Last updated on February 1st, 2021 at 02:50 pm
AI:ME
Expected: Undisclosed
Audi's AI:ME concept car is unlike any other – this EV is smart enough to empathise with its passengers. It will detect your mood and adjust its driving mode based on your ‘feelings'. Upon entering the vehicle, the car will detect the preferred seat position, media, route guidance software, temperature and even adjust the fragrancing of the cabin. Inside, the car is serene-looking, with the primary goal of providing you with a relaxing atmosphere. It's radical and with no official specs announced, we're not sure when or even if it will come to market.
Read next: Audi shows off its new AI:ME all-electric car at CES 2020
BMW Electric M5
Expected: No earlier than 2024
The M5 has long been BMW's flagship of German muscle, and if the company is to keep its traditions in the EV era, an electric M5 needs to obliterate the opposition in a similar fashion. Beemer-lovers need not worry. The company is now planning a car with a 250kW motor up front and two more in the rear, for a total of 750kW (1,006hp). This will enable a 0-62mph sprint of 2.9 seconds. A huge 135kWh battery pack will still mean the range is excellent – the current estimation is 435 miles. But with BMW not expected to release an electric 5-series until 2023, the electric M5 won't be with us until at least 2024. We can't wait!
Read next: BMW planning colossal 1,006hp electric M5
Cupra Tavascan
Expected: 2024
Batman's electric crossover SUV, the Cupra Tavascan is built by the Spanish car manufacturer, Seat. The vehicle will have two electric motors that'll dispatch 0-62mph in 6.5s. Its 77 kWh battery pack will last for 279 miles on a single charge. It's expected to go on sale in 2024 for an asking price of around £60,000.
Infiniti Qs Inspiration Concept
Expected: Undisclosed
Infiniti’s all-electric Qs Inspiration Concept is a looker. The concept vehicle has suicide-style doors, a cockpit that reminds us of the Audi RSQ that featured in iRobot, large-sized rims and an elegant, futuristic exterior. There’s little information about the car’s performance or if it will ever come to market, but you can keep yourself informed by heading over the manufacturer’s website.
Karma SC1 Vision Concept
Expected: Undisclosed
The Karma SC1 Vision Concept looks very similar to its sibling, the SC2 (below), however, with a lower profile this hypercar is set to reach new heights in the EV world. Despite being showcased at the LA Auto Show in November 2019, there's very little information about the performance or indeed the availability of the car.
Karma SC2
Expected: Undisclosed
The Karma SC2 is an all-electric hypercar: it will hit 0-60mph in under 2s (faster than a F1 racecar), will have 1,100hp at its helm and houses a 120kWh battery pack, which should see it drive the distance. WhichEV saw it at the LA Auto Show, however, very little information was shared about the car. Given the car's spec, one would expect it to cost in the millions.
Read more: The Karma SC2 is an EV hypercar that achieves 0-60mph in under 2 seconds
Kia Futuron Concept
Expected: Undisclosed
The Kia Futuron Concept is another car about which very little is known, but we've been told it wll incorporate a fully-electric powertrain. Revealed at CIIE 2019 (China International Import Exposition), the “UFO and flying saucer designed” SUV is set to integrate a network of LiDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors that will be capable of providing Level 4 autonomous driving features. Inside the cabin, the EV will adopt a Star Trek Enterprise kind of look – ultra-futuristic.
Lotus Lexus LF-30
Expected: Undisclosed
The Lexus LF-30 was shown off at the LA Auto Show, which took place in November 2019. The all-electric vehicle is tipped to come with a 110kWh battery pack and will accept a rapid 150kW charge. In terms of performance, the car's electric motor will output 536hp, reach 0-62mph in 3.8s and have a top speed of 124mph. Stay informed about the vehicle’s pricing and availability by visiting the manufacturer’s website.
Nissan IMk
Expected: Undisclosed
Currently only visualised as a concept, the IMk is arguably one of the best-looking city cars to have graced the internet. With elegant curves on the outside to a serene interior – it's a work of art. Little is known about the car but we hope to hear more about Nissan's developments, soon. It was revealed alongside the original concept for the Nissan Ariya, which is set to arrive in 2021.
Read more: Nissan’s all-electric IMk and Ariya Concept vehicles are Japanese masterpieces
Polestar Precept
Expected: Undisclosed
The Polestar Precept is a manifesto of things to come. The company used composite materials which reduce interior component weight by 50% with an 80% reduction in plastic. Moreover, it offers rigidity with low weight thanks to powerRibs technology from Bcomp which is inspired by leaf veins. Bcomp’s ampliTex composite material is strengthened by the powerRibs to create strong and rigid componentry – which can reduce vibrations by up to 250% as well as performing better during an impact. It has eye-tracking that monitors where the driver is looking and adjusts the way information is presented: smaller and more detailed when the driver is focused on the display, and larger, brighter, vital information when focused on the road.
