The show's the thing...
There are thousands of new vehicles on the show floors of Frankfurt’s International Motor Show but not nearly all will make it to the Canadian market. Following is our pick of those ultimately coming to Canada.
Removing two doors, resulting in the Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe, makes the car much sexier. It’s a little longer and wider than the previous generation, and will come on sale early next year.
We’ll only get one version of Infiniti’s new compact Q30 when it arrives next year. It’ll come with a 2.0L, four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine, seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive.
Don’t confuse the hatchback Infiniti Q30 with the QX30, which will be a very similar compact crossover with all-wheel drive. It will debut in November at the Los Angeles auto show.
With crossovers and SUVs selling so well, it was only a matter of time before Jaguar got in on the action with its new F-Pace.
The sporty F-Pace is a Jaguar shaped like a crossover, not a crossover that was pushed into the shape of a Jag, says its chief designer, Ian Callum.
Not to be outdone, and also cashing in on crossover popularity, Bentley pulled the wraps off its ultra-luxury Bentayga. There’s no Canadian price announced yet, but it’ll be expensive.
The Rolls-Royce Dawn will be more expensive, though – because it’s a Rolls-Royce.
The Dawn is a smaller four-seater convertible than the Phantom-based Drophead Coupe. That doesn’t mean it’s small: its 6.6L twin-turbo V-12 engine makes 563 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Don’t open the door at speed…
There wasn’t an official press introduction for BMW’s X1 after the company’s chairman fainted on stage, but the wraps were removed anyway.
We don’t yet know any specific details about the Canadian edition of the next Kia Sportage. It’ll look like this European edition, with a sportier appearance, a new grille, and higher quality materials.
Toyota’s fourth generation of the Prius hybrid will also look more sporty, and will be longer, wider and lower than before.
According to the bumph, the new Prius is supposed to look like a runner in the starting blocks. There’s no word yet on its fuel consumption, except that it’s improved upon the current generation.
We won’t get the sleek Mazda Koeru concept car, but we will get the next generation of the CX-9 that will based on it.
Europeans will get the next Volkswagen Tiguan early in 2016, but we’ll have to wait another year for it to arrive in Canada. When it comes, it will be only the long-wheelbase version.
We’re also getting this longer wheelbase edition of the Mini Clubman. Its extra 10 cm of length makes it the longest production Mini ever made. It still has the distinctive double-doors of the current generation at the rear.
If you prefer your cars even smaller, the latest generation of the Smart Fortwo now comes as a cabriolet, in both conventional- and electric-powered versions.
Also topless, and also on stage with Mercedes, is the new S-Class Cabriolet. It uses 12 heaters and 18 actuators to keep the climate just as you want it, whether the roof is up or down.
When the three-layered roof is in place on the S-Class Cabriolet, Mercedes claims it has class-leading quietness – almost as insulating as the hardtop.
Alfa-Romeo’s Giulia is intended to compete with the compact sedans of the German makers, but with Italian style.
There’s no word yet on Canadian specifications or prices for the various models of the Giulia, but it should be similar to other premium compact sedans when it’s sold here next year.
Of course, no European auto show is complete without a new Ferrari.
Ferrari’s 488 Spider will use its 670 hp to accelerate from zero-to-200 km/h in only 8.7 seconds.
Not to be outdone, Lamborghini took the top off its Huracan LP 610-4.
The Huracan Spider only has 610 hp and takes slightly more than 10 seconds to accelerate from zero-to-200 km/h. Good luck explaining that to the police at the side of the road when it arrives in Canada next year.
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