FRANKFURT, Germany — Alternating bi-annually with Paris, Frankfurt plays host to the major fall season event on the global auto show circuit. As the “home” show for German automakers, there are always plenty of debuts of new production cars heading to Canadian showrooms in the next few years from BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the massive Volkswagen Group.
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Full coverage of the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show
This year’s Frankfurt Motor Show produced several creative and innovative new vehicles that indicate an industry rapidly responding to environmental, demographic and economic shifts in society. Ironically though, the three most interesting concepts from this year’s event came from outside of Germany.
Honda's Project 2&4 Concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Honda's Project 2&4 Concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Honda's Project 2&4 Concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Honda's Project 2&4 Concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Next to the plethora of luxury SUVs and electric vehicle debuts, the Honda Project 2&4 stood out for its purity of design. One could even argue it’s not even a “car.” As a roofless, one-seater powered by a 999 cc Honda V4 motorcycle engine, the Project 2&4 is more like a four-wheeled super bike. Like the Arial Atom it tries to outdo, the Japanese-designed sports car has 212 horsepower and 87 pound-feet of torque to play with, yet weighs only 405 kilograms — 115 less than the Atom.
The Peugeot Fractal concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
The Peugeot Fractal concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
The Peugeot Fractal concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
The Peugeot Fractal concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
The Peugeot Fractal concept is a French-designed “urban coupe” that we could imagine driving in the near future. With two 168-horsepower electric motors — one on each axle for a combined 335 horsepower — the AWD four-seater can go 450 kilometres between charges and do the zero-to-100 km/h run in only 6.8 seconds. Pop open its removable roof and the Fractal concept displays its minimalist cabin, featuring integrated touchpads, holographic heads-up display and a configurable digital instrument cluster.
The Citroen Cactus M concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
The Citroen Cactus M concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
The Citroen Cactus M concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
The Citroen Cactus M concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
The Citroen Cactus M concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Citroën, Peugeot’s sister French brand, showed up with its Cactus M, a two-door open-top concept based on the four-door, production-spec Cactus. With styling inspired by the 1968-1988 Citroën Mehari off-roader, a beach-friendly and waterproof interior and canvas roof that can be used as a tent, the Cactus M has enough character to fill an entire auto show hall on its own.
Mercedes-Benz IAA concept
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mercedes-Benz IAA concept
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mercedes-Benz IAA concept
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mercedes-Benz IAA concept
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Among the other concept car debuts at this year’s show, the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile (IAA) displayed a series of new aerodynamic developments and a hint of what the 2017 CLS four-door coupe could look like. Above 80 km/h, the four-door IAA deploys flaps in its front bumper and louvres in its glowing grille to improve airflow around the fenders and underneath the car. Out back, the tail extends for a claimed drag coefficient of just 0.19.
Nissan's GripZ concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Nissan's GripZ concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Nissan's GripZ concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Nissan's GripZ concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Nissan's GripZ concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Nissan's GripZ concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Yet further evidence that SUVs are taking over, the Nissan GripZ concept is the Japanese automaker’s vision of the next car to carry the famous Z badge – and it very well might be a crossover. Combining inspiration from sports bicycles and the classic 1971 East African Safari Rally-winning Datsun 240Z, the GripZ is slightly shorter, lower, wider and longer than the current Juke. With a gas-electric/range extender powertrain, Nissan sees the GripZ as “a radical new type of sports car.” We agree.
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo concept.
John LeBlanc, Driving
As the Mercedes-Benz and Nissan show cars were designed for the real world, the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo and Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo are virtual concepts, part of a program started in 2013 by Kazunori Yamauchi, creator of the Gran Turismo video game series. Bugatti’s concept is said to foreshadow the Veyron’s replacement, rumoured to be called the Chiron and due in 2017.
Hyundai’s N 2025 Vision Gran Tursimo concept.
Handout, Hyundai
The Hyundai Gran Turismo is more of a promotional piece for the South Korean automaker’s new N division, a strategy that will see higher-performing Hyundais in the same vein as BMW’s M vehicles.
Porsche's Mission E concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Porsche's Mission E concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Porsche's Mission E concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
Porsche's Mission E concept.
Daniel Roland, AFP/Getty Images
All-electric sports sedans are nothing new. Tesla will gladly sell you a Model S, but an all-electric Porsche sedan – like the 600-horsepower Mission E concept – is big news. With a range of 500 kilometres and a charge time of just 15 minutes, the Mission E backs up its Porsche badge with a claimed zero-to-100 km/h time of just 3.5 seconds. Expect a production version — with fossil-fuel power as well — to arrive no earlier than 2018.
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
Audi E-tron Quattro Concept
John LeBlanc, Driving
The second Tesla-targeted concept from the Volkswagen Group was the Audi e-tron Quattro, a crossover based on the next-gen Q5 that could very well be a Tesla Model X fighter. The e-tron Quattro has a trio of electric motors for a total of 429 horsepower, but can be boosted temporarily to 496. Expect the production version to be called the Q6 e-tron, showing up around 2018. Diesel and gas engines will likely be available, allowing it to compete with rivals such as the BMW X4 and the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class Coupe.
Mazda Koeru concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mazda Koeru concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mazda Koeru concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mazda Koeru concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mazda Koeru concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
Mazda Koeru concept.
Derek McNaughton, Driving
With no powertrain to speak of, the focus on the new Mazda Koeru concept was all about its looks. Although Mazda’s pre-show teaser sketch suggested the Koeru as a possible replacement for the aging CX-9, the show car is as long as the CX-5. Whatever the Koeru ends up named in Mazda showrooms, don’t expect a production model for at least two years.
Speaking of crossovers, the halls of the show’s sprawling Festhalle Messe venue were crammed with them. And almost as if planned, two popular compact crossover rivals made their world debuts here.
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan
John LeBlanc, Driving
The first in what will be a whole new family of Volkswagen crossovers, the second-generation Tiguan is derived from the German automaker’s flexible MQB platform — best known for supporting the latest Golf. The new version is lower in height and longer than the outgoing Tiguan, with a longer wheelbase lending to a much-needed boost in interior room. While the European version unveiled here goes on sale later this year, North American buyers will be getting a slightly larger, made-in-Mexico Tiguan that should arrive sometime in 2017.
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
2017 Kia Sportage
John LeBlanc, Driving
If you can’t wait that long, the new Kia Sportage will make its way from the Frankfurt show to Canadian showrooms early next year. Built off the same platform as the just-released 2016 Hyundai Tucson, the new fourth-generation Sportage takes its new exterior styling cues from the Kia Provo concept. As well, Kia says the Sportage’s “new-look interior” is made up of “higher quality materials and a modern new design.”