2025 wasn’t kind to electrified vehicles. Many automakers with ambitious electrification plans abandoned them altogether or reduced the planned volume of EVs. A shift to hybrids is a half-step away from EVs, a measure automakers are taking to “meet demands,” but the elephant in the room is that the same automakers say full electrification across the lineup is still the goal. The elimination of federal tax credits harmed the EV market, but there’s another issue auto brands are unwilling to face: EVs aren’t cool anymore.
The modern EV is soulless, little more than a large battery pack, a drivetrain, a few seats, and poorly implemented software. It’s an attempt to make us think these automakers are rocketing us into the future, but it only shows us that those same brands are poor at implementing change quickly. Those brands are now copying the same things automakers bashed Tesla for early on.
Some may call those automakers ignorant. We think they’re missing out. Even poorly selling vehicles have fervent fanbases; admirers who didn’t buy wanted a good reason to purchase one, and automakers never gave them that reason. With electrification in a lull, now is an excellent time for automakers to look backward and reinvigorate it with a well-executed nameplate refresh. (You know, the opposite of what VW did with the ID.BUZZ.)
The 70s-era Honda Civic
Ever so often, Honda’s Civic EV concept makes the rounds, and it reminds us how cool a properly done retro EV could be. The electrified Civic concept, which first made the rounds around 2016-2017, was really Honda’s first stab at its “0 Series” autos; we just didn’t know it yet. There were rumblings that the small hatchback was being readied for production, too – it just never materialized.
But it should have. Honda missed the mark there, and we can prove it. MINI sales in 2025 were through the roof, and it sold a ton of electrified cars. People want a small EV – we know that, now – and few small cars are as retro-cool as the Civic.
The Scion xB
The xB shared underpinnings with the Camry, making it easy to produce in large numbers, and was just as reliable as the Camry thanks to that shared architecture. It was polarizing – just about every Scion was – but the xB could deliver precisely what people want in an EV. (And yes, I’m still on my soapbox about bringing the Scion name back as Toyota’s EV brand; I’ll die on this chosen hill.)
It could have a fantastic range, above-average cargo space, comfortably seat four adults, and offer a pleasantly minimal interior. It also wouldn’t harm the Toyota brand, unlike the bZ4X, which did. Really, Toyota could re-introduce the Scion xB almost completely untouched (we’d want some modernization, like a full-dash display, of course) as an EV, and it could be the low-cost, long-range EV we’ve all been hoping for. At least that’s what I’ve been hoping for.
Related: All The EVs That Died In 2025
Exotic Car Trader
The Chevy Impala
Few cars capture the spirit of effortless cool like the mid-1960s Impala. Its low-slung, long body glides effortlessly across the roads. Inside, spacious, wide seating awaits you – and the trunk has plenty of cargo space. We’re also in a bit of a sedan renaissance, so why not, right?
Bringing the Impala back in its coolest form wouldn’t translate fully – the front seats, for instance, would need some modernization – but it’s an iconic car that would send shockwaves through the auto world if it were reintroduced as a classic reborn for the modern, electrified age. The ’64 dash is a series of dials and needles that could be swapped out for a big screen in a reasonably straightforward way, keeping it accurate to form. The minimal door interiors need almost no retooling to feel modern, and we like the idea of an electrified, large-body, two-door retro Impala SS.
Chase Bierenkoven
The Toyota Supra
The Supra didn’t sell well by Toyota’s standards and has been discontinued as a result. Still, the Supra has a fervent, loyal fan base and is widely regarded as a fun-to-drive sports car. It was a bit long in the tooth thanks to poor sales and the resulting lack of interest at Toyota, but it could be prime for a comeback.
Electrification could create a bit more space inside, making the Supra’s interior less stifling. Every EV is a rocket these days, so there’s little need for tooling on Toyota’s part to make a new Supra feel sporty. Really, Toyota could quiet its body lines a touch, revisit the interior to make it roomier and less cluttered, put it on an electrified platform, and just about call it a day. And we sort of wish it would.
Nissan
The Nissan Skyline
All those kids who grew up playing Gran Turismo and watching The Fast and the Furious movies are now at the car-buying age. The Skyline proper never made it stateside, but was a popular grey-market import. Nissan needs a boost, and what better way to kickstart the brand than to make the Skyline available in the United States as an EV?
The Nissan Ariya was a good EV and showed Nissan could make a proper electrified car. (No, we don’t count the Leaf, which has a range of like 80 feet.) If Nissan took what it learned from the Ariya, put it in a sporty little electrified sedan with great range, named it a Skyline, and put a lot of marketing oomph behind it, we think dealership lots would be flooded with requests. It seems so obvious, so we’re wondering why Nissan hasn’t already done it.
Cole Attisha
Final thoughts
The one mistake that can’t be repeated is the Mustang Mach-E. Ford put an iconic nameplate on a vehicle that has no business wearing it. We want to see cars brought back as EVs, not an Impala minivan. Nameplates are valuable, but they’re priceless when the automakers hold firm to why we love those cars, not how they can leverage those names to sell us a tired new vehicle dreamed up in a boardroom.
Related: EV Sales in America Dip for the First Time in Years