NEWS 2021, part deux... After getting to know the more than 50 new automobiles expected for 2021, we decided to focus on those that put performance in the forefront — the ones that we all really want to get our hands on...
And despite all the fast-paced changes taking place in the car industry, performance (thankfully) doesn't seem to have been forgotten, but takes on more and more new forms and interpretations. Yes, more and more SUVs and crossovers are offering high-performance versions, as well as electrons are increasingly part of the mix for greater performance.
Without further ado, get to know all the “high-performance” news for 2021.
Hot Hatch, Class 2021
Let's start with what should be the most affordable option when it comes to performance: the Hyundai i20 N . The unprecedented pocket rocket promises to honor the foundations established by i30 N — which was also renovated in 2021 — and has sights aimed at only one rival, the Ford Fiesta ST. Expectations are high, very high, for the new South Korean weapon.Moving much higher in the hot hatch hierarchy, they have a new Audi RS 3 . This year we got to know the S3 (2.0 turbo with 310 hp), but the ring brand doesn't want to leave the Mercedes-AMG A 45 (2.0 with up to 421 hp) to reign alone. Like its predecessor, the new RS 3 will continue to depend only and only on the 2.5 l pentacylinder and, for sure, the power will be north of 400 hp — will it have more than the rival's 421 hp? Most likely yes…
Still in the field of German hot hatch, we will see what has already been revealed Volkswagen Golf R , the most powerful Golf of all time, with the 2.0 turbocharged delivering a healthy 320 hp! As has been the hallmark of the Golf R, it features four-wheel drive and a double-clutch gearbox.
sport sedans
Perhaps one of the main news for 2021 for those who yearn for high-performance models is the arrival of a new generation of unavoidable BMW M3 and correspondent BMW M4 . Both models have already been unveiled, but both will only arrive next spring and there are plenty of news.
As we have seen in other BMW M, the M3 and M4 will also be deployed in “regular” and Competition versions. If the former maintains rear-wheel drive and (still) manual transmission, the latter offer another 30 hp — 510 hp in total —, automatic transmission and… four-wheel drive, an absolute first. The biggest news of all about the new M3, however, doesn't arrive until 2022 — find out all about it!
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The new M3 won't be alone for long. The arch-rivals of Stuttgart, or rather Affalterbach, are already preparing a counterattack. In addition to the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, AMG should also unveil in 2021 the new C 53 and C 63 , but the rumors that are more and more certain leave us a little behind.
It is practically certain that the new C 53 will do without the six cylinders (like the current C 43) and in its place will come a four cylinder assisted by an electric motor. More disturbing is the all-powerful C 63 promises to follow suit, swapping the roaring twin-turbo V8 for the same M 139 as the A 45, meaning a “pulled” four-cylinder turbo engine, but equally assisted by electrons. Will it really be like that?
As an antidote to such a recipe, we couldn't have a better formula than the one found by Alfa Romeo for the new Giulia GTA : lighter, more powerful, more… hardcore. Yes, it has already been presented, but its commercialization only takes place in 2021.
But progress cannot be stopped, they say… Peugeot has also chosen to follow the path of hybridization. THE Peugeot 508 PSE is the first of this new generation that combines the attributes of the combustion engine with two electric engines. The result: 360 hp of maximum combined power and 520 Nm of maximum combined torque sent to all four wheels by an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Sport sedans, XL edition
Still within the topic of sports saloons, but now one or several sizes above those already mentioned, some of them true heavyweights, whether in performance or literally pounds.
So as not to clash, we started again with the BMW M which has already shown, “more or less”, the BMW M5 CS , the most “focused” M5 ever. What differences do you have for the M5 Competition? In short, 10 hp (635 hp), 70 kg less and four individual seats… It promises more performance and sharpness, with its official revelation taking place this early this year.
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We continue with AMG, which will have two electrifying news: o S 63e it's the GT 73 . The first refers to the high-performance version of the newcomer S-Class W223 and will combine the 4.0 twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor, offering, it is speculated, 700 hp.
