Compact cars in focus at Frankfurt
The 64th Frankfurt Motor Show is looking like a personal showcase for the compact car as manufacturers look to get a foothold in the massively competitive small car market.
The Volkswagen Up subcompact, Mercedes-Benz’s streamlined B-Class hatchback and BMW’s electric-powered i3, aimed at crowded cities with its zero-emission motor and lightweight, carbon-fiber reinforced body, are all major bets on what will appeal to buyers – and help earnings through an uncertain year ahead in which global demand may slow.
The mood ahead of this year’s show is strangely mixed, upbeat thanks to recent strong profits but clouded by the European government debt crisis, which has depressed consumer optimism and growth forecasts for the year ahead.
New small car offerings face a highly competitive European market, where there are lots of difference makes and low prices and profit margins. But subcompact and compact cars are increasingly popular, with 38 percent of the market up 5 percentage points from 10 years ago.
VW is trying to position the Up as much more than a bare-bones, low-cost vehicle by equipping it with technology and safety features more associated with larger cars, such as City Emergency Braking, in which sensors detect imminent collisions at low speeds and automatically applies the brakes.
Mercedes has given its B-Class hatchback a lower, sleeker roof line, resulting in less aerodynamic drag for a family-oriented car. It’s also packed with technology such as collision prevention assist, which can apply brake pressure when a crash is imminent, and a seven-speed dual-clutch manual transmission.
Whatever happens in Frankfurt it’s safe to say that this is an important time in the compact car market, and all the manufacturers involved.
Author: Stephen Gransville is a writer and fan of the compact car.
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