Autoblog UK

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.

For us in Europe, a Lincoln is of as much interest as a dried-up cheeseburger, being an American relic from the long-gone golden age of legendary limos. Dinosaurs like Lincoln therefore have to take action in order to avoid being made extinct by their troubled parent company Ford in these times of increasing environmental consciousness and global automotive crisis.

At their home game in Detroit, the Americans did indeed provide a first indication that they had observed the wind of change, by presenting the C-Concept. To be in line with Lincoln's proud heritage, the compact American combines the luxury of heavy gangster limos with the more human dimensions of a modern (and above all environmentally-aware) compact car.

The design is innovative throughout, yet somehow still reflects Lincoln (as long as you know what a Lincoln reflects). The basic proportions with a lower shoulder line and large, high areas of glass promise a lot of light and room inside. This may not be in line with current fashion but indeed that's no problem.

Before I begin, I'd like to make one thing clear: the Audi Sportback Concept is not a four-door coupé. Even though the marketing strategists would like to portray this dynamic new model from Ingolstadt in such terms. What we have here is a reincarnation of the fastback in it most original form. So for all those auto magazine editors for whom Audi can do no wrong: the Audi Sportback Concept does not represent a revolution in the car market.

Nor need it be. Immediately recognisable as an Audi (we're hardly likely to miss that characteristic grille) and with all the usual Audi accoutrements, it looks exactly how you would expect an elegant, stretch fastback from Ingolstadt to look.

At the front, the proportionally tweaked single-frame radiator grille immediately catches the eye. This is now even wider than before and dispenses completely with vertical elements, thereby further accentuating the horizontals. The customary LED lights razzamatazz was to be expected: it has now become an Audi speciality.

Audi unveiled the Sportback concept show car at the 2009 North American International Automobile Show. With systematic refinements to the brand's characteristic design elements, the five-door model offers a glimpse at the Audi's future design vocabulary. With its coupé-like silhouette and large rear hatch, the 4.95 m long (16.24 ft), 1.93 m wide (6.33 ft) and only 1.40 m high (4.59 ft) vehicle is boldly progressive for the luxury class.

The technology of the Audi Sportback concept is markedly futuristic. Power is provided by the world's cleanest diesel technology: the 3.0-liter V6 TDI clean diesel almost completely eliminates nitrogen oxides. This engine already meets the emissions limits of all 50 U.S. states and the EU6 standard scheduled to take effect in 2014. And numerous measures to ensure top efficiency mean that the Audi Sportback concept is expected to achieve impressive fuel consumption figures of 5.9 liters of diesel per 100 kilometers (39.87 US mpg).

Let's forget for one moment the tantalising pictures of the new S60 Concept and focus on its predecessor. Up to now, the S60 has been as bourgeois a Volvo as you could want. Angular design, straight-laced with a characteristically beefy pair of shoulders which are further accentuated by the rear light panels. Scandinavian cool plus all the typical Volvo insignia.

The S60 Concept recently unveiled shows us where the new S60 is heading and carries on in a somewhat more radical fashion from where the XC60 left off. Out with the plain straight lines and in with curve appeal and plenty of details.

Is this the end of 'hard-line Volvo design'? After the beefy back-end look of the current S60, the recently-presented XC60 showed the new design aspirations of the Swedes. And it is certainly ready to stand up and be counted! It's particularly because Volvo has succeeded in almost fully concealing the strong technical links to diverse Ford models and thus not letting the premium aspirations of the brand be put under question.

Photos are now being released of the S60 successor which will be available in 2010. A distinct and stylish radiator grille is of course one of the key components in contemporary car design (particularly in the premium segment). As much so as a roof that slopes downwards to the rear in coupé style, ending with a short and tidy tail end with just a hint of being stepped. The lateral characteristics are however a little reminiscent of the Audi A5.

A motor manufacturer can have any number of reasons for presenting a design study. They may wish to demonstrate a particular capability without ever moving on to the series production stage. Or it may be intended to whet the appetite for a new model in the pipeline.

But one of the most important reasons is to enhance the image of the marque. Honda have been working on their green credentials for a number of years and have now made inroads into Toyota's hybrid monopoly by thinking two steps ahead and concentrating on the fuel cell technology of the future.

What Renault have shown with their Sand'Up is nothing other than the matching concept version of the already premiered Sandero Stepway, i.e. an affordable leisure off-roader which, in keeping with the Zeitgeist, is replete with plastic and aluminium components.

But this prototype has a few more tricks up its sleeve. The doors of the Sand'Up are see-through, which makes for a light-infused interior. As the designers are only kidding, we won't pontificate about the side-impact safety spec. After all, we can dream, can't we? The rear tailgate can be opened up like on a Suzuki Jimny to give you that free-and-easy beach buggy feeling.

The subdued shading of the headlights would also look good on the series Sandero but might push up the price too much. The financial pros at Dacia have a reputation for wielding their red pens: interesting to see which features they consider viable for incorporation into the Sandero Stepway.

Admittedly, trying to conjure a bit of excitement or emotion out of the relative merits of a pickup is on the one hand difficult and on the other hand, an existential question.

With their Pickup Concept prototype, Volkswagen are readying the faithful for Wolfsburg's answer to the Hilux and Navara.
In order to give this 'study' a little more pizzazz, they've equipped the Concept Pickup with radio gear, a blue light and Baywatch-style lifebuoys. The SAR inscription on the sides, standing for 'Search and Rescue', explains the remarkable accessories.
But the SAR designation as well as the lifebuoys amount to little more than concept car frippery.

The front with its headlights linked via a black monobrow grille shows parallels to the new Volkswagen design language introduced in the shape of the Golf VI.

This VW flatbed will go on sale in the German market from 2009 under the staid and more marketable name of 'Robust'.