Frankfurt Shows Smaller and Lighter Cars

This year's Frankfurt Motor Show is now in full swing with elite 1 carmakers showcasing new models and new technologies that make vehicles cheaper and lighter 3 - now and in the future.

Su Yi has more.

 

To adapt to increasing concerns over environment preservation 4 and the eventually exhaustible fossil fuel reserves, world-leading auto 5 makers 2 have set the tone of future car development as environment-friendly, fuel-saving and intelligent.

Among a range of hybrid 6 and pure electric cars, BWM i3 distinguished 7 itself with its light aluminum 8 and carbon-fiber structure, which makes it just lighter and even more reinforced.

Volkswagen's single-passenger vehicle "Nils" focuses on urban mobility 9 and lone 10 drivers.

Natascha Kinstner is from Volkswagen's Research and Development Department.

"Nils is a concept car by VW Research, and it focuses on micro-mobility; that is to say, urban mobility. It is a single-passenger vehicle, because studies have shown that 70 percent of commuters drive less than 25 kilometers to work, and that 90 percent drive by themselves. That is why it is a single-passenger concept."

Volkswagen's brand new city car -- four seater "Up!" is also attracting attention.

Measuring only 3.54 meters in length, the mini model is targeted at urban residents who strive for a lifestyle of both economy and conformability. The basic version comes with a one-liter, three-cylinder petrol engine. The "Up!" starts at an affordable 11 13-thousand U.S. dollars.

Audi has also come up with its own similar one-seater study called "Urban Concept." A sliding canopy 12, resembling that of a fighter jet, provides access to the car.

Statistics from the European auto industry association AECA showed that the overall market share of compact cars have risen from 30 percent in 1990 to more than 40 percent now in Europe.

As "downsizing" is inlaid with car design, more intelligent devices will ensue to help less skilled drivers, as a complete automatic parking device is soon to be applied 13 to realize driver-free parking.

Meanwhile, new power sources are always under the spotlight 14, from renovated 15 battery packs to hydrogen.

Mercedes' B-Class F-Cell runs on hydrogen. To prove the concept works, the car has been driven around on five continents.

Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche believes sales of hydrogen vehicles will soon match those of diesel 16 hybrids 17.

"We will start with a significantly higher volume of production in 2014 and we foresee in the year 2016, at the latest '17, to accomplish a cost position which is equal or similar to diesel hybrid. So within these five to six years we are not only technically 18 but economically fully 19 competitive with this new drive-train as well."

Toyota holds the majority of patents in hybrid technology. This year, it managed to add an optional third row of seating in its Prius+ thanks to innovations in producing lithium batteries that are lighter and smaller.

The Frankfurt Motor Show continues until next Sunday.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.