‘Clean Cars’ to Shine in Frankfurt
By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
``Clean cars’’ are expected to be at the center of attention at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the world’s largest automobile feast in size, set to kick of this week in the German city.
South Korean automakers including Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and GM Daewoo & Technology will also join the international fair as part of their campaigns to expand sales in the European market.
Officially named the International Auto Ausstellung (IAA), the Frankfurt Motor Show would run until Sept. 23 under the theme, ``See, What’s Driving the Future!’’ with some 1,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries around the world on hand.
Future Cars
Hyundai Motor, the top South Korean carmaker, plans to display a total of 17 vehicles including its new concept car ``i-Blue,’’ while Kia Motors is to unveil a two-door, sports coupe-style concept car.
GM Daewoo will reveal its 1.4-liter Chevrolet Aveo hatchback sedan as well as its main products including Winstorm and Matiz, while Ssangyong Motor also plans to introduce its sports sedan ``Wz.’’
But the global leaders in the automobile industries including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen are focusing more on eco-friendly vehicles this year, as pressure has been building on them to make environmental protection a priority.
Hybrid engines that save energy and run on bio-fuels or hydrogen, or those vehicles which trim fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, are among the responses offered by the global automakers.
For example, Germany’s luxury sports car Porsche is to roll out a hybrid version of its Cayenne sports utility vehicle (SUV), while France’s Peugeot is pushing the green credentials of its 308 passenger car which would make its global debut in Frankfurt.
Japanese players are also showing futuristic vehicles of their own including Toyota’s Lexus hybrid models such as LS600h, GS450h and RX400h and Mitsubishi’s small all-wheel-drive ``Concept-cX’’ SUV.
``We accept the challenge posed by the global warming debate,’’ Matthias Wissmann, president of the German Automobile Federation VDA that organizes the motor show, was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying.
Various other events will be featured at the show, now in its 62nd year. Visitors, for example, will be able to fill their own tanks at the ``Bio-fuel Bar’’ or get on-the-street lessons on how to consume less gas with the cars they already possess.
CEOs in One Place
As in previous years, this year’s show will also be a place where chief executive officers (CEOs) and other dignified guests from the global carmakers, including the South Korean ones, would get together.
Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman & CEO Kim Dong-jin, Kia Motors President Chung Eui-sun, Renault Samsung Motors CEO Jean-Marie Hurtiger and Ssangyang Motor President Choi Hyung-Tak will attend the motor show, according to the companies.