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From Swedespeed.com Events Coverage One need look no further than the Autobahn to ascertain that Germany is one of the most car-focused societies going. In a land where a speed-no-limit road system defines priorities, it’s no surprise that the Frankfurt International Auto Show is the largest and craziest of the breed – several industry shows within an industry show. With those sorts of event credentials and a home field advantage, it’s also no surprise that Frankfurt is one of the most important show stages for Volvo.
We overheard a German auto executive describing this year’s Frankfurt as having a dual personality. “There’s Michael Schumacher on one side, and the Green Party on the other,” said the German. With such a focus on emissions and global warming, the always politically aware Europeans were expected to place a focus on alternative fuels and the like. Still, given this is the land of the Autobahn, you can’t expect them to forget about performance. Volvo’s focus in Hall 3 at the Frankfurt’s Messe (a.k.a. convention center) was dominated by the Green Party side of things. Two C30 concepts were shown, both showcasing low emissions for a traditional flex-fuel setup and a more extensive hybrid concept dubbed ReCharge.
The latter may look similar to today’s C30, but the drivetrain very much from the future. This concept shows what Volvo sees as their hybrid future – an all-wheel drive setup with an electrical motor at each corner of the car. Besides all-wheel drive, the electric/flex-fuel hybrid also features a level of functionality that most of today’s hybrids can’t boast. For the short commute, the ReCharge has the ability to run on electricity alone. However, the engine can be used to augment the distance of the trip in this case, or act as a traditional hybrid does today – recharging the batteries after they’ve been depleted by 75%. Given the weakness of today’s plug-in hybrids is battery life, this added level of functionality seems most welcome indeed.
Having walked the Volvo stand, you might have missed the Schumacher side of things. Though the R models are now put to pasture, Volvo Germany and Heico Sportiv teamed up to sneak two of next November’s SEMA show cars to Frankfurt. A white and orange C30 and satin polished silver S80 were displayed for a brief engagement at the Marriott Frankfurt across the street from the Messe.
Unfortunately, we were unable to attend the event, but we did manage to spot the cars being unloaded next to the hotel. The S80, in particular, drew many stares from passers by and shows a side of the normally conservative sedan that many a Volvo enthusiast hopes Volvo Cars might choose to investigate further. It’s easy to imagine an R badge on this almost factory looking S80 High Performance from Heico. For the true car geek, perusing the halls of the OEM suppliers is also worth some time. More here for industry purposes, such as manufacturers making relations with suppliers, you never know what you’ll find amongst the throngs of OEMs. While there we did run across an interesting display by the company making the machines that produce Volvo dashboards, the real attention-grabber was Getrag and their Powershift dual-clutch sequential transmissions.
It’s been no secret that Volvo parent Ford Motor Company has been teamed up with Getrag on the PowerShift project. Frankfurt marked the debut of the new transmissions, expected to be major competitors to Volkswagen’s Borg Warner-supplied DSG setup. Two different transverse applications of the Powershift range were shown that are expected to be considered for Volvo’s product range. The first was the 6DCT450 with parallel dual wet clutch , a max ratio spread of 6.5 and 450 Newton meter torque limit. Another, the 6DCT470 features a max torque of 470 Newton meters, a ratio spread of 6.5 and compact packaging due to its unique 2X2 shaft design. Both are expected to go into production by Getrag later this year. The latter was made specifically for use with a transversely mounted in-line six cylinder according to Getrag. Sound familiar?
The Frankfurt IAA continues to be our favorite event of the show season. For anyone interested in Volvo and the automotive industry, this is one show not to miss. There is so much to see, you’ll need several days to do so, but it’s well worth the trip.
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