Munich motor show 2021: star cars

Jim Holder

Ora Cat

Set aside any European prejudices created by the daft name, to my eye at least the Ora Cat looks to be a cutesy, appealing design, and in delivering a near 250 miles of range, 169bhp and 184 lb ft torque, it should still be bang on the pace of potential rivals when it reaches the UK in late 2022, despite being launched at home in China more than a year ago. Pricing, of course, is critical, but parent brand Great Wall has thus far aimed at the budget end of the market and importer IM Group is known for keeping a keen eye on value.

James Attwood

Porsche Mission R

Porsche’s Munich reveal is exciting on two counts. First it’s a preview of a future battery electric one-make sports car racer, which could perhaps move electric motorsport beyond a handful of series for professional drivers and teams. Given Porsche’s legacy in motorsport, there’s no reason to doubt this really could hit the circuits in 2025. And the second reason the Mission R is significant? Well, while nobody from Porsche is saying the words ‘electric Cayman’, the non-denial denials aren’t leaving much to question...

Felix Page

Mercedes-Benz EQG

How many times a year do we hear the phrase “reinventing an icon”? Plenty of hallowed nameplates and models have been resurrected recently, but rarely do these ‘reborn’ cars have tangible links with their ancestors or inspirations. Not so the new EQG, which takes one of the oldest and most recognisable cars on the road and updates its powertrain to bring it into line with its newer stablemates, without making such a fuss about it. It’s still a blocky and functional design, and though the combustion motor is no more, there’s not much to dislike about the promise of enhanced off-road ability from the quad-motor EV set-up. A fashion statement? Sure, the G-Class has been for years, but this is product safeguarding at its finest and most subtle - now wait for Mercedes to bring back the Gullwing…

Piers Ward

Renault Megane E-Tech Electric

When was the last time people were excited about driving a normal family hatch? The Renault Megane E-Tech Electric gives off that sort of vibe, with the sense that some real effort has been put in to learn from Renault’s 10-year’s experience with electricity. Key touch points all feel high quality and there’s encouraging noise from engineers talking of ‘focusing on dynamics’ - it all bodes well. Even the weight, normally a hefty topic where EVs are concerned, has been addressed: the Megane weighs 1624kg. Still not svelte, but heading in the right direction at least.

Jack Warrick

Volkswagen ID Life

More affordable electric motoring? Yes please! At around £17,000, the Life might actually be a feasible entry point to electric vehicle ownership for the masses. It sounds like a fun little package too - 231bhp and 0-62mph in less than 7.0sec is just the right amount of power in my book, and while some might say it’s a bit of a ringer for the Honda E, I think this concept version is nicely understated. As our very own James Attwood said, it’s more than just a squashed ID 3. The ID Life could end up being a seriously important car.