After day one of the Frankfurt motor show it was hard not to be confident that this is the car design of the show. Everyone here is talking about the 458, and almost all the designers we spoke to agreed that it was truly a beautiful 21st century Ferrari.

In the flesh the most striking element of the design is the lithe, agile and modern identity. The 458 connects thematically to its immediate predecessor but innovates with fresh solutions. One of the most innovative areas is in the body side treatment where relatively large blown volumes along the side are kept taught with sharp but shallow body side creases; one defines the rocker area and slims the side profile in a way similar to the Lotus Evora, while the other dives down and fades out below the door handle before re-emerging delicately above it. This is a totally fresh solution, but one that is flamboyant and successfully resolved.

Other innovative details include the base line of the DLO changes that direction to echo the swell of the rear fender, finishing at a very sharp point; the prancing horse that is suspended ahead of the blacked out lower front valance; and the smooth integration of the Enzo-style trumpet taillights into the surrounding rear deck. And yet this new design also has some of the delicate aesthetic qualities that we've not seen since the very first mid-engine Ferraris: deep side windows, visually slim pillars and a form language that is almost feline.  

Inside, the design theme is more conventional Ferrari, but there are major innovations in the HMI design. As we reported in our New Car piece, column stalks are replaced by steering wheel buttons and there is a center stack-mounted controller for other secondary controls. Two TFT displays flank the large yellow-backed central speedometer, which remains analogue.

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One of the more relevant concepts of the show came in the form of the diminutive 2.5m long Peugeot BB1. The electric vehicle is a thoroughly modern proposition for the future, integrating Peugeot's history and knowledge of the two-wheeled motorbike sector to develop a highly functional four-seat vehicle.

"The brief was to do a car that measured 2.5m and still fit four people inside," Gilles Vidal, Chief Designer of Peugeot concept cars, told us. "We had to compress the mechanicals, but also compress people and find ways to optimize the interior."

While the exterior design features interesting details such as a forward-canted A-pillar, boomerang shaped taillamps that protrude out of the main body and integrated solar cells on the double bubble roof that power a filtration device found in the air vents aft of the front wheels, it's the BB1's interior packaging that we found most interesting.

Compressing the mechanicals meant the compact package would employ Michelin hub-mounted electric motors, while the driver controls the car through handlebars - as on a motorbike - and sits more upright. There are no foot pedals. "This is a hardened city vehicle, and the upright driving position makes users more alert and aware." Vidal said. Rear seat passengers are seated in motorbike-style, straddling the front seatbacks.

The interior also blends highly technical colors & materials with more conventional elements. "Its urban vintage vs. NASA", Vidal said. The door panels feature a flower pattern embossed in the door leather (a nod to Citroen's C-Cactus also created under Vidal's direction) and a smart phone integration cradle at the center of the handlebar steering wheel. The vehicle is then used as a monitor for music, navigation and connectivity relaying information to a head-up display. If recent concepts from Peugeot are any indication, we hope to see this truly remarkable city car in production form in the next two years.

Mini is celebrating its 50th birthday with the unveiling of the Coupe and Roadster concepts, cars that will make it onto the road next year. Up to the waistline, both are near identical to the three-door; above that the rake of the windscreen has increased 16 degrees, while the overall height has dropped 60mm. This tight cabin volume exaggerates the long wheelbase giving the car a great stance that is sure to look fantastic on the street.

As images of the coupe have circulated in the media already, the roadster was more of a surprise at the tandem unveiling. From the front, the low screen and full hood lend the design masculinity, while moving round the exterior penned by Markus Syrang, the rear fenders tip over the waist into a slight dip, adding sensuality that the coupe does without.

The Coupe is distinguished by the ‘reverse baseball cap' roof, which hugs the side glass before being cropped by the upper edge of the rear screen. In this way the design effectively shows the two-seat package while continuing the wraparound glass theme set by the three-door. The execution however seems loose compared to the rest of the body, the cantrail fattening as it moves from the A-pillar and the chamfer of the spoiler twists as it moves above the quarterlight.

Both cars however conform to a stylized interpretation of sporting that seems a reaction to the Peugeot RCZ, rather than visually draw from the rich sporting heritage of the brand. From innovative packaging to a premium small car, the change in value of Mini has been wholly embraced, but to not use this 50th anniversary to launch a more advanced product is a missed opportunity.

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