It’s the largest auto show of the year and manufacturers pulled out all stops to make a splash among the industry and the general public. There was a lot of news made at this year’s show and now that we’ve had a few days to digest it, here are the five biggest stories to come out of the Frankfurt Motor Show.
1. The electric era will be here sooner than you think
Audi and Porsche both unveiled their visions of the future and their announcements both leapfrog Tesla in terms of range and charge. Clearly the sister divisions are using shared technology, battery and power units. Both are expected to offer brand-worthy performance with over 310 miles in everyday range.
The Porsche will be a four-door performance car featuring loads of new tech and offering 600hp to compete with the Model S.
The Audi e-tron Quattro is a crossover that will compete directly with Tesla’s upcoming Model X. Porsche and Audi claim the batteries for both vehicles can be recharged to 80% in just 15 minutes using an 800 volt supercharger. Consider this the first major salvo in a long war for the hearts and minds of drivers who prefer to recharge rather than refuel.
2. You will need to buy more sunscreen
Manufacturers continue to see value in exposing their owners to the rays of that star just 92,960,000 miles from our home planet.
The Lamborghini Hurcán LP 610-4 Spyder continues the Italian Bull’s tradition of sharp-edged, supremely powerful, technologically laden performance cars. The best part, with the top down, there’s nothing between your ears and the gorgeous sound of its naturally aspirated V10 power plant.
Ferrari debuted the 488 Spider and it’s pretty much everything we expected – which means it’s spectacular. 660 horsepower, advanced, active aerodynamics, and incredibly light weight, it’s a track monster that is surprisingly effortless on the street thanks to an improved suspension system.
Dawn broke for Rolls-Royce in Frankfurt, giving the brand a new four-place, two-door droptop that’s more driver focused than its top-of-the-range Phantom.
And Mercedes Benz cut the top off the AMG S63 4Matic coupe to create a beautiful cabriolet. Now we’ll have more access to the open air as we power down the autobahn at triple-digit speeds.
3. SUVs and Crossovers for everyone!
Who says luxury and practicality are mutually exclusive?
Bentley shared the fastest SUV ever in the Bentayga. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 187 mph, it also offers levels of luxury previously unimaginable in an SUV.
Jaguar apparently is hoping soccer moms will flip over the new F-PACE crossover. Their launch stunt of looping the car like a life sized Hot Wheels certainly grabbed the crowd’s attention and proved its performance is Jaguar worthy.
BMW brought the new X1 to Frankfurt and showed off the baby Bimmer’s newest design, which is much sportier. It’s also roomier and will have more technology than the outgoing model.
Calling it an active compact, Infiniti took the wraps off the Q30, a small crossover/hatchback that should do big things for the brand. Currently available only in sport and premium versions that are more street oriented, the brand will release a more all-terrain version, the QX30 later in the year.
4. Car shows are still for dreamers
In addition the the Porsche and Audi electric concepts, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar/Land Rover, Bugatti and others brought special cars that give a glimpse to what the future may hold for their brands.
Mercedes IAA concept takes active aerodynamics to a whole new level, lengthening the car, opening and closing louvers on the grill and sides and transforming the wheels while in motion to improve airflow.
Jaguar/Land Rover had some fun by sharing the cars that will appear in the next Bond movie, Spectre, with stars Naomi Harris and David Bautista as guests of honor. The specially outfitted Jaguar C-X75, Range Rover Sport SVR and Land Rover Defender are definite scene stealers.
Bugatti’s Gran Tourismo Vision concept stole the show and yes, is definitely a hint at the Veyron’s replacement. And while no word has been forthcoming about its arrival date, rumors are swirling that Bugatti has already shared glimpses of the new production car with potential customers.
5. There’s no such thing as too much horsepower
Alfa Romeo upped the ante in the small sedan category introducing their 503 hp Giulia QV. With more power than BMW M3, Cadillac ATS-V and Audi S4 and extremely low weight, this Alfa promises to bring more competition to a category that’s already a bare-knuckled street brawl. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.