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France’s Renault SA stole the spotlight at the Frankfurt Motor Show, unveiling four electric cars and pledging to bring them to market at reasonable prices within three years.
These spicy winners steamed the competition when Renault stepped up and led the buzz parade. The name of the game in Frankfurt was electric. Gas is passé and the press is impressed by top-tier designs that embrace the passion of electric car technology.
The Toyota Land Cruiser, the first real response to the Jeep, and the first ride out there that showed that someone besides Americans could make decent off road trucks. That was back in the dark ages though, before SUVs were everywhere and soccer moms and flat screens for the kids in back were even a consideration.
And now, here we are, it’s nearly 2010, and Toyota has just released the info on the latest iteration of its venerable Land Cruiser. Premiering at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the all-new 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser, will go on sale in Europe and other international markets before the end of fall 2009. The sixth-generation Land Cruiser, which will also have a Lexus-badged version in North American, gets all new sheetmetal and a completely overhauled interior.
More news from the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show about the bound for the United States Polo from Volkswagen. The Polo, or some version of it, has been around Europe for quite some time. VW never brought it to North America because they felt it was “too small” for us. That might have been true, but times have changed and so has the Polo. The upcoming version is now about the size of the Golf from a few generations ago, and VW is supposedly bringing it to U.S.
Which is good on a number of levels. It should be small, tossable, fun to drive and economical to operate. It could also fill a nice niche for first time car buyers, and for those that use their car primarily for commuting or city driving, the Polo seems like a natural. And if VW is smart enough to bring the TDi diesel variant here, the gas mileage looks to be stunning.
Ford Motor Co. will unveil the first of many models that will be built on its new, compact-car underpinnings this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Ford’s on a roll, with a ton of Cash for Clunkers money in its pockets while receiving great reviews on all its new vehicles, especially their 2010 Taurus. This is a good time for Ford, and positive responses on the new C-Max will only strengthen the carmaker’s position moving into 2010.
Based on the Ford iosis Max concept displayed earlier this year at the Geneva car show, the all-new C-Max is roomier and more stylish than the vehicle it replaces. The car will debut in Frankfurt Sept. 15, and is scheduled to roll into Ford of Europe showrooms in the second half of 2010.
Frankfurt’s a’comin, so let’s look at some hot numbers set to debut there from Volkswagen. In this case, VW is set to debut BlueMotion diesel version of its Polo, Golf and Passat models. The Golf and the Passat are already here, and word is that the Polo will soon be here. And given the growing interesting in diesels from consumers, green drivers AND car companies, these are three rides worth paying attention to.
It’s easy to see why this is happening. In the first place, Frankfurt is the home show for VW, and diesels are über-popular amongst the continentals. So consider this something aimed more at the home market than America. But then again, the whole world pays attention to Frankfurt, and with two out of three of these guys already in the U.S., and a third coming, it’s pretty plain to see why we should be paying attention.
BMW is calling the new MINI Coupé Concept as “an expression of MINI design and the great ability of the brand’s designers to fill the elementary values of the brand with new life, using the options of modern drivetrain and suspension technology, and developing fascinating perspectives for the future of the brand on this basis.”
We see a horde of MINIs here in San Francisco. For major pickup on the hills; squeezing into tight parking spots and a fast, little darter with class and style, the MINI is a huge deal with drivers in the 20-35 age range. I’ve even seen quite a few post-60ish folks in MINIs. These cars represent a very solid merging brand in the Bay Area overall, evident by seeing a ton of them on the highways and roads of Norther California.
The new Concept Coupé is taking the MINI to the maximum, attempting to attract even more career-conscious drivers in their 20’s and 30’s. Corporate types and mid-income rangers alike enjoy the body style, the great mileage and performance. Fast AND green–they love it!
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