The future Land Rover Defender is here and after its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, it is making quite a splash for fans of the iconic offroader. The future of the Defender, and even the Land Rover brand in general, will come out of the DC100 and DC100 Sport Concepts seen live at Frankfurt.

The design team, headed by Gerry McGovern, has managed to pick up the very square model and make its edges nastier and more full of character, but without creating an animated, cartoonish version. We like what we see and judging by the reactions of others at the show, so do most.

While the concept features solar panels on the roof of the DC100 and fold-down elements on the DC100 Sport, other details which are more likely to be seen on a possible future model include a wheelbase of 254 cm, height off the ground of 32 cm thanks to 22-inch wheels, and at this stage a two-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine with Start&Stop technology. It gets an automatic eight-speed transmission and new generation Terrain Response electronic drive assist system.

Land Rover DC100 and DC100 Sport official pics

Continue reading: Land Rover DC100 Concept official pics

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Lamborghini has just presented its new Gallardo LP570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. Only some chosen few will have the privilege to own one since its production will be limited to 150 models to honour Italy’s Unification 150th anniversary. It will be only available in three colors - Rosso Mars red, Grigio Telesto grey, Bianco Monocerus white - with some black elements, both glossy and opaque.

The Super Trofeo Stradale boasts a super-light V10 5,2 570 HP, weighting only 1340 kg, and three times more aerodynamic pressure if compared to the LP560-4. Its aerodynamic kit in fact is considered probably the most extreme ever seen on a Gallardo so far, especially when it comes down to the carbon fibre diffuser and the adjustable rear wing.

View the full 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show: Lamborghini Gallardo L570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale photo gallery.

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More on future urban mobility live at Frankfurt comes the Opel RAK Concept, see in these official pics. The vehicle is Opel’s vision of a future electric model which addresses the problems associated with city travel, and with this solution Opel is hitting the European market with an option that will work for young drivers, not fully licensed as the RAK can also be classified as a light vehicle.

The model has either a 45 km/hr limited top speed, or it can be bought as a fully fledged car with 120 km/hr as a top speed, constant output of 10.5 kW with another 36.5 kW coming from the electric motor, and a 5 kW battery with a range of about 100 km. The RAK Concept is three metres long and weighs just 380 kg.

These kinds of urban mobility vehicles love figures and Opel claims only one euro of energy is used every 100 km so that would apparently make running costs extremely low. It is also made from recyclable materials, making it a green car in every sense. The RAK Concept is apparently inspired by a glider design and the front seat and steering wheel automatically move forward to give more room to passengers getting in and out. Check it out in the official pics below.

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The brand new Maserati SUV got its debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and the company has now released official pics and a video of its first foray into the SUV segment. The Maserati Kubang will become Italy’s competitor to the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes M-Class.

The jury is very much out at the moment as to whether the Kubang will be successfully able to do that but it seems the car market could be ready for a new luxury SUV like the Cayenne, that doesn’t traditionally form part of the line-up. Still Maserati will have to do the Kubang well if it’s to compete in this class.

The Kubang is the result of a long SUV development project for Maserati but which perhaps only really became possible with the Fiat-Chrysler deal. No real future details on its production are available at the moment, but we can check out new Kubang official pics and this video presentation live from Frankfurt.

Continue reading: Maserati Kubang pics and video

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Everything you wanted to know about the new Jaguar C-X16 Concept is in this video. The new coupé has just been presented at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and you can see our live Frankfurt pics of the model in the gallery below. The C-X16 marks a new future for Jaguar while looking at the past as it should prove to be the heir to the E-Type’s throne.

So far it introduces a new three-litre supercharged V6 engine and Kers-like technology called “push to pass”. With its 380 hp it’s Jaguar’s newest supersports car but with its hybrid system and start&stop technology it will also fit nicely into a greener high performance future for the company.

Below you can find videos on the new C-X16 Concept including more on its design and what it means for the future of Jaguar. On that note, you can also pop over to jaguarfuture.com for more details.

Continue reading: Jaguar C-X16 videos

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In this second gallery we bring you more live pics of this year’s Frankfurt motor show girls. Remember those cute white dresses from the Skoda Mission L Concept? Well, the brunette opens this gallery and you can check out the rest below.