The second, GT 73, promises to "crush" all rivals, at least as far as the number of horses is concerned: more than 800 hp is promised! This is what happens when we marry the hydrocarbons burned by the twin-turbo V8 with the electrons of the electric motor. Furthermore, being a plug-in hybrid, it will also be able to travel a few dozen kilometers in all-electric mode. It is speculated that this combination could also reach Class S.
However, the third element of this triad, Audi Sport, also did not want to be left behind in this chapter, and unlike its own, it will fully embrace electricity. THE Audi RS e-tron GT by 2021 it will be the most powerful production Audi ever. The “brother” of the Taycan (which also receives a new bodywork in 2021, the Cross Turismo) has already passed through our hands, albeit as a prototype.
Where are the real sports?
If until now we have become familiar with the high-performance versions of hatchbacks and saloons, there was no lack of innovations in 2021 among coupés and roadsters, which continue to be the ideal bases for true sports cars.
After getting to know the second generation Subaru BRZ — which will not be marketed in Europe — we are now eagerly awaiting the revelation of the “brother” Toyota GR86 , the successor of the GT 86. It should use the same ingredients we saw in the BRZ, keeping the rear-wheel drive and manual gearbox, it remains to be decided whether it will also make use of the atmospheric 2.4 l boxer that we saw in the BRZ.
Type 131 is the code name of a new Lotus coupé — the British brand's first 100% new model in 12 years — and it will be significant as it is being heralded as the last combustion-engined Lotus! All upcoming Lotus Post Type 131 are expected to be 100% electric, like the avoid , the brand's electric hypersport that will begin production in 2021.
The Type 131 will debut a new aluminum platform, but will keep the engine in the center rear position, like the Exige and Evora. What is the origin of the engine? Probably Swedish, considering the fact that Lotus is now part of Geely, which owns Volvo.
Porsche is preparing to launch two weighty innovations, the 911 GT3 — already anticipated in some videos — and the most hardcore of the 718 Cayman, the GT4 RS . Old-school models, both with atmospheric six-cylinder boxer engines capable of high rotation, and rear-wheel drive.
Andreas Preuninger was about to discover the new 911 GT3 ahead of time.
Without having as sharp a focus as the Porsche GTs, the new Maserati GT, the GranTurismo it will finally meet a successor. The coupé will remain faithful to the 2+2 configuration, but as a novelty, in addition to versions with a combustion engine, it will have an unprecedented 100% electric variant.
Also at Maserati, the brand released this year the MC20 , his first super sports car since the most extreme MC12. It arrives in 2021 and we've already seen it “live and in color”:
Taking a little jump "over there" in Modena, Ferrari has also shown two new products that arrive in 2021: the Portofino M it's the SF90 Spider . The first is nothing more than an update to the roadster unveiled in 2017: it is now equipped with the same V8 as the Roma, with 620 hp, and received some aesthetic changes, as well as technological improvements.
The second is the long-awaited convertible version of the SF90, the brand's first series-production hybrid — the LaFerrari was of limited production — which combines a twin-turbo V8 from the F8 Tributo with three electric motors, reaching 1000 hp of power. It's the most powerful road Ferrari ever!
Ferrari's rival, British McLaren, also promises to enter a new electrified era with the launch of its first series hybrid supersport, the already christened art , which will take the place of the 570S. Outside is the V8 that we've always associated with the road McLarens of this century, debuting a new hybrid V6.
hyper… everything
We have already mentioned the Lotus Evija , the most powerful road car ever produced, with 2000 hp, but the news in the universe of hypersports, whether electric, combustion or a mixture of the two, does not stop with it.
Still in the field of 100% electric hypersports, we will see at least two more starting production in 2021: the Rimac C-Two it's the Pininfarina Baptist . The two end up being related, as their kinematic chain is essentially the same, developed by Rimac. Like Evija, they promise an excess of horses, both being north of 1900 hp!
