62nd Frankfurt Motor Show

This is its 62nd year and the Frankfurt Motor Show had its share of surprises for all who attended. The green theme at this year's show was widely seen as a response to growing global concern about climate change, as well as the steadily rising price of fuel, which during show week hit a record high of US$80 per barrel.

Audi

Ten cylinders, two turbochargers, 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds, top speed 155mph, this is the all new Audi RS 6 and RS 6 Avant that was unveiled to a record crowd of media. The most powerful production Audi of all time will go on sale in 2008, with the Avant following some time later. Audi's pumped-up A6 sits on 19 to 20-inch alloys and features the famous Quattro four-wheel drive system. The German marque also unveiled its all-new A4. The A4 will be offered with a choice of 1.8 to 3.2-litre petrol engines, offering 160PS to 265PS and 2, 2.7 and 3-litre diesels producing143PS, 190PS and 240PS. Expect to see these car on our Malaysian roads in 2008.

BMW

Two new models from BMW took center stage in their stand alone hall – the X6 concept crossover and the 1-Series coupe. The 1-Series coupe is the successor to the 2002 from the 1970s, which appears to offer more rear space than the hatchback. On display was the 123d, which is capable of 0-62mph in 7 seconds, while emitting just 138g/km of CO2. There was also a diesel powered 6-Series. The X6 is, according to BMW, the world's sports activity coupe and the first to feature BMW's ActiveHybrid and Dynamic Performance Control. The former is an advanced hybrid technology, reducing fuel consumption by 20 per cent. The latter takes ESP and active four-wheel drive to the next level for improved performance and safety.

Brabus
There are a few key points you need to know about this monster C-Class based sedan from Brabus. The bored-out 6.3-liter twin-turbo V12 produces 720 hp and 974 lb-ft of torque. That's 52 torques more than a Bugatti Veyron! This allows this uber-sedan to hit 124 mph in less than 10.5 seconds. Top speed is 224 mph and the front brakes feature 12-piston calipers clamping 15" disks. This fastest ever Brabus has absolutely nothing to do with Steve McQueen as we are informed by Brabus PR. The BRABUS BULLIT will be ‘The Ultimate Wolf in Sheep's Clothing’ with its V12 Biturbo Engine, 730 PS (720 hp) / 537 kW, 1,320 Nm (974 lb-ft) of torque and a top speed of 224mph.

Citroen
Three debuts from Citroen. The C-Cactus is a C4-based concept built with the environment in mind and can cover almost 100mpg. Citroen has saved weight by reducing the number of components used – even doing away with a conventional dashboard. Citroen's C5-Airscape will become the replacement for the current C5 saloon – but the production car is unlikely to get the concept's folding roof. It also has some hybrid technology which powers the car's stereo and air-con. The C4 BioFlex is the car Citroen will use to catapult itself onto the bio-ethanol bandwagon. It's already on sale in Brazil, where ethanol powered cars make up 80 per cent of Citroen's sale. Chevrolet GM's budget brand showcased a restyled Aveo sedan and hatchback/notchback and a sporty 3-door. With GM official in Malaysia we could see these options in showrooms in 2008.

Ferrari
The show-stealer at this stand was seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher when he unveiled the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a lighter and faster development of the existing 430 coupe and convertible. Power is up to 380kW, weight is down 100kg and the F1 transmission has new software that cuts shift times to 60 milliseconds. Call Next Car to place an order.Fiat Although the cute new Fiat 500 is on sale in Italy, the Frankfurt Show allowed many international motoring journalist a first chance to see it in the metal. It's also possible that the sporty Abarth version will be coming soon. Will Torino Motors import this baby in? Expect price to be high!

Ford
Ford showed its Kuga crossover all-wheel-drive probably powered by a range of petrol and turbodiesel engines, including the 2-litre 100kW/320Nm TDCi that has just appeared in the new Focus. The Kuga is based on the Iosis X concept unveiled at last year's Paris Motor Show. Probably not appear on our roads. Honda The Accord Tourer Concept gave us a hint of what the production model will look. The all-new Accord will be powered by a range of low emissions engines, making it one of the first cars to offer an entirely Euro 5-compliant engine line-up – the next standard for emissions. A 2 and 2.4-litre petrol engines and a 2.2-litre diesel engine are similar to those in the current range, but with more power, fewer emissions and improved fuel economy.

