March 24, 2008
This sort of fell between the cracks in our Geneva show coverage. It's an Opel GT with a V8 of unspecified origin by performance enhancer Irmscher, and is called the Irmscher GT i40.
Now we know there's a 6.0L GM V8, and I wonder if it could fit under the hood of the Pontiac Solstice? Mr...
March 7, 2008
Surely in what must be the most complicated doors ever, Renault displayed a Megane concept with "Dragonfly Doors" at Geneva. While sorta gullwing-like, these doors open upward and appear to be a real advantage in tight quarters, where a traditional (if that term can be used) gullwing door would not work.
Full story here.
March 5, 2008
As has already been posted, Infiniti has introduced the next-generation FX (2009 Infiniti FX50 & 2009 Infiniti G37 Sedan: 2008 Geneva Auto Show (after the party)), of which there is now an FX50, which indicates a new larger 5.0-liter V8.
Now the first thing that came to my mind upon hearing this news is what other Nissans and Infinitis might also use this new engine. I can't help but think that engine is also destined to see action in their full-size trucks and SUVs. As it stands, Nissan and Infiniti only offer one engine choice, the 5.6-liter V8, in those vehicles...
We got a good look at the refreshed 2009 Mercedes SL550 a couple weeks ago, but the Geneva auto show was the official debut of the SL63 AMG. Instead of the SL550's 5.5-liter V8 with 388 horsepower, the SL63 uses a 6.2-liter V8 with 525 hp. It's also the first application of Mercedes' new seven-speed transmission. It's called MCT Sportshift and it combines the smoothness of an automatic with the direct feel of a manual...
The 1960s are all over the 2008 Geneva Auto Show.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Ferrari 365 GTB4, or Daytona as it is more commonly known. To celebrate the occasion, Ferrari is displaying this black example alongside the new 612 Scaglietti.
Also 40 years ago, ItalDesign opened its doors...
If you sold a subcompact minivan called the Nemo Combi, you'd simply have to build a concept car with a tie-in to the five-year-old animated film, Finding Nemo, would you not? The Citroën Nemo Concetto (concetto just means "concept") is all done up to look a clownfish. However, due to the fact that it's a van, it looks more like a flamboyant Geek Squad vehicle than Nemo himself.
This is what happens when you force excessive amounts of cuteness into a class of car that already has that angle covered. Still, the anemones growing out of the dash tug at the heartstrings.
Would you be willing to pay $30K for the Volkswagen Scirocco? Certain members of Volkswagen’s executive board in the U.S. don’t think so. That’s why they’ve been telling the home office not to send the Scirocco to the U.S. after it goes on sale in Europe later this year.
At least that’s what we hear. Too much overlap with the GTI, they say. They’ve got a point, as the Scirocco is pretty much just a GTI with a different body. Factor in the R32 that’s also based on the GTI and it’s hard to make a good business case for bringing in the Scirocco. Maybe a limited run like the R32? We’ll see, but don’t get your hopes up. –- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
You haven't lived until you've heard a low-rent German boy band sing Bon Jovi.
No, I'm not kidding. These five freaks have been annoying folks in the VW booth for two days now with their painful rendition of "Little Runaway." Our requests for "Dead or Alive" fell on deaf ears.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...
Further proof that flat is never dull. The anti-bling movement has come to Geneva. -- Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
We breezed through the Infiniti stand today in Geneva and found the 2009 Infiniti FX50 on a turntable with a companion. The lighting was more favorable, so we took a photo. Here you can see the oversize rear spoiler and the unusual right angle in the hatch.
There was also a cutaway of the new 5.0-liter V8 engine.
Not sure what this guy has to do with Yokohama tires, but how could you not stop to watch this? –-- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
The Tata Nano made its European debut here in Geneva, and once again it drew a huge crowd. Onlookers marveled at its impossibly small wheels, straw-sized exhaust pipe and single windshield wiper. We weren’t allowed to get inside, but given that there’s no radio, air-conditioning or any other features to speak of, there isn’t much to see anyway. The rear-mounted engine displaces a whopping 623cc and generates all of 34 horsepower. It’s connected to a continuously variable transmission that helps it achieve roughly 50 mpg. Acceleration is probably leisurely at best, but what do you expect for $2,500?
