Electrified Cars Hot Topic at World’s Largest Motor Show

Citroen’s hybrid air car at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Hybrid Air uses a combination of air and hydraulics to reduce fuel consumption by 45 percent compared with an equivalent gas engine.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show the top subjects are electric mobility and vehicle connectivity as 159 world premieres and 1,091 exhibitors from 35 countries via for public attention.

Known in German as the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (International Automobile Exhibition, or IAA), this is the world’s largest motor show. It is held biennially in Frankfurt am Main, where it occupies 12 buildings.

Matthias Wissmann, president of the German Association of the Automotive Industry, Monday kicked off the first press day by proclaiming “huge progress” on cutting emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2).

“The progress achieved by the German automotive industry in reducing the classical pollutants, CO2 and fuel consumption is impressive,” said Wissmann.

“Measured against the year 2000, we have brought down particulate emissions by 94 percent. Our cars are therefore often cleaner than the ambient air!” he exclaimed.

For the so-called classical pollutants – volatile hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates – the new Euro-6 vehicles now have emissions that are reduced by 97 to 98 percent compared to levels at the beginning of the 1990s, he pointed out.

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