FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW:WHILE IN other parts of Frankfurt they're busy shoring up the sinking euro, within sight of the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB), the world's largest motor show boasts displays that are bigger and bolder than ever.
Motor fans – and the bankers in the ECB not 10km away – love numbers, so here’s a few to whet the appetite: 900 exhibitors stretched over 11 halls sprawling over 210,000sq m, hosting 85 press conferences over two days to launch more than 100 new models.
Not content with the halls as they are, Audi has spent €10 million constructing a purpose-built arena – complete with its own internal road – to display its latest models. Volkswagen, meanwhile, hired 14 architects to design and oversee its stand. Mercedes takes a complete three-storey hall to itself, while BMW’s own hall features a “roadway balcony” on which everything from electric Mini concept cars to Rolls Royces drive around above your head.
It’s a world of motoring fantasy to rival Disneyland for petrolheads, but amid the contrast between a seemingly upbeat motor industry and a turgid European economy, it’s struggling with its own contradictions, offering bright new visions of an electric and zero-emission future, while at the same time unveiling the latest models that will actually hit showrooms, most, if not all, powered by technology that traces its roots to the internal combustion engine developed by German Gottlieb Daimler 126 years ago.
The contrast in offerings is stark: alongside the launch of BMW’s new electrically powered “i” range of models is the launch of the new mouthwatering M5, a 560bhp behemoth that boasts 680Nm of torque. While the electric i3 hatchback will not hit our roads before the end of 2013, the M5 will be available next year, indicating that the world may well be changing, but not quite yet.
Similarly at Mercedes, the theme was a new dawn, with fuel-cell prototypes powered by hydrogen, but the new B-Class will still rely on a combustion engine while its high-performance AMG models looked as powerful and menacing as always. That’s the problem for many firms: those attending are invariably more impressed by power, prestige and sporting lines than eco-friendliness. Which is fitting in any case because the car firms aren’t really ready to herald that new dawn just yet.
Perhaps in search of something achievable in the shorter term, connectivity is the buzzword of the show. The motor industry is embracing the world of the smartphone and trying to bring into the car the sort of apps already on offer on mobiles that can detail traffic problems, direct you to parking spots, and even check your heart rate. It’s app store meets car dealership.
So what of the new cars on display? Well the main attractions remain the likes of the new Volkswagen Up!, Honda’s new Civic, the updated Toyota Avensis, Mazda’s new CX-5 and Opel’s Zafira, along with a host of fantastic looking concept cars that we truly hope will make it into production.
The new HONDA CIVICwill hit showrooms by mid-December in time for January sales. The revised model retains much of the look of the current hatchback and will come with a 1.8-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel at launch, however, there are some reports that the firm is also preparing a 1.6-litre diesel for launch in time for 2013.
The hatchback will be the only variant on offer in Europe, while a hybrid version has been shelved for now. However, both of the launch engines have strongly improved fuel economy and emissions figures, with the 1.8-litre petrol emitting just 138g/km – qualifying for the €156-a-year motor tax rate – while the 2.2-litre emits just 110g/km, thereby earning it a band A rating and motor tax of just €104 a year.
The interior has been improved with a better quality feel and more intuitive controls. Otherwise, there is no mistaking that it’s a Civic. Promises include much-improved suspension and comfort, while retaining sporty driving. We await a proper test drive to see.
Following on from the launch of the new Focus ST, Ford has also unveiled a new 1-litre petrol engine that will go into the new Focus range early next year and claims the equivalent power output of a 1.4-litre but with emissions of less than 120g/km.
The new engine comes with either 100bhp or 120bhp and will also feature in the firm’s new B-Max model, a high-roofed rival to the Meriva that’s based on the current Fiesta. Ford executives declined to discuss whether the engine will make it into the next generation Mondeo, but suggested it’s not beyond the realms of possibilities.
The new FIAT PANDAwas unveiled with a rather emotive speech by Olivier Francois, the French-born boss of the Fiat brand, who told a romantic tale of the Pandas 30 years on the road that strayed into comparisons with not only the human right to mobility but also the lessons that Europe has to offer the rest of the world. The car itself is less emotive, largely similar in size and stature to the outgoing model, with a slightly revised front nose that on first impression looks similar to some of the Korean small cars on the market.
The interior is functional and the big news is ever-lower emissions, courtesy of Fiat’s new TwinAir technology. The 88bhp version puts out just 88g/km, the TwinAir 99/km, and the multijet diesel just 104g/km.
One of the stars of the show has been the new SKODA MISSION Lconcept. Admittedly, it's not revolutionary and the styling reflects as much the German influences at play in the brand, but it's a spacious family hatchback that we suspect will prove very popular with Irish buyers already taken by Skoda's strong value proposition in Ireland. Aimed to fit in the market between the current Fabia and Octavia models, that would suggest pricing will start at about €17,000 or less, which will really appeal to the growing number of mid-size family-car buyers who have taken to the Renault Fluence of late.
At Opel, the firm revealed its ASTRA GTCproduction car and it looks great. The new car will come with a choice of five engines, with output between 100bhp and 180bhp. There was the first showing of the 1.7 CDTI ecoFLEX version of the new Astra GTC that will be available with 110bhp and 130bhp, both with the Start/Stop system. It also showcased a futuristic electric city car and the new Zafira.
Arguably the most popular of the sports car concepts on display was the JAGUAR C-X16concept. The firm's chief designer Ian McCallum explained how this car was the first two-seater Jaguar to be produced since the E-Type and therefore had a lot to live up to. Certainly the car is pretty enough, with the now familiar Jaguar face – but the rear has a very short overhang. The concept car is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 producing 380bhp and 450Nm of torque, but it is also a hybrid. A 70kW electric motor adds a further 235Nm of instantaneous torque at the touch of a button. Jaguar is saying that this concept can get to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds and is limited to 300km/h. All this and with emissions of just 165g/km, it would sit in motor tax band D.
It will no doubt rival the new PORSCHE 911, which debuted at the show looking very similar to all the previous iterations, only this time with a dashboard that owes more to the Panamera as it does to the heritage of the model itself.
And finally, no car show would be complete without a few bespoke cars that stretch the bounds of reality. That particular prize goes to a version of the BUGATTI VEYRONthat has been built in partnership with Royal Porcelain in Berlin.
Featuring porcelain inserts on both the interior and exterior, the supercar brand is making no bones about the fact that this is a work of art as much as a car. With an estimated value of €1.6 million, the display car is the only one that will be built but has already been sold to a buyer in the Middle East. It’s a viable Veyron but, with an immaculate white interior and the various porcelain parts, it’s unlikely to take to the road very often, if at all.
In a way it’s a symbol of the industry at present: full of inventiveness but not quite sure how to harness it and when to deliver it to market.
