Autoblog UK

The biggest motorcycle show of the year was due to start in Milan on Tuesday morning, but Ducati likes to do things its own way on home turf and presented its fresh line-up of 2010 models at a special event on Monday night, attended by the world's media.

Italy's most iconic motorcycle manufacturer took two hours to reveal how it's dealing with the sales crash that has blighted the industry before introducing us to its new bikes. Put simply: Ducati's market share is up but, like everyone else, its sales are down.

Despite the economic doom and gloom, the press conference concluded positively with the unveiling of the new Multistrada 1200; Ducati's crucial offering to the adventure touring segment, one of the only areas of the market that's still growing. It's a bike that has all the right ingredients to challenge BMW's class-leading R1200GS, with stand out features like the trick new Ride Mode Selector, which adjusts the set-up of the bike to suit sport, touring, urban or off-road riding; plus keyless go - a first on a production motorcycle. Expect the new Multistrada in showrooms early next year, with prices starting from £10,995.

When we arrived at the show proper on Tuesday morning, the mood and atmosphere was more muted than we expected. The recession had clearly taken its toll - Honda and Yamaha has both stayed away - and it was left to BMW and Ducati to create the most impressive stands in the halls.

Ducati kicked-started the annual Milan motorcycle show this week when it launched the new Multistrada 1200, alongside three other freshly upgraded models, all due in UK showrooms next year.

Staging its press conference the evening before EICMA officially begins - albeit with a downscaled stage show compared to previous years - Ducati took 90 minutes to bring the world's press up to speed with its 2010 product line-up, the highlight of which is without doubt the all-new Multistrada tourer.

Packed with technology that makes the outgoing model look like a relic, the 150bhp 1198cc twin-cylinder Multistrada has the ingredients to take on BMW's big-selling R1200GS.

After months of speculation and spy shots, Honda has officially revealed its eagerly anticipated VFR1200F sports tourer, which hits showrooms in a few weeks time.

At the heart of this futuristic looking motorcycle is Honda's latest 1200cc V4 engine - a brand new, torque-laden yet economical motor with 170bhp and 95lb ft of shove on tap.

It's an ultra-modern unit which Honda claims sets the VFR apart from every other bike on sale. That's so, says the manufacturer, because the new engine emulates the performance and economy of a traditional in-line four but is endowed with the low-down grunt and hearty beat of a V-configuration powerplant.

When it's launched, the VFR1200F will replace the slightly disappointing VFR800 in Honda's UK line-up. And it's been developed in record time, reaching the market just a year after we were teased with the V4 concept bike at the 2008 Cologne motorshow.

Autoblog's Will Powell reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show

The recently revealed Jaguar XJ has received a positive reception from punters here at the Frankfurt motor show. One static XJ show car takes pride of place on British brand's stand in the central hall, but Jaguar has cleverly been exposing its new luxury large saloon to the public, by ferrying executives around on the road in pre-production prototypes.

Last night, a chauffeur driven XJ was spotted parked proudly outside a well known centre-of-town hotel (the bar of which happened to be full of car hacks), while Jag boss Mike O'Driscoll popped in for a drink.

A Jaguar insider revealed that the prototype fleet of XJs that have been rolled into executive taxi service are actually on their way to the Nurburgring for final testing before the flagship saloon goes on sale next year.

No one was left in any doubt that the Ian Callum styled XJ - with its sleek, long and elegant shape - makes a more positive, eyeball-attracting impression in context on the road than it did on any motorshow stand. We can't wait to see it in showrooms in February next year.

Autoblog's Will Powell reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show

This is the replacement for the Arnage, the last pre-VW era Bentley. The Mulsanne is certainly more distinctive than the smaller Continental Flying Spur saloon, which looks a bit like and oversized Skoda Superb.

Notably, the front of the new car has twin headlights, with the smaller ones outside the larger ones - the opposite of normal design practice. Bentley says the look is, "inspired by the Le Mans era" of the 1920s and it certainly makes the car stand out.

Rather than an evolution of the outgoing Arnage, the luxury British marque was keen to point out that the Mulsanne is a "clean-slate design." Even the platform is new and has been specially developed for this car and each will take 400 hours to assemble at the Crewe factory.

What's not new is the engine. It's Bentley's 6.75-litre V8 whose lineage can be traced back to 1959 -but modern twin-turbochargers give it a whopping 505bhp.

The interior is distinguished by a remarkable acreage of polished wood, meant to give the car 'the feel of a living room' (presumably a wood-panelled one). There are wooden panels running continuously around the whole interior, including a panel under the rear window and a strip in the B-pillar between the front and rear doors.

The Mulsanne goes on sale at the start of next year and will cost a distinctly recession-unfriendly £200,000.

Autoblog's Will Powell reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show

The new Citroen C3, on show today in Frankfurt, looks a quantum leap ahead of its hopelessly dated predecessor. Sharp and modern, the premium models feature a futuristic panoramic windscreen that curves round the body, finishing over the driver's head. The dashboard also has a real quality feel -although it has been paid for by using very cheap plastics in some of the more out-of-the-way places.

