frankfurt auto show


Want to see a production LF-Ch make it to American showrooms? Tell Lexus.

Earlier this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, we got our first glimpse at Lexus' LF-Ch, a five-door hatchback concept. The car is said to presage a premium hatchback model for Toyota's upscale line – but that model isn't likely to come to the U.S. – word is that the production model is being crafted with Europeans in mind. That's something of a pity considering how visually dynamic the LF-Ch is, but not unexpected considering the chilly sales reception premium hatchbacks have received in the States – Mini excepted. In ... Read more →

Frankfurt 2009: Up close and personal with the sensational Pagani Zonda R Noah Joseph

A diamond in the rough? We'd hardly consider the plethora of exciting new vehicle debuts and revolutionary concept cars that is the currently ongoing Frankfurt Motor Show as "rough." But behind ...

Geiger GTS: Crazy Germans modify Corvette ZR1 Frank Filipponio

Geiger is back, and this time it's the vaunted Corvette ZR1 that gets the tuner touch. Dubbed the "Geiger GTS," this über ZR1 doesn't offer ridiculous power gains over its stock bruder, just ...

Frankfurt 2009 Wrap Up: We saw it all Jonny Lieberman

You're looking at a Porsche Panamera S with a trailer hitch. We're looking at an empty bottle of scotch and 11-hour plane rides. But never mind all that – what you really need to know is ...

Frankfurt 2009: Toyota Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept needs a shorter name Jeremy Korzeniewski

And now for your viewing pleasure, we bring you these live shots of the Toyota Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept (seriously, could Toyota have come up with a longer name?). Technically, the vehicle ...

Frankfurt 2009: Opel Astra makes its debut under the lights 2 months ago on Autoblog

By now, you've likely already seen official shots of the 2010 Opel Astra, both inside and out. Of course, catching a glimpse of a new shape under the harsh lighting of an auto show often brings a different point of view than the automaker's own glitzy press shots. In the case of the latest ...

Frankfurt 2009: Kia Venga is nice... and a little Fiesta-riffic to our eyes 2 months ago on Autoblog

If you're going to ape the design of another automaker's product, it's best to choose one that's attractive. Therefore, we give Kia kudo points for making its Venga look something like a smoothed-over Ford Fiesta, a car we've gone on record multiple times as admiring. In any case, the Kia Venga ...

Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes-Benz F-Cell rids the show floor of tailpipe emissions 2 months ago on Autoblog

As promised, Mercedes-Benz trotted its hydrogen fuel cell-powered F-Cell in front of the crowds at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and we were on hand to snap off a series of images. It's easy to spot the B-Class sheetmetal and underpinnings of the compact hatch, which goes to show how well the German ...

Frankfurt 2009: The Fraulein of Frankfurt 2 months ago on Autoblog

Yes, that's a Lamborghini in the picture above. We think. Could be a bar stool. digg_url = 'http://digg.com/people/Frankfurt_2009_The_Fraulein_of_Frankfurt'; As we do with every auto show, Autoblog is happy to present the one post that we're sure at least some of you have been waiting for ...

Frankfurt 2009: Meet the 2010 Citroen C3 2 months ago on Autoblog

It's really a shame we can't buy Citroens in America anymore. Main reason is the awesome C6. Second reason is that all the small Citroens we poked our heads into at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show had sticks. By comparison, more than half the VWs were slushers. Moving on – check out this ...

Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot BB1 Concept is messing with our minds 2 months ago on Autoblog

You know what the problem with Smart cars is? Not tough enough! Regardless, meet the Peugeot BB1. Yes, it is the logical result of a one night stand between a Subaru SVX and a Peel 50. What are we talking about? We don't even know what we're looking at. Feel free to read a rational account of ...

Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Citroen DS3 looks good, needs a new name 2 months ago on Autoblog

Seriously Citroen, what is up? We're all for premium small cars (think Mini Cooper, Audi A3) and pray nightly that more will start coming to our shores. But calling this C3-based hatchback a DS? For reals? Look, any new Citroen DS has some mighty big Louboutins to fill. Like, huge. And, well, ...

Frankfurt 2009: Bring us the 2010 Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer 2 months ago on Autoblog

Remember this? "More wagons! More wagons!" Well, here's another. Meet the Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer. Salient facts: 325-horsepower turbocharged 2.8-liter V6, AWD, six-speed manual, eLSD torque vectoring and it's a station wagon. Oh, and get this -- it's built from off the shelf GM parts. ...

