2001 Frankfurt Auto Show II

2001 Frankfurt Auto Show Index
Talk about the '01 Frankfurt show here!

SHOW STARTS ON SOMBER NOTE. The bad news traveled fast, taking just minutes to spread across the kilometer-long Frankfurt Motor Show; the terror in New York and Washington quickly brought the events in Germany to a halt. Computer screens meant to display product specifications and prices were quickly converted to news centers, journalists and industry officials crowding around for any word on what was happening half a world away. Germans, Italians, French and Japanese stood side-by-side, finding ways to communicate despite their language barriers. Anyone obviously American was likely to get a hug, a pained smile, and some expression of solidarity. As the terrible Tuesday night drew to a close, Chrysler Group Chairman Dieter Zetsche sat with a flock of U.S. auto writers over dinner. “We were afraid it might not seem appropriate,” he said, clearly pained by the day’s events, “but we thought it would be better to give you a chance to be with your colleagues, rather than sit alone in your hotel rooms all night staring at the same pictures over and over again on CNN.”

 

THE SHOW MUST GO AGAIN—AT LEAST SOME OF IT. This year’s Frankfurt Motor Show was expected to bring an estimated 57 world premieres. But if anyone had the cool composure left to keep count, it fell short in the wake of the terrorist assault on the U.S., as carmakers and suppliers began canceling their news conferences and other media events.  Among the most important no-shows was the long-awaited DaimlerChrysler Maybach. The ultra-luxury brand is expected to move the automaker into the rarified range once controlled by Rolls-Royce and Bentley. It will serve as an all-new marque, rather than an extension of the comparatively mass-market Mercedes-Benz. Now word on when the automaker will now lift the covers on Maybach, but it’s still more than a year away from production. Mercedes also canceled the rollout of an advanced safety concept vehicle designed not only improve a motorist’s chances of surviving an accident, but of avoiding the crash all together.

 

COVERING ALL THE BASES. There was quite literally something for everyone in Frankfurt this year, automakers covering all the bases, from ultra-luxury to entry-level minicars. French manufacturer Citroen rolled out its new C3, a surprisingly roomy minicar, aimed at what is quickly becoming the heart of the European auto market. The so-called “B-car” segment now accounts for a third of sales in Western Europe, and 41 percent in France. The tall C3 features a new direct-injection diesel developed as part of a joint venture with Ford Motor Co. Diesels are quickly becoming the hot powertrain in Europe, due to rising fuel prices.

 

FORD FIELDS NEW FIESTA. Promising to “transform the market,” Ford Motor Co. rolled out a stylish new version of its Fiesta mini-compact, a vehicle that will provide a “new foundation” for the company, declared David Thursfield, CEO of Ford of Europe. The new Fiesta is the latest in a string of products Ford has been rolling out in a product offensive design to halt its devastating market share decline. The European market has been shifting directions, moving towards smaller, more fuel-efficient and more personalized products, Thursfield told TheCarConnection.

 

As a result, Ford intends to use the new Fiesta’s platform as the base for a series of niche vehicles. One to come was given a show car preview in the form of the Fusion Concept. The SUV/tall wagon crossover is intended to be functional and spacious, said European product development chief Martin Leach, but “small and agile enough to cope with every day life in the city.”

 

FORM AND FUNCTION AT OPEL. It seems like every European automaker is searching for a way to provide stylish designs that also pack in plenty of room and functionality. Opel’s proposed solution is the Signum concept vehicle. The wagon-like four-door boasts “the stylishness of a coupe,” declared Carl-Peter Forster, head of the General Motors subsidiary. Will it make it from concept to production? “You’re not going to have to wait very long,” Forster hinted.