Motoring: Crossovers stealing the Frankfurt show

JAGUAR’s exciting new F-Pace, billed as the company’s first family sports car, has already set tongues wagging at the Frankfurt Motor Show and if a theme is to emerge from this year’s event it can be summed up in one word – crossover.

Jaguar has set the tone early and has high hopes for the new car. It symbolised its lofty ambitions by getting the vehicle to perform a record-breaking 360 degree loop stunt ahead of its show debut.

The all-wheel-drive car was driven with daring precision by expert British stunt driver Terry Grant and the feat was intended to showcase the lightweight vehicle’s agility combined with its sports car speed and performance.

Grant undertook two months of intense physical and dietary training to ensure his body was prepared for the 6.5 G-Force, which is greater than the forces experienced by space shuttle pilots.

Months of planning went in to ensuring that both car and driver could complete the world record-breaking challenge. Precise physics, angles, speeds and dimensions were considered by a team of experts including structural engineers, mathematicians and safety experts.

While Jaguar has become synonymous with hair raising stunts for its latest vehicle launches, the feat performed by Grant is still something remarkable – and it achieved exactly what Jaguar wanted by eclipsing show publicity from its rivals.

But the company has also been keen to stress there is still substance behind all the grandstanding. It says the F-Pace is packed full of innovative technology and features the world’s most-advanced in-car entertainment system, matched with super-fast wifi connectivity.

To celebrate the launch of the new car, Jaguar has said a special model called the First Edition, priced at £65,275 in the UK, will be available in strictly limited numbers and in the first year of production only. Powered exclusively by the 300PS 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, the First Edition is distinguished by a unique metallic paint colour – Caesium Blue; a clear reference to the breakthrough C-X17 concept unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Further highlights include 22-inch Double Helix 15-spoke wheels with grey finish and contrast inserts, Adaptive Dynamics, Adaptive LED headlights, gloss black fender vents and a panoramic roof.

Pricing for the F-Pace range starts from £34,170 rising to £51,450 for the S edition. The car will go on sale next year.

While Jaguar has set the bar high this has not stopped rival manufacturers from also using the show as a showcase for their own crossover vehicles.

Infiniti is pressing the case for its Q30, which the company describes as an “active compact” and a “new type of premium vehicle for a new type of consumer”.
 
The Q30 represents Infiniti’s first global entry into the fast-growing premium compact segment and the company is hoping it could finally be the car which leads to its breakthrough on the world stage.

The rhetoric used by the company is typical of one looking to capture the imagination of new buyers.

It states: “Designed for a new generation of buyers not willing to be defined by their choice of vehicle body type, the Q30 challenges convention with its bold character and daring shape.”

In addition to the SE model, Infiniti has been mindful of the prestige factor demonstrated by Jaguar, and said two bespoke versions of the Q30 will also be available – ‘Premium’ and ‘Sport’. Each will have its own unique design to enhance its exclusivity.

However, whether this will be enough to sell the car to its target market remains to be seen. The crossover market is becoming increasing more crowded and the buyer looking to combine sporty performance with family practicalities now faces a far greater choice than ever.

Infiniti president Roland Krueger is in little doubt about the car’s value. He said: “Q30 will accelerate the company’s strategy to become a leading global manufacturer of premium cars.”

If it is to conquer new markets then the company is at least mounting its campaign for global dominance on a firm footing.

Infiniti sold a record 136,700 new vehicles worldwide during the first eight months of 2015, representing an increase of 14% compared to the same period in 2014. The brand also set records in China, Asia & Oceania, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa).

Significantly, the Q30 will be the company’s first ever vehicle built in Europe, at the newly-upgraded production facilities in Sunderland. The £250m investment has also led to the creation of hundreds of new jobs, so if people do buy the vehicle at least they will be supporting the UK manufacturing sector.

The same cannot be said for Volkswagen’s new Tiguan but it is also keen to capture a slice of the crossover market.

The German firm is using its domestic show to display four versions of the new Tiguan, one of which is the sporty Tiguan R-Line.

The second generation of the company’s best-seller is the first VW SUV to be based on the group’s new MQB (modular transverse matrix) platform. This is said to improve all of the vehicle’s properties and combined with a 50kg weight reduction on the previous model, the company is hoping buyers will be able to see beyond the badge snobbery of its more premium rivals and opt instead for the Tiguan’s proven reliability.

VW stable mate SEAT is mounting its own assault on the segment with its Leon Cross Sport show car. It says the car offers the performance of a compact sports car with coupe looks and the versatility of all-wheel-drive.

While not a traditional crossover, MINI is using Frankfurt to showcase the continuing expansion of its model range with the world premiere of its new Clubman.

Combining increased interior space and versatility with the latest generation of technical advances and a high level of standard equipment, the BMW-owned brand is hoping that the car will prove popular to buyers in the premium compact segment.

The Clubman has numerous features that appear in a MINI for the first time. These include the electric parking brake, 8-speed Steptronic gearbox – available as an option depending on the model – electrical seat adjustment and the option of MINI Yours Interior Styles with backlit door bezels.

Frankfurt isn’t just a show for crossover and one car which definitely doesn’t fit into that sector is the beautiful Rolls-Royce Dawn, billed as the world’s only true modern four-seater super-luxury drophead.

Torsten Mueller-Oetvoes, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, describes it thus: “Our new Rolls-Royce Dawn promises a striking, seductive encounter like no other Rolls-Royce to date, and begins a new age of open-top, super-luxury motoring.

“Dawn is a beautiful new motor car that offers the most uncompromised open-top motoring experience in the world. It will be the most social of super-luxury drophead motor cars for those who wish to bathe in the sunlight of the world’s most exclusive social hotspots. Quite simply, it is the sexiest Rolls-Royce ever built.”

Deliveries on the new Rolls-Royce Dawn commence in the second quarter of 2016.