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Motor Trader rounds up the highlights from this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show.
Honda Civic
The next generation Honda Civic has been revealed at Frankfurt.
The Swindon-built car is the ninth incarnation of Honda’s popular small family hatchback has been designed exclusively for the European market and arrives in UK dealerships in early 2012.
Honda is claiming class-leading space for passengers and luggage.
The car has been in development period for over four years and nearly all the components are new to the Civic.
The line-up will feature three engine options: 1.4 and 1.8 petrol units and a 2.2 diesel. The diesel option has a C02 rating of 110 g/km and will qualify for free road tax in its first year.
Land Rover Defender concepts
Land Rover showed two concept cars at Frankfurt as an indicator of what the replacement for the Land Rover Defender will look like.
Named DC100 and DC100 Sport, the two concepts showcase the direction and thinking behind the ongoing development of the next generation Defender due to be launched in 2015.
Skoda MissionL
Skoda used the Frankfurt Motor Show to reveal the MissionL, an important car for the brand, filling the C-segment gap between the Fabia and Octavia.
With the Volkswagen Group’s ability to share parts it is sure to shake up this volume sector, offering a big space, competitive price proposition from a now well regarded brand.
“This premiere kicks off Skoda’s model offensive for the coming years,” said Skoda board chairman Winfried Vahland.
“This new compact model, along with other new products to follow, will enable us to accomplish our goal of increasing global annual sales to 1.5 million vehicles by 2018. We are going to present a new car approximately every six months over the next few years.”
Volkswagen Up!
The Frankfurt Motor Show saw the debut of the Volkswagen Up!.
The car enters a segment already occupied by Renault Twingo, Hyundai i10, Fiat Panda, Citroen C1, Peugeot 107 and Toyota Aygo and the replacement for the Fiat Panda.
Available in three- and five-door formats, the Up! has three spec levels and is powered by a new generation of three-cylinder petrol engines, with outputs of 60 PS and 75 PS. There are also plans for a version with electric drive.
There will be a Bluemotion version of the 60PS engine giving EU combined fuel consumption of 67.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 97g/km.
An option on the car is the City Emergency Braking system. It is automatically active at speeds under 18mph, and uses a laser sensor to detect the risk of an impending collision.
The three-door goes on sale next March, with the five-door following later in the year.
Kia Rio
Following the launch of the all-new five-door Kia Rio this month, the 3-door will arrive in the UK early next year.
It is aimed at those customers who fancy something that looks a little more sporty.
Overall, for Rio, two petrols and two diesels make up the engine range, including an EcoDynamics-branded 74bhp 1.1-litre diesel recording 88.3mpg and an 85g/km CO2 rating available by the end of October from £11,895.
Trims are simply 1, 1 Air (with aircon), 2 and 3. The expected best-selling 2 trim will include 16” alloys, a chrome radiator grille surround and rear electric windows.
With such initiatives, line-up and decent kit, Kia hopes to sell 12,000 new Rios in 2012 – 9,000 five-door and 3,000 three-door – compared to about 9,500 in 2011 made up of run-out old Rio and three months of the new model.
75 per cent should be retail and 60 per cent petrol (split between the 1.25 and 1.4 engines).
Bentley GTC
Bentley used the Frankfurt Motor Show for the world launch of the GTC Convertible.
Bentley Motors chairman and chief executive Wolfgang Durheimer said engineers at the manufacturing plant in Crewe were faced with the challenge of building a luxury sports convertible, combining open-top motoring with breath-taking performance.
“And that is exactly what they have achieved. The wider front and rear track ensure better grip, greater stability and minimised understeer.
“More responsive steering and re-tuned suspension offer a first class driving experience. Bentley’s state of the art four-wheel drive system now features a 60:40 rear torque bias, which enthusiastic drivers will especially appreciate,” he added.
While the economic downturn has impacted adversely on new car sales, Durheimer said he was “extremely optimistic” with the carmaker on target to hit 7,000 vehicle sales in 2011, 40 per cent up on 2010.
Durheimer said sales in China and the US were up 67 per cent and 36 per cent respectively but in Europe consumer confidence had been “severely affected”.