Concept cars showcased at 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show

2015 edition of the Internationale AutomobilAustellung (IAA) is set to kick off today at the Messeturm, Frankfurt. The concept car battleground at this year's gigantic auto show is on a high octane run around, with all the German moguls coming out with their futuristic designs. These concepts, if nothing else is a wind of change from everything that is prevailing in the current market scenario. These "futuristic" cars are bound to take the game up a notch and we will give you more reasons than one with these concept cars covered:

1. Audi E-tron Quattro concept

Kuala Lumpur: The elite German automaker, Audi has revealed its new e-tron Quattro concept at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, providing a preview to the appearance, size and technical features. This all-electric Q6 e-tron model is set to go into production at the company's Ingolstadt manufacturing headquarters in Germany as a rival to the upcoming Tesla Model X and other alternative SUV drives.

Read Also: Audi e-tron quattro concept debuts at 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show

With this concept, Audi shows all of the advancements that it has made in the development of lightweight construction, aerodynamics, battery technology and electric drive systems. The front is adorned with the characteristic octagonal grille an angular OLED headlamps, a sharply sculpted bumper, large 5-spoke alloy rims and a sloping roofline for a coupe-like design. The rear gets long LED taillamps and a black plastic body cladding.

E-tron Quattro uses three motors, two positioned at the rear wheels (providing the Quattro four-wheel drive) and one up front to power the front wheels. The combined system generates a maximum power output of 429 HP. The driver can even mobilize 469 HP and over 800 Nm of torque temporarily while boosting.

All the powertrain equipped in Audi e-turn enable it to perform like a sports car. As a result, the concept car sprints from a standstill to 100 kmph in just 4.6 seconds and quickly reaches the electronically governed maximum speed of 210 kmph. Even, the e-tron Quattro concept can travel over 500 km on a single charge.

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The large lithium-ion battery with the capacity of 96 kWh, integrated into the floor of the passenger compartment uses either DC or AC power through the Combined Charging System (CCS), enabling a 150 kW DC charging point to bring the battery to full charge in 50 minutes. In addition, a large solar roof provides electricity for the drive system battery on sunny days.

The adaptive suspension with controlled damping, along with dynamic all-wheel steering enables the rear wheels to steer either in the same direction for improved stability or in the opposite direction for better handling. In addition, for improvised agility and stability of the car, Torque Control Manager works effectively and manages the distribution of power among the rear wheels.

The concept is equipped with all the technologies that Audi has developed for piloted driving, including radar sensors, a video camera, ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner. The data these supply come together in the central driver assistance controller (zFAS) in the luggage compartment. It computes a complete model of the car's surroundings in real time and makes this information available to all assistance systems and the systems for piloted driving.

The interior of the e-tron Quattro provides seating for up to four, with boot space count of 615 litres. All displays in the interior use OLED technology. A large display on the right is provided for media and navigation control. An LTE Module connects the Audi e-tron Quattro concept with the internet.

2. Porsche Mission E Concept

Porsche has grabbed the limelight at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show with its Mission E concept to challenge the Tesla Model S. With this concept, Porsche has entered the all-electric vehicle segment for the first time. Wolfgang Hatz, Porsche's R&D boss said- “With this car we intend to start a new era with Porsche, similar to the 911 fifty years ago. This is more than a show car, it's a concept car that we can realise. To put it into production we'll need three to three-and-a-half years."

Read Also: Porsche Mission E Concept Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show

This concept stands 1300 mm tall with a radically swept roofline. The absence of B-pillar gives it a clean profile while the air inlets and outlets in the front fascia and fenders help it to cut through the air easily. Unique LED headlights can also be noticed towards the front presented in the four point design. The wing mirrors are replaced by cameras mounted on the sides. The exterior body is constructed from a mixture of aluminium, steel and carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) which helps to keep the overall weight low.

Under the hood, it would be powered by a motorsport-inspired drive system which comprises a pair of permanent magnet synchronous motors(PMSM). These two motors would churn out a maximum power of 600 hp and complete a 0-100 kmph sprint in just 3. seconds. Further, it would feature an all-wheel-drive system. Thanks to its 800-volt technology, a full charge can be done in about 15 minutes for a 400 km ride. The underfloor mounted batteries employ the latest lithium-ion technology.

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Moving towards the interior, it features a spacious and airier atmosphere with the absence of a transmission tunnel. For this car, Porsche has replaced the regular five-seater layout with four individual bucket seats. The dashboard is integrated with a 3D holographic display system with gesture control. This display system has got selectable apps along with media, navigation, climate control, contacts and vehicle settings. All the physical buttons and knobs have been replaced by OLED display screens and eye-tracking system.

3. Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo

The French supercar has revealed images and preliminary details about the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo, which is all primed to debut at the 2015 Frankfurt motor show. Bugatti has joined the pantheon of automakers taking part in the Vision Gran Turismo video game challenge, with its design taking the form of a stunning supercar-turned-racer.

