Frankfurt sits alongside Geneva and Paris as one of the big three European motor shows, alternating with the latter on the world calendar. It's also the last show in Europe this year, before the motor show circus moves on to Tokyo in October and Los Angeles in November.

In 2013, Frankfurt used the slogan, "the most automobile show in the world" and this year shouldn't be any different. The sheer scale of Frankfurt means that stands can be as big as small villages, with scores of cars on show.

Over the years some of the most iconic cars have been launched at the show including the Porsche 911 (1963), the revolutionary rotary-engined NSU Ro80 (1967), the VW Golf GTI (1975) and turbo-powered Saab 99 (1977).

More recently there have been debuts from the Lamborghini Murcielago (2001), the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren (2003) and the Ferrari 458 Italia (2009).

This year features world premieres from most of the major manufacturers, including Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Jaguar, Lamborghini, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Among the highlights are the debut of the new Rolls-Royce Dawn convertible, Bentley's first SUV -- the Bentayga -- and the Ferrari 488 Spider. Lamborghini is also expected to unveil the topless version of its Huracan supercar.

Key concept cars -- often radically designed prototypes with no price tag or release date -- are expected from Hyundai, Audi, Mazda, Nissan, Citroen and Peugeot.

Scroll through our A-Z of the Frankfurt Motor Show to see all the expected highlights.

(CNN)