2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

  • 2011 Audi A2 Concept

    With the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show less than two weeks away the German auto industry is starting to really crank out the concept cars. Latest in the onslaught of new German metal is the Audi A2 concept. If you think the name sounds familiar then you aren't wrong. Audi launched a production A2 subcompact back in 1999. It was never sold in the U.S. and sales were slow in Europe thanks to a relatively high price, but technologically it was far ahead of its competitors and in many respects, still is today. With a lightweight and incredibly aerodynamic aluminum body and small, economical engines...

  • 2012 Honda Insight - European market version to be shown at Frankfurt Motor Show
    2012 Honda Insight: Higher MPGs, New Grille, Nicer Interior

    For 2012, Honda is planning to revise the Insight hatchback to address several of the criticisms levied against its smallest four-seat hybrid. Now, it's released a few details of the revised 2012 Insight before it officially unveils the updated model at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens...

  • 2011 Volkswagen Nils single-seat electric car concept
    2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview: VW Nils Electric Concept (BREAKING)

    Two weeks ago, we heard a rumor that German automaker Volkswagen was planning on unveiling an all-electric single-seat urban car at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. A few days later, we were offered a chance to be among the very first to get a glimpse of Volkswagen’s ultra-compact urban concept...

  • 2011 Smart Forvision Concept
    2011 Smart ForVision Electric Concept: 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview

    A few weeks ago we told you about the third generation Smart ForTwo Electric Drive which was due to be unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. With a faster top speed, better range and ultra-fast 1 hour recharge capability, the new version of the diminutive city car should hit the roads next year...

  • 2011 Ford Evos Concept
    Ford Evos Plug-In Hybrid Concept: 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview

    Today Ford unveiled the Evos Concept Car that will be at the center of its display at next month's 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show. The bright-red concept is a sports coupe that the company says shows off an evolution of its global "kinetic design" language. It will also preview research into new ways for...

  • 2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class
    2012 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Compact Hatchback Due At Frankfurt

    Mention Mercedes-Benz, and most Americans envision luxurious full-size or mid-size sedans, or perhaps the successful ML crossover sport utility vehicle. They probably won't imagine a compact five-door hatchback with a three-pointed star on the nose, but that car--or a coupe or crossover derived...

  • Volkswagen up! production version

    Volkswagen has been teasing us with concept versions of its Up minicar since the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2007, but finally the production version has been revealed and will make its debut at Frankfurt again in September. The Up (which VW spells "up!") is part of Volkswagen's drive towards greater efficiency in the absence of diesel and electric powertrains by more traditional means: a small, lightweight chassis and tiny engines with below-average cylinder counts. This means a body no more than 11.6 feet long by 5.3 feet wide and a range of brand new three-cylinder engines. Those engines will...

  • 2012 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive
    2012 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive Gets More Smart, Gains Speed

    The 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive may be the smallest, most compact highway-capable electric car on the market, but its pathetic top speed, sluggish acceleration, limited range and expensive price tag haven’t gained it many fans. But that may all change in a little under a month as...

  • 2014 BMW i3 spotted in Chicago
    2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Spotted During Filming In Chicago

    Were it not for imminent reveals at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in mid September, you might think the automakers were getting careless with their upcoming models. First, Audi's E1 e-tron was caught on camera in the center of Berlin, being filmed in camoflage for an Audi promotional video. The E1...

  • prototype 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, April 2010
    2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview

    You might have just one week left to register your interest in buying a 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid, but we still haven't yet seen a production version of Toyota's first plug-in hybrid yet. That will all change in Frankfurt in just under a month, when Toyota will unveil the official production...

  • Daihatsu A-Concept
    Small, Fun, High-MPG Minicars, Never Coming To The U.S.

    Life is so unfair sometimes. Car companies have been dangling the carrot of smaller and more fuel efficient vehicles in front of us for a few years now and though we've managed to grab vehicles like the MINI, Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta (and the Chevrolet Spark is on the way), we're still denied many...

  • Screenshot from Audi Urban Concept promotional video, prior to 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show
    Audi Trickles Out Urban Concept Info: Now, Content-Free Video

    If you're going to shoot a teaser video of a radical new concept car, maybe it's not such a good idea to do it in a gigantic plaza in the middle of a large European city. Audi has now released the official teaser video (view it at the bottom of this story) for the e-tron Urban Concept vehicle it...

  • 2011 Audi Urban Concept

    Yesterday we brought you news of a highly camouflaged all-electric minicar spotted in the center of Berlin and wearing the unmistakable linked ring Audi badge. At the time, we postulated that the tiny electric runabout was probably Audi’s e-tron city concept car. Now Audi has confirmed that we were right, with an official press release on what it simply refers to as an urban concept, with massive 21 inch narrow wheels and LED lit fenders all round. Although we were right about the number of seats in the urban concept, our guesses about seating position weren’t. Watching videos of...

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