Newest, Best Car Models at Frankfurt

Hyundai, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Samsung, and Ssangyong among 1,000 car and parts makers at the German car expo

"Clean cars" set the tone at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, the world's largest automobile fest, which took place from Sept. 15-25 in the German city.
South Korean automakers including Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and GM Daewoo & Technology participated in the international fair as part of their campaigns to expand sales in the European market.
Officially named the Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA), the Frankfurt Motor Show ran under the theme "See What's Driving the Future!" with some 1,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries on hand.

Future Cars
Hyundai Motor displayed a total of 17 vehicles including its new concept car "i-Blue," its first version of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, based on its i30 compact car.
In a statement, Hyundai said the top speed of the "i-Blue" model is 165 kilometers per hour and has a cruising range of 600 kilometers.
"The i-Blue will show Hyundai Motor's vision of eco-friendly vehicles,'' said Hyundai Motor President Lee Hyun-soon. A fuel cell creates electricity through a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
Kia Motors unveiled a two-door, sports coupe concept car. Korea's second biggest automaker won multiple design awards from the German Design Council, including the Best of Best Award in the brand design category and three of its models, the K5 sedan, the Sportage R sports utility vehicle (SUV) and the UB, a small vehicle known as the Rio, were selected as winners in the exterior category.
GM Daewoo revealed its 1.4-liter Chevrolet Aveo hatchback sedan as well as its main products including Winstorm and Matiz, while Ssangyong Motor introduced its sports sedan "Wz."
But the global leaders in the automobile industry, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen, focused more on eco-friendly vehicles this year, as pressure has been building on them to make environmental protection a priority.
Hybrid engines that save energy and run on bio-fuels or hydrogen, or those vehicles that trim fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, were among the responses offered by the global automakers.
For example, Germany's luxury sports carmaker Porsche rolled out a hybrid version of its Cayenne sports utility vehicle (SUV), while France's Peugeot was pushing the green credentials of its 308 passenger car, which made its global debut in Frankfurt.
Japanese automakers were also showing futuristic vehicles of their own including Toyota's Lexus hybrid models LS600h, GS450h and RX400h, and Mitsubishi's small all-wheel-drive "Concept-cX" SUV.
"We accept the challenge posed by the global warming debate," Matthias Wissmann, president of the German Automobile Federation VDA, which organizes the motor show, was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying.
Various other events were featured at the show, now in its 62nd year. Visitors, for example, were able to fill their own tanks at the "Bio-fuel Bar" or get on-the-street lessons on how to consume less gas with the cars they already possess.
Car CEOs All In One Place
As in previous years, this year's show was a place where chief executive officers (CEOs) and other dignitaries from among the global carmakers, including the South Korean ones, got together.
Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo, Vice Chairman & CEO Kim Dong-jin, Kia Motors President Chung Eui-sun, Renault Samsung Motors CEO Jean-Marie Hurtiger and Ssangyang Motor President Choi Hyung-Tak attended the motor show, according to the companies.
Amid rising oil prices and consumers' growing affection for "cleaner" cars, automakers are responding by introducing vehicles that are more fuel efficient and non-polluting. nw

(from above) Hyundai Motor's new i30 models on display at Frankfurt Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany, Sept. 15-25. Chung Eui-seon, left, vice chairman of Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, poses with the new concept car model i30 shown at Frankfurt Motor Show.

Photos oncourtesy of Hyundai