Fondness for the Frankfurt Auto Show

This week is the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, which is one of the biggest shows in the world. The show is held every other year, with the alternating year's car show held in Paris.

Frankfurt auto show in 2003

Obviously, the German car makers dominate the show with BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen all introducing significant models and building massive displays in the sprawling, multi-building complex.

I had the pleasure to attend the show in 2003, when my wife and I were living in Belgium. It was a spectacular experience, except for the absurdly long time it took to get lunch at one of the frankfurter vendors.

This year's show will feature some 50 automakers and specialty builders unwrapping upwards of 100 new models during the press days. The NYTimes points out that the size and scope of the show illustrates that the auto industry has rebounded from the dark days of the global economic collapse. But as much as this European show is a big deal, the industry as whole has become much more global, with China. Eastern Europe and even Brazil factoring more into the landscape than ever before.

GTSOTR will be tweeting out interesting news that we find during this week and of course we'll discuss the new models and concepts in this week's podcast.