Goodwood 2024 – the biggest EV reveals from Festival of Speed
Our pick of the best new electric cars showcased at the most recent Goodwood Festival of Speed
This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed is over but it left us with plenty to digest.
Alongside the parade of wildly powerful and exotic petrol-powered racers and hypercars, there were a whole host of new electric cars to get excited about, from established brands such as Ford to emerging marques such as Hongqi.
Here’s our round-up of the most interesting and exciting EVs from Goodwood 2024.
MG Cyberster GTS
The recently launched MG Cyberster roadster has already signalled that there’s more to the marque than worthy but dull EVs and at Goodwood it hinted at further exciting developments. The Cyberster GTS is effectively a coupe version of the Cyberster but with four proper seats instead of the two-seat arrangement of the roadster. It’s technically just a concept but MG has suggested that if public reaction is positive it could go into production as a spiritual successor to the MG B GT. The fact that 2025 is the 60th anniversary of that classic coupe’s launch is, we’re sure, entirely coincidental.
Mini John Cooper Works E
The hot new version of the electric Mini is due to go on sale later this year and we got our first look at it at Festival of Speed. The Mini John Cooper Works E PROtotype that ran up the hill was effectively a camouflaged version of the final car – the first purely electric version in the history of the JCW line. We don’t have technical details yet but in keeping with previous JCW editions, expect a sharper tuned chassis and a performance hike over the current Cooper SE’s 215bhp and 7-second 0-62mph time.
Ford Capri
A day after being unveiled to the world, the new Ford Capri was making its global dynamic debut up the famous Goodwood hill. A sibling to the new Ford Explorer, the new Capri is a coupe-styled four-door crossover. Ford calls it the ultimate sports car for the family and while it doesn’t have the low-slung looks of the original it does have sporty performance with a 0-62mph time of 5.3 seconds from a two-motor arrangement, plus up to 390 miles of range.
Hispano Suiza Carmen Sagrera
Hispano Suiza is among the oldest car companies in the world but you’d be forgiven for never having heard of it. The Spanish firm, which was also involved in aerospace engineering, last built a car in 1938. But it’s on its way back with grand plans. The Carmen Sagrera is a 1,099bhp hypercar expected to rival the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista at the ultra-rarified end of the EV market. With four motors, a 103kWh battery and ‘bold’ looks, Hispano Suiza says the Carmen Sagrera is a high-performance luxury model with ‘racetrack-born’ capabilities.
Alpine A290
The Alpine A290 has already been revealed but Goodwood marked the production car’s UK dynamic debut. The A290 is a proper hot hatch for the electric era. It’s based on the new Renault 5 but fitted with a 217bhp motor from the larger Megane and equipped with a host of chassis and drivetrain upgrades to offer a more thrilling experience. It even features a coaching mode that will help owners master lift-off oversteer so they can pretend they’re driving a classic 5 Turbo.
Lotus Evija X
We’ve seen the Evija before but the car shown at the Festival of Speed was notable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the Evija X was a heavily modified track-ready version of the hyper coupe designed entirely to chase lap times – it’s the third fastest car ever around the Nordschleife. And, secondly, because it piled into the hay bales straight off the start line as to the driver struggling to control almost 2,000bhp and 1,257lb ft of torque being produced by its four motors. According to Goodwood Road & Racing the rear wheels were spinning at 170mph and the fronts at 150mph in the spectacular burnout that preceded the equally spectacular end to the Lotus’s run.
Genesis GV60 Magma
After starting out with a focus on refinement and luxury, Genesis is now venturing into the performance market. The Korean brand’s Magma line will produce tuned versions of several of its cars, including the GV60, which made its dynamic debut at Festival of Speed with racing legend Jacky Ickx at the wheel. Technical details are scarce but Genesis says it will bring battery and motor enhancements over the existing 483bhp GV60. We’d expect something similar to the 640bhp Hyundai Ioniq 5 N when it goes on sale in Korea next year.
Polestar Concept BST
Polestar has already revealed the spectacular looking Polestar 6 roadster but Goodwood saw the Swedish brand take its open-top two-seater sports car to another level with the Concept BST. Described by boss Thomas Ingenlath as a ‘Polestar turned up to 11’, it’s a beefed-up version of the sporty 6 with a huge amount of aero-optimised bodywork, widened track and 22-inch forged alloys. It also, reportedly, has almost 900bhp and a 0-62 time of under three seconds.
Xpeng G6
The Xpeng G6 is already on sale in Europe (and we’ve reviewed it here) but Goodwood 2024 marked its UK debut ahead of going on sale here later this year. The five-seat coupe-SUV is lining up to challenge the Tesla Model Y, VW ID.5 and Kia EV6 with UK models set to offer either 255bhp or 282bhp from a rear-mounted motor, along with between 270 and 354 miles of range and up to 280kW charging.
Hongqi EH7
Hongqi is among the oldest Chinese car makers and is among the wave of brands looking to secure a place in Europe with its EV range. It showcased two cars at Goodwood – the EH7 saloon and EHS7 SUV – both of which look set to reach the UK in coming years. The EH7 is a large saloon that Hongqi wants to position against the BMW i5 and Mercedes EQE, while the EHS7 is a high-riding SUV based on the same underpinnings. Both models feature a 610bhp two-motor powertrain and a choice of 85kWh or 111kWh batteries, which offer up to 360 miles of range in the saloon and 329 in the SUV. There are also plans for a single-motor version with more than 400 miles of range.
