When it comes to cars, there is little that excites us more at Parkers than a motor show. There is no other event quite like it, bringing together the world’s top car manufacturers, suppliers, racing drivers and automotive press all in one place.
Frankfurt Motor Show is one of the oldest and largest in the automotive calendar. Now in its 65th year, the buzz surrounding this year’s event is even greater than before with some big cars and new products set to be unveiled.
With less than a week till the show kicks off, we’ve put together a list of the highlights set to be unveiled at the event and the key cars to watch out for.
We will be there providing live coverage as the show unfolds so make sure you keep coming back to Parkers for all the latest on all the new unveilings.
Alongside BMW’s first ever production electric car, the i3, will be the BMW Concept X5 eDrive, a hybrid version of the popular X5.
Following in the footsteps of the BMW Concept Active Tourer unveiled in 2012, the BMW Concept X5 eDrive is the second plug-in hybrid vehicle to feature BMW eDrive.
Not yet confirmed as a production vehicle, the Concept X5 eDrive boasts emissions under 90g/km and impressive fuel economy of 74.3mpg.
Read our full review of the new BMW X5 here
Land Rover is launching it’s first-ever hybrid models – the Range Rover Hybrid and Range Rover Sport Hybrid.
Order books for both models will open at the show with the first deliveries expected early 2014.
The new Range Rover Hybrid powertrain features three driver-selectable modes and combines Land Rover’s 3.0-litre SDV6 diesel engine with a 35kW electric motor bringing a 26 percent reduction in CO2 emissions to 169g/km.
In driver-selectable EV mode the Range Rover Hybrid can travel at speeds of up to 30mph for up to one mile before the engine takes over.
Read our full review of new Range Rover here
One of the biggest highlights at the Citroen stand this year will be the production version of the C4 Grand Picasso, expected to reach UK shores in January 2014.
As well as some styling changes, the new generation also gets highlights such as a bigger boot, recliner passenger seats and a massaging front passenger seat.
The C4 Grand Picasso will be available from launch with Citroen’s new BlueHDi diesel engine with 150bhp and CO2 emissions starting as low as 110g/km – an impressive performance.
Click here to read our full pre-review of the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
Taking centre stage at the Ford stand this year is the close-to-production concept version of the new S-Max.
Due to arrive in showrooms in 2015, Ford has concentrated on making the new S-Max sportier-looking after extensive customer research showed that style has become an important factor for car buyers in this segment.
As well as a revamped exterior the S-Max also boasts additional practicality over the current model, available as a four, five or seven seater car.
Click here to read our full pre-review of the new Ford S-Max
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Set to arrive in the UK early 2014, the new i10 is an important car for Hyundai.
The new generation brings a huge step up in quality and will go up against the likes of the Ford KA and the award-winning Volkwagen Up.
As well as offering more space than ever before, the i10 has also been redesigned from the ground up giving it a more mainstream appeal.
To find out more about the new Hyundai i10 read our full pre-review here
Making its European debut, the new Kia Soul will go on sale in the UK early next year.
Inspired by the 2012 Kia Track’ster concept, the 2014 Soul introduces more space and reductions in CO2 emissions to help drive further appeal. The new car also features an all-new interior aimed to be more driver-focused.
Click here to read our full pre-review of the new Kia Soul
Peugeot’s new compact family hatchback will be the star attraction at the French manufacturer’s stand next week.
A whole 140kg lighter than the current model, the new 308 boasts impressive fuel economy and CO2 emissions as low as 93g/km.
The new 308 gets a new design and improved fuel economy from the range of engines that will be available from launch and will go on sale in the UK in January 2014.
Click here to read our full pre-review of the new Peugeot 308.
The new Mercedes-Benz GLA 4×4 will be unveiled at this year’s event, set to rival cars such as the BMW X1, Audi’s Q3 and the Volkswagen Tiguan.
Although lower-spec models will come with two-wheel drive, the GLA will also be the first off-roader from Mercedes-Benz to be optionally available with the new-generation permanent all-wheel drive system. It will be available with a range of petrol or diesel engines.
The GLA will go on sale in November and arrive in showrooms in early 2014.
Click here to read our full preview of the new Mercedes-Benz GLA
The new Skoda Rapid Spaceback makes its world premiere at this year’s event and will go on sale in the UK early 2014.
Already in production, the Rapid Spaceback is an estate-like version of the new Rapid and offers class-leading passenger space and efficient engines set to deliver impressively low running costs.
Click here to read our full preview of the new Skoda Rapid Spaceback
Jaguar Crossover Concept
One of the most interesting concept cars to be unveiled at this year’s event will be the Jaguar crossover concept, the firm’s first foray into the sector.
More will be revealed at the show, but Jaguar insist that the C-X17 has been created as a design study and is not based on a production model.
And now for something a little bit special……..
Ferrari 458 Speciale
We have taken a look at all the supercars and sports cars set to be unveiled at this year’s event and picked our favourite from the bunch.
The 458 Speciale has the fastest acceleration and highest lateral acceleration ever achieved by a production car in the Prancing Horse range. It can travel 0-62mph in a breathtaking three seconds.
Many of the solutions being applied for the very first time to an in-range car in the 458 Speciale, including its advanced active aerodynamics, will become a standard feature of all new Ferraris in the future.