frankfurt

Unlike many sport luxury carmakers, Porsche has managed to keep its signature model, the 911, small and lightweight. When we tested the current 911 GTS, we were impressed by the car's ability to dance around corners and out-run BMWs, while at the same time turning in very good fuel economy.

For the 2012 model year, Porsche is updating the 911, although you would hardly know it from looking at the bodywork. The overall design remains the same, but Porsche managed to shed 100 pounds from the car.

And along with Porsche's double-clutch gearbox, the PDK, this new 911 … Read more

Bentley's 2012 model year update to its Continental GTC convertible will feature a Google Earth-based navigation system, technology developed by sibling company Audi, along with a number of other improvements. Bentley will unveil the 2012 Continental GTC at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

Similar to its hard-top stablemate, the Continental GTC is powered by a twin turbocharged 6-liter W-12 engine, which generates 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That amount of power pushes the four seat convertible to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. The engine can also be fed E85 bio-fuel. … Read more

The maker of the "People's Car" is now asking people to get Up.

Volkswagen today revealed photos and some information on the Up hatchback. The German automaker previously introduced the Up as a concept car at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show. The production version of the subcompact will be introduced in Frankfurt in September.

The Up is a line of low-emissions, minimal footprint vehicles for the European market. CNET covered the debut of the thrifty Up Lite concept at the LA Auto Show in 2009.

Volkswagen revealed there will be three versions of the Up: The entry-level … Read more

Smart this week announced a third-generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive and a new electric bike, the ebike, that will be available in the U.S. and Europe in early 2012.

The new Smart Fortwo Electric Drive will use a 55kW motor capable of accelerating from 0 to 62 mph in 13 seconds and offers a top speed of about 75 mph. The 17.6 kWh battery offers an range of over 86 miles.

Charging the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive normally will take up to 8 hours, but an optional quick-charging function that will fully charge a depleted battery in under … Read more

We've driven just about every variant of Kia's Optima sedan and the consensus is that they're all pretty good. We've even gone as far as to call the SX Turbo variant "sporty." However, for the handful of you holding out for a true sports sedan from Kia, the automaker has something even better on the horizon: a rear-wheel driven sports sedan concept that's set to debut in Frankfurt.

The jury's still out on the power train, as the automaker hasn't announced anything beyond the rear-wheel drive configuration and that it's &… Read more

Jaguar today released a sketch, but no details of its C-X16 production concept car. The C-X16 is set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Sept. 13.

According to Jaguar, the C-X16 was designed by the same team that produced the Jaguar XJ, XF and XK.

"Great Jaguars have always been beautiful, innovative and have looked firmly to the future," said Ian Callum, Jaguar director of design, in a press release. "The finished C-X16 concept has the potential to do these things while retaining the ability to surprise, to excite and invigorate."

Adrian Hallmark, global … Read more

A new British car brand is on the way, according to Car magazine. No, seriously. Eterniti Motors has thrown caution to the wind, ignored the lessons of so many failed British automakers and is threatening to unveil itself and its first car at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Not much is known about Eterniti Motors or its first vehicle, but we can tell you it'll be a highly customizable luxury crossover. Eterniti says it'll look roughly like the sketch above, though the final model will probably be toned down slightly--at least until the alloy wheels are … Read more

Subaru announced it will unveil a production version of a small SUV based on its Impreza platform at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show in September. Earlier this year, Subaru previewed the new vehicle with the XV Concept at the Shanghai auto show.

Subaru released a teaser sketch with its announcement, but the XV Concept shown at Shanghai looks near production. The body design is very similar to the hatchback Impreza, and the vehicle is lifted for greater ground clearance.

The concept lacked side mirrors and had outsize wheels, but those are typical concept car design cues.

The production version will most likely have all-wheel drive, a hallmark of Subaru's current model lineup, and be powered by the same 2-liter flat four-cylinder engine used by the Impreza. It will probably also be offered with a diesel engine in the European market.

The vehicle to be shown at Frankfurt confirms a European version of the car. Subaru has not announced a U.S. version yet, although it could be a competitor to the Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav4. … Read more

After not-so-secretly releasing a prototype of its electric microcar into the urban wilds for testing, Audi let loose sketches of its Audi Urban Concept. The camouflaged vehicle was caught on video in Berlin, and drawings and descriptions confirm that the Audi Urban Car concept is an electric two-seater meant for dense urban environments.

The prototype seems to be Audi's more aggressive and daring answer to BMW's electric city car, the i3. With its open wheel design, narrow body, open nose cone, and retractable roof, it kind of looks like a 1960s Formula 1 car if you squint really … Read more