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The 2015 Geneva Motor Show

AW's guide to the key model launches and concept cars on show in Geneva

Geneva International Motor Show 2015 logoHigh performance luxury sports cars and SUVs may not be the types of vehicles immediately associated with sustainability, but the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Europe’s first big car show of the year, looks set to be remembered as the green supercar and SUV/crossover show. Of the 900 or so cars on show at Geneva, 100 already meet the future European Union (EU) emissions regulations of 95g/km CO2 that are set to come into force during 2021.

Aston Martin and McLaren will fight it out for supercar supremacy with their ultra high-end offerings, unveiling the Vulcan (US$2.77m) and the P1 GTR (US$3.04m) respectively. Other, less expensive offerings are on show from Lamborghini (LP 750-4 Superveloce), Mercedes-AMG GT3, another McLaren (675LT) and the all-new Audi R8. Volkswagen will have another supercar in attendance, but only in concept form at this stage – Bentley is showing its vision of a supercar in the form of the EXP 10 Speed 6.

New product offerings in the SUVs/crossovers field come from Honda (HR-V), Hyundai (Tucson), Qoros (3 City SUV), Renault (Kadjar), Audi (Q7 e-tron quattro). The Infiniti QX30 appears in concept guise, but it looks production-ready; all Nissan needs to do now is build it and get a much needed new Infiniti into dealerships.

2015 Geneva Motor ShowThere are plenty of interesting rumours flying around, too: journalists will use the press days to find out more about the possible revival of old car marques Jensen and Borgward; reports of an all-electric Jaguar SUV and a Bentley compact SUV to sit below the Bentayga; why JLR thinks it can succeed with an SUV cabrio even after Nissan cancelled the Murano CrossCabriolet programme; and the tricky issue of CEO succession plans. There are three big pairs of boots to fill in the next couple of years – Martin Winterkorn, who collected the European Car of the Year 2015 Award for the Volkswagen Passat, has recently been openly discussing his shortlist of contenders; Carlos Ghosn has for some time been talking about a Japanese national replacing him at the head of Nissan; and Dieter Zetsche has a contract that currently expires in 2016, although his leadership could be extended in the wake of Daimler’s recent impressive annual performance results.

Here, Automotive World looks at the key new model launches and concepts (scroll down) at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

This article will be updated throughout the show as announcements are made.

NEW MODEL LAUNCHES AT THE 2015 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

ASTON MARTIN

Vantage GT: Aston Martin’s “most potent and uncompromising Vantage to date: the track-inspired Vantage GT3 special edition”. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Aston Martin Vantage GT3 special edition
Aston Martin Vantage GT3 special edition

Vulcan: Signs of a company at the top of its game, or a last hurrah? The company’s financial situation has been the subject of media speculation, but alongside this spectacular supercar on the Bentley stand is Chief Executive Andy Palmer’s vision of the Aston Martin of tomorrow (see Concept cars section, below) – he clearly has his sights sets on the long-term. The Vulcan’s vital statistics? US$2.77m, 7.0-litre V12, 800+ bhp, limited run of 24 units. Andy Palmer: “A sports car for true sports car lovers, I believe the Aston Martin Vulcan – and the unique ownership programme that sits behind it – sets a whole new standard in the ultra-high luxury supercar class.” LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Aston Martin Vulcan
Aston Martin Vulcan

BMW GROUP

BMW

2 Series Gran Tourer: BMW’s second UKL-based, front-wheel drive vehicle, the 2 Series Gran Tourer is also BMW’s first 7-seater MPV.

BMW 220d xDrive at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

 

DAIMLER

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-AMG GT3: Mercedes-Benz says the Mercedes-AMG GT3 “is a new customer sport racing car that complies with FIA GT3 race regulations”. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Mercedes-AMG GT3 unveiled by Dieter Zetsche at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

C-Class plug-in hybrid: this C-350 e is the latest Mercedes-Benz plug-in offering

Mercedes-Benz C-350 e with Plug-In technology at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

Pullman: Because why not?

Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

FORD MOTOR COMPANY

Ford

Focus RS: Third-generation Focus RS developed by the newly established Ford Performance team, which unifies Ford SVT, Team RS and Ford Racing globally. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Ford Focus RS

FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES

Ferrari

488 GTB: Ferrari’s replacement for the 458 is the only all-new product being shown by FCA at Geneva this year.

Ferrari 488 GTB at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

 

GENERAL MOTORS

Opel

Karl: GM’s unveilings at the Geneva show include the all-new Opel Karl small car and the Opel Corsa OPC. At under €10,000, the Karl is VERY competitively priced to attract former Chevrolet customers. The will be sold in the UK as the Vauxhall Viva, but there’s been no mention of Vauxhall in the media build-up to the Geneva show. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

The five-door Opel KARL
Smart mini: The five-door Opel KARL with space for up to five people will celebrate its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show

HONDA MOTOR COMPANY

Honda

Civic Type R: Honda says “The ‘race car for the road’ will be the most extreme Type R ever built, with blistering performance and thrilling dynamics that set new standards in the segment. A world-first application of Honda’s new 2.0 liter VTEC Turbo engine, aggressive function-led styling and pioneering new chassis technologies combine to deliver one of the most immersive and rewarding driving experiences available in any sector.” LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

HR-V: Honda is reviving the HR-V name for this new compact SUV

Honda HR-V
Honda HR-V

Jazz: The third-generation Jazz (sold as the Fit in the US and Japan) goes on sale in Europe in the summer of 2015. The car is based on the same platform as the new HR-V, which will appear on Honda’s European forecourts later in 2015

All new Honda Jazz
The third-generation Honda Jazz features advanced safety and infotainment technologies, as well as a highly efficient and dynamic driving experience

HYUNDAI MOTOR

Hyundai

Tucson: Hyundai’s next-generation ix35 will adopt the Tucson name for Europe; previously, this name was only used for the US version. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Hyundai Tucson
Hyundai Tucson

LOTUS

Evora 400: The fastest Lotus yet, and the first product to emerge under the leadership of Jean-Marc Gales.  LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Lotus Evora 400
Lotus Evora 400

MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA

SsangYong

Tivoli: Motorshow debut of SsangYong’s B-segment SUV. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

SsangYong Tivoli_2

MCLAREN

675LT: £270,000 (US$415,000) 666 BHP twin turbo V8, 1230kg, 205mph and 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

McLaren 675LT
The McLaren 675LT

P1 GTR: Want one? You can only buy one if you already own a P1. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

McLaren P1 GTR three quarter 2015 Geneva Motor Show

QOROS

3 City SUV: The third model from Chery’s Qoros brand went on sale in China at the end of 2014; its appearance at Geneva is its official international debut. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Qoros 3 City SUV
Qoros 3 City SUV

RENAULT

Kadjar: Renault’s first entry into the highly competitive C-segment crossover market. LINK TO AUTOMOTIVE WORLD ARTICLE

Renault Kadjar
Renault Kadjar

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP

Audi Geneva 2015Audi

Audi will be busy at the Geneva show with seven world premieres: Audi R8 V10, R8 V10 plus, R8 LMS, R8 e-tron, Q7 e-tron quattro and the Rs 3 Sportback. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Audi R8 V10: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Audi R8
Audi R8

R8 V10 plus

Audi R8 V10 plus 2015 Geneva motor show

R8 LMS: Audi says the R8 LMSalready meets the requirements of the new GT3 regulations to be introduced in 2016. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Audi R8 LMS
Audi R8 LMS

R8 e-tron

Q7 e-tron quattro: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro
Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro

Rs 3 Sportback

Lamborghini

LP 750-4 Superveloce

Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce 2015 Geneva motor show

Porsche

Cayman GT4: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Porsche Cayman GT 4 at the 2015 Geneva motor show

911 GT3 RS: Porsche’s new high performance, motorsport-ready, street-legal 911 returned a lap time of seven minutes and 20 seconds on the North Loop of the Nürburgring. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Skoda

