During the recent 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Volkswagen Chairman Martin Winterkorn paid a visit to Hyundai’s stand and checked out the new i30, a competitor for their top selling Volkswagen Golf.

Watching the video footage below, you can see Winterkorn carefully studying the i30 and checking on various things. He even gets his tape measure out to measure the blind spot area from the driver’s view.

But whilst Winterkorn adjusts the steering wheel, he begins to query his seconds on what he discovers. He asks how Hyundai managed to make an adjustment mechanism to the steering wheel that doesn’t make any sound while moving, going so far as to say, “No weird sound…BMW can’t do it, we can’t do it…how do they do it?”

And then one of the gentlemen who is off camera explains, “We had a solution for that but it was too expensive to produce.”

This video just goes to show that Winterkorn is keeping a healthy eye on the competition, indeed. And there is no doubt that he’s got some questions for his design teams that will need answering when he returns to headquarters! Nonetheless, do take a look at the video below.

One of the most remarkable cars on display at the recent 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show is the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe V16. The one-of-a-kind Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe plays a crucial role in the movie, ‘Johnny English Reborn’ starring Rowan Atkinson.

During the occasion, Atkinson showed up for the Rolls-Royce press conference to talk about his co-star, ‘Royce’, the film, and his passion for Rolls-Royce.

The movie version of the car has a 9.0 litre V-16, a bit more than the 6.75 litre V-12 in the production version of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe.

Rolls-Royce originally intended to use a 9.0 litre V16 engine in the Phantom as they wanted the ultimate engine for the ultimate luxury car of the 21st century. The British automaker designed and developed several examples of the V16 but at last they decided to use a more economical V-12 engine.

Atkinson, being a Rolls-Royce enthusiast knew that 3 or 4 of these engines had been built and asked Rolls-Royce if he could use one of them for ‘Johnny English Reborn. The engineers at Rolls-Royce were happy to fit one in a Phantom when approached by the actor.

The V16 engine first appeared at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show in the Rolls-Royce 100EX ‘Experimental Car’, which went on to become the Phantom Coupe in 2008.

At the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Audi took the wraps off of the new 2012 Audi RS5.

Even though Audi never officially talked about the possibility of presenting a convertible version of its RS5 sports car, the idea has been circulating for quite some time and now it appears that new evidence has just come to light with some unofficial images of the cabrio.

The vehicle will feature seating for four and the same electrically operated fabric top as the A5 and S5 convertibles. The rest of the vehicle wears the same facelifted garb as the new S5 unveiled at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Power will be provided by a 4.2L V8 engine with 450bhp and 430Nm of torque. It will be paired to a 7-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system which should enable the car to accelerate from 0-100km/h in less than five seconds and hit a limited top speed of 250 km/h.

No word on when the RS5 Cabriolet will have its official debut, but we’ll have more details on the RS5 convertible as soon as Audi makes them available.

Honda has revealed a revised Insight hybrid at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show with a freshened exterior style and various enhancements aimed at increasing fuel economy.

Honda freshened up the 2012 Insight with some cosmetic changes that include blue tinted headlight covers, a new grille, slightly lower air intakes and a reshaped rear end that’s intended to improve rear visibility through the Insight’s two-part window in the hatch door.

Aside from exterior tweaks, Honda aimed to improve the quality of the Insight’s interior for the 2012 model year. Improvements include a new seat fabric and black wood look panelling. There’s even improved head clearance for back seat passengers. This has been achieved by adjusting the angle of the rear seat and re-shaping the headlining so that it is curved at the edges.

Honda says that driver and passenger comfort has also been enhanced by means of reducing the intrusion of engine and road noise from the suspension and tires into the cabin. The front lower suspension arms are now made from aluminium, rather than steel. A new tyre development has also reduced the noise within the cabin.

