The 7 most exciting new cars scheduled for launch in 2021

AFTER WHAT has undeniably been an historic year for the car industry (for the wrong reasons, mostly), there are a number of exciting new cars scheduled for 2021. Although manufacturers will carry on capitalising on the increasing popularity of electric powertrains, the sales of which more than doubled in 2020, there’s still a good number of petrol-powered gems on the way. In other words, there should be something for everyone.

In 2021 we will also see the release of many cars we assumed would arrive in 2020, but whose debuts were delayed due to the ever-disruptive coronavirus pandemic. That means it should be an excellent year for new car fans.

So, in alphabetical order, here are the most exciting new cars scheduled for 2021 (that we know of at time of publication).

1. Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA/GTAm

As a 110th birthday present to itself, Alfa Romeo has decided to produce, in a very limited run, an even more powerful version of the Giulia Quadrifoglio. The GTA (Grand Turismo Alleggerita — you can sort of hear the rumble of engine in that final word, can’t you?) is named after the Giulia Sprint GTA that raced in the 1960s, and uses a version of the much-adored 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 found in the standard Giulia QV, tuned to produce a startling 533bhp.

Just to make sure you feel those extra 30 horsies, its been made 100kg lighter — alleggerita means “lightened” — while the even-skinnier and meaner track-focused GTAm adds a distinctive rear wing, strips out the back seats and adds a rollcage.

On sale Summer 2021
Price £150,000+

2. BMW iX

The furore that occurred when BMW showed the first pictures of its upcoming iX electric SUV was so loud that it deafened many to some of the car’s more enticing features: that includes a range of 373 miles, which is better than any of its competitors and achieved by measures including a drag coefficient of just 0.25 — the same as an Alfa Romeo Giulia. It can also recharge its battery from 10% to 80% in just 40 minutes using 200kW rapid charging, with up to 75 miles added to the battery’s range every 10 minutes.

The iX also has sporty credentials including a 0-60mph sprint time of under five seconds, thanks to 493bhp of power and the instant torque available from its dual electric motors. Some people will still find it hard to look past the exterior design, though.

On sale Late 2021
Price From £70,000 (est)

3. Cupra el-Born

When it launches, the Cupra el-Born will be the Spanish performance brand’s entry into the still nascent electric hot-hatch segment. Although it will feature nearly identical underpinnings to the Volkswagen ID.3, it will beat the rowdy version of that car, the ID.3 R, to production by around two years.

Named after a trendy area of Barcelona, the el-Born will come bearing Cupra’s aesthetic trademarks including an abundance of bronze, which is seen on the alloys and in accents on the grille. For now we only have snapshots of its performance: Cupra has neglected to reveal a 0-62mph time, as is traditional, but has revealed that the el-Born will be able to sprint to 31mph in under three seconds.

It’s also revealed that it’ll have a claimed range of more than 310 miles, thanks to a 77kWh battery, and the battery will be able to charge halfway in just half an hour, giving a range of 160 miles.

On sale Spring 2021
Price From £30,000 (est)

4. Ford Mustang Mach-E

The much-anticipated, pure-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E was meant to be released this year, and we’ve seen glimpses of it, including the off-the-rails, seven-motor 1,400bhp version hurtling round Goodwood’s famous track at the inaugural Speedweek in September. Some members of the press have even driven left-hand drive versions of it (Driving.co.uk has elected to get behind the wheel when the UK-spec models arrive), but a wider release has been delayed to the early stages of 2021 due to — surprise, surprise — the coronavirus pandemic.

When it does finally arrive, it will do so in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive guises, both of which will have the option of a 68kWh or 88kWh battery. The former has a claimed 273 miles of range in the RWD and 248 miles in the AWD, while the latter manages 379 miles of range in the RWD and 335 miles in the AWD (officially).

On sale On sale now, deliveries from February
Price From £40,300

5. Lotus 131

It’s all happening at once for Lotus: after a number of years where it did not a lot apart from tinker with existing models (the Elise and Exige are both more than 20 years old, and the Evora is more than a decade old) it was purchased by Volvo owner Geely in 2017, and in 2019 unveiled the insane Evija electric hypercar, which packs 1,973bhp and 1,254 lb ft of torque — four times the stats of the previously most-powerful Lotus. This year, it’s gone as far as to say that its next model will be its last internal combustion-powered car.

Whether or not it’ll be the same 3.5-litre Toyota V6 that powers the Exige and Evora remains to be seen, but we do know that it will sit between those two cars in Lotus’ line-up, and that it’ll be a daily driver, addressing some of the shortcomings of Lotus’ current models — interior space and practicality being one area for improvement. It’s reportedly being referred to as the “131” around Lotus’ Norfolk HQ, but we’d bet a decent amount of money that its eventual name will begin with an E.

On sale Date TBC
Price From £70,000 (est.)

6. Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes will launch a veritable onslaught of electric models over the next couple of years, with six expected by 2022 in various SUV and saloon guises. Of those, the EQA, EQB and EQS will all arrive in 2021, following on from the Mercedes EQC, but the EQS is likely to be the most exciting — as Mercedes’ electric flagship, it will have the most tech and luxury, and with a claimed 435 miles of range, it’ll be able to go further on a single charge than most other electric cars on the market.

It’s also based on the exciting and sleek EQS Vision concept that Mercedes unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show in 2019, which is recognisable by its short bonnet and distinctive “light belt” on the fake grille. Spy shots show that the production version will adopt the concept’s stubby snout, but we’ll have to wait and see whether or not it takes on its interesting light signature.

