By:Srinivas Krishnan
Source: www.bsmotoring.com
Never have I seen this kind of a crowd! Didn't know there were so many journalists in the world who worked on the automotive beat. Yesterday was the first day of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Actually not, it was the first press day. And all carmakers have pulled out all stops to grab eyeballs like never before. This is the first motor show I have been to in which even if I wanted to attend a press conference, I simply haven't been able to. Not because of a lack of time, but by a mass of people. Landing even twenty minutes ahead of schedule does not make a difference, because there is a wall of people that you have to encounter. It is, pardon the expression, bloody packed.
A2 Brutus?
Usually, at Frankfurt, it is Mercedes and BMW that hog the attention. This year, Audi has pulled out all stops to be top of mind. The S versions of the A6, A7 and A8 apart, Audi has the A2 concept. This compact city car will be eco-friendly too, and will turn from concept to reality even before you know it. The significance of the A2 is that it will eventually find its way into India, but not so early to make Audi a mass market brand! Audi has been the leader iin using LED tech to define the way their vehicles look. I am beginning to feel a little tired of it because everybody is overusing it, even Audi! The A2 concept has LED strips running everywhere, even on the waistline. I only hope that does not get into production. If I am not mistaken, there are enough strips of the stuff inside to give a fluoroscent tiger a complex.
What's Up?
This could be considered the production star of the show because the concept star of the show follows a little later. The Volkswagen Up is a sureshot car for our country, that will see VW going lower in the segment ranks to gain more volumes. With the split with Suzuki, Volkswagen is truly alone in this segment. The Up looks cheeky and interesting, and it will be positioned below the Polo. There is decent space on the inside, with good boot space as well. The quality, especially, is really good for a car in this segment. That's the advantage of having a vast parts bin to choose from. The interiors are cheerful and VW has taken an idea off the Fiat 500 to give a colourful plastic dash that looks like painted metal. There were several versions of the Up that VW showcased, including a buggy concept. However, the one that is most interesting to us is the four-door Cross Up.
Mini happy returns
Mini made a major announcement: that they were entering India. Mini has been mulling an Indian entry for quite some time now. They researched, met journos, sounded out people, etc in the past. Perhaps they found out that Mini does not hzve any historical connotations in India like the way the Beetle has. Then of course is the sheer effort involved in setting up an independent dealership network. Then they decided not to enter. But now they have finally made up their minds. The Mini range has expanded and India is too hot to ignore. Existing BMW dealers would be given the first priority in setting up Mini dealerships. And I guess there is now a new generation of Indians for whom there is no heritage or history attached to Mini; they probably look at it as a cheeky British brand owned by BMW. So for Mini, it is as good as a clean slate.
B positive
The cavernous Mercedes-Benz pavilion wanted to define the next 125 years of the automobile. An outrageous gull-winged concept, hopefully, would see production after 125 years. But more important to us was something more immediate. In the quest for volumes in India, Mercedes will be looking at bringing the new B-Class which was unveiled here, to our country. The B is a good-looking hatchback but to think of it as a mere hatch would not do justice to the car. It seems to be immensely practical for our country, considering its footprint sould be ideal for our roads. But at what price can you have a Mercedes hatchback? It will be the cheapest car to wear the three-pointed star when it gets launched in India next year, but will it be an aspirational car? That will be the challenge.
Mission Possible
The Skoda Mission L concept is actually Vento based, but you wouldn't know it when you look at it. It is almost as big as the Octavia, but actually in international markets, will be placed below it. The Octavia is of course the Laura abroad, as you are aware. Confusing? Well, let's make it a bit worse. On the 20th of October, we are going to see a new Skoda, which is also Vento based but not as big as the Mission L. Bookings on the new car will begin then. Deliveries of the Vento-based Skoda will begin this December. As for the Mission L, it will make its way into India maybe by the end of next year. So what happens to the Octie? Hmm, good question.
Sweet 16
Usually, it is difficult to select a single car as the star of the show. This time around, it was pretty easy. Only, it is a concept rather than a production model. But it will get the green signal very soon. The Jaguar CX-16 is a sportscar that looks stunning and gorgeous. Now design chief Ian Callum has done a clean break from the E-Type hangover despite the car being billed as the 21st century E-Type. It has a lot of elements that are borrowed from the legend without being obviously retro. Nice. It is a hybrid and that button on the steering wheel which gives a sudden boost of torque has a lightning symbol on it. Calling it Push To Pass is oh-so-British. I have only one fundamental problem with the Jaguar and Callum is to blame for it. From some angles it looks like an Aston Martin!
Defender of the faith
Well, the DC100 is the new Defender. And Land Rover surprised us wth a topless version of the concept called the DC100 Sport. It arouses strong reactions, but considering what design head Gerry McGovern has done with the Evoque, all is forgiven. The DC100 looks too much like a concept and the production version could be fairly watered down. It somehow does not look as invincible as the original, but I am sure LR/RR will ensure it is so. The biggest difference between the original and the follower is that form followed function on the first one, but in this case, it looks like function will follow form!