One name we wouldn't expect to see in this category is Toyota, but here it is. After the end of the TS050 Hybrid's career at WEC, with three victories at Le Mans, the Japanese brand intends to return to the French circuit, with the new Hypercar category. To this end, much of the TS050 will be applied to a new hybrid hypersport, the GR Super Sport , which will be unveiled as early as January. We still don't know the official numbers, but 1000 hp were promised.
Still mixing electrons with hydrocarbons, we will have two more distinct proposals. The first is the long-promised AMG One , which will use the same 1.6 V6 as the German team's Formula 1 car, the Mercedes-AMG W07 (2016). The AMG hypercar should have arrived in 2020, but its development encountered obstacles that proved difficult to overcome, such as compliance with emissions, which pushed the launch to 2021. They are promised, at least 1000 hp.
The second proposal is the Aston Martin Valkyrie , out of the mind of the brilliant Adrian Newey. A project that has also known some difficulties and in 2020 we learned that the development of the competition version was cancelled. The road version, however, arrives in 2021, as does its fantastic 6.5 atmospheric V12, which delivers 1014 hp at… 10,500 rpm! The final power will be higher, approximately 1200 hp, as, like the AMG One, it will be a hybrid.
Still in the field of atmospheric V12, we could not fail to mention the phenomenal GMA T.50 , for all intents and purposes, the true successor to McLaren F1. Its atmospheric 4.0 l V12 “screams” even louder than the Valkyrie's, getting “only” 663 hp, but at an unbelievable 11,500 rpm! This combined with a mere 986 kg — as light as a 1.5 MX-5 —, a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive… And of course, the unusually fascinating central driving position, plus an intriguing 40 cm-diameter fan at the rear. Development is still ongoing, but production starts in 2021.
500 km/h is the new frontier for achieving the title of fastest car in the world. In 2021, two more candidates will arrive for this title, after the controversial attempt by SSC Tuatara in 2020 — however, they have already made a second attempt, also without success. THE Hennessey Venom F5 was revealed in its final version in December and next year we should also know the final version of Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut , which wants to inherit the crown of its predecessor, the Agera RS.
Both are equipped with V8 engines and massive turbochargers to achieve 1842 hp and 1600 hp, powers of, respectively, Venom F5 and Jesko Absolut. Will they succeed? Tuatara demonstrates how difficult and complex this challenge can be.
Are there even more news for 2021?
Yes there is. We still need to talk about… SUVs. SUVs and crossovers have won sales to all other types with convincing success. One would not expect anything other than an “attack” on the high-performance niche. We have seen this happen in recent years, in the higher segments, but last year we began to see the arrival of more accessible proposals — a trend to continue in 2021.
The highlight goes to Hyundai, which will present two new products: the Kauai N it's the Tucson N . We've recently seen the Kauai revamped, but the N won't see it until 2021. Rumor has it that it will inherit the engine of the i30 N, meaning a B-SUV with 280 hp! It was recently anticipated by a series of Christmas teasers:
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The Hyundai Tucson also met a new generation, and everything points to the fact that in 2021 we will know the Tucson N , which promises to fight rivals like the Volkswagen Tiguan R or the CUPRA Ateca. So far we only know the sportier looking N Line versions:
Hyundai Kauai N Line 2021
Speaking of the Volkswagen Group, in addition to the updated Audi SQ2 (300 hp), the news at this level will be… electric. THE Skoda Enyaq RS promises more than 300 hp "zero emissions", making it also the most powerful model of the Czech brand ever. He will be accompanied by the equally potent "cousin" ID.4 GTX , which introduces a new acronym on Volkswagen to identify the high-performance versions of its electric cars.
Skoda Enyaq iV Founders Edition
Going up several levels, and closing this Special NEWS 2021, we will find the unprecedented BMW X8 M . Destined to be the top of the BMW X family, the X8 M is expected to come in two versions. The first, purely combustion, should inherit the 4.4 V8 that we already know from other BMW M, with 625 hp. The second will be electrified (hybrid), the first time this happens in the history of the BMW M, which, according to rumors, will raise power beyond 700 hp.