Set in the rolling green hills of West Sussex, England, the sprawling lawns and infamous driveway of Goodwood House play host to a petrolhead’s playground each year.
What started as an excuse to run exceedingly fast and loud vehicles up Lord March, the 11th Duke of Richmond’s driveway, the annual Festival of Speed has now become one of the most important entries on the automotive calendar.
With the demise of many global motor shows, it is regarded by the world’s biggest automakers as a platform to showcase now models and connect with fans of both two and four-wheeled machines.
Plus, with the impending march of electrification, it is also now host to a number of emerging Chinese brands, all keen on introducing new products on both the European and global stage.
This year was arguably busier than ever, with BYD debuting its premium Denza brand, Honda unveiling its electric future and numerous supercar manufacturers proving that electrification doesn’t necessarily spell the end of a screaming V8 engine.
Here’s a look at some of the hottest reveals and most important launches of the Festival of Speed 2025…
1. Porsche Cayenne EV
We all knew it was coming, but to see Porsche’s largest model to date in the flesh is quite something… let alone witness what it can do to Goodwood’s infamous hill climb.
The German marque has remained tight-lipped about specifics, but we know that its latest EV is likely to develop in excess of 1,000hp and feature all of the fast-charging architecture and clever infotainment tech of its smaller Macan EV sibling.
Recently, it set a record time up the UK’s Shelsley Walsh hill climb route, despite being able to tow up to 3.5 tonnes.
Porsche says the new Cayenne EV will set “new standards without compromising on everyday usability and practicality”. But we say it looks freakishly fast and surprisingly handsome underneath its technicolor camo.
2. Hyundai Ionia 6 N
Hot on the heels of the brilliant Ioniq 5 N, Hyundai revealed a molten version of its streamliner-inspired EV, complete with an aerodynamically-enhanced exterior and a tweaked all-electric powertrain that now delivers 650hp and a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.2 seconds.
Like the 5N, its bigger brother is designed to be an “everyday supercar”, handling the dull daily commutes in silence but then offering up synthesized N Active Sound+ engine noises, electronic gear shifts and the N Drift Optimizer for when the temptation to slide around car parks gets too much.
Hyundai even went so far as to run a number of drift-specific models (pictured above) that lit up the rear tires and proved to all of the spectators that electric vehicles can be fun.
3. Alpine A290 Rallye
If you thought the Renault 5 E-Tech was fun, take a look at what happens when Alpine gets hold of it.
The white-wheeled special edition boasts a ZF limited slip differential, for more dynamic handling qualities, upgraded suspension, a roll cage and a hydraulic handbrake. Oh, and an external speaker for a genuine rally soundtrack.
It is designed for competition use and, as a result, costs around £62,000 (about $84,000 / AU$130,000). But hey, it’s a lot cheaper than the Renault 5 Turbo 3E and it looked like a lot of fun when tackling Goodwood’s famous hill climb at full tilt.
4. Denza B5 and Z9 GT
BYD launched its premium brand at Goodwood this year, unveiling both the enormous B5 hybrid 4×4 and the shapelier, Porsche-Taycan rivaling Z9 GT.
If you’re getting a little de ja vu, that’s because Denza was originally a premium partnership between Mercedes-Benz and BYD. It’s now wholly owned by the Chinese brand and looking to make waves in Europe.
The monster B5 develops 677bhp from its plug-in hybrid powertrain, all while delivering an impressive 78 miles of electric-only propulsion. It will also be available as a pure EV.
The Z9 GT might look like it has spent many years idolizing Porsche, but it is not messing around in the performance department. A tri-motor set-up delivers 858bhp and a 0-62mph time of 3.6 seconds.
BYD’s 100kWh Blade Battery technology ensures an impressive all-electric range of 391 miles and the car is positively packed with tech, including three interior touchscreens.
5. Honda Super EV Concept
This mysterious little electric city car came with very little explanation from the Japanese marque, only that it would “hopefully” spawn a fun-to-drive hatchback that could be the Honda-e that never quite was.
There’s absolutely no word on the powertrain and the entire interior was blacked out for its public debut at Goodwood, but it looked neat enough and blended Honda hatchback charm with Nissan Cube styling.
All we know is that people were on hand with clipboards asking for public opinion, so it’s almost definitely going into production. Probably.
The Honda 0 SUV, on the other hand, is most definitely nearly with us, as the next generation EV is due on sale next year and is set to offer an entirely fresh approach to electric vehicle architecture.
Expect massive range, clever packaging and a constantly-connected infotainment system that’s capable of Tesla-like over-the-air updates.
6. MG IM 5 and IM 6
Like many Chinese companies, MG is rapidly expanding its line-up by introducing models to Europe (and beyond) that were once the reserve of its domestic market.
IM, which stands for Intelligence in Motion, is a tie-up between MG, its parent company SAIC and several other home-grown tech and e-commerce brands. It’s a standalone badge in China, but is coming to Europe under the MG umbrella.
Are you as confused as we are? Fret not, because its is essentially a Tesla rival that packs a monster 100kWh lithium ion battery, 800V architecture and a predicted range of 442 miles. In other words, it attempts to out-do Tesla in pretty much every important statistic.
Pricing also closely matches the Tesla Model 3 in Europe and for those still on the fence about purchasing from Elon Musk, IM also offers the IM 6 SUV that – you guessed it – rivals the Model Y.
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