The BMW Group usually fills the first hall that visitors get to see when arriving from the main entrance. BMW usually brings the best and brightest of their offering, spiced up with concept cars and world premieres.
This year is different, however. It tells a lot about Frankfurt 2019 that the Bavarians rented out half the hall. Thus, Landy returned to the BMW hall like in the old days while Hyundai and Opel also bunked into Hall 11, accompanied by Trasco, who prepares tanks on Volvo basis.
BMW brought model premiers and concept cars
The BMW stage featured three concept cars, some world premiers and a decent level of the show. The stage had an elevated platform that provided an excellent overview of the neighbouring states and of course, lots of futurism. The electric roller seems like a far fetched project from BMW, but those who saw the exhibition of the BMW World on future mobility will not be that surprised…
The BMW World showcases design icons, racing legends and a bold vision that nobody asked for
Behind its main stage in Hall 11, BMW presented a one-off X6 show car with a new nanotech paint finish. The X6 is showcased in a dark room decorated by grills made of lights of various colours. The flickering light show aims to highlight its unique very black, I mean Vantablack painting.
This material was initially developed for aerospace applications to suppress stray light from the sun during observation of celestial bodies in faraway galaxies. The result is a fascinating contrast between the black surfaces and design highlights such as the illuminated BMW kidney grille, the prominent twin headlights and rear lights.
This was one of my favourite interactive elements of the IAA, and I also find it a more entertaining segment than what BMW prepared for last year.
Visitors are welcomed by the BMW Concept 4 that was unveiled as a world premiere. The Concept 4 aims to be a Future-focused interpretation of the brand’s coupe bloodline. Basically, it applies the aesthetic essence of the brand’s design language on the flawless proportions of a coupé.
BMW’s study cars usually aime to offer an insight into the Bavarian brand’s design directions. This time however, I see a direction I do not wholeheartedly endorse with the ever-growing kidneys. In a world where many manufacturers imitate the royalty of the animal kingdom, the faces of BMWs slowly develop a pig nose.
Personally, I was not particularly fond of the striking front design applying the new vertically oriented, oversized (as BMW describes “confident”) BMW kidney grilles. The athletic coupé body with broad shoulders and dynamically flowing silhouette are accented by a redesigned sideline that somehow reminded me to the Audi A5.
A sleek BMW Coupé on the 21-inch wheel will hardly ever be ugly, but the accents introduced on this concept are hardly any improvement in my eyes. Bearing in mind the above, the world premiere of the BMW Concept 4 forecasts the next generation of the Bavarian premium midsize coupé. The concept does predict an elegant lining yet with stylistic inserts that I either saw at other cars (the new window kink) or would not like to see at all (the pig nose).
The centre stage is occupied by the BMW iNEXT. The all-electric Vision car mainly serves as a showcase for the EASE experience concept, illustrating how autonomous driving is set to transform life onboard vehicles. The car looks certainly unusual and certainly requires an open mind, even after the I3.
Personally, it reminded me of an I3 on a lot of steroids. While I love that swamp thing for its capabilities as a city slicker, but the messy design element is not something I would like to see on future BMWs. So INext? INooooooo! : )
The last of the Bavarian concept car trio is my personal favourite that I delegate this prototype to the podium of my favourite list of IAA 2009 concepts.
The BMW Vision M NEXT provides a foretaste of the future of sportive motoring. This plug-in hybrid sports car might be a hot candidate to replace the current I8 on the top of the BMW palette.
The wedge-shaped silhouette reminds me of the legendary M1, in case you need proof, I recommend to have a look at the M1 exhibition report.
The gullwing(ish) doors might be familiar from the I8 (anybody who tried to get out of on I8 will remember those ? ). The design operates with clean lines, while the car looks like an M1 from the future, if you put it next to an I8, it will make the M Next a down to earth near-production supercar.
The show also premiered a few new models and facelifts, like the new BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe and the new BMW X5 Protection VR6 – a security vehicle, as part of the Bavarian model offensive in the luxury segment. There were special editions for the I3 and I8 hybrid cars.
