With new launches and extraordinary range of cars to showcase, Frankfurt Motor Show has taken it a step ahead and embarked upon the digitisation of automobiles too. No wonder it is considered the most important auto show, reports Kushan Mitra
Digitisation” proclaimed Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of the Mercedes Benz board, from the stage at the company’s ‘Media Night’. Models of car ownership and the way people interact with cars are changing, if not in India then definitely in the West. Shared ownership or models such as Daimler’s ‘Car2Go’ city commuter model using the smart car-similar to cycle rental models in cities.
Mercedes also showed off a new iPhone/Android app called ‘Mercedes Me’ that integrates completely with the car’s infotainment system. As Sajid Khan, Vice-President of Telematics for Mercedes-Benz explains, this allows for door-to-door navigation. “For example, if I’m going to Berlin, I can say so on my iPhone from inside a building, the navigation system will go through my iPhone and Apple Watch, give me turn-by-turn directions to my car and once I get into my car, I will be asked whether I am indeed going to Berlin, and everything continues.”
Indeed, Mercedes has used Indian tech expertise out of Bangalore and Pune towards developing out only this application but their concept ‘IAA’ vehicle that they have showcased highly advanced car and driver interactivity. And Khan said that the company will continue to expand their development centre in Bangalore and Pune towards future Mercedes-Benz cars and technologies.
Elsewhere at the Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA), that is the Frankfurt Motor Show for you and me, the flavour of this biennial show was electric. Volkswagen Group companies Audi and Porsche showcased their visions of the future — the Audi Quattro e-tron SUV and the Porsche Mission-E; both are remarkable vehicles that combine incredible performance coupled with extraordinary range.
It was also a show full of amazing showcase launches — from the stunning new Rolls-Royce Dawn to the large hatchback Suzuki Baleno, both cars that are expected to come to India soon. There were other launches relevant to India such as the Mercedes GlC SUV, which will feature an all-new nine-speed automatic gearbox.
From the Volkswagen group, there was also the new Audi A4 with Matrix headlights, the new Skoda Superb and the interesting second-generation Volkswagen Tiguan SUV which is expected to be launched in 2016 as well as the new Bentley Bentagya, the first SUV from the British marque. From Jaguar-land Rover, there was the new Jaguar F-Pace, a crossover vehicle from the sedan marque of JlR, which indeed looked like one of the best new off-road capable vehicles out there which also featured a brand-new infotainment system from JlR with “Five times the processing power of a 787 Dreamliner”, according to Ralf Speth, the CEO of JlR.
Other interesting vehicles showcased or introduced at the IAA included the Renault Captur small SUV, the Dacia (Renault) Sandero, the brand-new third generation Toyota Prius, the Nissan Juke the Skoda Superb Combi, the European-spec Skoda Rapid, and the Volkwagen Up!
The size and scope of the IAA which is restricted solely to cars, no motorcycles or component makers here is amazing. Messe Frankfurt, the fairground in this south-western German city is one of the largest industrial fairgrounds in the world. There is a reason that this is considered the biggest and most important auto show in the world.