Ask any journalist about the Frankfurt Motor Show press days and you'll be met with plenty of grumbling and groaning about the vast distances between all the show halls. However, the benefit of having such a huge space to play with is that every car maker has plenty of room for new models. And they didn't disappoint for this year's event.
As ever, the Volkswagen Group held one of the most high-profile pre-press day events, unveiling a litany of new production cars and concepts, accompanied by the Pet Shop Boys no less. Audi took the covers off one of the few genuine surprises of the show in the shape of the Nanuk quattro concept (think R8 supercar modified to go off-road), while also giving us a new A3 Cabriolet and, today at the motor show itself, the understated Sport quattro concept, which is believed to preview a limited production sports car of the near future.
SEAT unveiled its sharply-styled Leon ST estate, also confirming detailing of its new range of fuel-efficient Ecomotive models. Skoda's world debuts included the Rapid Spaceback (seemingly half way between an estate and a hatchback) and a revised Yeti crossover.
Volkswagen itself focused on electrification of its cars, launching the all-electric e-up! and e-Golf, along with a concept van based on the e-up!. Regular cars were not forgotten though, as the Golf Sportsvan concept (previewing a stylish new replacement for the Golf Plus) was wheeled out, as was a 300hp Golf R hot hatch.
While Volkswagen was busy extending its up! line-up, Hyundai unveiled what it reckons will be a real rival for the small car, its all-new i10. It's impressive too and will be in Irish dealers before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Hyundai's Korean cousin, Kia, unleashed the wild Niro concept, previewing a potential design direction for the company to take for its Nissan Juke-sized rival. Kia also launched an all-new Soul model in Frankfurt.
Jaguar revealed one of the most talked about cars of the show in the shape of the C-X17 concept, a large SUV that will be used to gauge demand for such a car. Despite the presence of this eye-catching model on the stand there was as much talk about the company's advanced new iQ-Al aluminium architecture. It'll underpin an all-new Jaguar rival to the BMW 3 Series, which launches in 2015.
Speaking of BMW, the German company focused on its 'i' electric brand by bringing along both the i3 and i8. This was the first public outing for the latter in production-ready guise. In fact, Frankfurt was also the first time BMW's slick new 4 Series made an appearance.
Mercedes-Benz was in no mood to be trumped, however, and in an extravagant presentation it wheeled out the super-stylish GLA compact SUV, various versions of the new S-Class luxury saloon (including one with autonomous driving technology) and last, but not least, the spectacularly gorgeous Concept C-Class Coupé. This is expected to make production in 2014 to replace the old CL-Class.
It may have been a German show, but the French didn't hold back. Citroen launched its highly impressive Grand C4 Picasso MPV and the Cactus concept, which we believe previews a new compact crossover to be produced on the Citroen C4 platform. Citroen's PSA partner, Peugeot, had even more to show, including the Golf-baiting 308 hatchback - revealed in regular and R concept formats. The 208 FE concept car was an unsung hero of the show too, marrying fun and efficiency in one stylish package, while facelifted versions of the 3008 and 5008 were also on hand.
Over at Renault, the facelifted Mégane line-up was all but ignored next to the Initiale Paris concept car, a luxurious and stylish twist on the large MPV. It signals intent to reinvent the Renault Espace.
Ford had its own sporty MPV concept in the form of the S-Max, while also launching its Vignale scheme in an attempt to lift its models above mere mainstream. Sticking with the practical theme, Honda's main debut was the Civic Tourer estate, though car nuts would have been too busy checking out the camouflaged images of the forthcoming Civic Type R that were unveiled at the same time...
Opel had a lot to shout about too, starting with the stunning Monza concept car and a revitalised Insignia range - including the new Country Tourer model. Frankfurt also marked the arrival of a few vital new engines for the brand.
Toyota and Lexus focused on hybrid technology, but in very different ways. Toyota created a one-off Yaris Hybrid-R powered by a ludicrous 400hp hybrid system while Lexus grabbed attention with its LF-NX concept SUV. The latter may not be the prettiest, but it does point towards a future Lexus model to take on the likes of the Range Rover Evoque.
Suzuki had an SUV concept of its own, the iV-4, though it was a lot less controversial - and clearly shows how the next generation Grand Vitara will look.
That's the mostly normal stuff dealt with. Tomorrow we'll go through some of the more fantastical supercars and concept on display.
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