With the days getting shorter and back to school ads bombarding our TVs and mailboxes, it means September is looming just around the corner.
For school-goers, September is a dreaded month, but motor heads all over the world anticipate it, as September is the month of the Frankfurt Motor Show: Ten glorious days of everything automotive from wacky concepts, to reveals of high-power art on wheels to a first look at brand new models soon to hit our roads.
The auto show in Frankfurt is one of the biggest and most prestigious in the world, with automakers from all over the globe congregating in Germany to unveil and show off the best of what they have. Besides its sausages, perhaps Frankfurt is best known for its auto show.
Here's a list of the Top 5 things to except out of the International Motor Show in Frankfurt this year, from Sept. 17 to 27.
1. BMW Bavarian automaker BMW has a few interesting entries in this year's show. It will be unveiling the much-anticipated X1, its first compact SUV, or "Sport Activity Vehicle," in BMW-speak. The newest entry in the 1 Series lineup, the X1 is aggressively styled and will likely come with a diesel option. It will arrive in Canada in 2011.
BMW is also set to premiere two new hybrid models, an X6 and a 7 Series. Both will run on similar hybrid powertrains and be powered by a 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8 teamed with electric motors. Power output will be huge, but BMW says the X6 and the 7 Series ActiveHybrids will have 20% and 15% better fuel economy than their gas-powered siblings, respectively.
2. Ferrari 458 Italia One of the most anticipated reveals is a brand new, built from the ground up Ferrari 458 Italia. The new sports coupe will have a radical new design that the Italian company says is a huge departure from anything else it has produced. Maybe Ferrari will be kind enough at Frankfurt to rev its mid-mounted 562-horsepower V8 all the way to its sky-high 9,000-rpm redline on the show room floor, just to assure onlookers that the sexy new car will still sound like a traditional Ferrari.
3. Rolls-Royce Ghost The maker of stately luxury cars, Rolls-Royce will debut its brand new Ghost at Frankfurt this year. No images have been released yet, but teaser images and artist sketches show four doors and a super low profile. We do know that it will be powered by a massive turbocharged 6.6L V12 that produces 563 hp and 575 pound-feet of torque.
4. Bugatti The maker of one of the most expensive production cars in the world (the Veyron) is very likely to debut a second model, believed to be called the Bordeaux this September. Although there is no official word from Bugatti, it is said the automaker is set to unveil a W16-powered concept of the mysterious car at Frankfurt to celebrate its centennial birthday.
5. Mazda MX-5 Superlight concept For the 20th anniversary of the Miata, Mazda will present a new take on its affordable roadster at Frankfurt with a new show car MX-5. The concept roadster was penned at Mazda's design facilities in Frankfurt and features a sporty chassis and no roof, windshield or door handles. Not much else had been made official by Mazda other than the fact the roadster has lost some pounds, which improves performance, handling and fuel economy.
National Post
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