It's recovery time now. Frankfurt Show is over. If there ever was German automotive aggrandisement, this was it. First timers at this year's auto show, the biggest in the world, were stunned by the gargantuan proportions and the proliferation of vehicles. Old timers knew what to expect, but they still got plenty of surprises. For new and old timers, the not-so-subtle message of Frankfurt was that Germany is a world power base for the car, equalling the might of the United States and Japan. But then the German car accounts for one in seven of German jobs, and nearly 30 per cent of exports.
BMW clearly went to enormous lengths to trump its arch rival, Mercedes-Benz. The venue wasn't the show complex but a derelict warehouse area miles away. Assembled there in a huge and hastily-converted auditorium, BMW tantalised us with their future product line. The piece de resistance came at the end of a two-hour presentation, the new Mini due for launch in the year 2000. Its appearance was meant to be a secret known only to BMW and Rover people but somehow the word got out.
Before Mini, we saw a derivative of the Z3 roadster, the coupe, followed by an oddball collection that included a roofed motor scooter called C1, the M5 with a 5.0 litre 400 bhp engine, a Brabham-BMW Formula One car (announcing the BMW-Williams Formula One partnership), and the mini-Range Rover, the Freelander.
BMW say that C1, which will go on sale in the year 2000, will mean much greater acceptance for two-wheel transport. The aluminium roof structure for the 125 cc machine obviates the need for wearing a crash helmet. Riders are strapped in with a three-point harness and the seat has a padded headrest.
Come to think of it, BMW is only being logical. Why shouldn't motorcycle users not have the same protection as a car driver and passengers?
The Rover Freelander had its Frankfurt debut boosted enormously because of the BMW connection. The two marques shared a united stand and a posse of Freelanders of various shapes and styles made a triumphal entrance to merry England music from a uniformed British band.
There are two body styles, three-door softback and hardback, and five-door estate, while engines are two, 1.8 litre petrol and a 2.0 litre turbodiesel. It's a lifestyle, leisure-type vehicle with competitors that are mostly Japanese, like the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Suzuki Vitara and the soon-to-be-launched Subaru Forester.
It has all-wheel-drive capability but it's essentially front-wheel-drive and, in front wheel slippage, power is progressively transferred to the rear wheels. Compared with the Discovery sibling, it is six inches shorter: more significantly it is almost half a ton lighter. It should mean being as quick or quicker than a Discovery as well as being more economical.
Freelander is going to be promoted in Ireland from early December although it won't be going on sale until mid-January. David Harpur, Rover Ireland's managing director, is expecting 1998 sales of around 250 with the two-litre five-door estate accounting for 75 per cent of business.
Freelander is a quantum leap away from the original progenitor of the species, the Land Rover, celebrating 50 years in 1998. David Harpur says Freelander is a propitious arrival for the celebrations.
What about price?
In Ireland, it could begin at £18,500, extending to £24,000. The basic five-seater passenger Discovery is over £24,000. Affordability is a major plank in the plan to vastly increase overall Land Rover production by 50 per cent from the current level of 120,000 vehicles a year.
Frankfurt smothered us with writing opportunities because there were so many model debuts. Unfortunately, space considerations has meant that much has had to go unreported. We were attracted though by Opel's new Astra which won't go on sale in Ireland until next spring. It's bolder and visually more appealing than its predecessor.
Jack Smith, General Motors' worldwide boss thinks so too. "It looks upscale, the best we have done in a very long time," was his perhaps predictable judgement to us.
Another bit of GM news was that Cadillac, star of many movies and songs, is getting a big sales push in Europe, specifically the 1998 Seville model. It will be available in right-hand-drive too.
We were intrigued by the Hyundai Atos, a roomy and versatile mini-MPV that is likely to go on sale in Ireland in April or May next. Sam Synott, Hyundai's managing director in Ireland says he expects to sell around 1,000 vehicles next year. "The pity is that we didn't have it to avail of the scrappage scheme."
Toyota supposedly didn't have any new cars to show us. Much attention, however, was devoted to a clutch of small concept cars called Funtime. They represent the future styling for a new small Toyota expected in 1999 or the year 2000. The innovative engine line-up will include a 1.5 litre common rail turbodiesel said to be capable of nearly 90 mpg. The Funtime concepts were created at Toyota's own European design studio in Brussels.
Somebody asked us as we left Frankfurt what was the best-looking car at the show. We didn't hesitate with our answer: it's the Alfa Romeo 156, successor to the 155. The Germans may know a thing or two about engineering and making aspirational cars, but the Italians are the most creatively inspiring when it comes to bending the metal. The 156 for its styling, was the model we most wanted to take home.