Geneva shows it's not all green

The marriage of electric power and motoring flourishes at the Geneva motor show, but glorious supercars were still the showstoppers

THERE MAY be an overall green hue to the Geneva auto show, but it’s heavily tinged with new technology and an array of eye-catching new sports cars that will rekindle any petrolhead passions for all things motoring.

The marriage of electric power and the motoring world continues, but it doesn’t end in terms of energy supply. At virtually every stand, along with promises of clean, green models, are perhaps fanciful suggestions of a connected world, where your future car will not only transport you from A to B, but book a table at a restaurant along the way and keep your diary up to date.

It’s telling that the convergence of connection technology and motoring has resulted in Ford boss Alan Mulally spending his time at the CeBIT technology show in Hanover rather than at the motor show itself. He chose the IT show to launch his firm’s plans to connect Ford cars with drivers’ electronic equipment.

At the ecological end of the scale, Nissan and Renault (and to a lesser extent Mitsubishi) may have a jump on their rivals in getting their electric cars to market, but their advantage will discharge in the next two years, as several of the big mainstream brands promise the arrival of electric variants. For example, Ford is promising an electric Focus by next year, while a host of others will join the market by 2013, including an electric version of the Toyota IQ with an expected range of 105km. Prototypes will go into tests later this year. Meanwhile, its plug-in hybrid version of the Prius, currently in prototype testing, has been confirmed for production later this year and will go on sale in the next 12 months.

As a step towards the electric future, virtually every brand is embracing hybrid these days, a factor that hasn’t gone unnoticed at Toyota. Didier LeRoy, president of Toyota Europe, said: “As competitors start their hybrid journeys, we are showing the wide and varied range of cars we have on sale right now, with models like the Prius established in buyers’ minds.” Given that many European rivals dismissed hybrid as a distraction from a hydrogen-powered future, it must bring a certain pleasure to the Japanese executives to see the others take up the hybrid format. Earlier in the day, BMW and PSA Peugeot/Citroen agreed a joint investment of €100 million in developing new components for future hybrid models.

Toyota is showcasing its new hybrid Yaris HSD as a concept car. The petrol-electric hybrid supermini – a pre-production European variant of the small car unveiled at the Detroit auto show earlier this year – will go on sale as part of the new range of Yaris towards the end of 2012. While Toyota will not reveal powertrain details just yet, given that the new Auris hybrid will arrive in Ireland this autumn with emissions of just 89g/km, expect the Yaris model to deliver a significantly smaller carbon footprint. Alongside these two new hybrids, the Prius+ hybrid seven-seat people carrier has also been confirmed for market next year. Yet in what is set to be a busy time for the Toyota brand, the crowning glory of 2012, at least in the eyes of car fans, is not going to be a hybrid but a sports car: the FT-86. On display is a concept version that’s “much closer to the production model” and it looks magnificent. Marking a long-overdue return to the sports car market for Toyota, it will follow on from the previous Celica and Supra models. Produced in conjunction with Subaru, it will feature a new boxer-format petrol engine with rear-wheel-drive. Expect it to take centre stage in showrooms next year.

Back at Ford and aside from promises of new connections with your iPad, the big news is the new B-Max, due in Ireland early next year. The folks at the blue oval brand deny this is a replacement for the Fusion, but clearly it’s going to devour whatever following that car has had, particularly as it’s more stylish and practical than the boxy Fusion.

The big trick with the car is the rear sliding doors and the fact the car doesn’t have any B-pillar – that metal pillar upon which front seatbelts are normally attached. Instead the seatbelts are built into the seats and the access space into the car is remarkable. Opel did something similar with the rear-opening doors on the Meriva, but in many ways these are more impressive as sliding doors mean access even in tight car parks.

Not to be outdone Opel showcased a very smart concept based on the next generation Zafira, while Mazda revealed the Minagi concept, a Qashqai-sized SUV that will go on sale next year with emissions below 120g/km from its new 2.2-litre diesel.

At the premium end, BMW showcased a new two-seater roadster concept that some suggest will be a future rival to the likes of Mazda’s MX-5, but the executives at the firm are sticking to the party line that it’s just a design concept indicating a wider styling ethos for the brand’s electric models.

