The Frankfurt Motor Show — officially the Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung or IAA — starts Tuesday morning in Germany. This will be where Volkswagen will officially step out as an electric car brand.
Not only will VW reveal the ID.3, the first car to be sold under its new ID electric car sub-brand, but VW will also unveil a new logo. (Don’t expect anything shocking. It’ll probably be like the VW logo went to a plastic surgeon for a lift and a tuck.)
As with most car shows these days, the biggest news will be around plug-in cars and, in this case, one very fast hybrid. Volkswagen Group, in particular, will have lots to talk about with a new VW electric car and one from Porsche as well and that new hybrid Lamborghini.
Honda will also unveil its own cute little EV and, on a larger scale, Mercedes-Benz will show off an electric luxury sedan.
But it’s not all cool new technology and flashy designs. These are tough times for the car industry. Trade wars are starting to take a toll, the Chinese auto market, long a rich source of sales, is on a slide and Britain is getting ready for a possibly very messy Brexit.
Still, the industry goes on and, in the end, it’s all about products.
Stay tuned as we look at the latest cars and trucks from a rapidly changing industry.