The Citroen stand itself made us smile too. Twenty years ago, Citroen was in denial about its history. It wanted to be a modern car company and all references to classic Citroens were banned, for fear it would remind people of eccentric, unreliable engineering.

One UK employee who came to work in his beautiful 1972 Citroen SM was told he should not bring it into the company car park. It was amusing therefore to see the Frankfurt Citroen stand selling "90 years of design" for all it was worth. On displays all around the stand were photographs of great Citroens of the past - including the SM.

The company's latest concept car - unfortunately christened the Revolte - continues the French history lesson by borrowing design cues and references from the iconic 2CV. But insiders admit that this C2-sized concept car is unlikely to reach production in any form. It's been conceived only "to make an impact at the show," according Carlo Bonzanigo, head of Citroen's concept cars. But it could still point towards a future direction for Citroen design, giving the brand an exciting new direction.

Autoblog's Will Powell reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show

The covers are off the more stylish, all-new Ford C-Max and seven-seat Grande C-Max, launched at today's Frankfurt motor show. Both are based on the same platform that will underpin next year's all-new Ford Focus and - perhaps even more crucially - both usher in Ford's new EcoBoost engines, technology that will finally stand the Blue Oval in good stead against VW and it's small yet powerful TSI motors.

Ford claims its new 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine offers the performance of a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre with the fuel economy and CO2 emissions of a 1.6. It's got direct injection and is turbocharged, with versions of the 1.6 engine varying in states of tune between 150-180bhp yet able to offer a twenty percent improvement in fuel economy compared with the outgoing units. A 2.0-litre EcoBoost will also be launched with power outputs varying between 210-280bhp , while a small capacity 1.2-litre is expected in the future. These new units will roll out first on the latest C-Max before rapidly being made available elsewhere in Ford's line-up.

Both the five- and seven-seat C-Max have been designed be more visually appealing than the previous model, as Ford attempts to broaden the car's appeal. The previous model was bought mainly by older people and Ford is keen to appeal to a younger family customer with this one.

The larger seven-seat Grande C-Max (which sits between the standard five-seater and the S-Max) has also been conceived with a view to conquering the American market. It's got a longer wheelbase than the standard model and electric sliding doors for ease of access, but in the metal it's styling seems a little bland and unconvincing, even if it is neatly packaged. The funkier five-seat C-Max meanwhile looks on first impressions like it could succeed in expanding the model's appeal.

The new engines and both versions of the C-MAX go on sale at the start of next year.

Autoblog's Will Powell reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show

Mini has wowed the crowds on the first day of the Frankfurt motorshow with its stunning two-seat Roadster - a Mazda MX-5 rival that looks certain to dramatically broaden the brand's appeal.

The Mini Roadster is based on the recently revealed Mini Coupe, itself a re-engineered version of the standard hatchback with a lower roofline and sleeker, sportier proportions. But the difference here is that the Roadster has a lightweight, canvas roof and a steeply raked screen creating sharp styling that seems certain to shake up the value end of the sports car market when it goes on sale in 2011.

Unlike the Mini Coupe - which is powered by JCW Mini's 208bhp turbo engine - the Roadster will come with the smoother and more refined 175bhp version of the 1.6-litre petrol turbo. It'll be built in Britain, at Mini's Oxford plant.

"Its significantly lower, slimmer and more dynamic than the regular production models," said Mini design chiefs, but the interior takes cues from high fashion with designs, patterns and textiles intended to make the Mini Roadster a desirable accessory as well as a sharp driving sports car.

Mini is still some way from confirming prices for the new models, but we expect the range to start at around £25k - pricing that's competitive against rivals likes the Mazda MX-5 and Audi TT Roadster.

If Mini gets the look, price point and driving dynamics right (and there's every reason to believe that it will) then we expect the Mini Roadster to be a massive seller come 2011.

Autoblog's Will Powell reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show

This is the L1, a two-seat roadster concept and the latest super-low CO2 car from Volkswagen. The German giant is determined to bring this idea to the market in some form by 2013, although its likely to have four seats and a coupe like body eventually.

But this concept model will return a staggering 189mpg and has CO2 emissions of just 39g/km.

It's as low as a Lamborghini but only as long as a Fiat 500, and is powered by an 800cc two stroke diesel engine with just 29bhp. The proportions and styling make it incredibly aerodynamic (drag coefficient is just 0.195) and very light (a teeny 350kg).

The modest engine is paired with an electric motor that kicks in to boost torque when harder acceleration is needed. That means the L1 can reach a claimed top speed of 99mph and manage 0-62mph in 14.3 seconds.

"The whole project is being pitched as a possible production car for around 2013," said a VW communications man.

In the past a project like this would have been impossible to bring to production. But Volkswagen's head of concept cars told us that advances carbon fibre construction techniques (a material that is not only very strong but lightweight) has made the potential manufacturing process much more cost effective for mass production. We wouldn't be surprised to see a version of the L1 breaking all economy records in 2013.