During a conversation with Top Gear at the 2021 IAA, Wagner expressed his distaste for electric sedans with traditional three-box designs.

“Aero is one [issue with three-box sedans]. Secondly, with a six-inch battery pack a three-box sedan simply doesn’t look good, it looks shit. You have to do something that visually digests the height.” he said. I’m guessing he isn’t a fan of the Polestar 2.

Wagner then points to the new Mercedes-Benz EQ models, such as the EQS (seen above), as examples of how to move away from that typical three-box look. However, as much as I respect Wagner — most of his designs are brilliant — the EQS isn’t a great design. It’s a sensational car but its design just a bit too jelly bean-like. Still, his point about three-box designs is valid, even if the EQS isn’t a great example.

He also has some interesting points about the rest of EV car design. He notes that most new EV start ups lack grilles on their cars (a clear dig at Tesla), which he doesn’t like.

“What you see with electrification is that the grille is moving away. All these new startups, they don’t have a grille – they’re faceless front ends, a bit anonymous. They’re all very much alike. Do they look aggressive? No. They want to look more like a supercomputer on wheels.” said Wagner.

He then adds the fact that cars being anthropomorphic is important. They need to remind us of humans, of ourselves.

“However, you do need a certain amount of wedge in the headlights, and so on. It’s a lot of physiognomics, you know – facial expressions, or body sculpture in the car that makes it similar to humans. And that’s something that doesn’t change.”

Car companies are in a very interesting spot, design-wise. This is probably the most challenging time for auto design since the invention of the automobile. So much about the automobile — how it’s powered, how we interact with it, and how it factors into our lives — is changing, so automakers are in uncharted territory, which is going to lead to some very interesting designs, with some hits and some misses.

[Source: Top Gear]

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On the outside, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen looks incredibly similar to the BMW iX3; it’s essentially the same as the standard car, just with some blue bits and exhaust tip replacements. So don’t expect anything radical from a design perspective.

However, under the skin, the iX5 Hydrogen couldn’t be more different from the iX3. It still uses an electric drive unit for propulsion, however it’s more powerful in the iX5 Hydrogen, making 374 horsepower. But rather than power the electric motor with a battery, it uses a hydrogen fuel cell. To store the hydrogen, two 700-bar tanks, made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), are stored where the X5’s gas tank would normally be.

The main benefit of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is their refill time. It only takes a few minutes to refill the hydrogen fuel cell, rather than the hours it can take to recharge an electric car. The downside of that is that there are far fewer hydrogen fuel stations than there are charging stations. Which means it’s incredibly difficult to find a place to refill.

However, BMW still feels that hydrogen has a future in the automotive industry. While it likely does for long-haul trucks and other commercial vehicles that require faster refill times, BMW feels it’s still a viable solution for passenger cars. If hydrogen fuel does become more popular, the BMW iX5 Hydrogen is a nice place to start.

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The Cupra UrbanRebel Concept is a racing concept that will translate into a road car and it looks the part. Its massive rear wing, aggressive front aerodynamics, and large air intakes show off its performance DNA. Cupra hasn’t yet provided the electric motor count or placement yet, however it claims that its consistent power output is 250 kW (335 horsepower), with a short-term peak of 320 kW (429 horsepower). That peak power will likely only be available for brief sprints, probably somewhere between five and ten seconds worth. Cupra does claim that it can get from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.2 seconds. That’s shockingly fast for a car with only 429 max horsepower, so we’re assuming it’s quite light because, well, racecar.

Based on the VW Group’s MEB architecture, the Cupra UrbanRebel is going to be a small, electric hot-hatchback. Knowing that a brand like Cupra is going to want to help keep the hot-hatch market alive, even when the industry goes electric, is extremely encouraging. It truly is a breath of fresh air at the IAA, when almost all other EVs are just visions of the autonomous, driverless future.

There’s no timeline as to when Cupra will begin to produce such a car but, considering how production-ready it looks, and how quickly the Volkswagen Group seems to be moving, it’s possible we could see some spy photos as early as next year.

Regardless, the Cupra UrbanRebel Concept is exactly the sorts of cars we want to see from automakers. Let’s hope this becomes a reality sooner than later.

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There might not be a more straightforward EV at the 2021 IAA. Mercedes-Benz just took a G-Class and swapped out its engine for some electric motors. Four of them, in fact, with an electric motor powering each wheel. No word on power but, without four motors, it’s bound to be a lot.

