Alfa Romeo took its production-ready
Brera Spider and
8C Competizione Convertible concept - a drop-top version of the Coupe seen in Frankfurt in 2003 - to the Pebble Beach Concours D'Elegance in California at the end of August: we hope both cars will make it back to Europe in time, though the latter may not be shown.
Audi will unveil the final production version of its large
Q7 off-roader, its answer to the Range Rover Sport, Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 and so on. We're also expecting the Mk2 A6-based
allroad quattro - production version of the concept seen in Detroit in January - the revised
A4 Cabriolet and the new
RS4 Avant, estate version of the saloon seen in Geneva last March.
 |
| Bentley Arnage Drophead Coupe |
We saw the
Bentley Arnage Drophead Coupe in Detroit, described coyly as a 'show car'; now confirmed for production, the real deal - now called
Azure - will be launched here in Frankfurt. Shame that
Rolls-Royce says its rival
Corniche - the Phantom-based convertible - will not appear.
BMW has confirmed that it will show a
Z4 Coupe concept, a
hybrid X3 concept and its new infra-red night-vision system; the
M6 Convertible is also a likely prospect. We're also hanging out for concepts hinting at
1-Series coupe and cabriolet models, and the
1-Series Touring. And who knows, maybe a concept hinting at the
Z10? BMW's going to have an enormous stand, as all the German manufacturers always get competitive on their home turf. A luxury saloon, too, from a very different manufacturer:
Brilliance Zhonghua is one of
four Chinese manufacturers which have booked stand-space at Frankfurt, signallng their intentions to take on the Europeans.
 |
| Cadillac BLS |
Big launch for
Cadillac, though: the made-for-Europe
BLS compact executive saloon, which is built alongside its sister GM model, the Saab 9-3, in Trollhatten, Sweden. Word is that this looks pretty much like the concept seen in Geneva, and that alongside the production car, Cadillac will show a "concept" previewing a hot
BLS-V model. We'll also see the tuned-up
STS-V large saloon and
XLR-V roadster. Fellow General Motors brand
Chevrolet (formerly known as Daewoo in Europe) will have a near-production version of the Korean-developed
S3X family 4x4 - aka the new-generation Vauxhall Frontera. Also from GM: the
Corvette Z06, complete with 500bhp 6.0-litre V8, the
GMC Graphyte Hybrid as seen in Detroit, and a show car simply referred to as "Adventurous Concept": this could preview an Opel (the long-rumoured R-Class-style top-end crossover) or a Saab. We'll keep you posted...