Source: http://www.bsmotoring.com/blogs/blog_storypage.php?autono=4003
Source: www.bsmotoring.com
Never have I seen this kind of a crowd! Didn't know there were so many journalists in the world who worked on the automotive beat. Yesterday was the first day of the Frankfurt Motor Show. Actually not, it was the first press day. And all carmakers have pulled out all stops to grab eyeballs like never before. This is the first motor show I have been to in which even if I wanted to attend a press conference, I simply haven't been able to. Not because of a lack of time, but by a mass of people. Landing even twenty minutes ahead of schedule does not make a difference, because there is a wall of people that you have to encounter. It is, pardon the expression, bloody packed.
A2 Brutus?
Usually, at Frankfurt, it is Mercedes and BMW that hog the attention. This year, Audi has pulled out all stops to be top of mind. The S versions of the A6, A7 and A8 apart, Audi has the A2 concept. This compact city car will be eco-friendly too, and will turn from concept to reality even before you know it. The significance of the A2 is that it will eventually find its way into India, but not so early to make Audi a mass market brand! Audi has been the leader iin using LED tech to define the way their vehicles look. I am beginning to feel a little tired of it because everybody is overusing it, even Audi! The A2 concept has LED strips running everywhere, even on the waistline. I only hope that does not get into production. If I am not mistaken, there are enough strips of the stuff inside to give a fluoroscent tiger a complex.
What's Up?
This could be considered the production star of the show because the concept star of the show follows a little later. The Volkswagen Up is a sureshot car for our country, that will see VW going lower in the segment ranks to gain more volumes. With the split with Suzuki, Volkswagen is truly alone in this segment. The Up looks cheeky and interesting, and it will be positioned below the Polo. There is decent space on the inside, with good boot space as well. The quality, especially, is really good for a car in this segment. That's the advantage of having a vast parts bin to choose from. The interiors are cheerful and VW has taken an idea off the Fiat 500 to give a colourful plastic dash that looks like painted metal. There were several versions of the Up that VW showcased, including a buggy concept. However, the one that is most interesting to us is the four-door Cross Up.
Mini happy returns
Mini made a major announcement: that they were entering India. Mini has been mulling an Indian entry for quite some time now. They researched, met journos, sounded out people, etc in the past. Perhaps they found out that Mini does not hzve any historical connotations in India like the way the Beetle has. Then of course is the sheer effort involved in setting up an independent dealership network. Then they decided not to enter. But now they have finally made up their minds. The Mini range has expanded and India is too hot to ignore. Existing BMW dealers would be given the first priority in setting up Mini dealerships. And I guess there is now a new generation of Indians for whom there is no heritage or history attached to Mini; they probably look at it as a cheeky British brand owned by BMW. So for Mini, it is as good as a clean slate.
B positive
The cavernous Mercedes-Benz pavilion wanted to define the next 125 years of the automobile. An outrageous gull-winged concept, hopefully, would see production after 125 years. But more important to us was something more immediate. In the quest for volumes in India, Mercedes will be looking at bringing the new B-Class which was unveiled here, to our country. The B is a good-looking hatchback but to think of it as a mere hatch would not do justice to the car. It seems to be immensely practical for our country, considering its footprint sould be ideal for our roads. But at what price can you have a Mercedes hatchback? It will be the cheapest car to wear the three-pointed star when it gets launched in India next year, but will it be an aspirational car? That will be the challenge.
Mission Possible
The Skoda Mission L concept is actually Vento based, but you wouldn't know it when you look at it. It is almost as big as the Octavia, but actually in international markets, will be placed below it. The Octavia is of course the Laura abroad, as you are aware. Confusing? Well, let's make it a bit worse. On the 20th of October, we are going to see a new Skoda, which is also Vento based but not as big as the Mission L. Bookings on the new car will begin then. Deliveries of the Vento-based Skoda will begin this December. As for the Mission L, it will make its way into India maybe by the end of next year. So what happens to the Octie? Hmm, good question.
Sweet 16
Usually, it is difficult to select a single car as the star of the show. This time around, it was pretty easy. Only, it is a concept rather than a production model. But it will get the green signal very soon. The Jaguar CX-16 is a sportscar that looks stunning and gorgeous. Now design chief Ian Callum has done a clean break from the E-Type hangover despite the car being billed as the 21st century E-Type. It has a lot of elements that are borrowed from the legend without being obviously retro. Nice. It is a hybrid and that button on the steering wheel which gives a sudden boost of torque has a lightning symbol on it. Calling it Push To Pass is oh-so-British. I have only one fundamental problem with the Jaguar and Callum is to blame for it. From some angles it looks like an Aston Martin!
Defender of the faith
Well, the DC100 is the new Defender. And Land Rover surprised us wth a topless version of the concept called the DC100 Sport. It arouses strong reactions, but considering what design head Gerry McGovern has done with the Evoque, all is forgiven. The DC100 looks too much like a concept and the production version could be fairly watered down. It somehow does not look as invincible as the original, but I am sure LR/RR will ensure it is so. The biggest difference between the original and the follower is that form followed function on the first one, but in this case, it looks like function will follow form!
Source: http://www.bsmotoring.com/blogs/blog_storypage.php?autono=4003
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