Coming on the back of last week’s announcement of its new “i” sub-brand and two new all-electric models – the i3 and i8, due in 2013 – the firm is eager to portray itself at the forefront of the electric drive. It too was making much of its plans to link its cars with other tech gadgetry and the surrounding environment.

Meanwhile, fellow German brand Mercedes – busy marking 125 years since its founders patented the first car – used the Geneva show to unveil its new SLK sports car. The new car abandons the current Formula 1-styled pointed front nose in favour of a much more aggressive – and impressive – imitation of the look of the firm’s SLS supercar.

Volkswagen is now established as the powerhouse of Europe, boasting a portfolio of brands under its ownership that stretches from Bugatti to Skoda, with potentially more to come.

But at the heart of the action remains the eponymous brand and it isn’t behind the more luxurious marques in terms of challenging for a showstopper at Geneva. One of the most fetching concepts on display is the new Bulli, based on the legendary minivan from the 1960s that became synonymous with free love and the faint whiff of a certain type of handrolled cigarette.

The Bulli concept may seem like a rather boxy minivan but with its big badge up front and smartly-styled wheel rims that imitate white wall tyres, it offers a surprisingly spacious, airy cabin capable of carrying six. It will hopefully herald the arrival of a production car in the not too distant future. Aside from its various engineering and design traits, the Bulli is simply cute. In keeping with the eco-principles of the 1960s owners, the new Bulli is powered by an electric motor with a promised range of 300km on a single charge. Those figures, of course, cannot be substantiated as the car is a concept.

Of more immediate interest is the introduction of a new Golf Cabriolet, the soft top variant most popular in the coastal states of the US. The top retracts in just 9.5 seconds and can be opened while driving at speeds of up to 30 km/h. Even with the roof stowed away, the bootspace on offer is still a reasonable 250 litres.

The firm has also introduced a new Tiguan to the range, a small SUV that hasn’t set the Irish market alight in the face of stiff competition from the likes of the Nissan Qashqai. The new model boasts a revised front nose design and significant upgrades to all its interior switchgear and features.

Finally, a new Passat Blue­Motion variant has been unveiled, powered by a 1.6-litre turbodiesel (TDI) engine with 105bhp and fuel consumption in saloon format of 4.2 l/100km. Emissions levels for the new powertrain are expected to be below 110g/km, putting it firmly in tax band A in Ireland, with a motor tax charge of just €104 a year.

And so to the stars of the show. No, despite the profusion of plugs at the show, it’s not some eco-friendly city car with an interior made from recycled bamboo. The prize this year is shared between three cars, all of them destined for the road in the next 12 months.

First up is the previously mentioned Toyota FT-86 concept, which we can’t wait to see in production. Then there’s the new Lamborghini Aventador, which harks back to a time when the Countach held pride of place on many bedroom walls. The new LP 700-4 boasts the razor-sharp exterior styling of a stealth bomber and solid lines that suggest the car is cut from a single block of steel. In reality, the bodywork cloaks some of the most advanced developments in carbon fibre production of any car firm to date.

On sale this summer, the Aventador – named after a famous fighting bull from Zaragoza in Spain – has a lightweight monocoque made from carbon-fibre. Power comes from a new 12-cylinder 6.5 litre engine putting out 700bhp and boasting a 0-100km/h time of just 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 350 km/h.

Finally, but perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the Alfa Romeo 4C concept. Alfa Romeo may still be on the receiving end of a courting exercise by VW, but it’s playing hard to get and remains determined to plough its own furrow, albeit within the Fiat family.

The stylish Italians have unveiled an eye-catching new concept supercar, the 4C, which it promises will go into production by next year.

Powered by the same four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that features in the recently launched Giulietta Cloverleaf, 4C is a two-seater with a carbon-fibre monocoque that lets it weigh in 50kg lighter than a Fiat 500. While its peak power has yet to be determined it will have a top speed of over 250km/h and a 0-100km time of less than 5 seconds. Expect the car in Irish showrooms by the end of 2012.