Jaguar

The Jaguar XF made its pre-production debut at the Frankfurt show with unconventional Jag looks and an interior made up of bits and prices form current production models. Coming to Malaysia in early 2008. Call Sisma Auto for more information.

Kia

The fast progressing Korean manufacturer showed us a menacing sports coupé, which is described as a concept and its name remains secret at present. We do know it'll be a 2+2 and is likely to look pretty menacing going by the preview image we've seen already. Kia's new design boss, Peter Schreyer, was responsible for much of Audi's current design language designed many of the new stylish products from Kia this year. Malaysia might not see the sexy Kia cee'd five-door which the Korean company showcased and it launched its new sporty three-door Pro-cee'd, the third model in the family of cars designed for Europe and made in Slovakia. Only the bonnet and the front wing panels are carried over from the five-door model. Naza Kia will not be looking to sell this car in the very near future.

Lamborghini
A surprise launch from Lamborghini was its ultra-rare Reventón super car. Just 20 of the 1.4 million euro stealth bombers will be built, with the first going to a mystery buyer in England. The Reventón is based on the Murcielago LP640 with a composite carbon fiber body and has been influenced by a jet plane. Units sold out so no chance for us to test-drive one.

Mazda

Big surprise at the Mazda stand with the all new Mazda6. More than 450,000 Mazda 6s have been sold since its launch in 2002 and Mazda have managed to keep interest high with a new Mazda6 car looking so good. The chief designer wanted to build a car, which will still look fresh in ten years time, and judging by the media reaction he has succeeded. Expect to see this car in Malaysia in late 2008. We wait to see if Cycle and Carriage will show us this new car in 2008.

Mercedes-Benz

The star of Mercedes’ enormous stand was the F700. We're looking forward to hearing how much the radical new DiesOtto engine. It shows 'the future of the superior touring sedan' and showcases a number of new technologies. The F700 has Mercedes’ new Diesotto hybrid engine, which uses clever ignition to burn diesel in a more efficient way to produce 238bhp – plus 20bhp from the hybrid's electric motor – from a 1.8-litre engine. Running costs are even more impressive – 53.3mpg is unheard of in a heavy luxury car, as are CO2 emissions of just 127g/km. This is the way forward with super efficient engines from Mercedes Benz.

MINI

Mini made a big impact with the return of the Clubman (it shoulkd have been called the traveler but Mini’s new owners did not own the name). This is an estate version of the current Mini, which has already seen over a million owners surpassing it’s the figures of the original Leyland Mini. The five-door model has double rear doors and a suicide door on the driver's side. The suicide door, which opens the opposite way, is designed to allow passengers easier access to the back. It would have made more sense on the other side (for right hand drive countries), but clearly the former British car now owned by BMW is designed for left-hand-drive markets with the blinkers also on the left. Also on hand were the John Cooper Works Cooper S and the Challenge racecar.

Peugeot
Due to be launched in September in native France just days after its world premier at the Frankfurt show is the all-new Peugeot 308, but the concept 308 RC Z coupé and 308 SW Prologue versions will steal the limelight, as will the new 'Hybrid' version. Peugeot's 308RCZ concept gave a big hint towards a future body style for the 308 family. The ultra-light 2+2 coupe uses aluminium, polycarbonate windows and carbon fibre body parts and is powered by a 160kW 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbo jointly developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen and BMW. The 207 SW Outdoor also showed its face at Frankfurt complete with raised suspension, unique alloy wheels and an increased load area. Clad in rugged plastic trim, the SW Outdoor will be powered by 1.4 or 1.6 petrol engines producing 95 and 120bhp and two 1.6-litre diesels making either 90 or 110bhp

Renault
Renault showcased a wagon version of its Clio mini. The Laguna Coupe concept is Renault's vision of a top-of-the-range grand touring coupe and boasts four wheel drive and a new 3-litre V6 diesel engine produced with Nissan. Renault has expanded the Clio range with an estate version called the Clio Sport Tourer and a new Kangoo. Do not expect this new Kangoo to arrive here so soon.

