Electric show

By Samuel Ee

THIS year's Frankfurt motor show is nothing if not electric.

That is because there were electric and alternative fuel cars everywhere at the 63rd edition of the world's biggest auto show. A visitor entering its huge halls would have thought the poor internal combustion engine had caught the swine flu and couldn't turn up.

But despite embracing the eco-friendly electric motor and putting it on a pedestal, it was only a green facade.

Because lurking close by were some delectable and very decadent sports cars. One of them was the Mercedes- Benz SLS AMG. Its gullwing doors may be classic, but its drivetrain is very 21st century.

A 6.2-litre V8 engine pumps out a rubber-shredding 563 hp. Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that feeds the power to the rear wheels, it propels the SLS from zero to 100 kmh in 3.8 seconds.

Before tree-huggers fret though; an electric version of the SLS supercar is due in 2013.

It was a similar environmental message over at Audi.

At the same time as the German premium carmaker showed off its R8 Spyder 5.2 TSI quattro, it also debuted the fully electric Audi e-tron concept.

The Spyder has the same sensational 525 hp V10 engine and all-wheel-drive quattro system as the Coupe, but with an electric soft top. Due here in the second half of 2010, it will zip from zero to 100 kmh in 4.1 seconds, or 0.2 seconds more than the hardtop version.

On the other hand, the e-tron is also a high-performance sports car, but with four electric motors - two each at the front and rear axles. This "electric quattro" has 313 hp and a mind-blowing 4,500 Nm.

Other sports coupes that emerged from under their dust covers were the Porsche 911 Turbo and Ferrari 458 Italia. The new Turbo has a bigger and more powerful 3.8-litre flat-six engine with 500 hp, but is less thirsty with lower emissions.

More importantly, it will join other Porsche models by switching over to the brilliant seven- speed PDK double-clutch transmission.

The 458 also boasts a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox - a first for Ferrari. But it has more radical styling and higher exotic appeal, not least of all because the replacement of the F430 has a 570 hp 4.5-litre V8 engine with the highest specific output of any road car.

Attending the Frankfurt show were a total of 62 automakers with 82 world premieres. Among the latter was the Lamborghini Reventon Roadster. Based on the Murcielago, but with all-new carbon fibre bodywork, its jaw-dropping styling would seem to make the Reventon Roadster the ultimate supercar.

It is powered by a 6.5-litre V12 engine - the one found in the Murcielago Super- Veloce - with a full complement of 670 horses. Zero to 100 kmh is dispatched in merely 3.4 seconds en route to a top speed of 330 kmh.

Like the Reventon Coupe before it, the Roadster will also be a limited edition model. But at just 15 units for the global market, it will be even rarer than the 20 Coupes.

Priced at 1.1 million euros (S$2.3 million) before tax, it is understood that a couple of Singaporeans are among the buyers. Their cars are expected to arrive within the next six months.

Less extreme, but still desirable was the Aston Martin Rapide - a four-door four-seater model in the same vein as the Porsche Panamera. Along with the expected good looks of an Aston Martin, it has a six-litre V12 engine with 470 hp and 600 Nm of torque.

But the real super saloon unveiled at Frankfurt was the Bentley Mulsanne. This all-new grand Bentley replaces the ageing Arnage and is the British marque's riposte to the increasing competition in the ultra-luxury segment.

Under the massive bonnet lies an updated version of the familiar Bentley 6.75-litre V8. Turbocharged to churn out 505 hp, but with 15 per cent improved consumption, it is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The Mulsanne is due here in the third quarter of 2010 and is expected to cost well in excess of S$1 million. It may not be electric, but it should be equally exciting.

samuelee@sph.com.sg

 

This article was first published in The Business Times.