Frankfurt 2009: Peugeot RCZ is our kind of French connection 2 months ago on Autoblog

Some things are worth waiting for. Take the Peugeot RCZ, for example. French auto giant PSA has been talking about putting the RCZ into production since initially unveiling it as a concept car in this very hall back in 2007. And that day has finally arrived with the unveiling of the ...

Frankfurt 2009: Mansory Vitesse Rose is anything but pretty in pink 2 months ago on Autoblog

Opinions in the Autoblog media room here in Frankfurt are divided once again. Some of us think the Mansory Vitesse Rose is the ugliest thing on wheels, the most heinous thing ever done to a Bentley, while Lieberman just has no taste. Either way, we had trouble keeping it down while snapping the ...

Frankfurt 2009: Brabus E V12 Black Baron is where light goes to die 2 months ago on Autoblog

Fancy yourself as a real-life Bruce Wayne with the financial wherewithal to match? Have we got a workaday sedan for you. German tunemeisters Brabus have just lifted the sheet off their new E V12 Black Baron sedan, although we almost didn't notice, as the matte-black überBenz swallows all ...

Frankfurt 2009: Porsche 911 GT3 RS goes 180 mph before coming to the show [w/VIDEO] 2 months ago on Autoblog

"You don't go from A to B -- you drive around in circles." So says Andreas Preuninger Manager of High Performance Cars at Porsche. First -- YES -- we want his job. Second, our buddy JF took a video camera into the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and went 180 mph on die Autobahn with Andreas at the wheel. ...

Frankfurt 2009: Yes, that is a mirror-finish Audi R8 5.2 V10 2 months ago on Autoblog

Oh how they laughed when we suggested chroming an Audi R8. Of course, our plan was to use a couple of rattle cans and a few rolls of blue tape to git er done. Right before screaming, "Hey y'all, watch this!" and launching the R8 off a cliff. But we're a bunch of crude Americans, not nearly as ...

Frankfurt 2009: Marussia B2 breaks cover, B1 Hybrid shown in new colors 2 months ago on Autoblog

When we hear the phrase "Russian Supercar" we initially think of either a turbocharged tank or something made from wallpaper, powered by fictional hubris yet somehow still finished in mirrored chrome. Any of which would come with his and hers full length mink coats. However, the two Marussia ...

Frankfurt 2009: Facelifted 2010 Volvo C30 gets it right 2 months ago on Autoblog

When you're an auto journalist blogger, you're constantly, incessantly bombarded with a series of questions. Usually it's, "What's the best car you've ever driven?" (Personal answer: Superformance Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe, followed by blank stares.) The other question we get more frequently ...

Frankfurt 2009: Citroen REVOLTe is... exactly that 2 months ago on Autoblog

Between storming the Bastille and a national rejection of the Venus razor, the French certainly know the meaning of the word "revolt". Interesting, then, that Citroen knowingly used the word – albeit Francofied with a superfluous E for its hybrid electric drivetrain – for its latest ...

Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai ix-Metro concept is all white by us 2 months ago on Autoblog

Hyundai returned to Frankfurt a far bigger player than it was two years prior. The Korean company has leapt up the sales standings to become the world's fourth largest automaker, eclipsing such major players as Ford and Honda. And its product line has long since expanded from diminutive ...

Frankfurt 2009: Alfa Romeo MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde packs Fiat's lucky charm 2 months ago on Autoblog

We usually close our posts by inviting you to check out our images, but this time we're starting here: Go into the gallery and have a look at the little green clover logo adorning the front fender of the new Alfa MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde. You'll notice that the classic Alfa performance badge has ...

Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Volvo C70 works best in San Diego 2 months ago on Autoblog

Why San Diego? That way you could maximize the amount of time your new C70 spends with its top down. More than three hundred days a year -- probably. We say this because we saw some leaked shots of Volvo's latest hardtop droptop a couple of weeks ago and it looked real nice with the roof stowed. ...

Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Volkswagen Phaeton Exclusive makes our inner plutocrat swoon 2 months ago on Autoblog

When it comes to the Phaeton, we really don't care what anyone else thinks. The only justification we'll offer is that back in the early 2000s, VW's ubermensch Ferdinand Piech took off the calf-skin gloves and dropped the mother of all gauntlets. He told commanded engineers to build A) the very ...

Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai Tucson ix35 is... another crossover 2 months ago on Autoblog

The new Hyundai Tucson ix35 may look good with a Britney Spears soundtrack playing in the background. It may even look good out on the road. But under the bright lights here at the Frankfurt Messe, it looks pretty much like every other compact import crossover on the market. Which is to say, ...

Frankfurt 2009: Fiat Punto Evo gets re-hatched 2 months ago on Autoblog

Ah, the Fiat Punto: never quite what it pretends to be. Supposedly designed to look like a Maserati in hatchback form, the existing model was called the Grande Punto when it was anything but. And now the Italian automaker has launched an updated version and dropped the Grande tag for the vaunted ...

Frankfurt 2009: Wiesmann MF5 Roadster gets its lipstick on 2 months ago on Autoblog

Here at Autoblog, we loves us some Wiesmann. The voluptuous, retro-styled German roadsters and coupes win us over with their classic proportions and their BMW powertrains – and color palate aside, this new MF5 looks to be just what the doctor ordered. Brandishing a full 507 horsepower ...

Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is pretty dang sweet 2 months ago on Autoblog

Yes, we made fun of the GT3 RS's pink lips when we saw the PR shots. But in person the Guards Red accents look, well, Guards Red. However, even in these hot off the show floor photos, Guards Red comes off pink against the slate gray body. So, the photos are tinted pink, but trust us, in reality ...

Frankfurt 2009: Lexus LF-Ch Concept hits, misses 2 months ago on Autoblog

We spent over 40 minutes photographing the oddly named Lexus LF-Ch Concept and still aren't sure what we think of it. From certain angles it's brilliant – everything the Lincoln Concept C tried to be, but wasn't. Yet from other angles... the word 'deformity' comes to mind. As does the term ...

Frankfurt 2009: Lotus Elise Club Racer and Exige Cup 260 give us that special feeling 2 months ago on Autoblog

Another show, another pair of special editions from Lotus. This time around it's the Elise Club Racer and the Exige Cup 260, two lightweight specials based on the company's core product range. We brought you details and photos of both a few weeks ago in the ramp-up to the show, but stopped by ...

Frankfurt 2009: 2010 Ford C-Max debuts, Grand C-Max bound for American shores 2 months ago on Autoblog

Among the many cars available here in Europe that we pine for Stateside, you may be surprised that Ford minivans rank among them. We got a ride in the Galaxy-based S-Max on our way back from driving the new Fiesta in Tuscany and were thoroughly impressed, and from what we hear its Focus-based kid ...

Frankfurt 2009: 2011 Bentley Mulsanne looks better in blue 2 months ago on Autoblog

So far, we've only seen the one champagne-colored Bentley Mulsanne. While not our first choice, it's the shade Bentley thought would drum up the most interest amongst potential customers. Not knowing too much about how the mega-wealthy think, we'll trust Bentley. However, us plebes ain't been ...

Autoblog Podcast #145 with the Two Marks from Ford 2 months ago on Autoblog

Episode #145 of the Autoblog Podcast is a mostly-Frankfurt Motor Show edition. Chris, Sam and Dan are joined by Mark Kaufman, Ford's C-segment marketing manager, and Blue-Oval product communications manager Mark Schirmer. The two Marks join us to talk about what Ford's got up its sleeve for ...

Frankfurt 2009: Mazda MX-5 Superlight makes us wonder how we'd spend our other two wishes 2 months ago on Autoblog

If you're one of the many enthusiasts out there oohing and ahhing over the pair of pre-production Mini concepts that debuted in Frankfurt today, know that the BMW division isn't the only one here with a tempting speedster on display. Amidst all the exciting and pivotal new vehicle debuts at the ...

Frankfurt 2009: Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari punches above its weight 2 months ago on Autoblog

The battle has been raging since time immemorial. From Point A to Point B, which is faster: a big exotic supercar or a nimble li;' hatch? Fiat's two performance divisions, Abarth and Ferrari, ask why you can't have the best of both worlds with the new Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari. The ...

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Autoblog Podcast #153: With Phil Berg

Phil Berg puts his reputation on the line and hangs with the podcast crew.

 
 

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