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Weekly Recap: Takeaways from the Frankfurt Motor Show

We obsessively covered the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and naturally, we selected our favorites from this fall's biggest automotive event. Now that the dust has settled, we're looking ahead to what it all means. Here are three takeaways from the floor in Frankfurt. The Germans are serious about electric vehicles: It's a bit cliche to say BMW, Mercedes, and Audi have downplayed electrics in favor of other technologies, like diesels. For a time that may have been true, but those three companies, along with Porsche and Volkswagen, are emerging as leaders in EV development. That was on display in Frankfurt, when all of them revealed either all-electric or plug-in hybrid models. Gas prices are relatively low in the United States, but clearly the Germans are thinking long-term and globally. Everyone is serious about SUVs: You gotta have one, even if you're Bentley or Jaguar. It's 2015 and it's what consumers want. As Jaguar design director Ian Callum put it, "Not to be in the sector would be a little naive for the sake of purity." It's not just the flashy exotic luxury makers. Nissan showed the Gripz concept, which is rakish, radical, and meant to blend traits of SUVs and sports cars into a vehicle that really crosses over. Look for more, especially in the luxury sector, as Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin ramp up their own SUV efforts. There's no ceiling to the luxury market: Speaking of high-end cars, companies are continuing to invest in extravagant wares beyond just SUVs. Even during the recession, ultra-luxury makers remained relevant, and now they're back at full stride. In Frankfurt, that was illustrated by yet another S-Class model, the cabriolet, which will come in S550 and S63 AMG variants in the United States. Ferrari also showed off the 488 Spider, and Lamborghini opened up the Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder. Meanwhile, Bugatti's Vision Grand Turismo concept reminded enthusiasts that it's plotting life after the Veyron. European auto shows always draw the glitziest reveals from luxury makers, and this year didn't disappoint. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Honda Civic redesigned with snazzier style, turbo power The 10th-generation of the Honda Civic debuted this week at events in Los Angeles and Detroit ahead of its launch in the United States this fall as a 2016 model. Honda fortified the Civic with LED lights, an available turbo engine, and a more tech-laden cabin.

Lamborghini Urus Performante reports for patrol car duty in Dubai

The city of Dubai expanded its fleet of exotic police cars while helping Lamborghini set a new annual sales record. It took delivery of a new Urus Performante, the range-topping version of the Italian brand's high-performance SUV, at the 2023 edition of the Dubai Airshow. Dubai officials plan to use the Urus Performante as a patrol car, so they requested several modifications. Finished in the city's white and green livery, the SUV features a specific rear spoiler with an integrated 360-degree LED light bar and a siren. Interior pictures haven't been released, but we're told it's equipped with an armored gun box, a folding screen that displays messages, and a defibrillator for first-aid response. There's also a special compartment added to the trunk to let the officers assigned to the Urus store their service equipment. What's under the hood doesn't change. Power comes from a 4.0-liter V8 that relies on a pair of turbochargers to make 657 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 627 pound-feet of torque from 2,300 to 4,500 rpm. The engine exhales through a titanium exhaust system designed by Akrapovic, and it spins the four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. Hitting 62 mph from a stop takes 3.3 seconds, and the Urus keeps accelerating until it hits 190 mph. It might one day need to reach this speed given Dubai's large concentration of supercars. Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), regularly purchases high-end cars for its police department. Over the past decade or so it has purchased a Lexus RC F, a Bugatti Veyron, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class tuned to 700 horsepower by Brabus, and even a science-fiction-like hoverbike. It's not all supercars; the fleet also includes several Toyota Land Cruisers, Dodge Chargers, and Nissan Pathfinders.  Not to be outdone, Abu Dhabi (the second-largest city in the UAE) also owns exotics. Its fleet includes a Veyron and a Nissan GT-R.  Featured Gallery Lamborghini Urus Performante for Dubai police fleet View 10 Photos Weird Car News Lamborghini SUV Police/Emergency Performance

Audi reportedly shoots down $9.2 billion investor bid for Lamborghini

Volkswagen is open to divesting some of the brands in its portfolio, but it hasn't put a "for sale" sign on in front of Lamborghini's lawn yet. The firm allegedly shot down a big offer for the brand from a group of investors. Quantum Group SA, a newly-established holding company based in Zurich, Switzerland, made the non-binding offer in May 2021, according to anonymous sources who spoke to WardsAuto. The publication adds the group is ready to spend 7.5 billion euros (around $9.2 billion at the current conversion rate) to buy the entire Lamborghini division from Audi. The sale would include the brand, its intellectual property (like its trademarks and patents), its historic factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese, and its racing division. Full details about the proposed acquisition were closely examined by top Volkswagen executives, including company CEO Herbert Diess and Audi boss Markus Duesmann. While the offer sounds like it's neatly packaged, Volkswagen replied that it's not having a garage sale. "Lamborghini is not for sale. This is not the subject of any discussion within the group," a company spokesperson told industry trade journal Automotive News. These comments are in line with the ones made in December 2020. Quantum's aim wasn't to sever all ties with Volkswagen. It planned to turn Lamborghini into "a spearhead for innovation by consistently implementing new clean drivetrain technologies" across the range, a strategy that's already in the pipeline; Lamborghini announced it will electrify in the 2020s and launch its first series-produced EV. Investors also hoped to sign a five-year supply agreement with Audi, and to create what they called an Advanced Automotive Innovation Center headquartered somewhere in Lower Saxony, the German state Wolfsburg is in. In late 2020, when rumors about an imminent Lamborghini spin-off were rampant, Volkswagen stressed it had no plans to sell the Italian supercar manufacturer or to find a new home for Ducati, which Lamborghini owns. Unverified reports claim a chunk of the company could be listed on the stock market in a bid to raise revenue, however. Bugatti is another part of the Volkswagen empire that Diess and his team allegedly wanted to trade in to fund the group's pivot towards electric powertrains. In September 2020, reports claimed top executives had approved swapping the storied French carmaker and its assets for a significant stake in Croatia-based Rimac that would be transferred directly to Porsche.