BMW 1-5 Mercedes: How Stuttgart’s Star Shines At Munich

Covid might have snuffed out motor shows in Tokyo and New York, but the International Auto Show at Munich which went live this week played host to numerous major reveals. But despite this being BMW’s hometown show, it was arch rival Mercedes, based 140 miles away in Stuttgart, that pulled out all the stops.

This was Mercedes’ show, plain and simple. The new product offensive began on Sunday before press day had even opened, and now, as the dust settles on the launches from the other OEMs that followed, and the show begins welcoming members of the public, it’s still Benz’s performance that dominates memories.

BMW didn’t show up unarmed. It came equipped with some great product, including the handsome and fully recyclable i Vision Circular, that looks so good it’s a crying shame it’s looking ahead to 2040, and not on sale next week. Hopefully we’ll see some of its DNA, like the reimagined grille and crisp side profile in other cars before then.

There were a couple of interesting e-bikes with clever multimode speed limiters reminding us that BMW’s mobility know-how stretches far beyond just cars. And the iX5 Hydrogen, which BMW plans to put into small scale production next year, did the same for non-battery powered electric technology. If we had to drive a hydrogen car, the 369 hp has plenty of appeal.

Related: Check Out Our 2021 Munich Motor Show Hub For All The Latest News

And then there was the newly facelifted iX3 (still not coming to the U.S.), the i4 M50 in motorsport Safety Car spec, and another chance to see the facelifted X3M and X4M, and the 2-Series. Important cars in their own way, though they weren’t all necessarily fresh, having been revealed previously.

Mercedes, on the other hand, gave us a stack of brand new vehicles to drool over. Where to start? Perhaps with the 831 hp Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E, the performance arm’s most powerful car ever. Or the 751 hp AMG EQS 53, its first EV. In terms of real world impact, the EQE electric sedan, which will sell in far greater numbers than either of the AMGs, is an even bigger deal, while the EQG concept made it clear that the G-wagon isn’t going to be forced into retirement by the need to nix tailpipe emisisons.

Hold on, we’re not finished. To that list you can add the Maybach EQS concept, a thinly disguised version of the 2023 production SUV, a very different looking Smart SUV, plus cameos from the EQB compact SUV previously seen at Shanghai, the C-class All-Terrain, the armored S680 Guard 4Matic, an AMG One wearing some exquisite carbon wheels…we could go on.

And then, in case you still weren’t absolutely convinced that Stuttgart really had taken over at Munich, fellow Stuttgarter Porsche rocked up with the Mission R, a 1,073 hp electric racer that previews the next Cayman. There’s no doubt about it, despite showcasing some solid product and ideas, BMW got well and truly owned.