternative to the track-focused Corvette Z06; thus, it’s shipped with standard all-season tires so that owners can drive the E-Ray year-round and take full advantage of its all-wheel drive system. (Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer tires are available as part of the ZER Package.)
The hybrid technology also provides a “Stealth Mode” option to slip out of the driveway on electric power so that neighbors don’t have to listen to the raucous V8. While the idea of a hybrid supercar is a decade old at this point, the E-Ray has democratized it in a way that more manufacturers need to emulate.
Most Influential Luxury Vehicle: 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire
- 1,234 Horsepower
- 427 Miles of Range
- 205-mph Top Speed
- 8.95-Second Quarter-Mile
Electrification is shaking up the entire automotive industry, but the luxury segment has arguably been the most impacted. Virtually every successful luxury automaker, from Rolls-Royce and Bentley to Ferrari and Lamborghini, owes a large part of its reputation to its finely crafted gasoline engines––something that doesn’t necessarily transfer to electrified vehicles. (Simply look at the failing Mercedes-Benz EQ.)
This has created an opportunity for new EV-focused manufacturers to establish themselves in the luxury segment, and none has done so as successfully as Lucid. The new 2024 Lucid Air Sapphire sets the benchmark for all other luxury manufacturers to meet, winning it our Most Influential Luxury Vehicle of 2024 award.
The Tesla Model S was the original benchmark for the luxury EV segment, and Lucid set out to one-up Tesla across the board. The original Air was a masterclass in luxury vehicle engineering and was named our Most Advanced Design of 2022, but Tesla’s surprise release of the Model S Plaid took the wind out of Lucid’s sails when it came to performance. Now, the range-topping Lucid Air Sapphire is here to assume its rightful place at the top of the hill.
Its upgraded three-motor powertrain (all engineered in-house by Lucid using its Formula E experience) delivers an incredible 1,234 hp for a quarter-mile time of just 8.95 seconds, outrunning even the fabled Bugatti Chiron hypercar with its quad-turbo WR16 engine. While Lucid does not appear to be interested in bringing the Sapphire to the Nurburgring to vie with the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT for bragging rights, in Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap at Virginia International Raceway, it set an outstanding lap time of 2:44.3; that’s the fastest time Car and Driver has ever gotten from a sedan, even beating older supercars like the 2020 Lamborghini Huracan EVO, 2016 Ferrari 488 GTB, and 2015 McLaren 650S.
While most luxury sedan drivers never take their cars to the track, this level of performance is the ultimate proof that Lucid is pushing the boundaries of automotive engineering in ways that few established luxury brands can come close to matching.