While it looks mostly like a standard G-Class but with some futuristic bits added on. For instance, it gets a closed off front grille with blue accents, snazzy 22″ wheels, small lights in the side mirrors that mimic the headlights, a roof-mounted light bar, and a square, lockable box on the tailgate that replaces the old spare tire. That last bit seems really silly. Do electric cars not get flat tires?

As with all G-Classes, the Mercedes-Benz EQG will be beastly off road. In fact, it could be even better than the standard car, which will be sold alongside this new electric one. The EQG’s prime advantages over the standard G-Class are the fact that all of its weight is low down in the belly of the car, because batteries, and its four electric motors, which will give it real-time torque vectoring. Rather than send power from an engine, through a driveshaft, to a transmission, then to a differential, which will then route power to whichever axle needs it more, the EQG can just apply power to whichever individual wheel needs it, in real time, and far quicker than the internal combustion alternative.

However, as with normal G-Class SUVs, an almost nonexistent percentage of customers will ever use the Mercedes-Benz EQG off road. Instead, they’ll cruise around Beverley Hills, with their drivers’ noses stuck to the headliner.

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The VW ID. LIFE concept that just debuted in Munich is a preview of an actual production car currently in the works, not just some flash auto show concept car to grab some headlines.

“The ID. LIFE is our vision of next-generation fully electric urban mobility. The concept car provides a preview of an ID. model in the small car segment that we will be launching in 2025, priced at around 20,000 euros. This means we are making electric mobility accessible to even more people”, says Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen brand. “In creating the ID. LIFE, we have consistently focused on the needs of younger customers. We believe that, even more so than today, the car of the future will be about lifestyle and personal expression. The customer of tomorrow won’t simply want to get from A to B; they will be much more interested in the experiences that a car can offer. The ID. LIFE is our answer to this.”

Based on the VW Group’s MEB electric architecture (Audi Q4 e-tron, VW ID.3), the Volkswagen ID. LIFE will be front-wheel drive, which is an MEB-first. Typically, MEB cars are rear-wheel drive-based but the ID. LIFE switches it up. The single front-mounted electric motor will make 172 kW (231 horsepower) and will be able to get the ID. Life from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.9 seconds. The 57 kWh battery pack will provide up to 400 km (249 miles) of range.

Volkswagen didn’t just focus on cost with the ID. LIFE, it focused on sustainability, too. Woodchips were used in the paint’s clearcoat, as a natural coloring agent, along with a bio-based hardener. The air-chamber textile material used for the roof and hood is made from recycled plastic bottles, the interior wood is recycled, and the seats, door panels, and dashboard are made from ArtVelours Eco. Even the tires are made from recycled materials, such as bio-oil, natural rubber, and rice husks.

Inside, there’s a projector and a gaming console, so while the ID. LIFE is parked, you can play video games on the windshield. If you want to plug your own console in, the ID. LIFE has a 240 volt, 16-amp on-board power supply. The front seats can be folded down completely flat, to provide better rear seat space, or all seats can be folded flat to create a bed.

While the yolk-style steering wheel is a foolish idea, as we learned with Tesla, the controls on it are quite clever. Even your drive controls are mounted on the steering wheel. To the right of the wheel, touch-sensitive buttons built into the wood dashboard control lighting. And your smart phone can be mounted to the dash and integrated into the car’s infotainment system, allowing it to control all aspects of the cabin tech.

At around €20,000, it’s hard to not be impressed by the Volkswagen ID. LIFE. It not only packs a handsome design and a nice interior, it comes with great tech and a decent range. We very much hope Volkswagen puts something very similar into production very soon.

[Source: QuattroDaily]

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Powered by two electric motors, the Porsche Mission R has two different power modes; Qualifying and Race. If the former, the car makes its full-beans power output of 1,070 horsepower. That allows it to get from 0-60 mph in just 2.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 186 mph. Porsche didn’t mention which specific track but claims that the Mission R, in qualifying mode, is as fast around a circuit as the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car.

In Race mode, the Mission R makes a constant 671 horsepower and stays nice and cool thanks to an innovative new direct oil cooling system. Due to the latter, the electric motors can run at peak power constantly, without the need to reduce power due to thermal conditions.

The Porsche Mission R also gets 900-volt battery technology, along with what Porsche unironically calls “Turbo Charging”. With said Turbo Charging, the Mission R can go from 5-80 percent SoC (State of Charge) in just 15 minutes, thanks to a charging speed of 340 kW.

