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| All pictures © Trish Whelan & Brian Byrne. |
Frankfurt is the biggest motor show in Europe in sheer space terms, and we could have done with the special Land Rover Discovery above to get around,
write Trish Whelan and Brian Byrne. The SVX features a supercharged 5.0 V8 that pumps some 518hp, which should pull it up any mountain at an unstoppable clip. Special wheels, tyres, and neat orange detailing give the thoroughbred distinction in any stable of standard Discos.
Honda revealed it would have electrified options across two-thirds of its models in Europe by 2025. It also showed the prototype new CR-V coming next year, which will be hybrid, and very interestingly will not have a diesel offering. Pictured with Honda Ireland's John Saunders (below) is the company's little Urban EV showcar at Frankfurt which previews a soon-to-be production electric city car.
One of the least secret pre-show cars, Kia's concept of the next Pro_ceed is also arguably among the most beautiful, challenging Japan's Mazda for producing such. We can expect to see elements of it through the next generation of the whole cee'd family, but if they produce anything close to this it will immediately be an 'I want one. Now!' car.
The Kia Stonic small SUV, arriving in Ireland in a couple of weeks, is aimed at taking a good share of that busy crossover segment. It is based on the Rio supermini, and shares its running gear, but offers a much more interesting image.
The new Subaru Impreza finally achieved its European debut here, and is due for arrival in Ireland before the end of the year. The styling may be a bit bland, but the underpinnings of the car will certainly be top class. It has more space all round, and will be powered by 1.6 and 2.0 boxer-format petrol engines, with AWD. More interesting to some was the refreshed WRX STI, not likely to be for Ireland.
Dacia's 'Another one drives a Duster' budget SUV has been substantially redesigned without losing the style or the capability that has made it very successful across Europe. The front end is more modern, the interior has been upgraded, but it will still rely on the tried and trusted duo of 1.2 petrol and 1.5 diesel engine options.
The C-HR compact SUV which has been extraordinarily successful for Toyota is an important draw to their stand this year for the 'Hy-Power Concept' version. Not due for production until the end of next year, it will have a significantly more powerful hybrid motor system than the current car, hence the orange 'power' details around the otherwise unchanged shape. As we said before, a lot going on with the style here.
Toyota also showed a refreshed Land Cruiser, which follows the truism, 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' … but it does look smarter and is nicer inside. Key to its ability to survive any terrain or job is its body-on-frame build, old-school but still valid.
Jaguar was another marque on the electric trail at Frankfurt with their I-Pace crossover that will actually be on sale before the end of the year. But the wow factor at the show in this regard was the announcement of the first all-electric production car racing championship, and this is what drivers will be competing with. An I-Pace Concept also showed what might be a future coupe variant. And that starts next year. The company's newest other SUV, the E-Pace that's slotted under the best-seller F-Pace, was also given substantial exposure.
While limited to the very wealthy, there's always an interest in the Bentley brand, especially when there is a new GT. This is a beautifully evolved style from its predecessor, with a very modern rear design that further defines it as a coupe. A 6.0 V12 up front provides 630hp of smooth urgency to 100km/h in 3.7 seconds.
Following on from the launch of their Kodiaq earlier this year, Skoda unveiled their new smaller compact SUV, the Karoq 5-seater which will be in dealer showrooms this December in time for the January sales. It will be powered by a new 1.5 petrol engine offering from 115bhp to 190bhp, of which four variants are new.
Skoda’s Vision E concept was also on display with level 3 autonomous drive which can completely take over steering on motorways, control overtaking and evasive manoeuvres, accelerate and apply the brakes.The concept has no B-pillars for more space. Skoda will offer five purely electrically powered cars in its range by 2015.
The big blast from Hyundai was the N version of its i30, with some 250hp under the hood to challenge all the traditional European hot hatches. And if that's not enough, a performance package option adds more poke.
The Korean company also showed off its i30 Fastback, a more stylish variant of the current hatch. The Kona small SUV also graced the stand.
Citroen's new small SUV, the C3 Aircross, is claimed by the company to be the most spacious crossover in its segment. A full range of driver assistance systems will be available, including active safety braking, auto high-beam lights control, and speed sign recognition. Coming to Ireland very soon, there will be petrol engines of 80/110/130hp as well as 100/120hp diesels. Manual and automatic transmissions will be available.
They're calling it new, though most agree that it is a significant facelift to the Lexus NX, with revised 'more aggressive' front grille, and changed bumpers front and rear. There are significant interior enhancements too, but the powertrains remain the same, the primary one being the 2.5 petrol hybrid. Lexus say they have improved the suspension for handling.
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