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What else was there in Frankfurt 2001?
by Alex Michalas and Traian Popescu Yes there were more cars in Frankfurt 2001 apart from the ones we have reported on with separate articles! Here is what else caught our eye: AUDI A4 CABRIOLET  Audi's last entry into this segment, the 80, was far from a raving success.
Hopefully this time around they'll have more luck with their (similarly looking) A4 Cabrio, introduced at the Frankfurt motor show. 2cm longer than the sedan, the Cabrio also has more interior room and a larger trunk
that its competitor, the BMW 3-series. The top will not be a popular retractable hardtop; instead it will use a more classical automatically retracting soft-top. 16-inch wheels, automatically rising anti-roll bars and
4 airbags are also standard on the Cabrio. The engine range will be comprised of a 220hp 3.0L V6 and a 2.4L 170hp unit. Remains to be seen how this new challenger will stand up to the 3-series.
RENAULT TALISMAN
 While the Talisman is handsomely
unusual, there are two features that really set this car apart from the rest: it has really, really big doors and a really, really big butt. At 2450mm (96.5in), the gullwing doors come within a couple of
inches of a 4-door VW Jetta's wheelbase. They open up to a simple, spacious and elegant interior. There, the eye is immediately drawn to the seats - red, leather strips seemingly floating in mid air which gracefully
unfurl into the floor and then the dashboard. The seats are fixed, while the dashboard and the pedals, designed as a single unit, can be adjusted forwards or backwards, allowing rear-seat passengers
to always have the same legroom. A voice-activated screen in the dashboard shows the panoramic view relayed by three rear-facing cameras, and also provides information on navigation, climate-control and the
vehicle's warning and security systems. The Talisman uses a V8 engine powering the rear wheels.
CITROEN C3  It will be hard for Citroen to live up to the myth of the 2CV, but as a competitor to the Renault Clio, Peugeot 206, VW Polo
and the upcoming new Ford Fiesta, the C3 should be an interesting proposition. Interior space will be the main priority, which is evident from the outside, where the C3 is longer, wider and taller than the
competition. The main interior component will be the Moduboard, a second floor designed to separate the boot into compartments in order to facilitate the
transport of various objects. It offers many different layout possibilities and can be stored against the back of the rear seats for increased convenience when it is not required. In terms of engines, there will be a
61hp 1.1L, a 75hp 1.4L and a 110hp 1.6L range of gasoline motors as well as a 70hp 1.4L and a 92hp 1.4L range of high-tech diesel units developed together with Ford. Overall, it looks like Citroen has put
together a very competent package for this very competitive category.
PEUGEOT 307 SW  Peugeot doesn't really like mini-vans. They don't like them - and they don't build them too well either. For those reasons, Peugeot's closest thing to a compact
mini-van and a competitor to the Renault Megane Scenic will be a wagon based on the popular and accomplished 307 model. Named 307 SW for station wagon (how original!), this
version will be 21cm longer and 2cm higher than its hatchback sibling with a 10cm longer wheelbase. In the rear, the three individual seats can be moved forwards and backwards, reclined, removed and
interchanged, enabling modification of the layout to suit each journey. The trunk offers a total of 560 dmē of space. The final feature is the giant 1.33 mē panoramic glass roof, which creates a feeling of light and
space for passengers.
So...what did you think of our Frankfurt Motorshow coverage? Email us at team@fantasycars.com! |