Superb: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Skoda Superb at 2015 Geneva motor show

Volkswagen

Passat Alltrack

VW Passat Alltrack at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

 

Touran: latest generation of VW’s compact MPV

The new Volkswagen Touran
The new Volkswagen Touran

CONCEPT CARS AT 2015 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW

ASTON MARTIN

DBX Concept: This high luxury sports GT car shows fresh thinking at Aston Martin, thanks to the influence of new Chief Executive Andy Palmer, who said: “This is, clearly, not a production-ready sports GT car, but it is a piece of fresh, bold thinking about what Aston Martin GT customers around the world could request of us in the future.” LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Aston Martin DBX Concept

DAIMLER

Mercedes-Benz

Concept V ision e: This concept is a V-Class with Plug-In Hybrid technology. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Mercedes-Benz Concept V-ision e is a V-Class with Plug-In Hybrid technology

HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY

Kia

Sportspace: Conceived and developed at Kia’s European Design Centre in Frankfurt under the leadership of Gregory Guillaume, Chief Designer Europe, Kia says the Sportspace “spurns traditional compromises. It is neither saloon car nor wagon. It is neither hatchback nor shooting brake. It is instead a vehicle that can meet the demands of those who refuse to be categorised when it comes to their lifestyle or their motoring needs.” LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Kia SPORTSPACE concept
Kia SPORTSPACE concept

MAGNA

MILA Plus: The MILA Plus, a two-seater hybrid sports car, is the latest iteration of Magna’s MILA innovation programme. It boasts an all-electric range of 75km, a vehicle weight of 1,520kg, and CO2 emissions of 32g/km. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Magna MILA Plus

MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION

Mitsubishi

ASX concept

NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY

Infiniti

QX30: Infiniti’s latest concept hints at the production version of the Mercedes-Benz-based crossover which will be built at Nissan’s Sunderland, UK plant and at the Nissan-Daimler factory in Mexico. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Infiniti QX30 at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

Nissan

Sway: Nissan press material says the Sway is “a glimpse at how a future generation of small Nissan models could look if the company’s striking new design language was applied to a European hatchback.” LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Nissan Sway at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

PSA PEGUEOT CITROEN

Citroen

Berlingo Mountain Vibe Concept: “A vehicle of bold exterior design, the BERLINGO MOUNTAIN VIBE CONCEPT is an invitation to explore uncharted territory,” says Citroen. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

CITROEN Berlingo MOUNTAIN VIBE CONCEPT
CITROEN Berlingo MOUNTAIN VIBE CONCEPT

SUZUKI MOTOR COMPANY

Suzuki is bringing two concept cars to Geneva – the iK-2 and the iM-4. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

iK-2: compact car concept LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Suzuki iK-2
Suzuki iK-2

iM-4: mini 4×4 LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Suzuki iM-4
Suzuki iM-4

TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY

Lexus

LF-SA: 5-door city car concept, expected to come to market in 2018. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Lexus LF-SA Geneva Motor Show 2015

VOLKSWAGEN GROUP

Audi

Prologue Avant: The Audi Prologue Avant is a station wagon variant of the coupe concept shown at the 2014 LA Auto Show. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

Audi prologue Avant
Audi prologue Avant

Bentley

EXP 10 Speed 6: In January, Bentley’s Chief Executive Wolfgang Duerheimer confirmed his plans for Bentley’s first foray into SUV territory with the Bentayga. With the EXP 10, he’s giving a strong indication of Bentley’s plans to enter another new segment: the EXP 10 is a super performance two-seater sports car. LINK TO AUTOMOTIVE WORLD ARTICLE

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6
Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6

SEAT

20V20: (Vision 2020) – Hints at Seat’s vision for a sporty SUV LINK TO PRESS RELEASE

SEAT 20v20 showcar Geneva 2015

Volkswagen

Sport Coupé Concept GTE: Volkswagen’s MQB architecture-based luxury coupe concept hints at a new-generation CC

Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept GTE at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

Martin Kahl

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