Geneva Motor Show 2007

Geneva Motor Show 2007 - Slide show

Dull Geneva Short On Exciting New Cars
No Shortage Of Promises For A Green Future, But Not Much Beef
Mercedes C-Class, Audi A5, Ford Mondeo Vie For Star Status
China’s Brilliance Points To Uncomfortable Future For Europeans

GENEVA, Switzerland – The Geneva Car Show failed to provide much in the way of excitement, with new models like the Mercedes C-Class, Audi A5 coupe and Ford Mondeo competing for star-of-the- show status but none offering much more than derivative improvements.

The so-called threat from global warming, in the shape of tough EU new rules for average carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2012, has shaken up the industry, and there was much talk about how companies will slowly improve fuel economy. Talk being the operative word, given that there were few examples of new products which actually sought some new way of improving efficiency. “Where’s the beef?” indeed.

Concept cars promising hybrid in the future sometime were cheap as chips. Real progress was limited to Saab’s decision to offer all their cars with bio-fuel engines, while BMW introduced stop-start and regenerative braking on the 1-series and face-lifted 5-series.

China’s Brilliance might have a silly name inviting ironic criticism, rather like the Skoda Superb, but its new cars look the business. I wonder how they will feel on the road?

The Ford Mondeo wins the prize for star of the show, not least because of the relentless marketing push here in Geneva. Ford even persuaded executives, including Ford Europe President & CEO John Fleming, to dress up as James Bond, to remind potential buyers that the car had a minor role in the Casino Royale spy movie.

The Mondeo includes 4-door, 5-door and Station Wagon variants, and there are diesel and gasoline, four and five cylinder engines ranging from 1.8 litres to 2.5 litres, five and six speed manual gearboxes and a six-speed automatic.

Ford is trying to move the Mondeo upmarket into BMW and Mercedes territory by improving quality and offering various high tech options. Contrary to news reports, the Mondeo is unlikely to be made available to U.S. buyers.

Brilliance BS6 – China’s first serious assault on the European market is led by the BMW 3 Series-sized BS6, with 4-cylinder gasoline engines from 2.0 litres to 2.4 litres. BS6 prices start at about €19,000. The interiors were very impressive with high quality leather and good fit and finish. It remains to be seen how the car performs on the road. Brilliance is also launching a BS4 compact sedan about the size of a Ford Focus with a 1.8 litre gasoline engine developing 136 bhp or a turbo charged version with 170 bhp. The sporty two-door Coupe BC3, designed by Pininfarina of Italy is shown in concept form only. No word yet on when Brilliance will tackle the U.S. market.

Volvo V70 – the traditional Volvo station wagon has been redesigned, with more space in the trunk and an integrated child seat in the rear, centre armrest. Volvo is also introducing an XC-70, a more rugged off-road version of the V70 which has hill-descent control. Europeans get these cars before the summer of this year, but Americans will have to wait until October 2007 for the XC-70, and until the first quarter of 2008 for the V70.

Audi A5 -Audi launched its new A5 four-seat coupe, based on a design expected to be the basis of the redesigned A4 in 2008. The A5 uses a new modular structure designed to Audi to launch more niche vehicles quickly and cheaply.

Toyota Auris – Toyota’s replacement for the long-serving Corolla, has been greeted with yawns by the European media, which found it worthy but dull. That was before they had a chance to see this chrome version, which attracted crowds at the show.

Mazda 2 – Ford will base its new sub-compact Fiesta on the Mazda 2, and will sell it in North America, although maybe not under that name. Mazda built the old model at Ford’s plant in Valencia, Spain, alongside the Fiesta, but the slightly smaller new model will be built in Hiroshima, Japan. The new one is sleeker than the boxy old one. Ford owns about 33 per cent of Mazda.

Opel GTC concept – Opel, General Motors’ European subsidiary, unveiled this concept car, which hints at the looks of the new Vectra large family sedan due to be launched in Europe next year. From the side and front, the GTC looks much like the Infiniti G35.

Renault Twingo – If some politicians here have their way, this is the way of the future in Europe – small, cute, cheap and cramped. The launch of the little city car was delayed because Renault chief Carlos Ghosn wanted to engineers to rework the design to make it cheaper to build.

Hyundai QarmQ – this might be the ugliest car ever produced, but the so-called crossover-coupe concept has an Elastic Front safety system which helps reduce the risk of severe injuries in pedestrian collisions and is much lighter to cut down fuel consumption. It uses recyclable plastics to make its carbon footprint smaller.

Mercedes C-class – The C class was recently launched in Germany and made its international debut in Geneva. The C class offers a super-clean Bluetec diesel engine, which went on sale in the U.S. late last year in an E class sedan.

Saab BioPower – car manufactures started talking about cars using less fuel to help the environment at this year’s Geneva show, but there were precious few examples of real action to combat climate change, even if that was possible. An exception was GM’s Swedish subsidiary Saab, which now offers bio-fuel compatible flex-fuel engines across its entire range. Bio-power engines emit 50 to 70 per cent less CO2 than conventional engines, according to Saab.

Maserati Granturismo – no European car show is complete without the launch of at least one Italian supercar. This new Maserati is powered by a 405 bhp, 4.2 litre, V-8 engine with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Prices start at $144,000.

Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera – a lightweight version of the regular Gallardo, this version uses aluminum, glass components, carbon fiber, and polycarbonate to help the environment. The addition of a 5.0 litre V-10 motor producing 530 bhp rather negates that effort. No word on price.

Dodge Demon – Chrysler’s Dodge brand unveiled this two-seat roadster concept car for the first time here in Geneva. The Demon looks a bit like a Mazda Miata on steroids and seems to be in near-production form. The Demon is likely to be powered by 2.4 litre gasoline engine. Dodge is becoming a force in Europe, led by the success of the Caliber, while Chrysler is also enjoying success with its 300C and Jeep SUVs and minivans.

Citroen and Peugeot unveiled their new SUVs, the C-Crosser and Peugeot 4007, both based on the new Mitsubishi Outlander. These are nice, but about 5 years too late. Other interesting debutants included the Honda Small Hybrid Sports, Lamborghini Murcielaga LP 640 Coupe, Skoda Fabia and Toyota Hybrid.