Auto Express 1593

FOR those of us who love cars, the motor show has been an important part of our lives over the years. And for those of us lucky enough to report on the business we love, they’re even more important. For us, it’s not just about gazing longingly at the latest models. This industry is about people, and motor shows give us the opportunity to get time with many of the great and the good running the car companies – all in one place. The bi-annual Frankfurt Motor Show remains one of the largest on the planet – even if only in terms of footprint. It’s the best part of a mile to walk from BMW’s hall to the Daimler pavilion and worth every step for the stories that unfold on…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk • Mid-life updates boost Discovery Sport’s comfort and efficiency • Tech and hybrid drive from Range Rover Evoque under the skin THIS is no ordinary mid-life facelift. Instead of sticking to the usual visual enhancements, Land Rover has gone back to the drawing board and given its five-year-old Discovery Sport a new platform, new engines and new fuel-saving tech. Underneath it shares many parts with the latest Range Rover Evoque, including that model’s mild-hybrid running gear. The Premium Transverse Architecture (PTA) was designed from the outset with electrification in mind, in fact, and a plug-in version of the Sport is due in the not-too-distant future. For now, though, buyers get a choice of four-cylinder petrol or diesel engines – all bar the most basic D150 with mild-hybrid assistance. We…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk • Gerry McGovern talks about his new creation and more • Discovery will be repositioned, while non-SUV is a possibility FOLLOWING the much-anticipated reveal of the new Land Rover Defender at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Auto Express sat down with the company’s design director, Gerry McGovern, to talk about how he reinvented an icon, and what comes next for Land Rover. When the project was given the green light, what was your initial reaction? “When I was in the company originally [in the nineties], there was talk about doing a new Defender, and when I came back 10 years later, they were still talking about it. I was one of the people that decided to bring it back. “Was I apprehensive about it? No, because I don’t think that…

Luke_Wilkinson@dennis.co.uk “The i Hydrogen NEXT shares its body with the X5, but it comes with a handful of alterations” • BMW commits to hydrogen power with X5-based concept • Fuel cell vehicles will be part of firm’s line-up from 2022 BMW showed its commitment to hydrogen technology at the Frankfurt Motor Show by unveiling a near-production-ready concept, the i Hydrogen NEXT While its reveal was overshadowed by the Concept 4 (right), the SUV is significant; the show car acts as a precursor to the German brand’s forthcoming hydrogen fuel cell-powered X5, which is due to be unveiled in 2022. BMW plans to sell the technology to consumers in 2025, depending on market conditions and infrastructure support. BMW is one of a handful of manufacturers who are forging ahead with hydrogen…

THE BMW Concept 4, revealed at last week’s Frankfurt Motor Show, can be taken as a strong preview of what the next 4 Series will look like when it arrives in 2020. That’s according to the man responsible for all BMW design – Adrian van Hooydonk – who spoke to Auto Express at the show about BMW’s next mid-size coupé. “What you see there is very close to our intentions,” said BMW’s senior vice-president of design, explaining that a new strategy would be employed with the second-generation 4 Series. The idea is to give the mid-size coupé an identity separate to the 3 Series, putting far more distance between the two models. Until 2013, the 3 Series badge was used on both saloon and coupé models, and while the 4 Series…

BMW’s M division is actively considering developing a standalone vehicle, its boss has confirmed to Auto Express. However, it’s not believed to be a roadgoing version of the dramatic Vision M NEXT concept. M division boss Markus Flasch said that while his engineers are looking at options for a standalone model, the body style could be different from the Vision M NEXT’s. “A standalone M model is definitely an option,” Flasch told us. “We’re evaluating the options. But it doesn’t have to be a mid-engined sports car; it could also be a different segment. We have something on the shelf that’s very interesting, that I would love to see on the road and we are working on it.” When it was suggested that the most obvious vehicle of this type…