We had no expectation of much excitement from French automobile makers at the IAA this year and not much in Frankfurt contradicts our prediction. Citroen, Peugeot and Renault have busied themselves reducing CO2 emissions wherever possible and adopted a family-friendly and future oriented posture but it all adds up to little more than a generalized blandness.
Citroen cultivates its image as the sophisticate among the car makers. The new DS5 has what it takes to join the elite ranks in which the DS and the SM are immortalized. For here we have a combination of avantgarde design and tomorrow’s technology.
Summer is the season for lovers of classic and veteran cars to get together to celebrate their shared passion. Countless rallies and events bring together automobiles from the widest range of epochs, often in picturesque surroundings. But everywhere the safety checks are part of the ritual.
For the past fifteen years there have been regulations allowing owners of automobiles over thirty years old and in original condition to apply for license plates with an ‘H’ ( for ‘historical’) suffix. At the end of 2011 there were 231 thousand private cars with H plates registered. And Germany’s most popular ‘oldtimer’ is the VW Beetle.