Some companies have set dates later this decade to abandon the internal combustion engine. Stellantis, the behemoth bringing together more than a dozen brands including Peugeot, Maserati, Fiat, Jeep and Chrysler, has been more cautious. It has announced, however, that the legendary but withering Lancia brand will be reinvigorated and all-EV by 2028.

Audi is hedging its bets with the statement it “will cease research and development of new internal combustion engines by 2026”.

Lamborghini, which had a very strong 2022, thank you very much, joined an odd trend: creating off-road supercars.

That, of course, doesn’t stop the company continuing to make them 10 years hence and, unless Australia adopts emissions legislation, Audi could still be sending them here.

Locally, the rise of the SUV and ute continued, with even more big US pick-up trucks hitting the road (more like thumping it). These gas-guzzling battering rams are a blight on their homeland – and increasingly a blight on ours.

Many Australians have proven they would prefer EVs, with waiting lists blowing out for almost anything electric. In 2022, we finally received the small Tesla SUV, the Model Y, after what seemed like an interminable wait. It did not disappoint on the road – or in the marketplace, where buyers quickly made it the best-selling EV, displacing the other Tesla, the Model 3 sedan.

Breaking away from the traditional car dealer system has been another…