Luxury Investment, Tech & Motoring Trends for 2025

Investment - Simon Brooke

Off to the races

Just as experiential luxury travel has boomed over the last few years, increasingly High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) and others are looking for enjoyable experiences connected with their wealth management. This is certainly something that Harry Herbert is finding among investors in the racehorses that he manages at Highclere Thoroughbred Racing. “It’s all about investing in fun,” he says. “No one comes into racehorse ownership to make money, but good horses are very valuable and at Highclere, we have consistently raced top-class horses that have sold on for many times their purchase price.”

Wealth management on the go

HNWIs frequently have international, portable assets – and so keeping an eye on their wealth wherever they are in the world can be a challenge. This is why a growing number of financial apps are focussing on wealthy nomads. Typical is a new app by international wealth management firm Hoxton Wealth. “This app brings all aspects of their financial life together in a single piece of technology so that HNWIs can see their entire wealth in real-time,” says managing partner Chris Ball. Users can also add the value of their property assets and view a live tracker for stocks, shares and crypto assets.

Upmarket retirement options

With a growing number of active, older people ready to sell an increasingly valuable housing stock to fund their retirement, it’s only natural that specialist homes for seniors would move upmarket – and demand more in their later years. Wallacea, an Integrated Retirement Community (IRC), not only offers residents a swimming pool, gym and private cinema but much more, as CEO Paul Morgan explains: “They might start their day with  a Pilates session, participate in a coffee morning interest group, have lunch with friends in the Wallacea Living Dining Room, and then continue their bridge game from the previous week.”

Property - Zoe Dare Hall

Back to the office

With Amazon the latest to call time on hybrid working in London, the honeymoon is over for many. The knock-on effect will be a redrawing of the prime property map based on walkability/Lime-bike-ability to the office – and rising property prices in areas that provide this easy access. “A degree of separation” is essential between bed and desk, according to Guy Meacock at Prime Purchase buying agency, and he thinks demand for homes in Notting Hill, Chelsea and Holland Park will increase among bankers whose Canary Wharf offices have been moved to the West End. Others who left the capital in the lockdown will return to “best of both worlds” outer prime locations like Wimbledon, which offers a village setting 20 minutes by train to Waterloo, according to Christopher Burton at Knight Frank. Or for those who want to be near – but not on top of – their workplace, Goodluck Hope at London City Island offers cool waterfront living within sight and easy reach of the towers.

New private members’ clubs

Prepare for more swanky private members’ clubs to crop up all over the country – and for property owners to capitalise on bragging rights and price premiums if they live near one. More members’ clubs have opened in the UK in the last four years than in the last three decades, according to Knight Frank. Inverness has arty Boath House, Dorset has the louche Seaside Boarding House, and you’re practically tripping over the places in the Cotswolds, which Knight Frank describes as “the world’s ultimate neighbourhood club cluster”, with its newest additions including Estelle Manor and The Club by Bamford. Its much-imitated stalwart, Soho Farmhouse, sees houses within a 15-minute drive sell for twice the local average. But even vendors up to 60 miles away try to snaffle some of the stardust, adds Knight Frank’s Liam Bailey. Expect members’ club chic to dominate interiors trends too. If Annabel’s is too OTT, perhaps Groucho Bretton, the Groucho’s first outpost beyond London, will herald some new design inspo when it opens in Wakefield’s Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2026.

Luxury-branded property

Whether it’s the world’s first Dolce & Gabbana residences in Marbella, Ralph Lauren Villas in Crete or Mercedes Benz homes in Dubai, super-rich buyers will be spoilt for choice next year for as these – and many other – new schemes combine the height of luxury with the prestigious hallmarks of their favourite global brand. Supercar-branded schemes are all the rage and growing in number by 30 per cent a year, according to Savills. Miami alone has Porsche, Aston Martin and Bentley-branded apartments. Overall, though, it’s the Middle East that’s leading the trend for branded bling, with 240 residential projects due to be delivered by 2030, including a Nobu scheme in Abu Dhabi that has 88 apartments with kitchens curated by the world-famous Japanese chef, and a Karl Lagerfeld-branded scheme in Dubai will see a central catwalk run through each villa.

Motoring - Jonathan Bell

Hybrids are back

Once the preserve of workhorses like the Toyota Prius, the tech has moved upmarket, with cars like the Porsche Panamera, Bentley Flying Spur and the new BMW M5 blending electric performance with traditional combustion to great effect. All the above benefit from a very usable pure electric mode to give you the best of both worlds. Quiet, clean EV power when it’s most appropriate and range and speed where needed.

Planet-friendlier interiors

Recycled materials have come on vastly in recent years, with companies like Polestar collaborating with the Swedish School of Textiles to create a ‘tailored knit’ seat fabric that uses 100 per cent recycled PET bottles yet looks and feels like a modern, plush high-tech material. Volvo’s EX30 uses recycled denim for its seats, while the recent Dacia Manifesto concept saw the debut of Starkle®, a material formed from reused polypropylene and recycled plastic.

Touchscreens out of favour

While some companies remain committed to banishing buttons and burying every conceivable function behind an onscreen interface (Tesla, Volvo, etc), there’s a growing recognition that tactile feedback, physical touch and well-finished buttons and knobs not only work better but convey a more upmarket aesthetic. Bentley’s new, refreshed Continental GT is a masterclass in how to bring analogue warmth into a digital age.

Technology - Jonathan Bell

Foldable phones’ reboot

Folding phones came of age with this year’s launch of the new Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. The tech giant’s second attempt at making a functional foldable, the 9 Pro Fold precisely follows the form factor of Google’s other premium devices. The punchline is that only you know you’re rocking a massive 8” inner screen; the outside world simply won’t know, thanks to the slim screen and conventional scale of the folded device. Google’s fastexpanding AI offerings and an excellent camera round out this premium phone.

Audio comes full circle

First it was vinyl’s time to shine, then cassettes got a nod from everyone from indie art rockers all the way up to stadium superstars like Taylor Swift. Now compact discs are having their second wind, as a new generation eschews the algorithm and rediscovers the joys of artist-curated albums and perfect sound forever. Bang & Olufsen’s high-end 9000c beosystem features the ultimate CD stacker, while companies like Audio-Technica keep the flag flying for traditional vinyl.

Simplicity rules

Slimline, simple tech is all the rage, and reMarkable is at the forefront of distraction free computing. The new Paper Pro tablet pairs the latest in multi-colour e-ink displays with a smooth writing experience, handwriting recognition (if you keep things neat) and an unbeatably simple cloud sync system that ensures your notes and jottings are always updated and right where you need them. There’s even a backlight to keep the screen visible in the winter gloom, and an optional keyboard adds even more functionality.