Frankfurt 2011 - Best in Show

Given the array of new cars at motor shows, it's often difficult to pick one as the overall star of the show. While, in theory, there appears to have been a glut of new concept and production cars to choose from in Frankfurt, in reality there were less than a handful of marked standout designs. Here are our picks.

Kia GT concept
Andrew Meehan - Contributor
My star car of Frankfurt 2011 comes from a design team based in Germany but determined to prove that Korea is the next big name in luxury. With the GT concept, Kia's designers have expressed European craftsmanship, subtlety and sophistication that even the Germans have lost sight of.

Inspired by aircraft but showing incredible restraint, extraordinary attention to detail, and an understanding of the luxury car segment, the crisply detailed four-door Kia GT exudes the quiet confidence of designers and a manufacturer on the prowl. It shows the company is willing to take a risk in producing a concept that is ostentatious in its simplicity, rather than in-your-face luxury. It proclaims quietly, rather than explosively, what many of us have been thinking for some time now – Kia, and Schreyer's design team, are ready for the next step.

BMW i8 concept
Owen Ready - Associate Editor
Spending some time in and around the BMW i8 and talking through its design and place in the company's broader strategy with Adrian van Hooydonk, it's almost certain that it will be seen as an iconic landmark on the motoring road map.

It perfectly encapsulates (and helps define) the zeitgeist. It's efficient. It's 'smart' in the integrated technology sense of the term. It's also smart in an objective sense; the way design and engineering are seemingly so pulling in the same direction blurs the boundaries we once thought defined the edges of possibility. Big words maybe, yet the important thing to remember is that the i8 is close to production ready. And that's why it's my star of the show.

Smart ForVision concept
Joe Simpson - Associate Editor
This was the show of mobility and urban transport solutions in many ways, so choosing the car from a brand that essentially gave birth to the segment seems appropriate.

The Smart ForVision's aesthetic and detailing is fun and playful. I like the fact that its face smiles, and the designers have avoided the pitfalls of an aggressive DRG. I admire the material innovation and experimentation – a great credit to the research partner, BASF. But ultimately I'm picking it because amid the trikes and buggies with outboard wheels it's the perfect illustration that – almost 20 years after Nicolas Hayek of Swatch originally had the idea – the notion of an ultra-compact car that can ‘carry two students and a crate of beer across town' still makes more sense than just about anything else in the urban mobility context.

Citroen Tubik concept
John O'Brien - Production Editor 
For me, the car of the show has to be the Citroen Tubik concept. The modern interpretation of the 'Tub' was one of – if not the only – car to make me smile when approaching it.

Though essentially a mono-box form, the exterior sported enough unique and intricate details to keep you intrigued and entertained in equal value. The flexible interior is also so rich in design qualities – both from a functional and aesthetic point of view – that truly made it stand out from the other vehicles on show. It is this carefully considered design, in combination with a welcome fun factor sorely missing from other concept and production designs, which made the Tubik stand out for me.

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CDN Live - Frankfurt 2011

By CDN Team