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We’ve already seen the Aston Martin V12 Zagato at the Villa d’Este and on the track at the Nurburgring, but this is the first time it has appeared at an international auto show - and so here we have the V12 Zagato in the flesh in our live pics from Frankfurt. If you thought it was going to be more gorgeous in person than in pics, you were right. There’s not much more to add really - we still like the original production pic that Aston released with the V12 Zagato in that very smooth grey, but we won’t say no to the red in these 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show pics, too.

Continue reading: Aston Martin V12 Zagato live at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

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Putting aside the cute girls in the little white dresses, here is the Skoda MissionL Concept in live pics from Frankfurt. The new sedan concept will soon become a production model on world markets, including Europe, and will be the sixth Skoda model in the line-up to be placed between the Fabia and the Octavia.

The Skoda Mission L Concept is a large model measuring 4.5 metres long, and much of that space is dedicated to the interior in a roomy environment for passengers. No technical specs were released at the show but we can expect a standard VAG engine range.

The production version Mission L should be ready for an Indian market debut by 2011 end, to be then rolled out across international markets with Europe and Russia following in 2012. The difference between models for various markets will mostly be the trim available. Other models from Skoda at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show are the Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo edition and new Yeti and Roomster models.

Continue reading: Skoda Mission L Concept live at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

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Here’s the first part in our live galleries from Frankfurt featuring the motor show girls. This years elegant dresses and hats seem to be in, but we’re guessing the fashion is not exactly what you’re interested in. Check out the first part below.

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If there was one car company ready to rock with a number of models at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show that company was Audi. Here we have two large galleries of live pics from Frankfurt of the new Audi Urban Concept and the Audi A2 Concept - probably the two most important models debuting here.

In the meantime, if you like electric things but with more power, the first Audi R8 E-tron is also debuting, as are the restylings of the Audi S6, S7 and S8 which is also a lot of performance to take in. As you might see from these pics, both the Urban Concept and A2 Concept leave us a little perplexed, although at least in the former we can take it as a way-out study in urban mobility.

In the meantime the Audi A2 Concept design doesn’t improve on further acquaintance and we can see quite a few tweaks being made here before it makes production. Still the interior was nice and the lights are pretty cool, too, so we’ll follow this closely in the future to see just where Audi takes its design when closer to production.

Audi live at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show: part one

Audi live at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

Continue reading: Audi A2 Concept and Urban Concept live at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

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Exciting, provocative and exotic: the Ferrari 458 Spider unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show seems to have it all, closing the 8 cylinder range in the most spectacular manner. The V8 on display is the first Ferrari spider to feature a rigid roof which folds in only 14 seconds and weights 25 kg less then the traditional one made with fabric. The new roof not only is so compact it allowed designers to add a small compartment behind the seats for luggage storage, it also provides much better sound and thermal proofing.

Sporting a remarkable 4.5 V8 570 HP engine (which by the way has received the International Performance Engine of the Year award in 2010), this spider also features a F1 dual clutch, it reaches a top speed of 320 km/h going from 0-100 in 3.4 sec. Thanks to the HELE package, the Ferrari 458 Spider boasts fuel consumption of 11,8 l/100 km and CO emissions of 275 g/km.

View the full 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show: Ferrari 458 Spider photo gallery.

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What do you do with a 63-year-old automobile icon? You give it a total facelift and voilà - you have the new Land Rover DC100 Concept and these live pics from the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new Land Rover Defender is set to get a totally revamped generation in the future, and this is the model which should herald a significant change.

While currently viewed more for its design features, the DC100 (and DC100 Sport) will be more than just a younger, prettier face. But at this stage that’s where we see most of the changes, with a rounded off look, brand new front end, high-tech features, 21-inch wheels and solar roof panels (we like this idea for the future environmental viability of the Defender).

On the inside we get what Land Rover’s calling “social seating” - a fancy name for the traditional bench seat. Or in this case a third front seat which folds down. Currently the engine equipping the DC100 Concept is a two-litre diesel with start&stop and an eight-speed gearbox. Next generation Terrain Response system features with Terrain-i for alternative route selection and Wave Aid for measuring water depth before crossing. The Defender just got awfully cool. Check it out in the DC100 live pics below.

Continue reading: Land Rover DC100 Defender Concept live at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

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