Read Also: Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo unveiled ahead of Frankfurt debut

The design is said to be an homage to Bugatti's racing history, specifically the victories at Le Mans in 1937 and 1939 in the Type 57 Tank. The blue paintwork reflects the 37 car's two-tone livery and a virtual racer.

After showing a teaser of an NACA duct in August 2015, today it has issued a set of renderings of the virtual car. Actual image of the supercar can be only seen at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. According to Bugatti, “the design of the virtual race car is about celebrating Bugatti’s racing history and is based on state-of-the-art technology.”

“The Bugatti design team normally works only for the exclusive and very distinguished circle of the brand’s customers. Now Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo has given us the opportunity, for the first time, to do something special for our fans as well,” explained Achim Anscheidt, the head of Bugatti Design.

“In view of the nature of the project, our concept car for ‘Vision Gran Turismo’ will be exaggerated and extremely performance-oriented. Even so, the progressive design language will give an impressive demonstration of the path to be taken by Bugatti design over the next few years,” he added.

This is the first time a Bugatti has ever appeared in Gran Turismo. Polyphony Digital Inc has sold 70 million games since its launch in 1997. 'Bugatti is admired and loved by countless people throughout the world,' said Bugatti president Wolfgang Durheimer. 'We highly appreciate this enthusiasm. The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo will make our brand available to them as well as to gamers and high-performance aficionados throughout the world, only very few of whom will be able to afford a real Bugatti. This is a project for our fans.

The concept vehicle design mimics the one used on the Type 57 Tank and which came signify French race cars of that era. Another nod to the Type 57 are the fins that start on the front wing, run along and then off the back of the roof, and then down the rear spoiler.

Looking instantly recognizable, the study features the most important characteristics of Bugatti, including the side profile, the ‘’ front grille, flanked by “eight-eyed” LED headlights, and the center fin, employed in two versions on the concept - one on the front and rear wings and the other running the length of the roof.

4. Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA

This year the Mercedes-Benz with the first of its world premieres has come in the form of the Concept IAA, which made its debut at the brand’s media night. It is one of the unveilings at the pre-show events.

Read Also: Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA debuts at 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show

Mercedes -Benz has played very well on the game by christening its four-door coupe on that of the show’s name, it might work to grab a lot of attention from the organisers towards this Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile. As the moniker suggests, the all new IAA concept is all about the brands innovation in the aerodynamic ability, which is very actively done at that.

The concept IAA is really a futuristic car, as it can variate its length. In the standard design mode configuration, the Concept IAA measures at 5,040 mm long (with a Cd value of 0.25), but at the touch of a button or when the car hits the 80 km/h mark, it automatically extends to 5,430 mm in its aerodynamic mode, the changes in shape altering the Cd value to 0.19.

Aerodynamics of the car are precisely managed when it extends itself. It's eight segments extend at the rear, making for the primary increase in length. Front flaps in the front bumper also extend by 25 mm to the front and 20 mm to the rear, helping to improve the air flow around the front end and the front wheel arches.

Apart from the length, its louvre in the front bumper moves 60 mm to the rear, improving the underbody air flow, while the design of the Active Rims (which are 22-inch units) alter their cupping from 55 mm to zero at speeds.

Overall the car measurement figures include a width of 1995 mm and height of 1305 mm while maintaining a wheelbase of 2,975 mm with front/rear track widths measuring 1,710 and 1,770 mm respectively.

The Concept IAA is is not just a concept on the exteriors but also beneath the bonnet. The straight of dreams car is animated to life by its unique petrol/electric plug-in hybrid drive with a total output of 275 hp. The quoted performance figures reach to an electronically-limited 250 km/h top speed and an all-electric range of 66 km in aerodynamic mode (28 g of CO2 per km) and 62 km (31 g per km) in design mode.

The designers at the Mercedes-Benz should be given a round of applause for their diligent craftsmanship. The car's design is a continued fluidic motion especially in terms of interior outlook. The outsides are primarily painted in the white finish with variable trim choices.

The most notable feature inside the car, its eight nuclear reactors shaped air vents, which have been produced by Swarovski on commission by Mercedes-Benz as a work of art in glass. These diamond cut vents can dazzle any onlooker with its ambient blue and red lighting.

Mercedes says the interior continues the design line of the W222 S-Class and S-Class Coupe and “provides an idea of what the interior of a business saloon might look like in the near future.” The subtle wording doesn’t quite hide things convincingly.

The heavy tech features car includes a touch-based operating functions buttons for the steering wheel – OFN (Optical Finger Navigation) buttons, embedded in the clusters in a similar hovering manner as the touchpad in the centre console. The Mercedes-Benz touch panel at the centre console is especially revised to enable the driver to scroll through the instrument cluster menus, with the left button controlling the left-hand display and the right button, the right-hand display.

The company hints that this concept will be featuring an E-Class dashboard while more hints of the future come in the form of the tail lights. It is also been speculated that the automaker is imbued with a look that is evocative of stardust, or the glow of a jet engine.

This truly marked a spectacular start to the year's biggest auto show and the mark of the next-generation cars.

Read Our complete coverage on the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show here!