High 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.
There 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
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
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.
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
C-Class plug-in hybrid: this C-350 e is the latest Mercedes-Benz plug-in offering
Pullman: Because why not?
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
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.
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
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
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
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
LOTUS
Evora 400: The fastest Lotus yet, and the first product to emerge under the leadership of Jean-Marc Gales. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
MAHINDRA & MAHINDRA
SsangYong
Tivoli: Motorshow debut of SsangYong’s B-segment SUV. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
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
P1 GTR: Want one? You can only buy one if you already own a P1. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
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
RENAULT
Kadjar: Renault’s first entry into the highly competitive C-segment crossover market. LINK TO AUTOMOTIVE WORLD ARTICLE
VOLKSWAGEN GROUP
Audi
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
R8 V10 plus
R8 LMS: Audi says the R8 LMSalready meets the requirements of the new GT3 regulations to be introduced in 2016. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
R8 e-tron
Q7 e-tron quattro: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
Rs 3 Sportback
Lamborghini
LP 750-4 Superveloce
Porsche
Cayman GT4: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
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
Skoda
Superb: LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
Volkswagen
Passat Alltrack
Touran: latest generation of VW’s compact MPV
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
DAIMLER
Mercedes-Benz
Concept V ision e: This concept is a V-Class with Plug-In Hybrid technology. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
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
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
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
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
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
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
iM-4: mini 4×4 LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
TOYOTA MOTOR COMPANY
Lexus
LF-SA: 5-door city car concept, expected to come to market in 2018. LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
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
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
SEAT
20V20: (Vision 2020) – Hints at Seat’s vision for a sporty SUV LINK TO PRESS RELEASE
Volkswagen
Sport Coupé Concept GTE: Volkswagen’s MQB architecture-based luxury coupe concept hints at a new-generation CC
Martin Kahl