Small is Beautiful at Frankfurt

The 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show proves that the best things can come in small packages

Small and nifty

Even though the price of gas has hovered around $2.50 this summer, most of us here at LotPro.com don’t believe for a minute that it will stay this low forever. It turns out that most of the world’s automobile manufacturers also agree with us (either that or they’re being chased into a corner by the latest government mandates and we’d prefer to give them the benefit of the doubt).

To that end, many of the world premieres at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show were either electric/hybrid concept vehicles, or superb new small cars blessed with new engine technologies that promise to deliver 40+ mpg nearly immediately.

2010 Fiat Punto Evo

With Chrysler’s last best hope destined to begin to arrive from the mother ship in Italy within the next 2 years, keeping a weather eye on Fiat has become de rigueur for American motor journalists and car buyers alike and, hence, our interest in the Punto Evo.

If the lovely little 500 is the company’s halo car, then the Grande Punto represents Fiat’s high-volume sedan. This year, Fiat upgraded the interior materials and blessed the rechristened Punto Evo with seven airbags and a face-lifted front end, as well as new taillamps. If you squint real hard, you can almost visualize a Chrysler emblem above the new grille. The guys in Auburn Hills should be chomping at the bit to get this one.

2010 Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari

Fiat started with a 500 Abarth – itself no slouch – and added Scuderia Red paint, 17 inch grey alloy wheels and a host of carbon-fiber trim pieces including mirror housings and front seat shells. The interior boasts leather trim, including the red steering wheel wrap (paddles behind the wheel control the manumatic transmission), and the pint-sized 1.4-liter four gets an extra dose of horsepower (50, to be precise).

2011 Ford C-Max

Based on the same architecture as the European Ford Focus (and our own Mazda3/5 vehicles here in the U.S.), the C-Max represents the production version of the Iosis Max Concept that Ford revealed at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

While Europe will be able to buy this latest version sometime in the latter part of next year, there is no word yet on whether the company plans on bringing it over here.

2012 Ford Grand C-Max

If Ford is still unsure about bringing over the C-Max, American small car buffs should take heart in the fact that there is no such vacillation when it comes to the Grand C-Max. Based on the platform that spawned the versatile Mazda5, the “Grande” Max will feature the same sliding rear doors with room for seven – although, just as in the Mazda5, the rear seat is reserved for either two children or two consenting adults.

Expect to see the Grand C-Max in Ford showrooms here in the states sometime in late 2011.

Tags: 2009 frankfurt motor show, abarth, Chrysler, ferrari, fiat, fiat 500, fiat 500 abarth, fiat punto evo, Ford, ford c-max, ford focus, ford grand c-max, frankfurt motor show, geneva motor show, iosis max, mazda3, mazda5