Man Furious with BMW M6's Faults and Bad Customer Service Smashes it at Frankfurt Show

Using a sledgehammer and an axe, the disgruntled owner of a previous-generation BMW M6 together with one of his friends, started smashing the performance car. Iranian-born businessman Pourmohseni Hadi bought the M6 new for €120,000 ($160,600) from a BMW dealer in Italy, but soon after that, he says the car experienced “serious technical problems.”

By Unknown with No comments

Carscoops' A-to-Z Guide to the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show [Press Day 1]

The arrival of September means one thing for car enthusiasts: the new auto show season is upon us, beginning with the Frankfurt Motor Show, also known in Germany as the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA - International Automobile Exhibition), that occurs every two years, alternating with the Paris Auto Show.
The key dates to remember for this year's event are September 10 and 11 for the press when we will shift into high gear for the debuts, and September 12 through 22 for the public when you can visit the show.
Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

New BMW 4-Series Coupe with Dab of M Performance Parts

Most of the buzz around BMW's booth at the Frankfurt Messe is concentrated on the production iterations of the all-electric i3 hatchback and the plug-in hybrid i8 sports coupe, but there's plenty more to see as the Bavarian firm brought along a number of new cars for their world premiere, including the 4-Series Coupe. Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

Audi Sport Quattro Concept Pays Tribute to 1980s Rally Legend [69 Photos]

What do we have here; is the Sports Quattro a concept meant to prepare us for a production car or a pure flight of fantasy to get the crowd coming in to Audi's Frankfurt Motor Show stand?
Tough question, especially since Audi pulled the same stunt with the almost identical in philosophy and design, but mechanically different, Quattro Concept in 2010. It was supposed to be built but never was – and you know the saying, "once bitten, twice shy"…
Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

Audi Mulling a Production Version of Nanuk Quattro Concept! [w/Video]

We will agree that the styling of the Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept might not be to everyone's taste, but the idea of a high-riding, mid-engine sports car that can be used all-year round by those who live in snow-belt regions or simply in places with poor road conditions, does sound compelling, doesn't it? Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

IAA: Lamborghini Gallardo Continues Life with LP 570-4 Squadra Corse Edition

The rumored debut of a concept previewing the Gallardo's replacement turned out to be just that; a rumor. Instead, what Lamborghini had to offer to Gallardo fans was another limited edition version, this one named the LP 570-4 Squadra Corse. And before you build your hopes up on getting one, let us tell you that it will cost €191,100 (equal to about 254,000 McDonald cheeseburgers in the U.S.), and that's before taxes. Read more »

By Unknown with 1 comment

Volvo Coupe Concept is a Strong Contender for the Best Looking Car of the Frankfurt Motor Show

We haven't hidden the fact that we like Volvo's design direction with the new Coupe Concept that's on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and these live pictures from the brand's stand only strengthen our belief that company execs should give it a green light for production - wouldn't you agree? (If you don't just tell us in the comments). Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

Suzuki-Powered Caterham Seven 165 Says No To Fat Wheels in Frankfurt

One of the main reasons why the Toyota GT86 and its derivatives are such a joy to drive are they can be tossed around. Sometimes, these cars are intentionally fitted with non-grippy eco tires to lose traction easily, but do so in a gradual fashion so as not to startle the driver – this means it’s fun for drivers of varying skill levels, in the sense that it’s flattering for noobs and rewarding for those who have had experience with similar equipment before. Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

Citroën C-Elysée Wears Its Bad Boy WTCC Costume for the Frankfurt Motor Show

Will those of you who disagree with us when we say that the regular Citroën C-Elysée is a big French "meh" please raise your hands? We thought so... And that's precisely the reason why Citroën chose its lackluster compact saloon to represent the marque in the World Touring Car Championship in 2014, even though, whatever makes the C-Elysée WTCC a cool car is absent from the production model. Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

EU-Spec Kia Optima Facelift Makes Frankfurt Debut, On Sale in Early 2014

The current shape Kia Optima has really won a following all of its own in the US, where its good looks, and powerful turbocharged petrol engines make it a firm favorite – the fact that they sell it as a hybrid helps too. Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

New Sportsvan is Volkswagen's Longer, Taller and Slightly More Practical Golf

If you were to magically drop into a European VW dealership and check out the brand's compact offerings, you'd find the following options: Golf hatch in 3 and 5-door trims; Golf Plus, Jetta sedan, Golf Variant (estate), Golf Cabriolet, Eos Coupe-Cabriolet, Scirocco coupe, Tiguan SUV, Touran MPV and the Beetle range.
We suppose with a little bit of effort and imagination, you could justify the existence of most aforementioned models, but you'd still be wondering what's with the Golf Plus, which is neither a hatch or a minivan yet tries to be both.
Read more »

By Unknown with No comments

Honda to Debut Civic Facelift Alongside New Tourer and NSX Study at Frankfurt Motor Show

We were already aware of Honda's intentions to host the world premiere of the production Civic Tourer at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, but today, the Japanese brand told us that it would also debut the facelifted version of the European market Civic hatchback.

