A world of horsepower and hatchbacks beckons for 2009…Vijay Pattni rounds up the hot new motors of 2009.

Nasa will launch its ‘Kepler Mission’ to search for extra-solar planets and a space time capsule dubbed ‘KEO’ will launch carrying messages from us to our descendants in 50,000 years time.

But what will carmakers be giving us over the next 12 months?

There’s everything from the baby Toyota iQ city car to the eagerly anticipated Nissan GT-R supercar: a £52,000 sportscar which has already claimed the scalps of the £830,000 Bugatti Veyron and the Porsche 911 Turbo…

Alfa Romeo MiTo

It looks like a baby Alfa 8C supercar – which is no bad thing.

Unveiled at the 2008 British Motor Show surrounded by glamorous models and £112,000 Alfa 8Cs, the baby MiTo is the first small Alfa Romeo model for 35 years.

The MiTo will be offered with three 1.4-litre petrol engines with 95bhp, 120bhp and 155bhp, while two diesel engines will offer up 90bhp and 120bhp.

The MiTo – a supermini which rivals the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa – will be the first car in its class to offer a system Alfa Romeo calls ‘DNA’, which adjusts the way the car drives at the touch of a button.

Drivers can choose between dynamic, normal and all-weather modes, altering the steering, engine response, brakes, suspension and gearbox to give the car enhanced feedback (dynamic) or a more relaxed ride (normal).

Prices start at just over £10,000. Sexy just got a whole lot smaller…

Toyota iQ

It’s smaller than a standard city car, offers more punch than a supermini, and aims for the interior and exterior quality of a hatchback: this is the Toyota iQ.

Launched at the same Milanese hotel frequented by Paris Hilton and Brad Pitt, the iQ features a more premium feel to your average city car, and offers up space for four inside (three adults and a child) despite its diminutive dimensions.

Its nippy handling fits with its playful, puppy-dog image, and Toyota admits this car isn’t cheap – but is the full package, with prices starting at £9,495.

Proof that size doesn’t matter…

Volkswagen Golf (Mark VI)

The most popular ‘Dub ever built – surpassing the Beetle – enters a new age with more than 26 million models sold since the 1970s.

A classless motor and class-leading hatchback, the new VW Golf actually sits on the same platform as the current Mark V Golf, but features redesigned styling a-la Scirocco, updated rear styling and revisions to the interior trim.

What this results in is a thoroughly modern package – we drove the Golf on its Icelandic launch and found it smooth, comfortable and quiet.

Prices for the sharp-suited Golf will start at around £13,000, with more trim levels – including GT and BlueMotion – to follow.

Porsche Panamera

Jeremy Clarkson thinks Porsche designers are the “laziest designers in the world” – and they haven’t helped much with this: the stunning new Porsche Panamera.

Yes – it’s a Porsche. Yes – it’s got four doors. And yes – it looks like a stretched 911.

But, crucially, it has the traditional Porsche DNA and shares its platform with the Cayenne, which means it should offer outstanding handling.

The Panamera features a range of engines with power outputs of between 300bhp to 500bhp, and enough for a set of golf bats and two people in the back.

It’s not as eye-wateringly pretty as an Aston Martin Rapide, nor as menacing as a Lamborghini Estoque, but Porsche is one of the world’s most profitable and successful carmakers. They’re not going to get this one wrong.

Lexus LF-A/GT500

Can it be? Is it finally coming?

Reports are thin, but word on the street is Lexus’ long-awaited supercar is nearing completion, and could make an appearance in 2009.

The Lexus LF-A – or GT500 as it may well end up – made its first appearance at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show and will feature a 500bhp V10 engine and offer up sensational styling, if the concept is any measure.

We rounded up the Lexus LF-A’s likely rivals – including the £52,000 Nissan GT-R – and can’t wait for this concept to finally see the light of day.

Prices for the LF-A are rumoured to be upwards of £175,000, and around 200 examples are year are planned.

Check out the new VW Golf in action: