Carmakers often test their musings - and future production models - at motor shows, and this year's Geneva show is no exception, notes Shane O'Donoghue
Geneva's motor show is always one of the best for fans of concept cars, but other than offering a glimpse into the minds of the world's car designers, do these show cars have any relevance to the real world?
Once upon a time, such luminaries of the car design world as Gandini and Giugiaro invented whole market segments with their outrageous designs, but nowadays it is more difficult to come up with a new motoring idea and carmakers generally use their show cars to preview future models.
Modern concepts can be divided up into different categories, ranging all the way from thinly veiled production models to pure flights of fancy, with technology demonstrators sitting somewhere between the two. The show floor in Geneva this year is a good example.
A few of the so-called "concepts" practically had chasis numbers. A prime example of this is the new BMW M3. Although the car in Geneva doesn't have an interior, we know that BMW will release full details of the production version next month, so the odds are that the interior had actually to be stripped out for this event. The bonnet of the show car was firmly shut too, but it was no surprise when BMW announced that a naturally-aspirated V8 would sit behind the muscular front-end.
Expect a little more than 400bhp and rear-wheel drive to go along with the four exhausts and 19-inch wheels. Similarly, the Kia ex_cee'd and Dodge Demon open-topped cars will undergo relatively minor changes before being shipped out to dealers.
In the middle ground of concept world, cars such as the Renault Clio Grand Tour Concept present new ideas to the media and public alike, the aim being to gauge reaction and potential demand for a car if it were to go into production.
The Grand Tour is essentially a compact estate car based on the mechanicals of the Clio. Although the show car in Geneva makes do with just two doors, it is highly likely that a showroom model would have four, competing head to head with the Peugeot 207 SW, which incidentally was also revealed in Geneva in "Outdoor" concept format, possibly previewing a new "soft roader" version.
A little further away from a place on your driveway, but certainly relevant in terms of previewing future design direction, are the Mazda Hakaze crossover and the Opel GTC concept.
The former continues Mazda's "flow" design feature that has yet to be seen in a production car, while the latter is how Opel's designers would like to see the next Vectra turn out. The sloping rear and lack of rear doors may end that particular pipe dream, but essential Opel design DNA is present in spades and we think you'll see aspects of this car in future Opels.
Interestingly, the GTC show car's interior looks showroom-ready, with the exception perhaps of the lurid steering wheel.
In comparison to the Detroit show in January, new technology concepts were thin on the ground in Geneva, but significant new cars were displayed by Toyota and Honda. The Hybrid X shows how Toyota believes the next generation of the Prius will look, while Honda unveiled the self-explanatory Small Hybrid Sports Concept, alongside a working prototype of its fuel-cell powered FCX.
With big changes afoot on carbon dioxide emissions and consequent rising sales of hybrid cars, it looks as if the Japanese intend to remain at the forefront of their development for a while yet. Flexi-fuel vehicles were not ignored though, with the most publicity surrounding Saab's new BioPower 100 concept car. It is based on the 9-5, but utilises 100 per cent bio-ethanol to reduce greenhouse gas production, yet also provide a decent level of performance.
Last, but not least in terms of appeal, are the crazy transparent eXasis and six-wheel drive Cruise Crosser show cars dreamt up by Rinspeed and Sbarro respectively. These Swiss design and engineering firms are regulars in Geneva and the world is a better place for it, which can be said for concept cars as a whole.
There's room for all formats in concept world, but only the naive would dismiss anything out of hand in this age of car development.