Well connected and electric

Carmakers have this week been unveiling the low-emissions vehicles and technology strategies they hope will let them profit from the sweeping changes expected to hit the auto industry in the next few years.

Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz, for example, unveiled a compact electric vehicle under its EQ sub-brand that showcases its efforts to make connected, electric, shared and autonomous vehicles at the International Frankfurt Motor Show which runs until Sunday.

The EQA has two electric motors that can give it different driving characteristics depending on which mode the driver chooses. The automaker also had the GLC F-Cell, a ‘pre-production’ model of a battery-fuel cell hybrid SUV that can run on hydrogen and emits only water vapour.

BMW AG is showing off the four-door i Vision Dynamics electric concept vehicle to join its i3 and i8 electric models. The company says the i Vision Dynamics can hit 200kph (124mph) and accelerate to 100kph (62mph) in a quick 4.0 seconds.

Carmakers are spending heavily to develop and improve electric cars to meet increasingly tough government regulations limiting air pollution. That is even though current electric models do not enjoy high sales because of limited range, higher price, and a lack of fast-charging stations.

Analysts think that as batteries get better and costs come down, electric sales may eventually take off.

Volkswagen showed off a revised version of its electric ID Crozz crossover SUV concept vehicle as it announced a long-term electrification campaign, saying its brands would introduce 80 new electric vehicles by 2025. The company plans to invest $24 billion in upgrading plants, creating two new electric car platforms and training workers.

The company said that depending on market developments it could sell three million battery-only vehicles a year in 2025.

The arrival of battery-powered cars is just one anticipated change. Automakers are also searching for ways to adapt to a future in which people find ways of getting from one place to another without necessarily owning a car, such as car-sharing or ride-hailing through smartphone apps. They are also working on developing autonomous vehicles that could drive themselves — under limited circumstances such as corporate campuses or limited access freeways at first, and possibly more widely later.

Small SUVs are also a theme at the show as manufacturers crowd into a segment that has proven a winner with consumers. New offerings of SUV or SUV-like body stylings on compact car platforms include Volkswagen’s T-Roc, the SEAT Arona, Jaguars E-Pace, Kia Stonic, Citroen C3 Aircross and the Skoda Karoq.

And high-end cars remain a fixture as before. Daimler unveiled its Mercedes-Benz-AMG Project ONE, a low-slung, race-car like two-seat hybrid with an overhead air scoop and a long carbon-fiber tail fin. It generates 1,000 horsepower for a top speed of 350kph (217mph).

For more Mercedes news, contact Al Haddad Motors on 17785454.

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