The Frankfurt Auto Show (also known as The Frankfurt Motor Show) just concluded another exciting string of showcases for roughly 10 days at the trade fair grounds in the aforementioned city. This automobile exhibition has existed in some form for over a century, and is one of the biggest car shows in the world.
One of the big themes in this year's Frankfurt Motor Show was electric battery driven automobiles, and there was no shortage of such vehicles on display from a variety of manufacturers. Featured in this video is the Audi E-Tron, and not only is it environmentally friendly, it's a sweet lookin' car as well. Other highlights in this clip include the Ferrari 458 Italia, the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo, and the new Lamborghini Roadster.
Most of these cars are expensive as they look, and you'll probably have to sell your children and grandchildren into slavery to afford these vehicles. But I'm a sucker for the eye candy presented here, even if it does make me feel like a beggar.
Matthias Wissmann, president of Germany's VDA auto-industry group, predicted last night that sales might not recover to pre-crisis levels until 2014. He told reporters in Frankfurt that global sales would struggle to hit 50m cars this year, not the 60m predicted 18 months ago.
Japanese carmaker Toyota also fears Europe's car industry is far from recovery. Tadashi Arashima, its chief executive, warned that the various "cash-for-bangers" programmes set up by European governments have artificially fuelled sales in recent months.