At this point, the Tata only meets emissions and crash test standards in India, and in case you’re not up to speed on those, they are considerably less stringent than U.S. requirements. Think 1990s and you would be close. In other words, don’t expect to see any Nanos in the U.S. any time soon. –- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
Aston Martin will tell you that this V12-powered Vantage RS is just a concept. Yeah, and the Pussycat Dolls can sing.
To create the Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS, Aston's engineers put the company's largest V12 engine in its smallest car. The result is a a 600-horsepower monster that can reach 200 mph...
Here's a variant of the second-generation, Europe-only Ford Focus that we needn't bother coveting: the restyled 2009 Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet. For starters, we already have a better version of this hardtop convertible called the Volvo C70, and even it is not particularly inspiring to drive.
Volvo is on the skids. Sales peaked in the United States back in 2005 when the Swedish brand sold 139,000 cars, wagons and SUVs. Last year that number was down under 100,000 and this year isn't looking good. Problems include the weak dollar, Volvo's lack of a U.S...
The Lotus 2-Eleven, a car so hard-core it doesn't have a top or a full windshield. A car you need a helmet to drive. A car that makes you think about only one thing: driving.
Or are we wrong?
Whatever the case, the 2-Eleven at Geneva's Palexpo showed up with friends...
March 4, 2008
We've been anticipating the day the Infiniti G35 sedan would become the G37 sedan to match the G37 coupe, and while it's not here yet, the cars' attendance at tonight's Infiniti party suggests it can't be far off. Same goes for the Infiniti EX37.
Because of the foothold BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have in Europe, Infiniti wanted to go in with its best V6 engine, the new 3.7-liter VQ, for the brand's launch here in October 2008, said Nicolas Tschann, director of product planning and product marketing for Infiniti of Europe. "We're not going to start with four-cylinder diesels," he offered.
All of these cars will have a seven-speed automatic transmission, though a six-speed manual will still be available on the G coupe and sedan.
Carlos Ghosn rose from the mist of Geneva's Halles des Sablieres (which sounds poetic but is in fact just a big warehouse) to tell us about the Infiniti brand's October 2008 launch in Europe. Right now, you can't buy Infinitis here, not even badged as Nissans. He was as quotable as ever: "If all we had to offer was the me-too type of luxury, then we could never be successful." "If something is exclusive, then someone will inevitably be excluded from it."
Then, he disappeared, and a man in a large, flowing bat costume appeared. As he flapped, seductively dressed dancers joined him, but none held a candle to his battiness.
How this relates to the 2009 Infiniti FX50 that dropped down from a coffin hung in the rafters, we're not sure. But this is a hugely powerful SUV. A 5.0-liter V8 with variable valve timing and lift delivers 390 horsepower and, says Infiniti, upward of 435 pound-feet of torque.
Finally, Maserati has a car that can go from zero to 60 mph in under 5 seconds. This would be the 2008 Maserati GranTurismo S unveiled in Geneva today. Noting the crowd's fatigue at this late afternoon press conference, Maserati CEO Roberto Ronchi took a simple tack for his speech.
"People have been asking me, 'What does the S stand for,'" he said. "First of all, it stands for 'sport' because there is the new 4.7-liter V8 engine." That engine makes 440 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 361 pound-feet of torque at 4,750 rpm -- significant gains over the 405 hp at 7,100 and 339 lb-ft at 4,750 in the regular GranTurismo.
"'S' also stands for 'speed,'" he continued, "because this is the fastest Maserati we've ever built." The GranTurismo S has a top speed of 295 km/h, he said, which is 183 mph.
After last week’s announcement that the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback will make it to the U.S., the debut of the Prototype S at this year’s Geneva auto show was a little more interesting. Normally we don’t get the hatchback version of anything, but this five-door Lancer should be in dealers by the end of the year.
