Study Shows that New Porsche 911 Garnered the Most Web Buzz from the Frankfurt Motor Show

Now that the 2011 International Auto Show in Frankfurt has passed into history, analysts are crunching the numbers to see which carmakers and models sparked the crowd's interest the most.

UK-based Kantar Media Precis released the results of a study that looks into the number of online stories from websites, Tweets, blogs and other social media starting from two weeks before the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show on Aug. 30, 2011, until the end of the second press day on Sept. 14, 2011.

The study reveals that the most talked about model on the internet was the new Porsche 911 sports coupe, while next up was the Mercedes-Benz B Class small MPV, followed by the BMW i3 Concept hatch, the Audi Urban Concept studies and the Ford Evos Concept.

According to the findings of the study, Audi and Ford were the most popular brands among bloggers and YouTube users, with the Audi A2 Concept taking first place followed by the Ford Evos Concept.

The statistics show that from August 30 to September, a total of 19,549 online news stories and 5,666 social media posts talked about the 2011 IAA in one way or another, with 59 percent of those discussions taking place before the first press day on September 13.

For what it's worth, the most viewed 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show story on Carscoop in the same time period was the Ford Evos Concept followed closely by the new Porsche 911 and the Jaguar C-X16.

Story sources: Kantar Media Precis via Autonews

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IAA 2011: BMW i3 Study Previews New EV Premium City Car

BMW chose the Frankfurt Motor Show to tease its upcoming pure-electric model, the five-door i3 city car with a concept study of the same name.

The concept, formerly known as the Megacity, features a 170 HP electric motor placed over the rear axle that is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

It generates 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque and drives the rear wheels, providing a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of under 8.0 seconds while its top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).

Recharging the battery pack takes six hours using a standard socket, while BMW claims that with a high-speed charger you can have an 80% charge in just one hour.

BMW has also revealed that the production i3 will be offered with a range-extending small-displacement gasoline engine that drives a generator which in turn charges the battery, thus significantly increasing the car’s driving range.

Expect the bodywork of the production version to be close to that of the concept displayed in Frankfurt, and the interior to be ditched in favor of a more conventionally styled cabin.

 

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IAA 2011: Volkswagen Buggy Up! Study is Ready to Hit the Beach

The world premiere of Volkswagen's new Up! mini in Frankfurt did not involve only the production version as the German company also unwrapped a variety of concept models based on the small city car.

The most impressive study is the Buggy Up! that pays homage to the original, Beetle-based model of the same name that was born in California in the 1960s.

The concept model features a lightweight construction with extensive body reinforcements and a roll bar behind the two seats to compensate for the loss of the roof and the doors.

The body has been redesigned while the car's ride height was dropped by 20mm. At 3,584 mm long and 1,672 mm wide, the Buggy Up! is slightly longer and wider than the hatchback model it is based on.

The two-seater rides on 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped around 205/40 tires.

Being a proper beach vehicle, the revamped interior is completely waterproof with specially designed drains in the vehicle floor and the open side sills preventing flooding.

While Volkswagen did not make it clear if the Buggy Up! will make it into production, the German automaker said the concept signifies the beginning of an entire series of cars based on the Up!.

 

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