Geneva was also packed with new accessories and an interesting display of yesterday, today and tomorrows focusing on how the light cluster, wheels, door mirrors and seats had and will change over the years. What was also very re-assuring is the way most manufacturers displayed with pride their new advances made in bio fuels, alternative fuels with Saab leading the way followed by a petrol or gas Fiat Panda and a gas Opal Corsa. It’s just such a shame these developments cannot be fully implemented and used by Joe public 24/7.
In the small car segment Chevrolet gave us the Epica VCDi diesel engine on the saloon; which I can share with you, is the next Vectra, Daihatsu unveiled the Materia a compact MPV, very compact in fact at only 3.8 meters long along with the seventh generation Cuore, a compact yet spacious, nippy but frugal with extremely reasonable maintenance costs. Bravo to Fiat who showed the wonderful new Brava now on sale in the UK Lancia took me by surprise with the unveiling of the Ypsilon Momo Sport; my spell check has now gone into overdrive! Which is a very attractive city car adopting sports looks without losing an ounce of elegance and will be available in both petrol and diesel engines.
Mazda set the zoom zoom with the new Mazda 2, which has undergone a much-needed makeover as a five door with a three to follow and two petrol engines a 1.3 and 1.6 to be joined later by a 1.6 litre turbo diesel. Another star was the MINI this time a new four cylinder petrol engine, plus the Cooper D diesel that will become MINI’s most fuel efficient engine needing only 4.4 litre per 100km. Peugeot turned heads with the 207 CC replacing the 206 with or without a top as the case may be, putting the highly acclaimed rigid retractable top from the others models, onto the 207 CC with a choice of two petrol engines and a turbo diesel with particle filter. From sublime to ridiculous is Renault’s Twingo last seen as a prototype at the Paris motor show but certainly playing a very important part here in Geneva along side the Clio Fi Team R26 compete with 193 horsepower! Skoda unleashed its second generation Fabia bring it up to date - at last, with more modern styling, better safety features and improved comfort.
A few teasers to tempt you with, was Romania’s Logan, some interesting ideas in the Lada camp, yes their back! Suzuki stunned us into silence with the Splash, while TATA, the biggest automobile manufacturer in India made their mark in the form of the Indigo SW.
In the family sector, Mondeo man will be pleased it’s undergone another transformation while the C-Max has had it second incarnation as well. Hyundai showed a lovely coupe while Kia stole the show with not just the unveiling of a Sports wagon estate version of the cee’d but a fantastic concept Cabrio version named excee’d. If you like it tell Kia then they might make it. Subaru showed of the B9 Tribeca with either five or seven seats, Volkswagen, their second generation Toureg and new generation Phaeton and the Golf Variant, which is an estate version of the Golf! Finally Volvo gave us the V70 estate and the XC60 that is a cross between an SUV and a coupe that is a very interesting concept.
Sports cars came in thick and fast in the form of the Alfa Romeo Spider on a 2.4 litre diesel, BMW’s restyled Series 1 and 5 along with a 3-Series convertible coupe cabriolet and even an estate version of the highly acclaimed M5.Chrysler showed the world the Sebring that was a concept car back in 2003 now a stunning saloon while the little C6 Victory Edition of the Corvette will certainly blow away the cobwebs. Jaguar showed its handsome models in the XKR and special anniversary S and X-types but was overshadowed by Lexus with the LS 600h combining simply gorgeous looks, luscious interior and of course excellent hybrid technology. Mercedes gave us the first public appearance for the C-Class which I was privy to drive before the show and will report back later for you 4x4’s are being replaced or rather re-named as ‘Crossovers’ which is literally a cross between a 4x4 and SUV. Citroen unveiled their stunning C-Crossover while Hummer showed its sturdy powerful off roader monster in the H3.Jeep have given the Wrangler a total facelift and updated the Patriot while Mitsubishi have gone over the top with the new Outlander DID on a diesel engine and a powerful Lancer Evolution X with 300 horses and four wheel drive, thankfully still in prototype mode. Nissan unveiled its new X-trail but interestingly enough, it was Ssangyong who came up with the goods in the form of the Actyon A200 that is the sibling of the weighty Rexton and Rodius off roader but blessed with handsome looks.
No show is ever complete without the likes of the super cars and whilst there was nothing new from Ferrari, nor Lamborghini, Masarati unleashed the excellent Quattroporte Automatica, Audi showed us the TT coupe and A5 Coupe, Cadillac’s CTS, Brilliance, the first ever Chinese manufacturer to exhibit at Geneva with the BS4 and BC3, along with contributions from Weisman, Sbarro and Rolls Royce compete with not just the most expensive price tag of over 400 K but also a tacky yellow footballers interior.
What a great show.
Jackie Violet