The car show season kicks off with the biannual Frankfurt auto show, a major venue for German automakers--and just about everyone else selling cars in the European market. For these preview photos, we've scoured the Web for any launch information we could find prior to the show. Check out this advance information on concepts, new models, and model upgrades to be unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show.
Based on Nissan's Micra, the Mixim is an electric car designed for a generation that grew up with the Internet. The Mixim has two motors, one for each axle, which get electricity from a lithium-ion battery pack.
2 of 10 Volvo
Volvo used its new C30 model for the ReCharge concept, replacing the drivetrain with wheel motors. The ReCharge is designed as a plug-in hybrid, with a 60-mile range on its batteries. It can be recharged from the grid or from an onboard four-cylinder engine. Sounds like the Chevy Volt already has a competitor.
3 of 10 Audi
Audi adds some nice tech touches to its next-generation A4, such as the LED daytime driving lights visible in this picture. Cabin shots show a full, console-mounted version of Audi's MMI, rather than the dash-mounted interface controller of past models.
4 of 10 Audi
Audi's RS line is noted for phenomenal performance, even beyond its impressive S line. The RS6 holds up this tradition with a whopping 580 horsepower. This wagon gets to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. Whoa!
5 of 10 Jaguar
Jaguar's efforts to update its model line have led to this new sedan, which appeared as the C-XF concept at last season's auto shows. The XF retains some of its concept features, such as an automatic transmission shifter in the shape of a dial.
6 of 10 Ford
Ford is following GM's example from last year, showing off a small-car concept that could keep it competitive in the world market. No details on the Verve have been published yet, but this car could easily by pushed by a four-cylinder engine.
7 of 10 Ford
Ford was quick on the crossover trend in the U.S. with its Edge. For Europe, Ford decided a slightly different model was in order, and came up with the Kugo. Hmmm, Kugo, Cujo. Doesn't Ford realize that Europeans read Stephen King, too?
8 of 10 Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi considers the cX a crossover SUV, according to its press release. The rest of the world calls this type of car a hatchback. It runs off a 1.8-liter clean diesel engine mated to Mitsubishi's new twin-clutch SST transmission. Cool.
9 of 10 BMW
BMW is using the 2007 Frankfurt auto show to brag about its low carbon emissions. That's fine, but we just want to see the BMW 135i coupe, launching at the show and due in the U.S. next year.
10 of 10 Mercedes-Benz
We know, it's an engine, not a car. But this is Mercedes-Benz's DiesOtto, an engine that combusts through compression, like a diesel, but burns gasoline. Mercedes-Benz has a lot of dramatic claims about its efficiency, claiming that a 1.8-liter DiesOtto does fine under the hood of an S-Class. At the show, this engine will come wrapped in a new research car dubbed the F700.