By Unknown with No comments

Opel Releases Second Teaser Image of the Monza Concept, Reminds Us of Past Frankfurt Studies

The Frankfurt Motor Show (September 12-22) is quickly approaching and automakers are starting to uncover their premieres to be displayed at Europe’s largest car show.

Opel has confirmed the Monza Concept for Frankfurt, a coupe whose face we’re already familiar with. Now, the German carmaker released a second teaser image of the car showing the front end once again, although this time it has been more generous with the lighting.

By Unknown with No comments

BMW Details Production i8 Plug-in Hybrid Coupe Ahead of Frankfurt Debut, Aims at Porsche 911

Next month's Frankfurt Motor Show will see BMW's new "i" sub-brand debuting not one, but its two first series production cars , the i3 electric hatchback that goes on sale this fall and which we've already seen, and the more hotly-anticipated i8 plug-in hybrid sports coupe that will arrive in dealerships worldwide during 2014.

BMW isn't quite ready yet to uncover the interior and exterior styling of the i8 2+2 seater coupe, simply releasing photos of a camouflaged pre-production tester, but it is ready to share initial information and specifications.

By Unknown with No comments

Toyota to Debut New Hybrid R Sports Concept at the Frankfurt Show

Like many other major players in the industry, Toyota will also offer us a glimpse into the future with one or perhaps even more concept models at next month's Frankfurt International Motor Show in Germany. Today we learned that one of those studies will be the Hybrid R Concept.

"At the forthcoming 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, Toyota will present an exciting new concept that brings Toyota Hybrid System-Racing technology to the road (and track)," reads the Japanese firm's statement that's accompanied by a picture of the Hybrid R logo, but nothing more.

By Unknown with No comments

2012 BMW 1-Series Hatchback: First Official Photos and Details Leaked

The 2012 BMW 1-Series has leaked to the web, ahead of its unveiling at the Frankfurt Motor Show. These official photos along with the first details showed up on a German website called Motor Traffic, as BMW has not yet made an announcement.

Looking more substantial than its predecessor, the model adopts a prominent front fascia that draws inspiration from the 5-Series GT and 7-Series. The rest of the car is an evolution of the previous model, but the overall design seems rather promising.

Seen here in a five-door format, the new 1-Series evolves the current model’s styling with sharper and more prominent creases all around along with a much more pronounced front end that sports unusually large headlamps pushed to the far corners of the bumper literally hugging the wheel arches.

Unless you happen to own the current 1-Series, you’ll have a hard time discovering the styling differences. Upon a closer look, you may notice the larger center console with new switchgear and the new steering wheel design.

2012 BMW 1-Series leaked photos, 782, 03.06.2011

According to the leaked information, the car rides on a longer 2.69 meter (105.9 inch) wheelbase, the cabin is roomier and luggage capacity climbs by an additional 200 liters (7 cubic feet). Additional information is limited, but the interior has higher quality materials, an improved design, and a 6.5-inch (or optional 8.8-inch) iDrive display. Furthermore, option include a collision warning system, speed limit detection, and Internet connectivity.

Perhaps the most important news about the 2012 BMW 1-Series is the introduction of a brand new 1.6-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. The German website reported that new powerplant will be available on the 116i with an output of 136-horses and on the 118i with the same displacement but with 170-horses. Diesel options are said to include a 2.0-liter turbo diesel with 116HP, 143HP and 184HP.

As part of BMW's EfficientDynamics strategy, all models will come equipped with an engine start/stop system and regenerative brakes. This should enable the 1-Series to have an average fuel consumption that ranges from 4.3 to 5.8 liters per 100 kilometers (40.6 to 54.7 mpg US / 48.7 to 65.7 mpg UK).

The 1-Series is scheduled to premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and will go on sale later this fall, so stay tuned for additional information.

Source: Motor Traffic via WFC and Carscoop

PHOTO GALLERY

By Unknown with No comments