Cars and Accessories: gm

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

2007 Frankfurt auto show: day one round-up

The Volkswagen up! debuted today in Frankfurt
(Credit: CNET Networks)

We've been trawling the floor on the first day of the Frankfurt auto show, and there have been plenty of new model launches and concept car unveilings to keep us busy. Mercedes Benz delivered on its promise to take the wraps off a fleet of new cars, including hybrid versions of its C300 wagon and its ML450 SUV, as well as its F700 research vehicle. Volkswagen and BMW also took advantage of being on their home turf, with the latter unveiling its partnership with Google for a local-search-enabled in-dash navigation system, and VW showing off its up! concept, an ultra-compact rear-engined mini-Golf with removable seats. Meanwhile, Fiat's own microcar, the 500, turned out not to be so micro in the flesh.

On the hybrid front, GM showed off its E-Flex-powered Opel Flextreme concept complete with built-in Segways, while Honda displayed a sport-tuned version of its Civic Hybrid that had earned its stripes racing in the 2007 Nurburgring race. Check out our continuing coverage of the show on the new CNET Car Tech blog, here. [...]

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Kevin Massy. CRAVE

GM goes electric in Frankfurt

The future of electric propulsion...
(Credit: CNET Networks)

We're not convinced about the wisdom of this one. GM is using this week's Frankfurt auto show to reiterate its commitment to alternative fuel cars with the unveiling of the Opel Flextreme, a concept plug-in car that builds on the buzz of the E-Flex drive train from the Chevy Volt. The car itself relies on a series hybrid drive train, which combines a lithium-ion powered-electric motor with a biodiesel combustion engine that is used solely for running the electric motor when the battery's charge runs out.

...or the past?
(Credit: CNET Networks)

However, as blue-sky as the vehicle's power train may be (lithium-ion batteries have a long way to go before they're ready for production vehicles), that is not the main cause of our concern. What troubles us is the fact that the GM has integrated two Segways into the back of the Flextreme--presumably to highlight its electric-mobility message. Now, we're no marketing mavens, but we suspect that a company trying to promote a fledgling technology would try to avoid association with a device that ended up falling--commercially and physically--flat on its face. [...]