Good morning and welcome to our weekly digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

2021 Munich Motor Show: A-To-Z Roundup Of All The World Premieres And More

The Munich Motor Show marked the first time in nearly two years that Europe had seen a proper auto show. It’s certainly been a welcome return, but it also brought about an opportunity for car manufacturers to move the narrative on from just going electric, with more sustainably built concepts on offer too. And as always, CarScoops is here to give you a handy guide to everything you may have missed! 

Mercedes Shows Off Impressive Collection Of New Metal At Munich

Mercedes stole the show at Munich, unveiling multiple new cars in what should have been BMW‘s backyard. Standout production launches featured the — a four-door Honey-I-Shrunk-The-EQS equivalent to an E-Class-sized EV. At the other end of the spectrum was the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 E Performance, a plug-in hybrid of Merc’s super sedan, but with extremely limited EV range due to it being all about the power. There was also the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 and the seven-seat EQB SUV. Concept-wise we got to see the Mercedes EQG, a ladder-on-frame EV based on the G-Class, and the super luxury Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV. 

VW ID. LIFE Previews Small EV That Will Launch In 2025 Priced At Around €20,000

Away from the outlandish design dreams and hyper-priced hypercars was this: the VW ID.Life, a new chic and retro electric concept from Volkswagen. It previews a FWD production EV that will launch at around €20,000 (~$32,000) in 2025. Power will come from a 230 hp electric motor with a 57 kWh battery pack for 248 miles (400 km) of range.

BMW i Vision Circular Concept Is An Innovative Totally Recyclable City Car

Ignore just how meme-worthy the grilles of the Circular concept are, and you’ll see a design study from BMW that will preview how cars of the future are made. The entire car is made from recyclable materials, and at the end of its life can be fully recycled — including its battery.

Mercedes Design Boss Says That A Three-Box Sedan With An EV Battery Pack “Looks Shit”

It started with the CLS of the 2000s, and now it seems like Merc’s blending of coupe with sedan design trend has no brakes. It’s an about-turn for a brand that practically traded on its old-school three-box sedans. Gorden Wagener, Mercedes-Benz’s head of design, says that there are many reasons for this, one of which is that “with a six-inch battery pack a three-box sedan simply doesn’t look good, it looks shit.”

Reader Snaps Standard 2022 Toyota Tundra Truck Undisguised

CarScoops reader Nick D. shared this picture of an undisguised, non-TRD, 2022 Toyota Tundra. The truck has T-shaped headlights, C-shaped taillights, a kinked window line, stamped fenders, and a massive full-height grille. Changes under the hood for the new truck may include the discontinuation of the V8 for a V6, similar to that found in the latest Land Cruiser.

Parking Lessons Needed: $6 Million Bugatti Divo Backs Into A Mercedes CLS

With only 40 examples of the Divo ever made, to call it exclusive would be an understatement. They’re also incredibly expensive, with prices starting from €5 million ($5.8 million at the time of its launch). Sadly that all means nothing if you can’t park one properly, as one driver found out in Paris. The CLS that is hit is far less valuable, but we imagine any owner would be equally as unimpressed.

2022 Mazda CX-5 Facelift: First Photos Emerge Showing Minor Nip Tuck

You’ll need to have eagle eyes to spot it, but what you see here is the facelifted CX-5 courtesy of a series of leaked photos. The updated version of the SUV is expected to be revealed in December 2021 in Japan, with other markets to follow in 2022. There’s a new, cleaner front bumper, as well as a slightly different grille surround and new headlights.

Driven: 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross Builds On Sedan’s Legacy Of Affordability And Refinement

The new Corolla Cross is a new model trading on an old name. It’s a conventionally styled crossover, with a familiar cabin, and CarScoops’ Michael Gauthier had a chance to test it out. It’s not a groundbreaking new entrant, but it doesn’t fall below the mark. And, with prices starting at a reasonable $22,195, it might just impress.

Hyundai Introduces New Hydrogen-Powered Concepts, Including A 671 HP Sports Car

While EVs are all the rage in Munich, in Korea, Hyundai introduced two radical new hydrogen-powered concepts. The Korean automaker believes they can offer fuel cell vehicles at a price point that is comparable to battery electric vehicles by 2030. The Vision FK is a 671 hp (500 kW / 680 PS) sports car that’s based on a Kia Stinger and has been developed with the assistance of none other than Rimac.

Watch Someone Steal A C8 Corvette Right In Front Of Dealership Staff

The Corvette C8 is hot property, but perhaps not as hot as this stolen edition. Video posted to Facebook shows an individual driving off from a dealership, having locked out the salesman who was accompanying him on a tour of the car. It’s understood that authorities apprehended the suspect just a few blocks away.

What Else Is Making The News?

Musk vs Bezos: Tesla CEO Says Former Amazon Boss Will “Sue Death”

Taking another dig at Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk replied to a tweet reporting on Bezos’ investment in an anti-aging start-up. Musk has previously been critical of Bezos filing complaints against SpaceX. “Turns out Bezos retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX,” said Musk in an earlier tweet.

Twitter To Introduce New Label For “Good” Bot Accounts

Twitter has announced that they’ll be allowing bots to identify themselves, as the company continues to remove accounts that are deemed to be inauthentic. According to the BBC, the move is being made as some bot accounts are seen as having a positive impact on the platform — for example a bot that live-tweets every time there is an earthquake in San Francisco.