A "concept car" can be anything from a near-production preview to the completely outlandish show cars. Shane O'Donoghuelooks at what Frankfurt has in store and what relevance the show cars hold
Frankfurt, being the financial hub of Germany, is a very sensible city; yet every two years, it plays host to the world's largest motor show, which is crammed with not-so-sensible concept cars.
Increasingly though, the term "concept car" is being applied to show cars that preview a nearly-finished production model. This year's exhibition is no different, with fewer flights of fancy and more relevance to the average man on the street.
Each manufacturer seems to have a different policy on the matter, though of course they'll never admit to that.
Citroën and Mazda, for instance, have had a run of futuristic concepts that don't seem to be getting any closer to reality. Citroën continues that theme in Frankfurt with the googly-eyed C-Cactus, which may well contain some commendable new ways to reduce the car's effect on the environment, but is not going to be seen on Irish roads any time soon - if ever.
Countering this pie-in-the sky philosophy is another concept on Citroën's stand that has more significance to real world motoring.
The C5 Airscape is a blatant preview of the replacement for the current C5 saloon, albeit in the form of a folding hardtop model. It's unlikely Citroën will ever produce a rival for the Volvo C70, which the Airscape would be, but the overall style will be applied to a four-door saloon set to compete against the likes of Ford's new Mondeo.
Despite the contraction of the saloon car market across Europe - where buyers are looking to people carriers or SUVs instead - it's still worth a lot of money, as exhibited by the potential new entry to the fray by Suzuki. Admittedly, its Kizashi concept is a little too radical to make production this year, but going on past Suzuki concepts, it's likely that the overall idea and profile will be retained.
That's the trick employed by several carmakers. They take the basic essence of a forthcoming showroom model and add a bit of pizzazz to wow the crowds.
BMW has been guilty of that for a number of years, displaying several "concepts" that are all but impossible to tell apart from the real thing that appears a few months later.
The cynical may suggest that the company is maximising media coverage by effectively debuting the new car over the course of a few motorshows. The latest to fall into that category is the X6 concept, but don't laugh; BMW really is putting it into production - essentially a coupé version of its X5 SUV.
No doubt it will come up with a new acronym for the X6, but it's fundamentally a crossover, which itself is one of the buzzwords of the year.
Elsewhere in Frankfurt you'll find crossover concepts that look a little unusual, but are actually slated for production.
Audi's Cross Coupé Quattro is one such car, and Mitsubishi's Concept-cX shouldn't be too far behind, though going on past Mitsubishi form, it'll be another five years before the production version is displayed.
There are plenty of cars in Frankfurt that you're likely to see at a dealers within a few years. Cars such as the Renault Laguna Coupé, Honda Accord Tourer and perhaps even Ford's slinky new Verve hatch barely deserve their concept tags, whereas sportsters from Kia, Hyundai and Peugeot are sure to fire up a debate as to likelihood for production.
Peugeot in particular is difficult to predict, as its designers have been churning out all manner of concepts over the years, some previewing real cars, others not.
The 308 RC Z shares much with its hatchback sibling, but is a radical reinterpretation of the 308 CC, looking to compete with the likes of Audi's TT and even the Nissan 350Z. We can only hope Peugeot takes the plunge.
The Korean carmakers, Kia and Hyundai, are very likely to put at least one of the Frankfurt concepts into production. Peter Schreyer, of Audi fame, is now head of Kia design, so it's thought that the new Kee concept previews an impending showroom model, which should give the establishment something to think about.
Last, but certainly not least, of the concepts on display are the technology demonstrators. These show cars allow engineers to air their ideas for the future, and right now that means reducing CO2 emissions.
Along with the Citroën C-Cactus, Frankfurt show goers will be treated to the Volvo ReCharge and the Nissan Mixim electric car. Volvo's C30-based concept is perhaps more worthy, as its plug-in hybrid technology would work right now if it went into production.
We suspect that the required batteries are not ready for economical mass production as yet, but it's a laudable attempt at bringing useful sensibilities to a concept car. It should go down well with the people in Frankfurt.