Under the hood, the 2012 Insight Hybrid still features the familiar 1.3L i-VTEC engine, combine with an electric motor. Honda says it has reduced engine friction and revise the Insight’s CVT gearbox for 2012, resulting in a European rating of just 96 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The 2012 Insight also employs a new air conditioner, which further improves the vehicle’s overall efficiency.

Group Lotus recently announced the latest addition to their family, the extraordinary new Exige S, an ultimate lightweight high performance sportscar. Alongside the staggering power to weight ratio, the Exige S has a completely new exterior and interior look and feel. The dramatic styling overhaul sees a completely new look for the Exige including a new front splitter and rear spoiler giving it a strong and aerodynamic profile.

The Exige S comes in two new interior package options; Premium and Premium Sport. The Premium Pack provides added comfort and style whereas the Premium Sport option focuses on creating an internal space optimised for ultimate driver involvement. Built for the adrenalin hungry sportscar aficionado, the Exige S features high performance bespoke tyre package with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres as standard.

A Lotus DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) switch allows the driver to switch between three driving modes; Touring, Sport and DPM off. And if three dynamic settings are not enough, an additional Race Pack option is available which adds a fourth driving mode setting: Race. This setting provides the maximum possible traction out of corners.

The Race Pack also features Launch Control and an optimised suspension setting making the car perfect for letting rip on the track. Commenting on the Exige S, Group Lotus Chief Executive Officer Dany Bahar said, “Anyone who has ever driven an Exige will tell you that it’s not for the faint-hearted. The new Exige S skips a few rungs on the ladder to give the driver the ultimate Lotus experience. Quite simply you can’t get more Lotus than the Exige S.”

The Frankfurt Auto Show 2011 displays all sorts of concept cars including the latest from Peugeot, the HX1. Here, we’ve got you a review of this concept car.

According to the French automaker, the HX1 is built on an MPV architecture with a unique body as it measures just 1,373mm tall, but is 1,990mm wide and 4,954mm long.

To improve aerodynamics, the HX1 is fitted with a special set of alloy wheels, each of which incorporates seven blades that open to create a flat disc surface when the car is on the move. At the same time, a spoiler and two side skirts located at the top of the tailgate deploy at speeds over 100km/h.

Passengers enter the vehicle through four reverse-opening doors. The HX1′s cabin features three rows of seats, with the rear section designed to offer maximum comfort. If needed, two retractable seats can be pulled out and configured in a centre row.

The HX1 is powered by a 204bhp, 2.2L HDi unit which works together with a 95bhp electric motor. The setup is claimed to produce a total output of 299bhp.

The HX1 comes with an all-wheel drive system, the diesel unit drives the front wheels while an electric motor sends power to the rear wheels.

In terms of efficiency, the plug-in hybrid HX1 has a range of up to 30km in all-electric mode with a fuel-economy rating of 3.2L/100km and CO2 emissions of 83g/km.

Although Peugeot hasn’t announced any plans to mass produce a version of this new concept, we hope to see one in the drive-way nonetheless. Meanwhile, do take a look at the HX1′s official promo video below!

Porsche has pulled the covers off the new 911 Carrera, a completely new generation of the iconic coupe that has been acclaimed as one of the world’s benchmark sports cars since its launch in 1963.

The new 911 Carrera features an all-new, lightweight body with aluminium-steel composite construction leading to a weight reduction of up to 45 kg. In addition, the body structure offers greater rigidity and aerodynamic optimisation.

The new 911 Carrera is also given a dynamic appearance with a 100mm longer wheelbase, reduced height, and up to 20” diameter alloy wheels. Plus, redesigned exterior mirrors have been mounted on the upper edge of the door and not as before on the mirror triangle.

Engine-wise, the base Carrera features an all-new 3.4L direct injection 6-cylinder engine, producing 350bhp while the Carrera S will use a 3.8L direct injection unit that produces 400bhp of power.

Both new engines will be mated to either a new 7-speed manual transmission or Porsche’s 7-speed PDK dual-clutch transmission and either of which can be had with launch control as an option.

