FORMULA ONE FOR THE ROAD
Mercedes-Benz got the jump on its luxury rivals with a stunning $5 million supercar
Europe’s top makers are spending big to create tomorrow’s cars, but they can’t afford to neglect today’s customers. Most of Germany’s A-list brands brought futuristic concept cars to the Frankfurt motor show but they also trucked in cars that will be rolling out of their factories much, much sooner.
The difference between the two types was huge. The concept cars typically highlighted pure battery power, self-driving technology, and connectivity-enabled services. But the close-to-production models were all about power, thrills and noise, or presence, prestige and size.
It’s costly to develop the advanced technologies Europe’s premium car makers believe are the key to their future success. Paying those bills means selling exciting, desirable and profitable cars right now.
MERCEDES-AMG PROJECT ONE
F1 star Lewis Hamilton unveiled the one car at Frankfurt that rolled want-it-now desirability and tech-of-tomorrow into a single, jawdropping package. The Project One will go into strictly limited production in 2019.
Created to mark the 50th birthday of Mercedes’ performance division AMG, this coupe is basically a Formula One car with clothes on. Only 275 will be built, all of them left-hand drive. Though it will cost about $5 million in Australia, much of it tax, Mercedes-Benz executives say that eight customers have put down $500,000 deposits.
It will be incredibly fast. Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers promises it will reach 200km/h in less than six seconds.
The Project One has the same kind of petrol-electric hybrid powertrain used by Mercedes-AMG to win the last three world Formula One championships, but with added plug-in battery storage. The car’s 1.6-litre V6 engine works with four electric motors for a massive 750kW shove in the back when the accelerator is floored, but the Project One will also drive 25km on battery power alone.
Eco-tech, excitement and exclusivity can coexist … for a price.
MERCEDES-BENZ EQA
Mercedes-Benz aims to be selling more EVs in Australia than any other brand by 2020. This is a big ambition for a company that right now doesn’t sell a purely battery-powered car here.
It will start in late 2019 with the production version of the EQ concept revealed last year in Paris. Mercedes-Benz Australia promises it will be relatively affordable. It’s a good-looking SUV coupe that will be called EQC.
The compact EQA concept revealed at Frankfurt points to the second model Mercedes intends to introduce under its EQ banner.
Mercedes’ A-Class compact cars have been a huge hit for the company and an EV of the same size could be another winner. Smaller than the EQC, it will also cost less. It is due to reach Australia some time in 2020.
The EQA concept has all-wheel-drive courtesy of electric motors front and rear. They put a total of 200kW to the road and suck electricity from a 60kWh battery, enough juice for a driving range of about 400km.
BMW CONCEPT X7 I PERFORMANCE
Though labelled a concept, this Range Rover competitor from BMW is headed for production next year. It will slot in above the sucessful X5 SUV, and deliver a level of luxury comparable to the latest 7 Series limo.
The iPerformance tag indicates there will be a plug-in hybrid version, but the X7 will reportedly also offer petrol and diesel engines.
The big X7 is imposing, but the look isn’t healthy from every angle. The concept’s kidney grille appears quite swollen. It should probably make an appointment to see the style doctor …
AUDI RS4
The focus at the Audi stand was on self-driving technology. The company lined up three cars, two of them concepts, to illustrate how it sees autonomous cars developing over the coming years. But the most exciting thing on its stand was the new RS4.
This fourth edition of Audi’s performance icon is quicker than ever. As usual, it’s a wagon. Into the body of the A4 Avant goes the feisty 331kW twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 engine recently introduced in the RS5 coupe. Scheduled to arrive in Australia in April, the new RS4 will fetch in the $150,000 to $160,000 price range.
PORSCHE CAYENNE S
Porsche is readying an EV for production, but it chose Frankfurt to whip the covers off the S variant of the Cayenne.
There are design differences to set it apart from lesser Cayenne models, including an active spoiler, and under its bonnet is the same 404kW twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 seen in the new Panamera.