The Geneva Motor Show is renown for its eye candy, with beautiful concepts and stunning limited-production models from European design studios and custom builders, in addition to the usual treats from the mainstream manufacturers. This year, however, there’s a more practical theme prevalent among the 25 concepts and production models making their debuts — small is in, and the future looks way more efficient.
Everywhere one looks there is a green model on the stand, either hybrid, electric or both power options. And the applications range from micros and sub-compacts, such as India’s Tata brand, which is displaying an electric version of its Nano sedan, to supercars and high-end luxury models. Audi, for example, is showing a hybrid concept version of its A8 flagship sedan that’s as close to a production model as one could get.
There’s even a green future for exotic sports cars. Ferrari is showcasing two new technologies, one to be implemented on a production model soon, the other a more long-term exercise. The Ferrari California will soon be fitted with a stop-and-start system that reduces significantly fuel consumption and cuts CO2 emissions by 6%, yet it will still generate a potent 127 ponies per litre of displacement. Further down the road, technology developed from Formula One racing is being applied in a hybrid version of a 599 GTB Fiorano. Dubbed the HY-KERS vettura laboratorio, it can reduce CO2 emissions of the V12 engine by 35%.
As further evidence of the green theme, the Chinese manufacturer, BYD, is showing the world its E6 sedan, an all-electric five-seater that has a posted range of 330 kilometres and a top speed of 140 kilometres an hour, while Mitsubishi has taken the wraps off a crossover concept, the PX-MiEV, that combines a 1.6-litre gas engine with electric power from a lithium ion battery pack. It, too, looks like it could readily become a production model.
Audi has both themes covered at this show. It introduced its new A1 premium small car, complete with some celebrity hype from Justin Timberlake. The A1 will likely challenge Mini shoppers for that segment of the market, although not in Canada. While this snappy little number, with either a turbocharged 1.4L or a 1.6 TDI diesel, would probably appeal to young Canadian consumers, especially those with an urban lifestyle, it’s not slated to be coming ashore any time soon, certainly not in this generation, according to an Audi Canada spokesman.
As for being aboard the green movement, Audi is also showing the A1 e-tron, an electric version of this new small sedan.
High-performance fans need not feel abandoned by all this green talk — Audi also unveiled its sizzling hot RS5, a 450-horsepower, all-wheel-drive coupe. This car will be coming to Canada in about 18 months, albeit in very limited numbers.
Smaller models dominated the news at Ford, too. In addition to giving Europeans their first look at the 2011 Focus, which made its world debut in January at Detroit, Ford did have something fresh out of the box for showgoers — a Focus wagon. The wagon is especially popular in Europe, accounting for 50% of sales, so that kind of demand prompted this addition to the Focus lineup. There are no plans for now, says Ford, to offer the wagon version of the new Focus elsewhere. However, the company did confirm a performance version of the new Focus sedan is being developed using Ford’s EcoBoost engine technology, although again no specific marketing plans were offered.
It’s a similar availability story at Nissan. While it is showing off the next-generation Micra subcompact and the nifty new Juke, a small car-based crossover here, company officials were reluctant to discuss if or when these products would be offered in Canada. The Juke, based on the Versa platform, is a sporty-looking number that fits in Nissan’s crossover lineup below the Rogue, while the Micra sits on a completely new platform that will be the foundation for Nissan’s future small car lineup.
Although much of this show’s focus is on downsized products, the luxurious side of the market hasn’t been abandoned. Mercedes-Benz, for example, revealed a stunningly beautiful F800 Style concept. Its white leather interior, while a bit futuristic, pushes the term “luxury” to a new level.
Jaguar, the prestigious former British brand now owned by Tata, is celebrating its 75th anniversary with a special-edition XKR shown here. Its up-graded engine produces 510 horsepower and will propel this sleek machine to a top speed of 280 km/h.
Infiniti has long wanted to be a player in the Euro-luxury market, but it acknowledged it needed a diesel engine before it could compete. That void has now been filled with the introduction here of its third-generation M37 sports-luxury sedan. Its V6 engine is the first diesel in 20 years for Infiniti and it will soon also be fitted to the brand’s EX and FX crossovers — both popular models in Europe. There are no plans to offer the diesel engine in other markets, however.
cdear@sympatico.ca
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