Press Release
New Products from the Automobile Manufacturers
In Halls 1 and 3 at this year's Essen Motor Show, the automobile manufacturers will display not only sporty variants or special models but also, of course, the latest production cars from their factories. However, successful sports, touring and rally cars will be presented as well.
In keywords, the following list shows a small overview of new models or model variants and of racing cars - without making any claim to being complete.
At the editorial deadline for this list (on October 20, 2006), it was still not possible to give a complete overview. It may be assumed that several manufacturers will present additional new models or model variants at their press conferences in Essen on November 30, 2006.
World Premiere: VW Passat R36
At the Essen Motor Show, VW will present the Passat R36 as a world premiere. Photographic material for this car will be available as from about the middle of November 2006. The R36 is to be launched in 2007 with the most powerful production engine ever installed in a Passat. The 300 hp engine is said to propel the car to a top speed of 250 km/h.
Fifteen hours after the world premiere in Los Angeles, Audi will present the new Audi TT roadster in Essen.
Audi R8
German premiere. The first specimens of the new supersports cars will be delivered to the customers in the first half of 2007. The 4.2-litre V8 normally aspirated engine with FSI direct injection supplies a power of 420 hp and a torque of 430 Nm. The racer weighing around 1,550 kg reaches the 100 km/h mark in 4.6 seconds. The top speed is over 300 km/h. The transmission is either a manual six-speed gearbox or the new sequential Audi R tronic gearbox. All-wheel drive.
Audi TT Roadster
Fifteen hours after its world premiere in Los Angeles, the Audi TT roadster will give its European and German premiere in Essen. Audi will deliver the new TT roadster with two engine options. The 3.2-litre V6 supplies 250 hp and is coupled with the quattro drive ex works. The 2.0 TFSI which combines the turbocharging with the direct petrol injection drives the front wheels with 200 hp. Not only the six-speed gearbox as standard but also the innovative S tronic double-clutch gearbox are available for both variants.
Audi S3
German premiere. Dynamism, sportiness and high value. The Audi A3 occupies an outstanding position in the premium compact class. Now, its top variant is rolling to the starting line, the new Audi S3 with a power of 265 hp and the quattro permanent all-wheel drive. With its strong performance, it follows the ideal of pure driving pleasure with a high degree of everyday suitability at the same time - as do all the S models from Audi. The S3 is redefining the standards in its class - at the level of a sports car. The spurt to 100 km/h is completed in 5.7 seconds. The propulsion is only limited at 250 km/h. Snappily vigorous, enthusiastic for high revolutions and with a sonorous sound, the strong two-litre four-cylinder FSI engine with direct petrol injection and turbocharging proves to be a flexible high-power engine.
Audi R10
Victorious car in the Le Mans 24-Hour Race. The first sports car with a diesel engine to win the most important sports car race in the world which has been staged since 1923. The drivers were Frank Biela (Germany), Emanuele Pirro (Italy) and Marco Werner (Germany). The heart of the Audi R10 TDI is a totally redeveloped V12 TDI engine with the maximum capacity of 5.5 litres authorised in Le Mans. With a power over 650 hp and a torque of more than 1,100 Nm, Audi is venturing into new dimensions for diesel engines.
Audi A4 DTM
This touring car was used in the DTM in 2006 when the drivers included Tom Kristensen (Denmark) and Heinz-Harald Frentzen (Germany). At the editorial deadline (the last race of the season in Hockenheim took place after these lines were written), Kristensen still had a chance of securing second place in the championship. Eight cylinders, capacity: 4,000 ccm and power: 460 hp.
Daihatsu Copen
At the Essen Motor Show 2006, Daihatsu Deutschland GmbH will be represented with its own fair booth for the first time. With the Copen, the Japanese compact car specialist will present the smallest roadster in the world with an electrically retractable aluminium hardtop - only 3.40 m long. Its uncompromisingly beautiful design was honoured with the "red dot design award" in 2004. A 1.3-litre four-cylinder engine with 87 hp accelerates the 850 kg light compact roadster from 0 km/h to 100 km/h in just 9.5 seconds. With extensive standard equipment, the Copen is available as from Euro 17,200. In Essen, the Copen will present itself in a sporty and elegant outfit.
Daihatsu Materia
The Materia will give its German premiere in Essen. The 3.80 m long compact car is characterised by a distinctive, individual design. Its expressive lines provide the Materia with a particularly powerful appearance. The interior with a longitudinally adjustable back seat offers a lot of variability and ample space for five people. A 1.5-litre engine with 105 hp ensures rapid propulsion. The Materia will be launched on to the German market in February 2007.
Daihatsu Trevis
The Trevis is a 3.40 m long, charming compact car with an emotional retro design. With its large, chromium-plated round headlights, its steeply upright front windscreen and its round lines, it is reminiscent of popular small cars from the sixties. Driven by a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine with 58 hp, the Trevis has been available as from Euro 9,990 since September 2006. In Essen, it will be possible to see the Trevis in a nostalgic and sporty look.