Being a race car, the aerodynamics on the Porsche Mission R are on point. It gets Porsche’s latest PAA (Porsche Active Aerodynamics) and DRS (Drag Reduction System) on the nose section and rear wing. For the nose, three louvers in each side air intake create the aero, while a two-section rear wing helps at the back.

It’s not just battery, powertrain, and aero tech, though. Even the skin of the Porsche Mission R is unique. To develop much of the Mission R’s body, Porsche used NFRP (Natural-Fiber Reinforced Plastic), which is very similar to carbon fiber except it’s made from flax fiber used in farming. It’s a natural material that not only makes the NFRP sustainable but also recyclable. Very cool. The material is also used for its lower front lip diffuser, side skirts, interior door panels, rear bulkhead, and seats. However, the passenger cell is a carbon fiber monocoque.

There are no mirrors on the car, either. Instead, cameras are mounted to the outside of the car and display their images to monitors above the steering column. The side cameras are mounted on the roofline above the side windows and the rearview camera seems to be mounted in the cabin, where a traditional rearview mirror would be.

The Porsche Mission R not only looks awesome and will be stonking fast but it also will help revolutionize customer racing. Porsche is already one of the most popular customer racing brands in the world, so this Mission R will help a lot of teams get into electrification. We can’t wait to see the Mission R on track.

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At its core, the BMW i Vision Circular is a four-meter long, four-seat electric vehicle with a small visual footprint but a capacious interior. However, it’s far cleverer than that. Every single material used on the i Vision Circular is either a secondary material — a material that’s already been used in another product’s life cycle — or one that’s sustainably sourced and recyclable. BMW didn’t just throw some recycled fabrics on the seats and call it a day, though. BMW took every single part and reimagined how it could be made and used.

There’s no bonding or composite materials used in the construction of the i Vision Circular. Instead, clever fasteners such as cords, press-studs, and quick release fasters are used. Even the wheels get center lock fasteners, with a specialized socket wrench remove them, thus reducing the amount of materials needed to secure the wheels to the hubs. More than that, the same socket wrench can be used to remove several other components of the vehicle, again reducing the materials needed.

To save even more material, the BMW i Vision Circular isn’t even painted. Instead, the body panels are finished in anodized light gold, which BMW calls Anodized Mystic Bronze. At the rear end of the car, the rear panels and tailgate are made from heat-treated steel, giving the body a contrasting look BMW calls “Tempered Blue Steel”. Even the tires are made from certified, sustainably-sourced rubber, which BMW calls a “Vivid Blue Rubber”. Recycled rubber is added to the tire compound, giving it a “terrazzo” look.

Inside, very thick, plush looking seats are upholstered in a recycled fabric and get pillowy headrests. The high-pile carpet is also made from recycled plastics, keeping the interior as recycled as possible.

However, what dominates the cabin is the dashboard, which features a massive crystal-like structure that features glowing nerve-like lights throughout that give the impression the car is thinking. It’s very odd and unique. That same material is used  throughout the cabin, as it sweeps along the tops of the door panels and up to the C-pillar, accentuating BMW’s signature Hofmeister Kink from the inside.

One really cool feature is the steering wheel, which is 3D printed and can be made with wood powder, giving it a lovely wood-grain look. However, the steering wheel itself is very odd looking, with an unusual four-spoke design that features a vertical spoke at the top of the wheel. We’ve never seen that before and don’t really love how it looks but it’s certainly unique. Additionally, the two side spokes are sort of floating, which is interesting.

As you drive the BMW i Vision Circular, you’ll be greeted by some interesting noises as well. To make the interior feel more alive, Hans Zimmer was hired to assist Renzo Vitale, Creative Director of Sound for BMW, in creating a sound profile that accentuates the circularity of the concept car.

BMW claims the i Vision Circular gets a solid-state battery pack, which would be an industry first. Though, it is just a concept car, so BMW isn’t actually going to sell an EV with a solid-state battery anytime soon.

It’s a very funky looking car, the BMW i Vision Circular. Its kidney grilles and headlights are integrated into one digital unit, the wheels are aerodynamic, and the rear lights are built into a single glass panel. The most interesting aspect of it, though, is its circular recyclability, hence the name. While BMW likely won’t sell this exact car, it does give the brand ideas of how to create more sustainable vehicles moving forward.

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