Frankfurt Shows Smaller and Lighter Cars

This year's Frankfurt Motor Show is now in full swing with elite¹ carmakers showcasing new models and new technologies that make vehicles cheaper and lighter³ - now and in the future.

Su Yi has more.

 
To adapt to increasing concerns over environment preservation⁴ and the eventually exhaustible fossil fuel reserves, world-leading auto⁵ makers² have set the tone of future car development as environment-friendly, fuel-saving and intelligent.

Among a range of hybrid⁶ and pure electric cars, BWM i3 distinguished⁷ itself with its light aluminum⁸ and carbon-fiber structure, which makes it just lighter and even more reinforced.

Volkswagen's single-passenger vehicle "Nils" focuses on urban mobility⁹ and lone¹⁰ drivers.

Natascha Kinstner is from Volkswagen's Research and Development Department.

"Nils is a concept car by VW Research, and it focuses on micro-mobility; that is to say, urban mobility. It is a single-passenger vehicle, because studies have shown that 70 percent of commuters drive less than 25 kilometers to work, and that 90 percent drive by themselves. That is why it is a single-passenger concept."

Volkswagen's brand new city car -- four seater "Up!" is also attracting attention.

Measuring only 3.54 meters in length, the mini model is targeted at urban residents who strive for a lifestyle of both economy and conformability. The basic version comes with a one-liter, three-cylinder petrol engine. The "Up!" starts at an affordable¹¹ 13-thousand U.S. dollars.

Audi has also come up with its own similar one-seater study called "Urban Concept." A sliding canopy¹², resembling that of a fighter jet, provides access to the car.

Statistics from the European auto industry association AECA showed that the overall market share of compact cars have risen from 30 percent in 1990 to more than 40 percent now in Europe.

As "downsizing" is inlaid with car design, more intelligent devices will ensue to help less skilled drivers, as a complete automatic parking device is soon to be applied¹³ to realize driver-free parking.

Meanwhile, new power sources are always under the spotlight¹⁴, from renovated¹⁵ battery packs to hydrogen.

Mercedes' B-Class F-Cell runs on hydrogen. To prove the concept works, the car has been driven around on five continents.

Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche believes sales of hydrogen vehicles will soon match those of diesel¹⁶ hybrids¹⁷.

"We will start with a significantly higher volume of production in 2014 and we foresee in the year 2016, at the latest '17, to accomplish a cost position which is equal or similar to diesel hybrid. So within these five to six years we are not only technically¹⁸ but economically fully¹⁹ competitive with this new drive-train as well."

Toyota holds the majority of patents in hybrid technology. This year, it managed to add an optional third row of seating in its Prius+ thanks to innovations in producing lithium batteries that are lighter and smaller.

The Frankfurt Motor Show continues until next Sunday.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

1 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

2 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

4 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

5 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

6 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

7 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

8 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。

9 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

10 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

11 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

12 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

13 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

14 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

15 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

16 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

17 hybrids   

n.杂交生成的生物体( hybrid的名词复数 )；杂交植物（或动物）；杂种；（不同事物的）混合物

参考例句：

• All these brightly coloured hybrids are so lovely in the garden. 花园里所有这些色彩鲜艳的杂交花真美丽。 来自辞典例句
• The notion that interspecific hybrids are rare is ill-founded. 有一种看法认为种间杂种是罕见的，这种看法是无根据的。 来自辞典例句

18 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

19 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。