Ford S-Max Individual
For the new Ford S-Max van introduced in 2006, the Cologne-based company will now present, with the Individual trademark, an exclusive small-scale series with an equipment package for the wishes of particularly discerning customers. With the car, Ford is targeting a class of purchasers for which the Focus C-Max is too small but the Galaxy is a bit too big. The newcomer which Ford classifies as a "sports van" offers space for up to seven passengers. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine from the Focus ST which supplies 220 hp in the S-Max is used as the top motorisation. Moreover, two diesel engines and another petrol engine are available as options. The 2.0-litre compression ignition engines mobilise 130 hp and 140 hp and the fourth in the series is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 145 hp.
Ford Focus Coupé Convertible
After many years when Ford was no longer represented with a convertible in the compact class, the new open Focus is now available at the dealers. This is not a "pure" convertible but instead a car with a retractable sheet metal roof. At the start, the range of engines encompasses a 1.6-litre petrol engine with 100 hp, a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 145 hp and a 2.0-litre diesel engine with 136 hp.
Nissan Qashqai
German premiere. The compact cross-over Qashqai (pronounced: "kash-ki") should be available in the trade as from the beginning of 2007. The car is a mixture of a van and a sporty fastback saloon. Nissan classifies the car in the lower middle-of-the-range class and is thus targeting young people who live in cities and would like to use the car for their leisure at the weekend. A special seat system is intended to ensure that the car can perform not only the routine tasks on workdays but also the weekend job. The rear doors are fastened to the C‑pillar. It was thus possible to dispense with the B‑pillar. This makes it easier for back-seat passengers to get into the car and also opens up additional loading possibilities. Two petrol engines (115 hp and 140 hp) and two diesel engines (106 hp and 150 hp) are planned.
Opel Antara
New cross-over (off-roader) which will be launched on to the market at the end of the year. Four doors, five seats and all-wheel drive. The programme comprises two petrol engines and one diesel engine. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine supplies 140 hp and the 3.2-litre six-cylinder engine 227 hp; the diesel engine has a capacity of 2.0 litres and puts 150 hp on the road. Market researchers predict good chances for the "small" off-roaders like the Antara. Opel was the market leader in this segment with the Frontera which was built until 2003.
Opel Corsa Three-Door
The fourth Corsa generation has been available in the trade since recently. It has a completely revised design. In this respect, the five-door and three-door variants are clearly different from each other. The "newcomer" has added considerably as far as the dimensions are concerned, it is 15 cm longer at 3.99 m. The engine programme encompasses three petrol engines with 60 hp, 80 hp and 90 hp as well as two diesel engines with 75 hp and 90 hp. An OPC version and a more powerful diesel engine (125 hp in each case) are to follow later on.
Seat Altea XL
German premiere. The new vehicle is intended for families which are looking, above all, for a roomy interior and a high loading capacity in conjunction with outstanding safety standards. The new model is an Altea in the XL format. The vehicle is 18.7 cm longer and this is not only primarily to the benefit of a larger luggage compartment but also permits a more spacious and more flexible interior. Thus, the new Seat offers a luggage compartment with a capacity of 532 litres compared with 409 litres in the Altea. Furthermore, the back seats of the Altea XL can be adjusted forwards by 14 cm in the longitudinal direction. This enlarges the loading volume by more than 100 litres to 635 litres. That is unrivalled in this vehicle class. One 1.6-litre petrol engine as well as 1.9-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines (140 hp) are planned.
Seat Leon Supercopa
With this vehicle, the eight races in the Seat Supercopa Manufacturer's Cup are staged within the framework of the DTM. Two-litre engine, four cylinders and power: 300 hp.
Skoda Octavia 4x4 Scout
German premiere. The ground clearance of the new Octavia Scout is 40 mm higher than that of the Octavia estate car and 16 mm higher than that of the Octavia 4x4 estate car. This is intended to increase the off-road suitability. The estate car with all-wheel drive has a boot volume of as much as 1,620 litres. The 4,581 mm long vehicle is around 1 cm longer, 1.5 cm wider and 1.3 cm higher than the 4x4 version from the manufacturer. The Scout is optionally driven by the well-known 2.0-litre FSI petrol engine with 150 hp or by the 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine with 140 hp. Both engines are combined with a manual six-speed gearbox.
Subaru Impreza 2.0R RS Special Model
Premiere in Essen. The Subaru Impreza RS will present itself in the discreet rally look. The special model with the multitude of extras and the opulent price advantage is based on the Impreza 2.0R Active with a power of 160 hp. As standard, the compact sporty car optionally with four or five doors has active headrests at the front, front and side airbags with integrated head airbags, ABS, Isofix children's seat fastenings, external temperature display, a height-adjustable driver's seat, electric windows, leather covers on the handbrake lever, the gearshift knob and the steering wheel, alloy wheel rims, automatic air conditioning system with a pollen filter as well as central locking with radio remote control.
Suzuki Swift Sport
New model. Available at the dealer as from the beginning of 2007. Top model in the Swift series. 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with a power of 125 hp. Maximum torque: 148 Nm at 4,800 rpm. The 1.6-litre engine then allows the Swift Sport to accelerate from 0 km/h to 100 km/h in 8.9 seconds. The top speed is reached at 200 km/h. The consumption is said to be 7.2 litres.
Suzuki Swift Super 1600
Used in the World Junior Rally Championship which, before the finale (held after the editorial deadline), was headed by two Suzuki drivers, i.e. Urmo Aava (Estonia) and Per-Gunnar Andersson. Four cylinders, 1.6-litre engine and power: over 200 hp.