These new engines offer performance improvements for both models. Porsche claims the 3.4L Carrera with PDK accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.6 sec, 0.1 sec quicker than the prior model. Pressing the Sport Plus button on the optional Sport Chrono Pack cuts that to 4.4 sec.

The 3.8L Carrera S with PDK can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 4.3 sec (Sport Plus 4.1 sec), 0.2sec quicker than its predecessor.

The new car will hit showrooms in just a couple of months and it’s due to go on sale in the UK on December 2011.

After the success of the DBS Carbon Black model introduced in 2009, Aston Martin has revealed two striking new Carbon Edition DBS sports cars at the recent 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

The 2011 DBS Carbon Edition will be available in two new colours including Flame Orange and Ceramic Grey together with the current, Carbon Black. This new variant will be available in both coupe and cabrio models.

The British automaker says the new models will undergo a unique paint process and will receive seven layers of paint together with a 25-hour hand flat-and-polish finish resulting in a glass veneer. Buyers will also have the option of a satin lacquer paint finish, creating a silk-like texture.

The DBS Carbon Edition features 10-spoke gloss black diamond turned wheels with a reversed diamond turned and standard black brake callipers, with yellow, orange, red, or grey callipers available as an option.

Other features include a black grille, carbon fibre mirror heads, carbon rear lamp in-fills, and smoked rear lights.

Inside, you get the choice of  black or orange semi-aniline leather. According to the automaker, the whole stitching and finishing process consumes at least 70 hours of a skilled tradesman to complete.

Furthermore, the headlining is quilted, the dash features a hand-layered carbon fibre finish, and the magnesium alloy steering wheel paddles is tipped with carbon fibre. Finally, a unique carbon fibre special edition sill plaque with laser etched metal inlay completes the specification.

For 2011, the Carbon Edition models also gain the newest Aston Martin Garmin navigation system and beam blade windscreen wipers for reduced wind noise and a more complete wipe.

AC Schnitzer plans to please the crowd at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show with the debut of the their newly tuned BMW 650i Convertible.

According to the tuning house, the revised model gets a tuned package that consists of performance upgrades from the standard 407bhp to 540bhp, allowing the car to go from 0 to 100 kmh in just 4.4 seconds. Thanks to the new exhaust system and a re-mapped ECU.

This power increase has been combined with a twin sports rear silencer with chromed “Sport Trim” tailpipe trims, an 8-pot high performance brake system for the front, and an AC Schnitzer suspension spring kit.

The interior is now trimmed in a matt space grey and features a sports air bag steering wheel, an AC Schintzer “Black Line” aluminium cover for the i-Drive system controller, and the AC Schnitzer aluminium foot rests and pedals.

Meanwhile, the exterior features a new front spoiler, a chromed front grille and chrome decor strips, a rear skirt insert, and loading lip protection film. There is also a new set of 21″ Type VIII forged alloy wheel in Bi-Colour to round out the look from the outside.

Official pricing has yet to be released, but we’re expecting further details as soon as the BMW 650i Convertible makes its official appearance at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Mercedes will present its 2012 DTM AMG C-Coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and the race car will be unveiled by Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg.

And before the 2012 DTM AMG C-Coupe makesits public appearance, Mercedes has released a teaser video of the 2012 DTM AMG C-Coupe. In this short clip, 2005 DTM champion, Gary Paffett explains the key differences between the 2012 DTM AMG Mercedes C-Coupé and the current DTM AMG Mercedes C-Class. The race car has larger wheels, a huge rear wing and is now a three-door coupe.

According to Mercedes Motorsport Vice President Norbert Haug, “This new-generation vehicle, based on our Mercedes-Benz C- Coupé, will mark the introduction of an even more spectacular racing car from the start of 2012. I am certain that the spectators will get their money’s worth from the three-way fight between Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the DTM next year.”