The Frankfurt motor show, which is running from now until September 27, is a tiring event to attend. Its sheer size makes it one of the most challenging of the entire international show calendar to report on, and press day draws more than 12,000 camera- and iPhone-wielding motoring hacks from across the globe, all tripping over themselves to grab a scoop, unique take or snippet that will keep their bosses happy.
It’s an important show for manufacturers too. Unlike Geneva, where tight exhibition space means manufacturers can only show their best work, Frankfurt’s sprawling halls (14 in total) mean that they can err on the side of overkill and bring every new toy they’ve created. It’s one of the only global car shows where the press and general public can dive deeply into each manufacturer’s model line-up and quiz staff on future plans.
With 219 world premieres – 83 cars and 98 new bits of technology seeing light for the first time – the mood in Frankfurt is one of undeniable positivity. It’s also a bit overwhelming. With 230,000 square metres of exhibition space – or 33 football fields – and a record 1,103 exhibitors from 39 countries, you certainly need a pair of comfy shoes and a decent level of fitness to get around to see everything. My pedometer says I walked 12 kilometres during press day, which sounds about right.
This year, the underlying current linking all major manufacturers is connected and automated driving. As Matthias Wissmann, the president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, explains: “The intelligent, connected car communicates with its surroundings and with other road users. It can park itself, warn its driver of traffic obstacles in good time, and prevents accidents. To put it simply, in the coming years, driving a car will become even safer and more comfortable.
“[Frankfurt] shows that cars and smartphones are merging into a single unit, and the connected car is becoming a mobile communication platform. Today, one-quarter of all new cars already have an internet connection, and two years from now the figure will be 80 per cent.
“Digitisation is progressing [in] leaps and bounds. The German automotive industry alone – the manufacturers and suppliers – will invest €16 billion to €18bn over the next three to four years in the research and development of connected and automated driving.”
It won’t happen overnight. Clear guidance from governments around the planet needs to be established before that can happen – but that took a step forward too in Frankfurt during a two-day summit with G7 transport ministers from Germany, Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, along with the European commissioners Violeta Bulc and Günther Oettinger. The process will be long and drawn-out, which will allow manufacturers time to further develop these systems.
Audi has already proved technology exists now for completely automated driving, but as its board member Luca de Meo says: “This is already three or four steps further down the line. We are nowhere near the stage where these things can be implemented yet. We are talking about systems that make driving safer and more comfortable, not where you can sit there and let the car drive while you sit on social media. For us, it’s about safety and comfort.”
The Audi e-tron quattro concept SUV made its world debut at Frankfurt, and while De Meo says there’s still a lot of life left in petrol and diesel internal-combustion engines, the all-electric e-tron quattro concept is a glimpse into Audi’s future.
The e-tron quattro is positioned nicely between the Q5 and Q7 in terms of size (Q6, possibly?), but sits lower than either of them. It has a coupé-style roof and the sort of concept styling that will never make production. The octagonal grille could make it, but the OLED (organic light-emitting diode) and laser headlights probably won’t, in that form at least.
It’s an exciting technical project, though. The active aerodynamics include a number of spoilers, flaps, side skirts and underbody devices that automatically adapt to help lower the car’s drag coefficient to 0.25. It’s powered by three electric motors that develop a combined 430hp continuously and up to 500hp in short bursts. The 95-kilowatt lithium ion battery provides a range of 50km, and recharging a fully depleted battery takes just 50 minutes with a 150-kilowatt fast charger. Owners will also be able to use inductive (wireless) charging, too.
We could see the concept arrive in showrooms as early as 2018. Audi also has a hydrogen power train available, and that may also make an appearance.
The previous time the Frankfurt motor show was held, another luxury manufacturer stole the event with a concept SUV. The Jaguar F-Pace has changed little from the C-X17 of 2013, but more details have emerged in recent months as to how Jaguar will power it. It will get the same supercharged 3.0L V6 that Jaguar fits to the F-Type (340hp), and there are plans for an S model that will bump output to 380hp.
Pitched against the Porsche Macan, BMW X4, Audi Q5 and Mercedes GLC, the F-Pace should arrive in Middle East showrooms next year.
Bentley’s Bentayga may have been polarising opinions globally, but it appears buyers couldn’t care less. It’s selling like hot cakes, with the initial production run already accounted for. Judging by the popularity of the two on the stand in Frankfurt, those nagging doubts about the car’s appearance from the initial images published earlier this year seem to have disappeared.
