Highlights from the Frankfurt Motor Show 2019

There’s unlikely to be a faster way of transporting a labrador to the park once Audi’s RS6 Avant arrives in the UK. The twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 (with hybrid assistance) produces a handy 600hp, and puts all that power through an eight-speed gearbox and onto the latest version of the Quattro four-wheel-drive system. With the combination of power and traction, it’ll take just 3.6 seconds to hit 62mph and, in some specifications, continue on to 190mph.

BMW used Frankfurt to prepare buyers for a change in style. Previewing the new 4 Series coupe, there’s a definite move away from a two-door 3 Series style towards a sportier, individual design that puts design ahead of function. Contacts suggest that the, er, significant grille at the front will remain, along with the dramatic headlights, both changes that move away from BMW’s current design direction.

Painting the new X6 in super-black Vantablack paint certainly highlighted the new illuminated grille at the front of the SUV. In more regular colours, the X6 is longer and wider than the current model but sits lower to give it a more sporting stance. Based on the X5, there’ll be a choice of petrol and diesel engines, with a 530hp M50i topping the range. While the X6 is a unique model, those X5 underpinnings also stretch to the interior, where you’d be hard pushed to tell the difference between the two models.

Keen to stand clear of its cousins at SEAT, Cupra has revealed its new all-electric sports car named, somewhat confusingly, after a Spanish ski resort near the French border. With no engine to feed air to, Cupra has reimagined what the nose of a car should look like, mixing up locations for lights, vents and badges. The rear is aero-optimised, and a little more conventional, while the interior mixes multiple materials while eschewing anything analogue. Two electric motors will combine to offer more than 300hp while the battery pack promises a range of around 280 miles.

Cheap city cars are disappearing, with the Suzuki Celerio, Renault Twingo, Ford Ka+ and Vauxhall Viva all getting the chop, so it’s good to see Hyundai offering an all-new i10. It’s still a fairly conventional car (there’s not enough profit at this level to do anything too exciting) but offers plenty of space for little outlay. In-car tech has been stepped up a notch too, with an impressive infotainment system that sits in a continuous swept curve across the dashboard. Hyundai’s promising some groundbreaking connectivity options, too.

Arguably the biggest news from Frankfurt is the final reveal of the most preview, leaked and discussed new car in years. Taking design cues from the original Defender and expanding on them, the new model is a supersized homage to the classic model. Available in three- or five-door version, it’s bigger than a Range Rover but will undoubtedly be able to go places no Range Rover could ever manage. The interior mixes a high-tech twist with a workhorse design, but the days of washing your car out with a hosepipe are long gone. One curiosity is the panel on the side windows; on the longer 110 version it’s a structural piece, but the three-door 90 model has it there purely for cosmetic reasons, robbing the rear seats of a window. It’ll divide opinion and keep forums arguing for years, but there’s no doubt that the new Defender will sell in significant numbers.

Looking like it’s been designed by a 12-year-old boy - which is no bad thing! - the latest Lamborghini takes the existing Aventador underpinnings and its 6.5-litre V12 engine are combined with a 48-volt electric motor. The result is a supercar providing 820hp, with performance to match. There’s no battery pack to drag around, which helps, as the hybrid system uses a supercapacitor which is far more powerful and compact than a traditional battery pack. Sian roughly translates to ‘flash of lightning’ but it doesn’t matter how quick you are if you're interested in picking up one of the £3 million motors - all 63 have been sold already.

A range of just 144 miles doesn’t sound much for an electric car these days, but MINI is confident that the Electric will see most use in urban environments where performance trumps travelling distances. Built in Britain, the MINI Electric will hide a 32.6kWh battery pack under the seats, which is smaller than that found in many rivals but means costs can be kept under control. A price tag of less than £25,000 after government grants could be low enough to get interest from those who wouldn’t normally consider an EV, while MINI’s famed handling is, by all accounts, still there to appeal to drivers.

Vauxhall is electrifying everything, so it’s no surprise that the Grandland, based on Peugeot’s 3008, is gaining the Frnech firms plug-in hybrid powertrain. A 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine combined with two electric motors to create a family SUV that can travel as far as 36 miles without using a drop of petrol. The Grandland and Corsa-e are just the first steps in Vauxhall’s so-called ‘e-offensive’ that will see the entire model range electrified.
 

Porsche’s all-electric sports car has rattled Tesla so much that the American firm is threatening to take a Tesla to the Nurburgring and set some records, right in Porsche’s backyard. The four-door car is built on a new platform designed purely for electric power, and there’s as much as 761hp of power available, which is enough to hit 62mph in just 2.8 seconds. If the hot Turbo S version is a tad much, the regular Turbo model makes do with just 625hp, but reduces the price tag from £138,826 to £115,858. A marginally more sensible and lower power version will join the line up next year. Range, in ideal circumstances, is as much as 279 miles, which is short of its Tesla rival, but the sporting heritage of Porsche means you might just enjoy those miles a little more.

Volkswagen’s reinvention starts here, with the ID.3 bearing the manufacturers newly redesigned badge to indicate that it’s now a provider of environmentally friendly mobility solutions rather than just a car maker. Its first effort is a pure-electric family hatchback that promises a range of up to 342 miles. There’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, but Volkswagen has packaged the usual electric motors and batteries in a neat body that is amongst the most aerodynamic on the market. Battery options will range from a 205-mile 45kWh unit up to that headline grabbing 77kWh choice. Each will be generously kitted out with equipment, but it’s the price tag of around £27,000 that will appeal to many. Unlike some rivals, Volkswagen also assures us that there’s plenty of battery packs available, so supply won’t be an issue.