Read more: Precept is a showcase for upcoming Polestar technologies and design concepts
Sony Vision-S
Expected: Undisclosed
Sony caught everyone by surprise when it announced its Vision-S concept EV at CES 2020 – the consumer electronic show which takes place every year in Las Vegas. Still in its concept form, the vehicle is tipped to have a twin-motor design that can dispatch 400 kW of power; it'll reach 0-62mph in 4.8s and it'll have a top speed of 149 mph. No word on driving range just yet. Aside from its performance traits, the car will have a lot of technology built-in: from CMOS image sensors dotted around the car to clever AI technology within the cabin.
Read next: Sony shows off electric car concept in new videos
BYD e1
Expected: Undisclosed
BYD Auto is a company most people in Europe won't have heard of. But it's one of the world's largest manufacturers of EVs, having sold 161,000 plug-in cars by 2016, placing third globally. You won't have heard of BYD because currently the company only sells its cars, buses, coaches, vans and trucks in China. But it's likely to have its sights on the rest of the world soon, so we chose its cheapest model, introduced in China in 2019, as an example. The e1 is based on the company's F0 platform. It has a 32.2kWh battery and a WLTP range of 191 miles. Most impressively, it costs just 59,900 Chinese Yuan, the equivalent of £6,874. So if BYD can bring this car to the UK for anything close to this price, it's going to be a gamechanger.
Maruti Suzuki Wago R EV
Expected: Undisclosed
Suzuki has been notable by its absence from the EV market, although the company has been selling versions of its Ignis and Swift compact cars for a while now. However, the Indian-based Maruti Suzuki subsidiary has a plan to release an electric version of its Wagon R MPV. With a price expected to be Rs 10 lakh, around the £10,000 mark, this could be another low-cost gamechanger if it comes to the UK.
Maruti Suzuki Wago R EV
Expected: Undisclosed
Great Wall Motors Company Ltd, or GWM, is another huge Chinese car company you've probably never heard of. Yet in 2016 it set a sales record of over a million cars worldwide, an increase of 26% over 2015. Outside of China, the company has so far expanded production into Bulgaria, Iran, and Russia. The Ora R1 is its breakout EV, costing under £8,000 yet offering a 33kWh battery pack capable of up to 194 miles range. It may not be fast – top speed is slated to be just 63mph – but European manufacturers are still trying to sell cars this size for £30,000 or more. So if the Ora R1 does come to the UK it could put the cat among the pigeons.
Read next: How will European brands react to a sub-£8,000 electric car with four doors?
WM Motor EX6 Plus 400
Expected: Undisclosed
Completing our roundup of Chinese possibilities is Weltmeister, which surprisingly is not a German brand at all, despite the name. Generally known by its parent company WM Motor Technology Co Ltd, the manufacturer has been producing electric crossover SUVs for a couple of years now, but so far purely focused on China. The latest EX6 Plus 400 boasts a NEDC range from its 54kWh battery of over 400km (250 miles), hence the model name. The 160kW (218bhp) engine provides 315Nm of torque, although performance hasn't yet been disclosed. However, with a starting price of 189,900 Chinese Yuan, which is around £21,500, this could be an even cheaper SUV than the MG ZS EV, if it makes it to the UK.
Read next: China’s rise as an EV superpower explained by Rupert Mitchell from WM
VW ID. Space Vizzion
Expected: 2023
The ID. Space Vizzion is scheduled for release in late 2023. The estate-sized vehicle will have a range of up to 367 miles, reaching 0-60mph in 5 seconds, and has the ability to recharge to 80% in under 30 minutes. This futuristic-looking vehicle hasn't had its price announced but will be available in Europe, North America and China.
Read more: Volkswagen ID. Space Vizzion: The seventh member of the ID. family
Tesla “Model 2”
Expected: 2023-4
Aside from all the new battery innovation announced at Tesla Battery Day 2020, Elon Musk also discussed in rather offhand manner that his company would be producing a $25,000 small car with autonomous abilities “within the next three years”, which would be 2023 or 2024. Naturally, this was the news that really got everyone excited, with some pundits claiming this would be the rumoured “Model 2”. No further details have emerged, but considering Tesla's previous track record with the Model S, 3 and Y, the 2 (or whatever it will be called) is going to be a real gamechanger, and potentially the final nail in the coffin for fossil fuel cars.
Read next: Elon Musk promises 50% reduction in Tesla battery costs and $25,000 car at Battery Day
Renault 5 EV
Expected: Unknown
The Renault Zoe has been one of the most successful EVs of all time (so far), but Renault hasn't yet created a car with the “people's hot hatch” appeal of certain Renault 5 variants. Recently, the company implied that it intends to remedy that by resuscitating the 5 in electric form. All we have is prototype 3D renders so far. But if Renault can bring out a production EV that looks close to these conceptual impressions, the company is likely to have a health order book.
Read next: Prototype design for electric Renault 5 revealed
Apple Car
Expected: 2028 or later
Apple started development of a radical autonomous electric vehicle in 2014, but the project languished. Recently, it has been reported that the project is underway again. Reuters suggested the car could even arrive in 2024, but another analyst report was sceptical, pushing its debut out to at least 2028. Beyond that, we know nothing, with not even a conceptual drawing to show you, let alone any prospective technical details. But that's usually how Apple plays, keeping everything secret until the last possible moment. So don't expect to hear much for sure until it's virtually ready for release.
Read next: Apple electric car not likely until at least 2028 according to analyst
Discussion about this post