VISITORS POUR IN ON FIRST OPEN SHOW DAY

+ Click to Enlarge GIANT SHOWROOM: Trade fair visitors check out the offerings on the first public day at the 63rd Frankfurt international auto show where 781 auto and auto parts manufacturers from 30 countries are presenting about 100 new models. Image:AFP

September 20, 2009
By William Ickes

The Frankfurt auto show buzzed with an amusement park atmosphere as it opened to the public on Saturday amid signs that Europe's biggest economy could soon pull out of its recession.

The previous few days had been reserved for the news media and industry representatives.

Visitors thronged to photograph new models and plop down inside their favourite sports cars despite warnings that the German auto sector was headed for a sales slump now that its car-scrapping scheme had expired, .

"The crisis is not really in people's minds," Fiat product manager Olivier Willand said as his mini-skirted receptionists welcomed visitors whose appetite for cars seemed undiminished by the economic downturn.

One visitor, a German tax consultant who gave his name as Frank as he and his wife Sabine headed for the Saab stand, said: "Personally I don't feel the recession and I don't see it in my clients either."

The festive ambiance, with a rocking and wailing Renault Formula 1 simulator and a roller-coaster of an all-wheel-drive test track emphasised recent signs that the mood among European consumers was perking up.

Their confidence rose in August for the fifth consecutive month, according to European Union data, with strong gains in Britain, the Netherlands and Germany - which is emerging from its worst slump in 60 years.

Elsewhere in the world economies are showing clear signs of recovery - and visitors came to the Frankfurt show from all over.

Cloudy unemployment forecasts took a back seat to the fun and the beer was flowing well before noon on Saturday as car-lovers lounged in the sun on big football pillows provided by Korea's Kia or pressed around the Ferrari and BMW stands.

Though attendance was expected to be noticeably lower than in 2006, said Eckehart Rotter, media director for the auto federation that organises the event, "it's not a funeral".

Toyota's marketing manager Denis Haecker told AFP: "All the companies here are showing that they are investing in the future, that they are investing in alternative technologies."

Other visitors who did not have money for a new car came to see the wide range of displays, from a clean white theme for ecological models by VW to deep red for Mercedes AMG's SLS gull-wing roadster.

"I like the design, that is what's interesting," said Jeanette Stadtmueller, who is studying to be a social worker.

'I JUST SIT BEHIND THE WHEEL'

"I like the inspiration you get here," added Tobias Langer, a software product manager based in Stuttgart who came with his wife Nadine. They had no plans to turn in their old Renault Clio but still wanted to see the new Clios as well as rival VW Polos and some Porsches.

Chlodwig Lauser, a technical advisor for Porsche luxury cars, summed up the attitude of those who waited to slip into a 911 Targa 4S as: "I don't have the money but I'd like to sit once behind the wheel."

On the fairground's main street, a Czech ice-cream vendor named Hanna who studies sociology in Munich reckoned the crowd was "happy and cool" because visitors were indulging their hobby.

"People are always ready to spend on that despite a crisis," she added.

And while lots of electric, hybrid or otherwise environmentally friendly models also got attention, the crowds were almost all captivated in the end by what Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche called "the fascination" of fantasy cars.

VW's Lamborghini stand was packed by those who wanted to see three models, including the 1.1-million-euro Reventon, of which only 15 will be built.

'HERE FOR THE DREAM'

Another big draw was the Bentley stand, where the gleaming new Mulsanne limousine was on display.

Chinese chemistry student Yuan Ping said Bentley was one of his favourite makes but that he would get by with a VW Passat or a BMW.

Why had he come to the show? "For the dream," he said with a smile, "for the dream." - AFP

Check out our special Frankfurt 2009 feature for many more stories and lots of images.