FRANKFURT, Germany—With at least a thousand exhibitors, more than 12,000 journalists and close to a million guests trooping to the Frankfurt Messe, the 65th Frankfurt Motor Show has become the world’s single largest motor show in terms of exhibitors and second only to the Tokyo Motor Show in terms of attendance.
This year, a variety of makes made their international debut. Various manufacturers pushed their limits to introduce new cars for the road, with focus on green technologies promoting more fuel-efficient and carbon-friendly vehicles.
It was the Germans of course, particularly the Volkswagen Group, who made really big waves this year. Since every press conference was in German, I found myself trying really hard to speak Deutsch afterwards.
We take a look at the vehicles which made a huge splash from our hosts, the Volkswagen Group and Porsche:
1.) Porsche 918 Spyder. With a combined 887 horsepower, thanks to a 608-bhp normally aspirated 4.6-liter V8 and a 286-bhp electric motor, the 918 accelerates from zero to 100 kph in
under 3 seconds, with a top speed of 345 kph. It laps the infamous Northern Loop of the Nurburgring in 6:57 seconds with the full Weissach Handling Package. Epic. Production starts today (Sept. 18, or 9-18) with only 918 cars to be made.
2.) Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept. Are you ready for a supercar-cum-SUV? Audi’s Nanuk Quattro Concept combines supercar looks (courtesy of Italdesign Giugiaro) with SUV prowess. The 5.5-liter V10 TDI delivers 544 HP through a beefed-up seven-speed S-Tronic Quattro transmission to deliver mind-blowing performance on the track and off the road.
3.) Audi Coupe Quattro Concept. The original Audi Ur Quattro was a coupe that rocked the sportscar establishment back in the early ’80s. With Audi putting in their Quattro All-Wheel Drive technology in all their mainstream products, it was time to build another performance-oriented Coupe Quattro. Though still called a concept, this Audi is all but ready to hit production.
4.) Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corse LP570-4, Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corse racecar and Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo Blancpain race car. Ferrucio Lamborghini never intended to make his sports cars hit the track. But Lamborghini realized the importance of track-testing. So the company is now entering a new chapter in its rich history by embarking in motorsports.
Aside from the Blancpain Super Trofeo One-Make Series, Lamborghini is officially entering into the FIA GT World Endurance Championship with their Squadra Corse Motorsports Division. The Gallardo Squadra Corse LP570-4 is Lamborghini’s commemorative model for this momentous shift in the company’s thinking. Aerodynamic improvements gleamed from racing and more power (562.19 HP) separate it from the regular Gallardo.
5.) Bugatti Veyron. Still the fastest, most powerful and most expensive car to be had, brand-new. Finished in reflective chrome finish.
6.) Bentley Continental GT V8. Packing an extra 21 HP and 20 Nm, the Continental GT V8S is slightly more powerful and more exciting to drive. Additional tweaks come in the form of some add-on body parts (the side sill skirts and modest front chin spoiler) and new wheels. Designed for the younger Bentley drivers.
7.) Porsche 911 Turbo S. Unveiled to the general public at Frankfurt, the Turbo S is still the everyday supercar, with advanced active all-wheel drive, seven-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission, four-wheel steering, carbon-ceramic brakes and a massive 560 HP allowing the Turbo S to hit 100 kph in 2.9 seconds with a top speed of 318.65 kph. All hail the King!
8.) Audi LED Matrix headlights. Audi pioneered LED lighting technology and has unveiled the facelifted A8, which primarily sports the proprietary and new LED Matrix headlights—brighter, more powerful and use less energy than the previous LED setup.
9.) Porsche Type 991 RSR. Porsche finally unveiled their new 911 RSR race car. Most professional race teams are still using the 997-based race car, with only a handful using the new 991-based race car. But with 5 percent of all 911 produced to be used for racing, we should expect the Type 991 RSR to add more trophies to the 28,000 race victories the 911 and all its iterations and generations have amassed.
10.) Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro LMP1. Another crowd favorite, the R18 E-Tron features a 3.7-liter TDI V6 diesel engine with an electric motor powering the front wheels, giving it a Quattro all-wheel-drive grip. No wonder Audi has won the Le Mans 24-Hour Race 12 times in the last 13 years.
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