Global Insight Perspective | |
Significance | Frankfurt's IAA Auto Show gets under way today, a showcase for cutting-edge technology and Global Insight takes a peek at what is new and the likely impact. |
Implications | This year's show is bigger than ever, but the theme is evergreen, as the environmental debate threatens to swallow the agenda, but not the product, as the German industry unveils a range of high-powered models. |
Outlook | As automakers scramble to paint themselves in hues of blue and green, some genuinely interesting cars are being launched at Frankfurt; VW returns to its spiritual roots with a rear-engined city car, while Audi unveils a 573bhp estate and BMW unveils the X6, a Coupé/SUV the Range Rover Sport should have been, but a crisis of confidence, disparity and a sense of confusion in the global industry is the obvious conclusion. |
The biennial Frankfurt Motor Show will open to the press today (Tuesday) for its 62nd running this year, and will witness 1,046 exhibitors from over 40 countries display a range of concept vehicles, new models and the latest in advanced technology to the press and public alike. The local automakers will take the centre stage of proceedings, using the stage to showcase many new models and a range of environmental technologies, under the show's strapline "see what's driving the future" as the subject threatens to take over every agenda. Global Insight reports on some key contenders.
The VW Group
TheVolkswagen (VW) Group will be out in force with a raft of new models across many of its brands, pushing its BlueMotion technology to the fore, paying lip service to the environmental lobby. The VWbrand will wheel out the first showing of the much talked about low-cost city car, called the Up! The rear-engined vehicle, intended primarily for emerging markets, is shown in remarkably close to production form and its sophisticated modern look confirms VW's intentions of marketing the model as cheap city wheels in established markets as well. VW will also add a further six BlueMotion variants including the expected top-seller, the Golf, bringing the total for the fuel-efficient, low emissions range to nine.
VW will also unveil the Tiguan compact sports-utility vehicle (SUV), based on the Golf's PQ-35 platform. VW, like Ford, is also unveiling its Kuga compact SUV today—the Tiguan and Kuga are rather late to the party dominated by the Toyota RAV-4, Honda's CR-V and lately Nissan's Qashqai, and critics find the Tiguan rather soberly styled. That said, Tiguan will likely sell well to the VW brand's faithful audience.
Audi
VW Group's premium brand will also unveil one of its key contenders, the volume AudiA4 sedan (see Germany: 29 August 2007: Frankfurt Motor Show 2007: Audi Unveils New A4 Sedan), whose "evolutionary" styling hides some major changes for Audi's mid-size volume contender. These include the new PL48 platform found beneath the A5 coupé, and which shifts the weight of the engine further behind the front axle line, leading to a more handsome, proportioned silhouette for the A4. It will also feature Audi's electronic "drive select" system, which controls the engine, automatic transmission, steering and suspension-damping characteristics to suit the driver's preferences.
The A4 will need to impress with the new BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class raising the bar in the segment. At the rather more extreme end of the spectrum, Audi will unveil the hugely powerful new RS6 model, a high-performance estate based on the A6 powered by a twin-turbocharged V10 engine putting out a claimed 572 horsepower, although how this machine, a model of excess, will slip under the environmental radar is anyone's guess. Perhaps trying to deflect the inevitable criticism the RS model may garner, Audi announced that it will introduce gasoline (petrol)-electric hybrid and diesel versions of its models in North America this year.
Daimler
The newly independent Daimler will also attempt to show off its environmental technology capabilities, not only bringing its Bluetec technology for the first time to Europe in the Mercedes C- E-, R-, ML- and GL-Classes, but also unveil its first production gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle in the shape of the ML450 Hybrid. As well as these, the company will have on display its F700 research vehicle that features the firm's Diesotto and hybrid drive that is reputed to consume gasoline at around 5.3 litres per 100 km (l/100km) and emit CO2 at 127 grams per kilometre (g/km), while closer to production Mercedes will unveil the S300 Bluetec Hybrid concept that will utilise a four-cylinder turbo diesel that combined with the hybrid drive unit is said to produces 224 bhp and 560 Nm of torque while consuming 5.4 l/100 km and emit 142 g/km with the ability to meet the world's most stringent emissions regulations. Returning to more mainstream offerings; also on show will be the new C-Class estate. In addition, the Smart brand will release the ForTwo mhd (micro hybrid drive) that includes a start-stop function.
BMW Group
BMW will show a number of new models for the first time including its M3 coupé that was previewed in Geneva (Switzerland) in March, while also revealing the latest niche model to be spun off from the 1-Series, a two-door coupé which it is thought will eventually yield a convertible model. More interestingly however, the Bavarian automaker unveiled its new X6 "Sports Activity Concept" model, a coupé-styled SUV which at first glance looks to be what the original Range Rover Sport Concept model promised before the accountants and market researchers got to it. BMW's Mini brand will also finally show the production version of its Clubman "estate" model. The model expands the unique selling point of the marque by harking back to the original Mini which also had a station wagon model as part of its line-up, but has the additional flexibility of having an extra door on one side.
Ford
Ford,as already mentioned, is showing its compact SUV, theKuga, a handsome beast showing the best attributes of Ford's current "Kinetic" design language, but the real star is the Fiesta concept. If Ford can transfer the proportions and looks of the "Verve" concept it will have a winner on its hands. Mazdaunveils the Mondeo-based Mazda6 with a far tauter look than at present, having pulled inspiration from the Japanese automaker's previous concepts.
Renaultwill also be showing one of its most important launches of late in this segment, the Laguna. With looks similar to that of the current model, the company has said that it has made a greater emphasis on quality in response to criticisms against previous offerings. It will also show a two-door coupé concept based on this vehicle which has hints of a smaller Nissan 350Z about it. Citroënwill also reveal the C5 Airscape which hints at the replacement for the present C5 which has been in existence since 2001.
Outlook and Implications
The Frankfurt Motor Show this year more than ever is a fantastic showcase for the cutting-edge technologies the industry can offer and is working on for the future, but also appears to highlight the crisis of confidence that the industry is facing. The industry is caught in the struggle to supply vehicles that consumers want, trying to support a profitable business, whilst managing the glare of the environmental spotlight, which appears permanently fixed on personal transport as the root cause of man-made C02.
Perhaps that glare merely reflects the growing disparity in the world and disparity appears to be a theme that runs through much of the offerings at Frankfurt. VW on the one hand is launching a rear-engined, low-cost city car, and a 572 bhp estate in the Audi RS6 on the other—although the press talk is of hybrids and clean diesel for Audi. BMW touts low CO2 emissions from a large number of its models, whilst launching the X6, another SUV aimed squarely at the wealthy elite, although the hybrid drive concept version will be available by 2009, probably at a substantial cost. Mercedes will espouse the credentials of its advanced Bluetec range, new hybrid drive systems, yet has unveiled the C63 AMG estate.
These models will not only serve to polarise opinion, but also highlight and reflect the increasingly polarised world in which the auto industry operates in. For all the talk and attention on CO2, fuel economy and general environmental concern, there are plenty of new extravagant, extremely powerful machines on display for those rich enough to be able to afford extensive carbon offsetting schemes. Whilst the 62nd IAA is attempting to paint an environmentally aware and improving industry, with the theme "see what's driving the future", disparity and confusion appears to be the message to be drawn here. A message that, sadly, will not be lost on European legislators either.