The 2017 Frankfurt motor show has turned out to be one of the most interesting events we’ve had in the last few years. The 2016 show was all about pure electric cars, but this year we’ve seen a mixture of cutting-edge hybrid hypercars, autonomous concept cars, connected technology – and some cracking EVs thrown in for good measure. From the incredible, F1-inspired Project One, to Audi’s intriguing Aicon concept, this year’s show is packed full of tech. Here’s a list of the cars you should be excited about.
Frankfurt Motor Show 2017 dates
The Frankfurt Motor Show will be open to the public from 16 to 24 September. However, the show is open to press only from 12 September – so we’ll be updating this page as the new cars are unveiled.
Frankfurt Motor Show 2017: The most exciting cars
Audi Aicon and Elaine
Audi has unveiled its Aicon concept vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show, indicating that it’s ready to focus on a future of fully autonomous electric cars. Meanwhile, the Elaine is a far less-interesting all-electric SUV coupe in the same bracket as the Audi Q2 and the e-tron Sportback revealed in Shanghai earlier this year. Both cars fall under Audi’s “AI” name, a new umbrella term for Audi’s suite of autonomous and self-learning technologies.
BMW i Vision Dynamics
The i3 and the i8 have a new family member, and it’s called the i Vision Dynamics. Featuring a range of over 300 miles, the new i Vision Dynamics looks like a BMW 8 Series from the future, and is designed to be a fast and luxurious pure EV. Although BMW hasn’t said it outright, it’s clear the BMW i Vision Dynamics is a clear attack on Tesla, and that can only mean the EV sector is about to get more interesting.
BMW 8 Series
We haven’t seen the final version of the BMW 8 Series yet, but now we’ve got a better idea of what it’ll look like. Instead of showing us the production version of its 8 Series Concept car, BMW has instead shown us the M8 GTE – a racing version of the new 8 Series. And although it looks pretty extreme, it actually gives some important clues about what the production 8 Series will eventually look like.
Honda Urban EV
The Honda Urban EV Concept, is going to be the electric car that finally wins you over. It has the coolest styling I’ve seen on an electric car, and it looks like an old Peugeot, VW Golf and iPod, all mixed together. But the best bit? It’s coming to Europe by 2019, and Honda says it won’t look that different when it does.
Instead of a strange, overly futuristic EV, Honda has given us a car that looks like a classic, late-80s hatchback with a super-modern twist. There are rounded edges, clean lines and delicate curves, and the result is an EV that stands out without looking extreme. If Apple were ever to make an electric car, this is what it’d look like – with a notch of course.
Mercedes AMG Project One
Mercedes has finally unveiled its F1-inspired hypercar, and it’s a beast. Tipped to have over 1,000hp – more than a current F1 car – the new Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercar uses a very similar powertrain to the one that has propelled the Mercedes AMG F1 team to victory for the past three years.
At the 24-hour Nurburgring endurance race, Mercedes showed journalists what the powertrain of the car would look like, but now we’ve seen the new car in the flesh – and it looks pretty amazing. Sure, its styling isn’t as extreme as I’d have expected, and it looks more like a 90s supercar than I’d have imagined but it still looks great.
BMW M5
The BMW 5 Series is one of the best cars I’ve driven this year. Featuring cutting-edge tech and impressive handling, it’s a strong contender if you’re after an executive saloon. However, BMW isn’t finished with it yet, and has unveiled a tuned M5 version of the 5 Series.
The M5 appears to feature the same comfort and technology as every other M Series car, and should also benefit from a significant increase in handling capability and power.
Jaguar I-Pace eTROPHY
We thought the Jaguar E-Pace would be the star of JLR’s stand, but instead that turned out to be the I-Pace. That’s because Jaguar announced the eTROPHY, an all electric racing series that’ll see 20 I-Paces battle it out next year. It isn’t a small scale affair either – the new championship will act as the premium support series for Formula E.
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