Porsche

The GT2 is the first production 911 to crack 200mph and looks incredible, while a convertible version of the 911 Turbo sat alongside looking. Based on the Cayenne S, the GTS produces 405bhp – 20bhp more than the S – and sits on a specially developed chassis with electronically controlled damping and Porsche Active Suspension Management – the first time on a Cayenne. Expect Auto Eurokars to get this new Cayenne in at the very soonest.
Seat
The Tribu is a crossover SUV looking a little like a Leon with more sharp edges. A team headed up by ex-Lamborghini designer Luc Donckerwolke designed it. Expect therefore, Seat to be working on a production SUV to rival its relative the Tiguan from VW in the near future. Still no distributor here in Malaysia. Skoda Skoda has released its new Fabia Estate and its Roomster Scout. Expect these two cars to reach Malaysian shores in 2008.
Subaru
Leading the line-up was the all-new Impreza five-door hatchback in its 1.5 and 2 litre naturally aspirated formats. Other Subaru’s on show included an Impreza-based World Rally Car Concept, facelifted Tribeca luxury SUV with more efficient 3.6-litre boxer engine and five-speed auto, new Justy one-litre supermini and the world's first horizontally opposed boxer turbo-diesel engine. Do not hold your breath for these cars to reach showrooms here soon. Will be launched in Singapore on the 17th and 18th of October 2007 and we will be test driving them for our November 2007 issue.

Suzuki

The production version of the Suzuki Splash ( a cute looking compact car), alongside a SX4 World Rally Car were the main highlights. Perhaps of more interest to enthusiasts though will be the presence of a new D-segment concept called the Kizashi, previewing Suzuki's move up in the world.

Toyota

Hot models made the Toyota stand more noticeable this year. The iQ concept, according to Toyota, marks a change in small car design by achieving exceptional space efficiency while meeting the lifestyle demands of modern, urban car owners. Falling just short of the three metre mark - the car is shorter than the Aygo, but comparable with Yaris on width and height - iQ has space for three adults and luggage or seating for a child passenger. A product of Toyota's European design studio, the concept has been "designed to reflect and enhance the lifestyle of its owners" Wahei Hirai, the manager of Toyota's design activities said. Exterior design has been kept simple with short overhangs and a cab-forward approach. The cabin is as uncluttered, with the instrument panel and centre console following natural forms.Space saving is key in a car of this size. The heating unit has been repositioned; a single central dial displays information directly in the driver's line of sight. Audio and navigation controls are steering wheel controlled with the information being projected onto the front screen using head-up display.

Volkswagen
The biggest noise at this years show has to be the small compact car from VW, UP!. The UP! concept car is a rear engined, cheap runabout and is a clear and strong statement for future Volkswagen design. The UP! will be powered by a choice of two or three cylinders engines and is capable of carrying four adults and with the wheels pushed out on each corner, it should be easy to drive around town. Compact SUV buyers have been waiting for a VW model in the sector and the Frankfurt Show marks the entry of the stylish new Tiguan (note the test drive report in our earlier pages). VW also revealed six new models with BlueMotion diesel technology, including the new Golf BlueMotion claiming economy of 4.5 litres/100km down 0.6-litres from the previous model, and CO2 emissions down 16g/km to 119g/km. Range on a 55-litre tank is now more than 1200km. Look out for the range of TSI engines to arrive staring with the Touran MPV in early 2008 and then the rest will start trickling in.

New Volvo S80 driven

NEW Volvo S80 Driven

Volvo has long been known for making safe and reliable automobiles and this hasn't changed with this latest S80. What has changed, however, is the styling. Gone are the boxy, uninspiring models of the past, replaced by more modern, elegant designs. This 2007 Volvo S80 sedan is the same length (4850mm) as the outgoing model, but it is 27mm broader and 34mm taller, with a longer wheelbase and a track that is wider. Two of the most useful new safety features are Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS).

ACC is designed primarily for highway use where in Malaysia it will be useful on long distance drives along our fast and wide highways. It is a radar system with a sensor attached to the front right hand side of the grille to monitor the time interval between you and the vehicle in front as you drive at speeds. Simply set the cruising speed on your cruise control and the time interval of your preferred choice (there are three time settings) and the system does the rest to maintain a constant distance between the two vehicles. When you approach a car to closely a warning beep to alert you to slow down and maintain a safe distance preventing a collision. This feature not only safes you and your passengers but also the passengers in the vehicle in front.