If the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is your kind of machine, then the Brabus-tuned version should get you a little hot under the collar. Engine output from the twin-turbo, 4.0L V8 has been boosted by 80hp to 500hp. That should shoot the G500 to 100kph in less than seven seconds and on to a top speed of more than 200kph. The machine is equipped with revised bumpers, skid plates and other niceties that will set it out amid a sea of others.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Concept IAA (Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile), a strangely attractive design study that marries super-slippery aerodynamics with the latest tech. The car takes active aerodynamics to the extreme by changing its shape at speeds of more than 80kph; eight sections extend at the rear to help taper airflow over the car; flaps extend from the front bumper; and the wheel rims change from dished to a flat profile to smooth airflow around the car. It’s powered by a plug-in hybrid system, and has a 60km range, and while we probably won’t see it in showrooms ever, it’s a fascinating display of what can be achieved when you give engineers and designers an open brief.
Frankfurt saw the return of a classic German marque. Announced in Geneva earlier this year, Borgward unveiled two cars at Frankfurt; the BX7 SUV and the BX7 TS (Touring Sports). The company’s first offering, however, will be a plug-in hybrid version of the BX7.
The company’s rebirth came after a 47-year hiatus when Christian Borgward and Karlheinz Knöss registered Borgward AG in Lucerne, Switzerland, in May 2008. Borgward’s grandfather had been at the helm of the company when it filed for bankruptcy in 1961. This time, the company has financial backing from China’s Beiqi Foton Motor Company.
Ulrich Walker, the chief executive of Borgward, says: “Our goal is to turn Borgward once again into a major international automobile manufacturer, just as it was in its heyday.”
The company has previously stated that it has 1,000 employees at its Stuttgart headquarters, and that it plans to sell more than 800,000 “accessible premium” cars a year by 2020.
It’s a weird-looking thing, but there’s no denying that for a first throw of the dice into modern motoring circles, the interior-trim level and appointment is a great effort. With a swarm of journalists buzzing over the car, it was difficult to judge the car’s proportions or spend any meaningful time inside, but first impressions are that once you’re inside, Borgward seems to have taken the time to make it a pleasant place to be.
The BX7 gets a 224hp, direct-injection, 2.0L, four-cylinder engine; the hybrid will generate 401hp and 650Nm torque, and have a 55km range in all-electric mode.
Lamborghini lifted the lid on its Huracán Spyder (also see above), which uses the same 602hp, 5.2L V10 as the coupé, and the same transmission and AWD system. The key difference is that it now uses cylinder deactivation (seen elsewhere in the Audi-Volkswagen group range), which shuts down half the engine when it’s not needed, helping the Raging Bull to save on fuel. The same system will be fitted to coupé versions in 2016. Lamborghini says the chassis is 40 per cent stiffer than the Gallardo Spyder, and airflow into the cabin has been tamed.
Alfa Romeo seems to have found its funk again, too. It has claimed that the Giulia Quadrifoglio is a BMW M3 beater, thanks to a Ferrari-fettled 2.9L turbo petrol V6 that develops 510hp and 600Nm of torque. That should see the car hit 100kph in under four seconds, and a top speed of 307kph.
Volkswagen’s presence is massive, with 20 more electric cars and plug-in hybrids by 2020 announced. The big news, however, was that the Tiguan is due a total redesign by 2017, which should pique the interest of Middle East buyers. It’s one of VW’s biggest sellers, and the fresh design brings with it more powerful engines, sharper styling and lot of new tech.
Unfortunately, Frankfurt will probably be best remembered for when the BMW chief executive Harald Krüger had what the company described as a “moment of dizziness” on stage during his keynote speech. The press conference was cancelled, and a clearly exhausted Krüger was helped from the stage and treated by medical staff.
The incident took the gloss off BMW’s work on the new 7 Series, the new 600hp M6 Coupé Competition Edition and the global reveal of the new Mini Clubman, which has grown so much that the Mini name is no longer really applicable. The Clubman retains the split-rear doors, but gains two full-sized additional ones for rear-seat passengers – oddly, it feels smaller inside and has seemingly less luggage space than the one it replaces. There’s something that doesn’t quite gel with the new Mini look, and the Clubman simply serves to exacerbate this. I’m sure it’s a fine car and it will be tremendous success for Mini, but it’s a Marmite proposition – you’ll either love it or hate it.
Thoughts now turn to the Dubai International Motor Show in November. We’ve been promised an exciting event, and if manufacturers are prepared to skim the best of Frankfurt and ship them our way, with one or two surprises in the mix, then it should be a cracking event.
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