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2005 Frankfurt International Auto Show: Live From Germany Luxury is nothing without substance. So we headed to Germany and found toys for the real boys! Kimatni D. Rawlins, 09.16.05 What time is it? In Germany last week it was game time! Every manufacturer from Jaguar to Peugeot was trying to run up the score at the 2005 Frankfurt International Auto Show. Therefore, you might imagine how tough it was for visitors positioned against the German home teams consisting of Mercedes-Benz, VW, Audi, BMW, Opel and Porsche. Accordingly, it was tantamount for smaller squads like Volvo to play well beyond conceivable perceptions with their all-new C-70 hardtop, retractable convertible. Likewise, Jaguar needed a big win with its second generation XK coupe/convertible. No worries, both held their own within the hostile environment. Frankfurt can’t be compared to any auto show here in the States. For example, it’s about 20 times larger than the D.C. show! Bring your most comfy kicks and prepare for Billy Blanks style workouts because the walking is endless and the vehicles showcased in tandem were breathtaking. The scene was half melodic amid pristine displays and then chaotic with journalists charging the stages after every new car unveiling. Some automakers may take an auto show lightly, but for others it’s a decisive move forward with a concept going to production, or a production vehicle receiving the steam the company demands for media attention and consumer support. For example, Mercedes needs its 2007 S-Class to be the next Kanye West. Especially with disappointment of the E-class launch do to technical setbacks. The S is now longer and stronger with a new set of engines including the 570-horsepower V12 Bi-Turbo; and features reclining rear seats; self-closing doors; flared wheel wells; a new center stack; novel, redesigned door-mounted seat adjustments and Maybach-like styling. German competitor BMW has a new Z4 Coupe and showed off “the most powerful letter in the world -- M.” Its venerable M6 flows with 507 horses and a 7-speed transmission. Currently touring the streets in Germany, don’t expect to see the M6 in the U.S. until next spring. Remember that mesmerizing, indigo shaded Advanced Lightweight Coupe concept Jaguar debuted at the Detroit Auto Show? Well, it made it to production in the form of the redesigned XK. The British coupe is absolutely gorgeous. It’s dynamism and elegance in one. Hopefully, it will sail Jaguar into calm waters because currently their sales numbers have been battered by torrential downfalls. We loved the XK because it’s more aggressive, the wheels fill out the wells, and the body is aluminum. Previously our thinking was that the XK8 steered more towards females and the XKR represented the male behavior. Since it has to battle the BMW 6, Benz SL and Caddy XLR, the XK’s path will be rocky. To tame the challenge, Jaguar enhanced the XK with an L-Gate shifter (replacing the outdated J-Gate) and added F1 paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Digitally, it received a refreshed console, Bluetooth capability, touch screen LCD, and a 6-disc in dash changer. A little low on horses for its class (300-horspower 4.2-liter V8), the XK makes up for it in weight with its aluminum frame, which is light on its feet. We’ll see the XK next spring like most of the 2007s launched at Frankfurt. From sultry to safety, Frankfurt had it all. The fact is that many of today’s vehicles are made rather well with the advancements and technological separation diminishing by the year. Everyone can make a fast car and everyone can make a convertible like VW and its all-new 4-passenger Eos hardtop convertible. What is left is safety. Though the Swedes may want to leap out and be known for something more, they will always be labeled for making a safe and solid automobile. Volvos are creatures of habit. For example, the second-generation C70 hardtop retractable convertible is twice as stiff as its replacement. It’s well groomed with the top up or down. “We’ve succeeded in creating an attractive convertible which, at the mere touch of a button, converts into an equally elegant coupe. The customer gets two cars in one. Both with space for four adults,” said Volvo Cars President and CEO Hans-Olov Olsson. However, you won’t find me in the back. There’s hardly any space. In contrast, the front seats are as comfortable as a living room sofa. You’ll also find the same slim center stack as in the sporty S40. When traveling, pack light since trunk space is reduced when the three-piece top is stowed. Yet, I wouldn’t want to be in any other convertible during a collision. Since frontal crashes represent 40% of all accidents, Volvo engineered the C70 front end with a 4-piece cage to absorb as much energy as possible to sustain the passenger compartment. The C70’s space frame is made of extra high strength steel. Volvo’s SIPS (Side Impact Protection System) includes door airbags double normal thickness that stay inflated longer. During a live crash test at Volvo’s Safety Center during a side trip to Sweden, we witnessed an XC 90 slam into the side of the C70 (top down) at 31mph. Amazingly, the dummies sustained no major injuries and the vehicle frame was still intact! Back at the show there was more fun to be had. Especially from the British. Bentley jumped ahead of Rolls Royce by parading the big body Azure convertible while Aston Martin stepped down a few notches for its hand-built V8 Vantage to rock with the $100K sport coupe competition. Like a Van Gogh painting, the Azure is a must for the driveway of the highly refined. Another important showing from the Germans was Audi’s 7-passenger Q7 SUV. More importantly, to help launch the Audi’s first ever SUV was the Dallas Maverick’s Dirk Nowitzki, a Germany native. The Q7 has three rows, a new quattro AWD system and an adaptive air suspension, not to mention an awkward snout! The big front end just doesn’t relate with the rest off the Audi’s lines. To jump on board of the hybrid hype, Audi launched the Q7 Hybrid which purportedly gets 15% better fuel economy with its 440-horsepower engine and can be driven independently with the electric motor due to a clutch that connects the two engines. Topping off the show excitement were the tuners like Lorinser, AC Schnitzer, Abt and Brabus. Constantine Buschmann of Brabus gave us the spill: “Brabus has to remain exclusive and has to be the most powerful. Black, fast and expensive is how we like it,” he further noted. The Brabus CLS, for example, runs with 730 horses. Forget a Red Bull, Brabus Bi-Turbo V12s is what will give you wings! Like the Brabus EV12 which is the world 4-door speed record holder. Or the 2.8 ton GV12 (G-wagon) that moves sixty miles per hour in 4.7 seconds with its 610 bulls. The German custom developer also does luxury well since everything is handmade. The Brabus Maybach is adorned with lambswool carpet, exclusive Astic Leather, and screens double the normal size, all of which can cost a couple hundred grand. But, Brabus is about individualism. Want diamonds? You can get them!
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