BLIS system, which uses digital cameras, mounted underneath on each of the door mirrors that monitor when a vehicle is approaching on either side. As a vehicle approaches your blind spot, the system alerts you with an orange light built into both front door posts. The system is activated once the car's speed exceeds 10 km/h and works both day and night. This keeps you alert as vehicles come alongside you at excessive speeds of when they decide to cut to your side at the last minute.The next new feature on the new S80 is the Personal Car Communicator (PCC) that combines the ease of keyless drive and an interactive communications device. This little key fob makes locking, unlocking and starting the car effortless. It will also tell you if the alarm has been triggered or with the optional heartbeat sensor, it will even tell if someone is in the car thus alerting you to contact the police before nearing your vehicle.

Get inside this new Volvo and the element of increased space in evident and there has been an increased use of quality materials with a great finish on the instrumental panel. All the curves are smoothly done with soft touch panels abound. The center ‘floating; stack which was first see in the S40 contains the controls for the audio and climate with a menu-system screen on top of the pile. You could also locate the screen for the navigation system in line of the driver sight and it could be hidden when you’re not using it. The front seats had been made to provide maximum comfort to both the driver and passenger. The back seat area was design to give more than enough space for the passengers sitting at the back.Even with the new safety features mentioned above the engineers at Volvo were just not satisfied and so to take passenger protection to the next level you will find dual-stage airbags for front-seat passengers, stability control, traction control, collapsible steering wheel and pedals, side impact beams, inflatable side curtains, tire pressure monitors, whiplash protection – they are all standard equipment on every new S80. And, there’s more. There is also a new power plant to cater for performance hungry owners with a top of the range all-new 3.2-liter, 235-horsepower, in-line six-cylinder power plant to complement the 2.5-liter turbocharged version. Prices for both versions have been confirmed at RM398,000 for the fully imported 3.2 S80 and the locally assembled 2.5T will be priced at RM268,000. The 3.2 S80 gets ACC, BLIS system and CZIP (clean zone interior package which keeps the air quality inside the cabin at its best and is approved by the Swedish Asthma and Allergy Association). The 2.5T and the 3.2 share standard features like PCC, IDIS, active bi-xenon headlights and DSTC and a quality cabin.

New Benz C-Class set to arrive in Malaysia

Arriving a few months after its International debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, the latest C-Class is 7.3 inches longer, 3.6 inches wider, and 1.9 inches taller with a wheelbase that is 3.8 inches longer and not forgetting its curb weight has gone up about a hundred kilos or so depending on engine options. This confirms our first impression of the increased cabin space and better rear leg and shoulder room. The boot space of the new car has also increased to a vast 17 cubic feet, five more than in the previous car.

New chunky door handles open up to a high quality new cabin that mimics the interior of the much larger S-Class. In-fact many features are carried over from the S-Class and packaged into this new executive coach. The new. A new instrument panel features a new 'pop-up' information/navigation screen at the top of the centre stack in the middle of the dashboard, where it is more easily viewed by the driver and passengers. Control functions displayed on the screen for the climate control, in-car entertainment, telephone and navigation system can be operated by the driver or passenger via a round aluminum dial beside the driver on the lower centre console.

Our test C 350 takes just 6.4 seconds to get from 0 to 100km/h and we have no reason to doubt the claims as we planted our right foot after every red light heading out of the city. Hard throttle response was not jerky and the V6 engine and seven-speed transmission worked very smoothly together. To top it all off the cabin was very quiet with only impending engine roar creeping in at higher revs. Standard ventilated disc brakes include some new features: while stopped on a grade, the brakes will apply automatically until you press the accelerator; on wet roads, the brakes will dry themselves; and in critical braking situations, the brakes will prime themselves for panic braking. The sport button activates what Mercedes calls Advanced Agility (an enhancement to the sport's standard Agility Control package), a system designed to firm up the 350 Sport's self-adjusting suspension dampers and optimize throttle response. In addition, a quicker steering ratio and speed-sensitive steering help improve the wheel feel. With the seven-speed in sport mode, more aggressive gear shifting can be enjoyed at the steering wheel with the paddle shifters sitting on the wheel.

This new C-Class will definitely have a waiting list as you read this to decide on its purchase and even the new range of smaller power and efficient engines will leave little for the competitors to comment on. The new increased dimensions inside and outside, stylish coachwork, quality fitment and materials and the increased level of driver feedback and handling has put the C-Class back on top of the segment ladder without a doubt.

Specifications for the Mercedes Benz C-Class C350 V6

Engine: 3498 V6
Gearbox: 7-speed semi-automatic transmission
Max power: 272bhp
Max torque: 350 Nm @ 2400 rpm
Top Speed: 250km/h restricted0-100 km/h: 6.4 secs