Frankfurt Auto Show
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One of the most exciting launches at this month's Frankfurt Auto Show will be BMW's new plug-in hybrid sports car, the i8. The German automaker has released a teaser video of the new car ahead of its official debut on September 10, where it'll join the existing i3 electric city car on BMW's stand--and pave the way for future BMW electric vehicles. Both i3 and i8 debuted in concept form at the last Frankfurt Auto Show in 2011, and each car's design has changed remarkably little. While some of the more unusual touches have made way for production reality--the low glass doors have been replaced...
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Toyota FCV-R Fuel Cell Concept Updated, Previews 2015 Production Car
Toyota says it's still on course for launching its first production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle by 2015, and has updated its FCV-R fuel cell concept for the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show to publicize the fact. Since the concept debuted in 2011, the FCV-R's setup has changed, reflecting Toyota's new take...
Antony Ingram -
Volvo Concept Coupe Plug-In Hybrid: Classic P1800 Reimagined
"The new Volvo Concept Coupé reveals how we could shape our cars from now on. Free from the superficial surface excitement of other car brands, we add emotional value to the Volvo brand with the calm, confident beauty that is the hallmark of Scandinavian design." Those are the words of...
Antony Ingram -
Volkswagen e-Golf & e-Up Electric Cars Set For Frankfurt Debut
Volkswagen will debut production versions of two new electric cars at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The Volkswagen e-Golf and e-Up are the realization of several years of electric car testing by Volkswagen, and mark the automaker's transition to high volume electric car production. e-Up Each...
Antony Ingram -
Infiniti Q30 Concept Hints At Smaller, Greener Luxury Hatch
Infiniti has released the first official image of its new Q30 Concept before the vehicle makes its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The Q30 Concept is the company's first take on a luxury compact hatchback, set to rival cars like the Lexus CT 200h and Audi A3, as well as other-market...
Antony Ingram -
BMW Concept5 X5 eDrive: Plug-In Hybrid SUV Destined For Frankfurt
We often say that the biggest gains in fuel efficiency are to be made by the least efficient vehicles--and recently, several automakers seem to be taking that message to heart. Over the last few days, there seems to have been a constant stream of trucks, luxury sedans and SUVs all offering improved...
Antony Ingram -
Opel, European arm of General Motors, has revealed the first official images of its Monza concept, set to debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September. The Monza name has plenty of history with the Opel brand, having first appeared on a sleek six-cylinder coupe back in 1977--but the concept looks very much to the future with its own powertrain. Under the Monza's hood is a three-cylinder, 1.0-liter turbocharged engine, as part of a range-extended electric drivetrain. Opel calls it a development of the technology found in the Ampera--the Volt's European cousin--but unusually, the small engine...
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Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept Revealed In Full, Debuts Frankfurt
Toyota has revealed a full teaser image of its Hybrid-R concept due at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show--and it's the hot hybrid hatch we were expecting. The company revealed a simple R logo a few weeks back, and rumors were rife it might find its way onto a next-generation Supra sports car. Then the...
Antony Ingram -
Will Audi's Next Sports Coupe Use E-Tron Quattro Hybrid Tech?
It seems strange that Audi has so far failed to capitalize on the huge success of its R18 e-tron quattro endurance racing cars. They're without doubt some of the most technologically-advanced race cars of the modern age, yet the Ingolstadt automaker has made only token references to the R18 with...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota's Frankfurt Hybrid R Concept Is A Hybrid Hot Hatchback
Toyota has released its second teaser image of its Frankfurt Auto Show Hybrid R concept--and it's not at all what we thought it was. There was plenty to suggest that Toyota might use the show to showcase a much-anticipated sports coupe using the Supra name--one with a hybrid drivetrain. The latest...
Antony Ingram -
2014 MINI Cooper To Be Unveiled November 18
You might not be familiar with Sir Alec Issigonis, but his name has made as much impact on the motoring landscape, particularly in Britain, as anyone else in the history of the automobile. Issigonis was the man behind the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor--the famous Mini. He died in 1988, but...
Antony Ingram -
Toyota Hybrid R Concept Due At 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
As teaser images go, it doesn't leave us much to go on. But Toyota's Hybrid R logo, in familiar Hybrid Synergy Drive blue and with the smallest hint of a checkered flag graphic, suggests the company's next concept will be rather more racy than normal. Toyota will show the Hybrid R Concept at the...
