FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Borgward to follow SUV with sports car

Borgward is tipped to reveal an all-new concept for a flagship sports car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The reborn German brand has released a single photo showing some details of the bonnet, badge and screen of the car which is believed to be close to production.

Set to sit above both of Borgward's SUVs, the BX5 and BX7, the new sports car, likely to be a coupe, will be powered by the company's 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, although the Frankfurt show car may run the e-PROPULSION pure-electric hardware revealed in April.

If so, the concept will come with two electric motors producing a combined 200kW/400Nm.

A powerful lithium ion battery provides a range of 500km and a fast charger can provide an 80 per cent recharge in 30 minutes.

More teases are expected in the build-up to the Frankfurt show.

Last year, the Chino-German brand confirmed it would once again build cars in its spiritual home of Bremen.

In this first phase of manufacturing, Borgward says it will make around 10,000 vehicles per year.

The first car to be produced at the German facility will be a pure-electric version of the its seven-seat BX7 SUV which is already on sale as a plug-in hybrid in China.

In the future, once the site is expanded, the Bremen facility will also build the BX5 plug-in hybrid.

Back in 2016, Borgward also announced it had successfully poached MINI’s former design boss, Anders Warming, to design its future range of cars.

Although, even with good design and a new German-based factory, many industry commentators are cynical Borgward will meet its ambitious sales target of 800,000 vehicles by 2020 and 1.6 million units by 2025.

That said, the company’s strategy has international backing from the huge Chinese automotive brand Foton Motor Company.

Borgward announced its return, after 54 years, at the 2015 Geneva show and already claims to have a 1000-strong workforce.