In addition to the series production models, there was a fairly large stage with Alpina versions of already potent BMWs, for those who still need a bit more from their cars, and ready to take the extra mile (and to spend the extra bucks).
Mini combined electrification with anniversary
MINI promised an electrifying display in every sense with a stand focused on electric mobility. The show premiere of the British premium brand’s new MINI Cooper SE heralds the beginning of a new era for Mini in purely electric mobility, in which drivers will be able to enjoy virtually silent urban motoring with zero local emissions in signature MINI style.
The MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 is now also available as a plug-in hybrid model, making its debut appearance in Frankfurt, with an electric range of up to 57 kilometres.
In addition to the premieres, the traditional British carmaker also looks back at its past, celebrating its 60th anniversary at the IAA stage.
Since 1959, the total production reached the 10 million mark, and the brits just happened to found the 10 millionth car, and brought it along.
Foreign brands to challenge the Germans at the Techno Classica
The 60th anniversary actually went far beyond the IAA, given the cult status of the original vehicle, many organised special celebrations from like dedicated segment of the BMW stage at the Techno Classica, or a commemorative show of classic Minis at Rértrombile.
From 100-year-old Bentley to the 60th birthday of the Mini: British anniversaries and brands
The Hungaroring Classic also prepared a dedicated stage with classic and modern Minis.
Opel brought a 50 years old concept back from the dead
The highlight at the Opel stage is described as an e-Path illuminated in yellow, running diagonally up to the Opel Elektro-GT concept. The cars symbolise a bridge from the past to future developments in electric mobility.
The GT is an iconic car of Opel, and the weather-beaten German brand seems to take great care of the legend by celebrating the GT’s birthdays whenever there was an occasion. I have seen many exciting GT variations and concepts from racing versions to the 2016 GT concept.
This Elektro GT does not ring the bell from any previous show. In fact, the information available does not seem to conclude any significant achievements.
The Opel stage at the IAA is compact and functional, and in my view, somewhat behind the Opel stage at the Brussels Car Show.
Though Opel had a lot at stake: they premiered one of the best seller model, the new Opel Corsa, the Grandland X Hybrid and the new Opel Astra.
Jaguar keeps the pace(s)
Jaguar is among the believers in the traditional car shows and provide a decent presence at most shows I attend (Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, even major classic car shows like Techno Classica).
The reduced IAA is no exception, the JLR stage is among the finest with interactive segments like the VR chase to catch the best photos on the new defender or the holographic tech demo of Jag.
They also feature actual cars (okay, with much less premiers compared to the German players), but also the latest achievements in E mobility and E racing.
Land Rover introduced the new Defender with a bang.
The arguable cutest Landy is not exactly the successor of the die hardest predecessor, rather a rethought modern car to honour a classic.
The new Defender can be considered like the New Mini: it will assume a fundamentally different market position, but will keep the memory of the original car.
Hyundai keeps up the hope
The brand is showcasing the concept car named 45, a fully electric concept that envisions Hyundai’s future EV design direction with a homage to the past.
The new concept accentuates the Hyundai’s future design direction exploring the evolution of Hyundai’s ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language.
The 45 puts a twist on a 45-year-old concept car, the Hyundai Pony Coupe Concept, and also introduces a new in-car experience for self-driving vehicles.
As for the rest, the Korean brand showcases its complete model range and a futuristic cabin to illustrate the user interface of the future.
Trasco – in case a Volvo is not safe enough for you
For those perfectionists that not even Volvo’s safety would satisfy, German security specialists Trasco presented a new heavily armoured Volvo XC90 in protection level VPAM VR8. This bland code means the car was actually tested for the full ballistic and explosive certification.
The XC90 (it seemed to be a 4 seater excellence version) was considered the perfect canvas for this project, with its high ground clearance and an ideal view offers excellent manoeuvrability.
Its T6 petrol engine can carry the extra weight (those windows are undoubtedly impressive). The XC90’s size means that even with the armour, there is plenty of space in the rear for anyone to travel in comfort.
Seems like a win-win situation, unless you make your living as an assassin.
