2021 High-Performance Car News, Part Two

2021 NEWS, *part two…* Having already covered the more than 50 new cars expected in 2021, we decided to focus on the models that put performance front and centre - the ones we all genuinely want to get our hands on…

Despite the rapid changes sweeping through the car industry, performance has thankfully not been forgotten. Instead, it is increasingly taking new forms and interpretations. More SUVs and crossovers now offer high-performance variants, while electrons are becoming an ever more important part of the mix for greater performance.

Without further delay, here are all the high-performance new arrivals for 2021.

Hot hatches, class of 2021

Let us begin with what should be the most affordable performance choice of all: the Hyundai i20 N. This brand-new pocket rocket promises to build on the foundations laid by the i30 N - itself updated for 2021 - and has one rival firmly in its sights: the Ford Fiesta ST. Expectations for Hyundai’s new South Korean weapon are high, very high.

Moving considerably further up the hot-hatch ladder, expect a new Audi RS 3. This year brought us the S3, with its 310 hp 2.0-litre turbo engine, but Audi has no intention of letting the Mercedes-AMG A 45, whose 2.0-litre engine produces up to 421 hp, reign alone. Like its predecessor, the new RS 3 will rely exclusively on a 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine and will almost certainly deliver more than 400 hp - could it surpass its rival’s 421 hp? Very probably…

Staying with German hot hatches, the already unveiled Volkswagen Golf R will arrive as the most powerful Golf ever. Its 2.0-litre turbocharged engine produces a healthy 320 hp. As has become customary for the Golf R, it will feature four-wheel drive and a dual-clutch gearbox.

Performance saloons

For buyers craving high-performance machinery, one of 2021’s most important launches may be the new-generation BMW M3 and its BMW M4 counterpart. Both cars have already been unveiled, though neither will arrive until next spring, and there is plenty that is new.

As with other BMW M models, the M3 and M4 will be split into “regular” and Competition versions. The former retain rear-wheel drive and, for now, a manual gearbox; the latter add 30 hp - taking the total to 510 hp - along with an automatic transmission and… four-wheel drive, an absolute first. The biggest new development concerning the M3, however, will not arrive until 2022 - find out everything about it!

The new M3 will not be on its own for long. Its arch-rival from Stuttgart - or rather, Affalterbach - is already preparing its response. Alongside the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, AMG is expected to unveil the new C 53 and C 63 in 2021, although rumours that are increasingly becoming certainties leave us somewhat uneasy.

It is virtually certain that the new C 53 will dispense with the six-cylinder engine used by the current C 43, replacing it with a four-cylinder unit assisted by an electric motor. More troublingly, the all-conquering C 63 appears set to follow the same route, swapping its thunderous twin-turbo V8 for the A 45’s M 139 - a highly strung turbocharged four-cylinder, also supported by electrons. Will that really be the case?

As an antidote to such a recipe, there could be no better formula than Alfa Romeo’s new Giulia GTA: lighter, more powerful and more… hardcore. It has already been presented, but sales will only begin in 2021.

But progress cannot be stopped, they say… Peugeot has also chosen the hybridisation route. The Peugeot 508 PSE is the first of a new generation combining the attributes of an internal-combustion engine with two electric motors. The outcome is 360 hp of maximum combined power and 520 Nm of maximum combined torque, delivered to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Performance saloons, XL edition

Still on the subject of performance saloons, but now moving one or several size classes above those already mentioned, there are several genuine heavyweights - both in performance terms and, quite literally, in kilograms.

To maintain the theme, we begin once again with BMW M, which has shown us, “more or less”, the BMW M5 CS, the most focused M5 ever. How does it differ from the M5 Competition? In short: 10 hp more, for 635 hp; 70 kg less; and four individual seats… It promises greater performance and sharper responses, with its official reveal taking place at the start of the year.

Next comes AMG, which has two electrifying arrivals lined up: the S 63e and GT 73. The first will be the high-performance version of the newly arrived W223 S-Class, combining the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with an electric motor and, it is speculated, offering 700 hp.

The GT 73, meanwhile, promises to “crush” every rival, at least where horsepower is concerned: more than 800 hp is promised! That is what happens when hydrocarbons burned by a twin-turbo V8 are paired with the electrons from an electric motor. As a plug-in hybrid, it will also be able to travel several dozen kilometres in fully electric mode. It is speculated that this combination could also make its way into the S-Class.

However, the third member of this trio, Audi Sport, did not want to fall behind in this area and, unlike its rivals, will embrace electricity completely. When the Audi RS e-tron GT arrives in 2021, it will be the most powerful production Audi ever. We have already had the Taycan’s “brother” in our hands, albeit in prototype form. The Taycan itself will also gain a new body style in 2021, the Cross Turismo.

Where are the proper sports cars?

Having looked at high-performance versions of hatchbacks and saloons, 2021’s new coupés and roadsters cannot be overlooked, as they remain the ideal foundations for proper sports cars.

Following the unveiling of the second-generation Subaru BRZ - which will not be sold in Europe - we are now eagerly awaiting the reveal of its Toyota GR86 “brother”, successor to the GT 86. It should use the same ingredients seen in the BRZ, retaining rear-wheel drive and a manual gearbox. It remains to be confirmed whether it will also use the naturally aspirated 2.4-litre boxer engine fitted to the BRZ.

Type 131 is the codename for a new Lotus coupé - the British marque’s first completely new model in 12 years - and it will be significant, as it is being announced as the final Lotus with an internal-combustion engine. Every Lotus launched after the Type 131 is expected to be fully electric, like the Evija, the brand’s electric hypercar, which will begin production in 2021.

The Type 131 will debut a new aluminium platform but will retain its mid-rear engine layout, like the Exige and Evora. Where will the engine come from? Probably Sweden, considering that Lotus is now part of Geely, which also owns Volvo.

