Renault Fluence
Plus: Real concepts, cars masquerading as concepts, cars we'll see in Canada, and a few that won't make it to our shores
The Frankfurt auto show was the place to see 62 new model and concept car introductions. Here's what we saw:
CARS WE WON'T GET IN CANADA BUT SHOULD
Kia Venga: The little Venga city car is not planned for Canada and that's a shame. This slick little runabout will be built at a factory in the Czech Republic, so it comes from a relatively low-cost country in the European Union. Europeans will be able to buy one powered by a gasoline or diesel engine.
Audi A5 Sportback: Americans don't appear to like hatchbacks, so Canadians don't get them, either. But this A5 Sportback would work nicely here. Diesel or gasoline in Europe.
Renault Fluence: We know Renault pulled out of North America long ago, but there is that alliance with Nissan to consider. The Fluence looks great, has loads of cabin space and even an illuminated and refrigerated glove box. Built in Turkey and aimed at the Turkish, Russian and Romanian markets, it's hard to believe they'll get this and we won't.
Saab 9-5: Until the new Chinese owners come aboard, no one knows exactly what will happen with Saab in North America. But the Saab people in Frankfurt did say this is the most technically advanced car they have ever produced. It can run on one of three fuels: gasoline, diesel, or E85 bioethanol.
Renault electrics: The Fluence Z.E. concept is an electric version of the five-seat Fluence sedan and has a range of 160 km. It will make it into production in the first part of 2011. The Twizy Z.E. concept is an ultra-compact city car. The Zoe Z.E. concept is a four-seat super-mini for urban driving. The Kangoo Z.E. concept previews an electric van for fleet and commercial use. Renault says some form of all four will be produced. They will have a “Quickdrop” battery system. It allows batteries to be swapped out in three minutes at special stations. Otherwise, the vehicles take four to eight hours to charge via a socket, or can get a quick charge in 20 minutes.
CARS WE'LL SEE IN CANADA
BMW X1: While it's going on sale in Europe very soon, we'll wait until next year in Canada. The X1 is a compact SUV with great proportions. Alas, for now BMW Canada plans to sell only gasoline variants. The Europeans will get a diesel with fuel consumption rated at 5.2 litres/100 km. I'll take that one.
Porsche 911 Turbo: You'll be able to buy one before the end of the year, apparently. This is Porsche's new top model and the most recent incarnation of the 35-year-old Turbo. The car accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed of 312 km/h. What else do you need to know?
Ford Grand C-Max: We should get this in Canada late next year and it will give Ford Canada something missing from its lineup for years – a minivan. Of course, Ford will slap you if you call it a minivan. It's a compact passenger car with seats for up to seven passengers. A new 1.6-litre, four-cylinder Ford EcoBoost engine might come to Canada, though the 2.0-litre is more likely.
CARS FOR THE RICH AND FAMOUS
Rolls Royce Ghost: Small? This is the “small” Rolls luxury sedan. It's all relative. The Ghost is powered by a 6.6-litre V-12 gasoline engine, with a price tag north of $350,000.
Ferrari 458 Italia: Sexy, sure, but it's fast, too. With a sticker price expected to go beyond $250,000, the 458 Italia is powered by a 4.5-litre V-8 direct-injection gasoline engine that produces 570 horsepower. Next year.
Porsche Panamera: Some say beautiful, others say ugly. You decide how you feel about this four-door Porsche hatchback. Regardless, it's going on sale in mid-October with two engines: a 4.8-litre, 400-horsepower V-8 or a 500-horsepower twin-turbo motor.
Bentley Mulsanne: That mesh grille and the round headlamps are, apparently, a bold cue take on what is otherwise a big block of an automobile. Bentley says its new Mulsanne is the “pinnacle of British luxury motoring.” What's the point of being rich if this is your car? On sale the middle of next year.
Jaguar XJ: This Cat is coming next year as the brand's four-door flagship model. It was designed by Jaguar design director Ian Callum, who was named “Person of the Year” at the 2009 Auto Express Awards.
Maserati Gran Cabrio: For sale next year, the Gran Cabrio is the first four-seat convertible in Maserati's history. How is that possible? No, not that Maserati has never produced a four-seat ragtop, but that Maserati thinks it needs one now. This one has a 4.7-litre V-8 engine.
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG: Coming next year and with a likely price tag of more than a quarter million. We welcome the return of gullwing doors. John DeLorean would approve. It has a 6.3-litre V-8 engine and uses 13.2 litres/100 km.
Aston Martin Rapide: Aston's first four-door sports car has a hand-built 6.0-litre V-12 engine producing 470 brake horsepower and a six-speed “Touchtronic 2” automatic transmission that allows the driver the option of automatic or manual gear changes. It will go head-to-head with the Porsche Panamera.
REAL CARS MASQUERADING AS CONCEPTS
Mini Coupe Concept: Concept in name only, the Mini Coupe Concept may be the homeliest thing we saw at Frankfurt. A production version of this is coming, which gives Mini time to rethink the design and fix it.
Hyundai ix35: Otherwise known as the next Tucson, this concept shows where Hyundai is going with a very important model in Canada. The production car is coming later this year or early next. It will have a roomier cabin, extra storage capacity and improved fuel economy.
Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-in Hybrid: The S-class plug-in electric concept will go into production as soon as possible. The concept can drive for up to 30 km at a time on electric power. Mercedes says the car uses 3.2 litres/100 km and has CO2 emissions of 74 grams/km. The concept is powered by a 3.5-litre V-6 direct-injection gasoline engine and a 44-kW electric motor.
AND THESE ARE JUST CONCEPTS
Lexus LF-Ch: Here we have a premium hybrid model designed to offer the driver “thrilling elegance and pleasure.” The concept lets drivers run around in electric driving mode. Big deal.
Audi e-tron Concept: When will this electric R8 go on sale? Never. Audi will never, ever, ever build a high-performance R8 with a fully electric drive system. Sure, it has four motors, two at the front and two at the rear axle and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. Give me the V-10-powered R8 and forget about this.
The new "Trabant nT" electric car. Once the much-mocked symbol of drab communist East Germany, Trabant cars are revving up for a dramatic rebirth as electric cars.
IndiKar Trabant nT Concept: This new take on the old Trabi is a fully electric concept car. The company is looking for investors, so get out your chequebook. The Trabi, of course, was the lush, smoking ride produced in the former East Germany. More than three million original Trabis were built.
Volkswagen L1 Concept: VW says this, the most fuel-efficient automobile in the world, is targeted for sale in 2013. Certainly it's ugly, but the L1 consumes just 1.38 litre of diesel per 100 kilometres and has CO{-2} emissions of 36 grams/km. Ulrich Hackenberg, a member of VW's development team, says it is “close to production readiness.”
BMW Vision EfficientDynamics: Here we have a concept for a plug-in diesel-electric hybrid sports car. It has gullwing doors and is powered by a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine and two electric motors. Dreamy.
source: theglobeandmail
