What's all this about?
The biannual Frankfurt Motor Show, bizarrely known as IAA in initials form (it's to do with the German name for the event), is nearly upon us, and Mercedes-Benz, as one of the 'home' manufacturers, is preparing a simply colossal stand. And it will be capped off with the mighty Mercedes-AMG Project One hybrid hypercar.
Ah, is this the 1,000hp, Formula 1-inspired thing?
It is indeed, the petrol-electric plug-in hybrid promising to be something extra special among the sea of 100 cars on show at IAA.
Erm, 100 cars? Is that all?
Sorry, were we not clear? That's 100 cars from Mercedes-Benz.
You've got to be kidding!
We're not. Mercedes' stand is the size of Rutland. Well, OK, it's not, but it will feel like it, once you're on it with show-weary feet. Totalling 11,000 square metres, it incorporates 970 tonnes of steel, more than 155 miles of wiring and around 6,000 light bulbs. Fully 400 Mercedes employees have been working on this behemoth for two months, the poor sods.
So... which cars will be on the stand?
You can't want a full rundown, surely?! Come on, 100 cars? That's practically Mercedes' entire fleet! However, if what you're asking us is 'what will Mercedes be showing that's new?', then you've got a new smart city car for shared urban mobility, the GLC F-Cell EQ hydrogen-powered SUV, the significantly revised versions of the S-Class Coupe and Cabriolet twins, and the first public appearance of the X-Class pick-up truck, which shares its mechanicals with the Nissan Navara and Renault Alaskan. Oh, and that little urban city car?
What of it?
It represents CASE, which stands for Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric, and is Mercedes' new corporate strategy. Mercedes further says this strategy is the embodiment of 'maximum mobility efficiency in and for the urban environment thanks to systematic further development of the car-sharing concept, and makes the vision of individualised, highly flexible urban public transport a reality'. And if you can follow any of that, then you're a better person than us.
So when is IAA?
It runs in Frankfurt from September 14-24.
Matt Robinson - 21 Aug 2017
