frankfurt

We were surprised that Jaguar got its production XF ready in time for the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, as the c-XF concept was just unveiled at last season's auto shows. Concept to production usually takes a couple of years, and you lose most of the cooler features from the concept. But not in the case of the Jaguar XF. Even though its exterior received plenty of criticism on the Internet for being too bland once photos were released, the production XF looks just like its concept predecessor. The XF is the first sedan in Jaguar's new design language, … Read more

When we saw the Lamborghini Reventon on the floor at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, we had mixed reactions. It was either put on black gloves and sunglasses, and jump in the driver's seat, or find an X-Wing fighter and get into a dogfight with the Reventon. With its matte-gray paint and sharp angles, the thing looks like a stealth fighter or a new Batmobile. It's the most dangerous-looking Lamborghini we've ever seen, and rightly so, as it's named after a bull that won its fight with a famous toreador in 1943. From the front, it … Read more

As evidenced by the F700, launched at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, Mercedes-Benz expects to be building large luxury sedans long into the future. But also recognizing the need to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, the company includes some miraculous-sounding technologies in the F700. It's also using the vehicle to explore advances in passenger comfort and infotainment.

Click here to see our photos.

The summer driving season has come and gone--just in time for us to give our undivided attention to the Frankfurt auto show.

On the home turf of BMW, Audi and Volkswagen, the 62nd International Motor Show is playing host this week to carmakers from around the world. They've promised to bring scads of new rides, from the green to the lean to the turbocharged driving machine.

Consider these, for starters: Ferrari's 430 Scuderia has classic sports car lines, Nissan's Mixim packs a pair of electric motors, Volvo's ReCharge is a plug-in hybrid and Ford is trotting … Read more

At the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, German automakers had hybrid cars and concepts on display. Up until now, European automakers seemed uninterested in employing hybrid technologies, but Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Porsche, and Audi have all stepped up to the plate. Mercedes-Benz has an actual hybrid SUV ready for production, while the other automakers have concepts that strongly indicate future hybrid powertrain development.

Click here to see our photos.

We're not convinced about the wisdom of this one. GM is using this week's Frankfurt auto show to reiterate its commitment to alternative fuel cars with the unveiling of the Opel Flextreme, a concept plug-in car that builds on the buzz of the E-Flex drive train from the Chevy Volt. The car itself relies on a series hybrid drive train, which combines a lithium-ion powered-electric motor with a biodiesel combustion engine that is used solely for running the electric motor when the battery's charge runs out.

However, as blue-sky as the vehicle's power train may be (… Read more

GM goes flex-crazy with the Flextreme concept, throwing around its new favorite marketing term like a flexy flexible flyer. This Opel-branded concept runs on GM's new E-Flex powertrain. It has FlexDoors for the passengers and a FlexLoad rear gate. But the only thing anyone will pay attention to are the two nonflex Segways stowed in the rear.

Click here for photos of the Opel Flextreme.

As we reported earlier, Mercedes-Benz promised 19 cars in 15 minutes at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, and damn if they didn't deliver. The German automakers press conference resulted in a fleet of cars out on the show floor. As one might expect, Frankfurt is a huge auto show for Mercedes-Benz--the company gets a whole concert hall in the fair grounds to show off its cars. It filled the lower level of the hall with everything from the new F700 research vehicle to the Smart Micro-Hybrid. There were also quite a few variations on the hybrid theme, from regular … Read more

Volkswagen dropped a bomb at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show in the form of an unexpected little concept called Up. Actually, it's more of a grenade, as the Up is a city car--small but able to hold four people. What makes the Up interesting is that the engine is in the rear, a configuration Volkswagen used with the original beetle. And from its press materials, Volkswagen suggests that the Up could be as iconic. That remains to be seen. Although we like the clean look of the Up, it doesn't stray far from the Golf's design.

It … Read more