This may be labeled a prototype, but it’s about 95 percent of what you’ll see in the production version. The Evolution hood won’t stay, and neither will those headlights or the 19-inch wheels and tires. And don’t expect to see Orange Metallic Flake on the color sheet either. What you can expect is the same lineup of engines currently offered on the standard Lancer sedan along with a little extra cargo room in back.
Will there be an Evolution version to take on the Subaru WRX STI hatch? Don’t count on it. –- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
This is simply tragic. Some animal cut this perfectly good Nissan GT-R in half so a bunch of Swiss can ogle its innards. Unfreakinbelievable. With all those lame Sentras and worthless Quests they've got lying around, you'd think Nissan would take a buzz saw to one of those...
What an unusual press conference for Mini today in Geneva. Instead of boring us all into submission with sales results and projections, Mini invited Rauno Aaltonen, aka the Flying Finn, to talk with Dr. Kay Segler, senior vice president of Mini brand management.
In addition to his WRC efforts in the 1970s, Aaltonen drove a Mini Cooper S to victory at Monte Carlo in 1967. He, of course, compared the new 2009 Mini John Cooper Works and John Cooper Works Clubman to the old car (also present), noting that today's JCW is the "direct heir" to the car he drove in '67.
It was a typical day at the Rolls-Royce booth in Geneva, meaning that we couldn't get anywhere near the 2009 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe until 30 minutes after the press conference. Chinese manufacturer BYD had the good fortune to have its booth right next to the Rolls stand, allowing it to pull in a healthy crowd for its own press conference immediately preceding the two-door Phantom's unveiling.
As in the past, we were immediately cowed into silence by the Roller's monstrous size -- exactly as it should be for a car of this stature. Despite its 18-foot length, this will be the sportiest of the Phantoms, as it has the stiffest chassis and the firmest suspension settings. Nevertheless, said Ian Robertson, chairman and CEO of Rolls-Royce, "that waftability that we refer to is still very much in the character of this car."
Jaguar says this is its fastest car since the XJ220 supercar of the 1980s. It's the 2008 Jaguar XKR-S, and the company is boasting it can touch 174 mph. Um, that's 19 mph faster than an XKR.
Only 200 will be made, and each and every one will wear black. Left- and right-hand-drive versions will be built, but Jaguar will only sell the super coupe in Europe...
Just when we thought we had heard every environmentally conscious term imaginable, Thomas Weber, head of research and development for Mercedes-Benz, threw out a new one. He called the new Mercedes-Benz GLK Bluetec Hybrid a “sustainable utility vehicle.” Catchy, huh?
He was referring to this GLK's diesel-electric drivetrain, which combines a 2.2-liter diesel engine with what Mercedes described vaguely as a “hybrid module.” It delivers 38.8 mpg according to Mercedes-Benz, but more importantly, the hybrid module uses lithium-ion batteries. Mercedes says a similar system will make its production debut in the S400 Blue Hybird next year. If that goes as planned, the Mercedes-Benz S400 Blue Hybrid would be the first production hybrid car to use lithium-ion battery technology. -- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
After the Mazda press conference, we went next door to the Ford booth at the Geneva auto show, where we saw three- and five-door hatchback versions of the 2010 Ford Fiesta (a 2009 model for Europe). It was kind of like watching the Mazda press conference again, because the Fiesta looks so similar to the Mazda 2. They are, of course, platform mates.
Ford of Europe didn't hire a band for its unveiling, so instead we saw a typical dance troupe, and the members whimsically tossed around the sheets on the cars.
The Coolest Display Award goes to Fiat. The Italian automakers booth at this year's Geneva Motor Show is dominated by this giant Fiat 500. And by giant, we mean giant. As in, "Yo Luigi, look I can't even reach the door handle."
The idea is to hype the 500's win in this year's European Car of the Year competition...