Porsche is preparing to introduce two heavyweight newcomers: the 911 GT3 - already previewed in several videos - and the most hardcore 718 Cayman of all, the GT4 RS. Both are old-school models, using high-revving naturally aspirated six-cylinder boxer engines and rear-wheel drive.

Less sharply focused than Porsche’s GT models, Maserati’s new GranTurismo will finally receive a successor. The coupé will remain faithful to its 2+2 configuration, but alongside internal-combustion versions, it will also gain an unprecedented fully electric variant.

Maserati also unveiled the MC20 this year, its first supercar since the even more extreme MC12. It arrives in 2021, and we have already seen it in the flesh:

A short hop away in Modena, Ferrari has also shown two new models arriving in 2021: the Portofino M and the SF90 Spider. The former is essentially an update of the roadster unveiled in 2017: it now uses the Roma’s 620 hp V8, while receiving several styling changes and technology upgrades.

The latter is the anticipated open-top version of the SF90, the marque’s first series-production hybrid - the LaFerrari was limited-production - combining the F8 Tributo’s twin-turbo V8 with three electric motors to reach 1000 hp. It is the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever!

Ferrari’s British rival, McLaren, also promises to enter a new electrified era with the launch of its first series-production hybrid supercar, the already named Artura, which will replace the 570S. The V8 long associated with McLaren road cars this century is being left behind, making way for 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 hypercar world has more 2021 arrivals beyond it - whether electric, combustion-powered or a blend of both.

In the fully electric hypercar field, at least two more models will begin production in 2021: the Rimac C-Two and the Pininfarina Battista. The pair are connected, as their powertrains are essentially the same and were developed by Rimac. Like the Evija, both promise an excess of horsepower, each producing more than 1900 hp!

Toyota is a name few would expect in this category, but here it is. Following the end of the TS050 Hybrid’s WEC career, which included three Le Mans victories, the Japanese brand intends to return to the French circuit under the new Hypercar category. Much of the TS050 will therefore be applied to a new hybrid hypercar, the GR Super Sport, due to be unveiled in January. Official figures remain unknown, but 1000 hp had been promised.

Mixing electrons and hydrocarbons once more, there will be two further and very different propositions. The first is the long-promised AMG One, which will use the same 1.6-litre V6 as the German team’s 2016 Mercedes-AMG W07 Formula 1 single-seater. AMG’s hypercar should have arrived in 2020, but its development encountered difficult obstacles, including compliance with emissions requirements, pushing its launch back to 2021. At least 1000 hp is promised.

The second is the Aston Martin Valkyrie, born from the mind of the brilliant Adrian Newey. This project has also encountered difficulties, and in 2020 we learned that development of its competition version had been cancelled. The road car, however, will arrive in 2021, along with its remarkable naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12, which produces 1014 hp at… 10,500 rpm! Final output will be higher, at approximately 1200 hp, because it too will be a hybrid, like the AMG One.

Still on naturally aspirated V12s, the phenomenal GMA T.50 cannot go unmentioned: for all intents and purposes, the true successor to the McLaren F1. Its naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V12 “screams” even louder than the Valkyrie’s, making “only” 663 hp, but at an incredible 11,500 rpm! Combine that with just 986 kg - as light as an MX-5 1.5 - a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive… Then there is, of course, the unusual and fascinating central driving position, plus an intriguing 40 cm-diameter fan at the rear. Development is still under way, but production starts in 2021.

500 km/h is the new benchmark for claiming the title of world’s fastest car. Following the SSC Tuatara’s controversial 2020 attempt - it has since made a second attempt, also unsuccessfully - two more contenders for the title will arrive in 2021. The Hennessey Venom F5 was unveiled in final form in December, while next year should also bring the final version of the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, which wants to inherit the crown from its predecessor, the Agera RS.

Both use V8 engines and enormous turbochargers to achieve 1842 hp and 1600 hp, the respective outputs of the Venom F5 and Jesko Absolut. Will they manage it? The Tuatara demonstrates just how difficult and complex such a challenge can be.

Are there still more new arrivals for 2021?

Yes, there are. We still need to talk about… SUVs. SUVs and crossovers have been taking sales from every other body style with convincing success. It was only to be expected that they would “attack” the high-performance niche. We have seen this happen in recent years at the upper end of the market, but last year also saw more affordable offerings emerge - a trend set to continue in 2021.

The spotlight falls squarely on Hyundai, which will introduce two new models: the Kauai N and the Tucson N. We recently saw the Kauai updated, but the N will only appear in 2021. Rumour has it that it will inherit the i30 N’s engine, meaning a B-SUV with 280 hp! It was recently previewed through a series of Christmas teasers:

The Hyundai Tucson has also entered a new generation, and every sign points to the Tucson N arriving in 2021, ready to challenge rivals such as the Volkswagen Tiguan R and CUPRA Ateca. For now, we only know the more sportily styled N Line versions:

Speaking of the Volkswagen Group, beyond the updated Audi SQ2 with 300 hp, the new arrivals at this level will be… electric. The Skoda Enyaq RS promises more than 300 hp with “zero emissions”, making it the most powerful model in the Czech brand’s history. It will be joined by its equally powerful ID.4 GTX “cousin”, which introduces a new Volkswagen badge for the high-performance versions of its electric cars.

Several classes higher, and closing this 2021 NEWS Special, we find the unprecedented BMW X8 M. Set to become the flagship of BMW’s X family, the X8 M is expected to be offered in two versions. The first, powered solely by combustion, should inherit the 4.4-litre V8 already known from other BMW M models, with 625 hp. The second will be electrified, as a hybrid - the first such model in BMW M history - and is rumoured to raise output beyond 700 hp.