Antony Ingram -
BMW has only just officially revealed its electric i3 city car, but already the German automaker seems ready to tease us with its i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. The company has released further details on the i8's plug-in drivetrain, with detailed images showing some of the i8's more intimate workings. We already know the i8 will feature BMW's latest generation of three-cylinder turbocharged engine--set to appear in MINIs and BMW's other smaller models over the next few years. High output, high economy 1.5 liters in capacity, the TwinPower turbocharged unit develops 231 horsepower and 236...
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MINI Vision Concept: Is This The 2014 MINI Cooper?
The classic Mini wasn't the original gas-saving minicar, but it was certainly one of the most iconic, and modern owners BMW have turned the brand into a successful venture these days with a wide and not always endearing portfolio. It's still the basic hatchback which mirrors the original car...
Antony Ingram -
Mercedes-Benz S Class Plug-In Hybrid Due At Frankfurt Show
Mercedes-Benz is set to launch a plug-in hybrid version of its flagship S Class at this September's Frankfurt Auto Show. Previously available with hybrid and diesel variants in selected markets, the new plug-in hybrid--called the S 500 Plug-In Hybrid--will be the greenest S Class yet. Autocar...
Antony Ingram -
Range Rover, Sport Hybrids To Debut At Frankfurt Show
Range Rover isn't the first brand that comes to mind when thinking of green vehicles. Cars for traversing green and pleasant lands, perhaps, but not saving fuel as they do so. However, the company is changing. First there was the smaller, lighter Evoque, then plug-in hybrid prototypes. Next on the...
Antony Ingram -
Next-Gen, 3-Cyl MINI Hatchback To Debut At 2013 Frankfurt Show?
You only need to take a look at the current MINI range--with its hatchbacks, convertibles, coupes, roadsters, crossovers and more--to see that it's quite a challenge designing a range of cars based on a small, 1959 minicar. It's sure to make the job of updating the MINI quite a challenge--and one...
Antony Ingram -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Electric Two-Wheelers All The Rage
It isn't just the cars that are going electric at the Frankfurt Auto Show, currently open to the public until September 25. Two-wheeled electric vehicles are popular too. Frankfurt show is very much focused on urban mobility - and having driven through the city during the press days last week...
Antony Ingram -
Put a group of urban planners, architects, and sociologists on a panel to discuss transportation in the cities of the future, and you may find they don’t spend much time talking about cars. Instead, you get statements like, “The megacity of the future desires to be a generous knowledge partner to all elements of the transportation matrix.” OK, then. Tomorrow’s megacities But despite some dense jargon, the Audi Urban Future Initiative seminar—held the day before last week’s Frankfurt Motor Show—highlighted issues that all car companies will face as...
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EcoBoost Gets Smaller: Ford Shows Its Three-Cylinder In Frankfurt
Ford is showing off the latest addition to its EcoBoost family, using the Frankfurt Auto Show to highlight the technology behind its 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost engine.
Kurt Ernst -
German Electric Car Battle: Audi A2 v BMW i3 v Benz B-Class E-Cell v VW Golf Blue eMotion
With the dust settling on press days at the Frankfurt Auto Show, we can take a breath, think about what we saw, and start to sort out our impressions. One very clear message: German carmakers are taking electric cars seriously. Finally. Both Audi and BMW unveiled electric-car concepts that are...
John Voelcker -
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In: Projecting Pricing Based On Europe
Toyota has just launched the production version of its 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid at the Green Drive Expo held in Richmond, California. Toyota will most likely launch the production version of its 2012 Prius Plug-In Hybrid at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show, to be held in mid-November. Just this...
John Voelcker -
2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: Mute Electric Car Shows Promise
Following the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year we speculated on the problems that small volume, odd-looking electric cars could do to the EV industry's reputation. The outlook at Frankfurt was much more upbeat. Despite the absence of Nissan and its Leaf, several other carmakers had exciting...
Antony Ingram -
Land Rover Bringing Diesel Engines To The U.S.
Land Rover has announced that future U.S. models will include a diesel engine option, necessary for the company to meet stricter CAFE requirements in the United States.
Kurt Ernst