The EQS should provide further excitement in 2022, with a sporty AMG version set for release.

On sale Late 2021
Price £100,000+ (est.)

7. New Range Rover

Jeremy Clarkson has a habit of comparing every single SUV he drives to a Range Rover — recent examples include his reviews of the Mercedes-AMG GLE and the Land Rover Defender. However, at the end of this year he’s going to have to re-evaluate that yardstick, as Land Rover prepares to release the newest version of the ever-popular luxury SUV, nine years after the launch of the incumbent model.

The change-averse may be glad to know that early reports suggest the exterior of the new car will change only slightly, with alterations made to the headlights and rear lights, while features like the SUV’s trademark grille are expected to remain broadly the same. Mechanical  and technical updates will have been made, of course, including the introduction of a rear-wheel steering system that should help handling dynamics on and off road, and a variety of new powertrains are thought to be on the way, including a plug-in hybrid variant bearing a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8 and an electric motor with more than 50 miles of emissions-free range. That’s all to be confirmed officially, though.

On sale Late 2021, deliveries 2022
Price From £90,000 (est.)

Other new cars expected to launch in 2021

January

• Cupra Formentor
• Ford Kuga Hybrid
• Hyundai Tucson
• Jaguar F-Pace
• Jaguar XF
• Mazda 6
• Morgan 3-Wheeler P101
• Radical SR10
• Skoda Octavia iV
• Skoda Octavia vRS
• Toyota Hilux
• Vauxhall Insignia
• Volkswagen Golf R

February

• Aston Martin V12 Speedster
• Audi Q8 TFSIe
• Bentley Bacalar
• BMW M3
• BMW M4
• Citroën C4
• Ford Puma ST
• Jaguar F-Pace SVR
• Kia Sorento PHEV
• Kia Stinger
• Mazda CX-5
• Nissan Micra
• Volkswagen Arteon eHybrid
• Volkswagen ID.4
• Volkswagen Tiguan R

March

• Audi Q3 45 TFSIe
• Audi Q5 Sportback
• BMW 4-Series Cabriolet
• BMW M440d
• Cupra Formentor PHEV
• Cupra Leon
• Fiat 500e
• Ford Mustang Mach 1
• Hyundai i30 N
• Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and PHEV
• Jaguar E-Pace
• Land Rover Discovery
• Range Rover Velar
• Mazda MX-30
• Mercedes-AMG One
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota RAV4 PHEV
• Vauxhall Mokka-e
• Volkswagen Arteon R
• Volkswagen Touareg R
• Volvo XC40 Electric Recharge P8

April

• Abarth 595 and 695
• Alpina B8
• BMW M5 CS
• Dacia Sandero
• Ford S-Max hybrid
• Lamborghini Huracán STO
• Mini Hatch
• Peugeot 508 PSE
• Porsche 911 GT3
• Skoda Octavia 4×4
• Suzuki Jimny
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Vauxhall Mokka

May

• Audi E-tron GT
• Bentley Bentayga Hybrid
• Bentley Flying Spur PHEV
• Ferrari SF90 Spider
• Fiat 500X
• Hyundai i20 N
• Kia Ceed
• Mercedes-AMG GT73
• Mercedes Benz EQA
• Nissan Qashqai
• Porsche Taycan RWD
• Skoda Enyaq iV
• Toyota Yaris Cross
• Unnamed Volvo EV

June

• Audi Q4 E-tron
• DS 4
• DS 9
• Ferrari Portofino M
• Hyundai Bayon
• Hyundai Ioniq 5
• Hyundai Kona N
• Maserati MC20
• Mercedes-Maybach GLS
• Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
• Polestar 2
• Porsche 911 GTS
• Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo
• Volkswagen ID.4 GTX

July

• Alpina B4
• Lotus Evija
• Mercedes-Benz CLS
• McLaren Artura
• Porsche 911 GT3 Touring
• Seat Tarraco PHEV

August

• BMW iX3
• Citroën C4 Aircross
• Nissan Ariya
• Renault Arkana
• Seat Arona
• Seat Ibiza
• Toyota Mirai

September

• Vauxhall Grandland

October

• BMW X3
• BMW X4
• Citroën e-Berlingo
• Jeep Compass 4xe PHEV
• Peugeot 308
• Peugeot Rifter EV
• Porsche Macan
• Vauxhall Combo-e

November

• Alfa Romeo Giulia
• Alfa Romeo Tonale
• Audi RS3
• BMW 4-Series Gran Coupé
• Chevrolet Corvette C8
• Maserati Levante Hybrid
• Mercedes-Benz EQB
• Porsche 911 Carrera T
• Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge
• Skoda Kodiaq
• Tesla Model S Plaid
• Toyota GR86
• Unnamed Kia EV

December

• Alfa Romeo Stelvio
• Bentley Blower continuation
• BMW 2 Series Coupé
• BMW i4
• Hyundai Ioniq 6
• Ineos Grenadier
• Jaguar XJ
• Jeep Wrangler 4xe PHEV
• Kia Sportage
• Mercedes-AMG S63e
• Mercedes-Benz SL
• Nissan X-Trail
• Porsche Taycan GTS
• Skoda Fabia
• Vauxhall Astra
• Unnamed MG hatchback
• Unnamed MG electric sports car

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If you enjoyed reading about the most exciting new cars scheduled for launch in 2021, you might want to look at a comprehensive list of car manufacturers’ electric vehicle plans.