Most of the press conferences at the Geneva auto show are pretty lame. They usually involve a top executive making a few obvious remarks, pulling a sheet off a car that has been sitting there all morning and maybe some moderately loud music. Mercedes-Benz is one of the few that makes more of an effort, so this year’s show included an introduction by Dieter Zetsche who rode in on the world's oldest automobile, the Benz Patent Motor Car, with Mrs. Jutta Benz, great granddaughter of Carl and Bertha Benz.
There was also a performance by Chinese acrobats and ballet dancers along with the reveal of the GLK Bluetec Hybrid. What do acrobats have to do with a new hybrid sport-utility? Nothing, but they were more fun to watch than listening to more of Dieter. Click through for videos of all the fun. -- Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor, Inside Line
As sexy and exciting as we all find the Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans, it isn't Audi's big story at this Geneva auto show. That honor goes to the 2009 Audi A4 Avant, the wagon version of the all-new A4 sedan.
Now larger than before, the Avant's wheelbase has been stretched by 6 inches and the overall length is up to 185 inches, about 5 inches longer than the previous model. Audi says the extra size opens up a little over an inch of extra knee room in back, while also increasing head-, shoulder and legroom...
Last night Audi took the wraps off the newly red and newly named Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans. And we were there. We just failed to get a picture of the diesel-powered supercar. Well here it is in all its crimson glory, sorry for the delay...
No longer is it seen as environmentally responsible to toss around terms like "zoom-zoom" in the cavalier manner typical of, say, 2001. Now it's "sustainable zoom-zoom," and says James Muir, CEO of Mazda Motors Europe, that means a "focus on the minute and painstaking weight reduction of every component."
Sounds painful, but on the 2009 Mazda 2 three-door hatchback (which joins the previously released five-door), it's good for a 220-pound weight reduction over the previous model, says Muir. For a car that's 153.5 inches long (2 inches shorter than a Honda Fit) with a 98-inch wheelbase (1.5 inches longer than a Fit), this is quite significant.
Mazda broke up what could have been a rather dry, number-y press conference with a performance by the Infidels, who like the Strokes, come across as a modern-day repackaging of the Stones -- right down to their moves on stage. Mazda, conveniently, is sponsoring their 2008 European tour.
Although the official debut of the 2009 Acura TSX will happen at the 2008 New York Auto Show in a couple weeks, the European Honda Accord unveiled today in Geneva is a pretty good sneak peek. Its exterior is virtually identical as it uses the same shield grille up front and a sharply creased rear end. Inside, it’s all Accord though as the cabin looks identical to our larger U.S.-market version.
Like our TSX, the European Accord will offer a 197-hp 2.4-liter engine, but it also marks the introduction of Honda’s latest i-DTEC diesel engine...
March 3, 2008
First reports of about the Lancer Sportback indicated that this might be a Europe-only model. Now it's been confirmed that it will be coming to the United States as well. Pictured above is the Mitsubishi Prototype-S concept, which will debut at Geneva, and is very close to what we can expect to see in showrooms.
So this is good news for Mitsubishi fans...
March 1, 2008
Giugiaro, after teasing us with some close-up detail images of the Quaranta concept, has finally released official pictures and info about their new concept, which celebrates 40 year of Italdesign being in business.
The car is powered by a 3.3L hybrid-V6 which is supplied by Toyota. How's that having your cake and eating it too? Stunning Italian design hooked up to Toyota hybrid running gear...
February 29, 2008
With the ever-increasing emphasis on global warming and the impact that motor vehicles have on the environment, this year's Geneva auto show, much like the recent Detroit show, is featuring many vehicles that show that vehicles and the environment can co-exist in a friendly manner.
Here's AutoObserver's take: C-Oh!-2 Emphasis at Geneva
Here's Inside Line's take: 2008 Geneva Auto Show: VW's Green Theme
In the latest edition of broken news embargos, there are now images up on the Net of the production VW Scirocco. The car will debut at the Geneva auto show next week.
Probably most surprising, at least to me, is the front, as it looks very little like the concept that had been making the auto show rounds. And, as is often the case, I prefer the concept, at least from the front...