Automotive World’s Geneva show coverage:
COMMENT: Cautious optimism on show at Geneva
BY MARTIN KAHL. It’s only March, but there’s a sense of cautious optimism about Europe’s car market
Geneva Motor Show 2014: A view from the show floor
Automotive World‘s Rachael Hogg and Rachel Boagey reflect on the key trends at this year’s Geneva show
Daimler’s Zetsche talks expansion mode as European optimism spreads
Interview: Etienne Henry, Vice President – Product Strategy & Planning, Nissan
Interview: Pim Van de Jagt, Executive Technical Leader for Ford Global, MD Ford Research Center Aachen
The head of Ford’s Aachen Research Center talks to Automotive World about powertrains, materials and autonomous cars
Industry trends converge in Geneva launches
Infiniti’s de Nysschen talks market expansion, brand power and diesel’s hold on Europe
Neumann plans to have Opel in the black by 2016
Opel’s Neumann discusses product development, including powertrain, connectivity and line-up expansion
Neumann: Opel “had issues with the brand”
Neumann discusses Opel/Vauxhall’s brand perception, improvements, and a generally positive outlook
Marchionne coy on group brands’ future, saves details for May
At the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, Sergio Marchionne was coy on Alfa and Lancia ahead of May’s FCA strategy announcement, writes Chris Wright
Ford to extend Blue Oval into new price bands in Europe – Fields
No plans to launch Lincoln in Europe, where Ford sees upmarket potential for Mondeo, Vignale and Edge, by Chris Wright
Interview: Roelant De Waard, Vice President Marketing Sales and Service, Ford Motor Company
Interview: Barb Samardzich, Chief Operating Officer, Ford of Europe
Automotive World talks to Ford of Europe’s Barb Samardzich about SUVs, iconic cars and future powertrains
Interview: Paul Mascarenas, CTO and VP Ford Research and Innovation, Ford Motor Company
Ford’s CTO on in-vehicle infotainment, Big Data and autonomous cars
Qoros targets success in Europe while abandoning ‘made in China’ image
Interview: Frederic Banzet, Chief Executive, Citroen brand, PSA Peugeot Citroen
Citroen’s Chief Executive speaks to Automotive World about the European market prospects for 2014
SEAT’s Stackmann – new models don’t guarantee more sales
Automotive World spoke to SEAT Chairman Jurgen Stackmann regarding the OEMs future plans for growth and why he thinks releasing new cars does not necessarily guarantee more sales
Stackmann plans continuous growth for SEAT throughout 2014
Interview: Michael Cole, Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motors Europe
Kia Europe’s COO talks to Automotive World about market share, the 7-year warranty and alt powertrains
Geely relationship positive and stable, says Volvo Car CEO
Volvo’s Håkan Samuelsson expects at least 5% growth this year, reaching 800,000 cars a year by 2020, writes Tony Lewis
Behind the cars, in the small offices hidden by the walls and bright lights of the show stands, there’s something going on. After months – years – of doom and gloom for the European automotive industry, there’s now a growing murmur, a feeling that maybe things could be on the up. ACEA data released in mid-February showed a 5.5% increase in January sales, year-on-year. Given the low base point set by sales in January 2013, that figure alone offers little in the way of hope, but the fact that it was also the fifth consecutive month in which new passenger car registrations increased is of greater interest.
According to the data, most EU markets posted growth in January 2014, with the major markets performing particularly well. The UK and Spain were up 7.6%, and Germany’s market grew by 7.2%.
So there’s a sense of optimism as the 2014 Geneva Motor Show opens to the media; this year, 75 new production models are on the bill – although this high-sounding number includes variants and mid-cycle refreshes (read: facelifts) – and more than 20 concept vehicles. There are no major surprises expected – most OEMs still prefer to trail almost all news and images ahead of the show – so the key takeaway will be the fact that there appears to be little in the way of bad news or serious (immediate) concern for the automotive industry.
PSA Peugeot Citroen looks to have its future secured, following the deal with Dongfeng and the French government. Geneva marks Philippe Varin’s last major motor show at the head of the company: in April, he will formally hand over the title of CEO to Carlos Tavares; in fact, Tavares took operational control in mid-February. It will be interesting to see what impact – if any – this changeover might have on Varin’s ACEA presidency.
Varin can, however, proudly boast a PSA winner of the 2014 European Car of the Year, which the COTY panel awarded to the Peugeot 308. Looking at the voting, the Sochaux-built 308 took the award by some considerable margin from the second-placed BMW i3. The other models making up the strong seven-model shortlist included another PSA group model, the Citroen C4 Picasso, as well as the Mazda3, Skoda Octavia, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the Tesla Model S.
In terms of all-new models being unveiled launched at this year’s Geneva, the main talking point is the launch of BMW’s first front-wheel drive car, and its first MPV, the 2 Series Active Tourer. Renault is using the show to launch the third-generation Twingo. The Renault-Nissan Alliance’s partnership with Daimler will see a five-door smart based on the Twingo built at the same factory in Novo Mesto. Another model built on the foundations of a global alliance is the Jeep Renegade, which is based on Fiat’s ‘small wide’ platform and produced at the Fiat Melfi plant alongside the Fiat 500X. Also seeing its global production debut is the Citroen C4 Cactus.
Concept cars are always a major feature of the Geneva show, and this year is no exception, with more than 20 concept vehicle launches scheduled. The show marks Peter Schreyer’s ‘debut’ as a Hyundai designer, with the Hyundai Intrado fuel cell concept car being the first Hyundai car in which he has been involved since he was promoted to oversee design at Hyundai as well as Kia. Other major concepts include the Volkswagen T-ROC, the Volvo Concept Estate, the Skoda VisionC, the production-ready looking Honda Civic Type-R Concept, and the Ssangyong XLV Concept.
Some of the key launches at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show – with links to the appropriate News Releases – include:
PRODUCTION CARS (please scroll down for concept cars)
BMW GROUP
BMW
2 Series Active Tourer: This car is BMW’s first front-wheel drive car, and its first MPV, the 2 Series Active Tourer. This is the first of up to ten cars that will use the UKL1 platform. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
DAIMLER
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé sees its world debut at Geneva. It is the first car to feature Daimler’s Magic Body Control chassis system. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
Mercedes-Benz V-Class: Launched ahead of the show, this is the motor show debut of the V-Class, which Daimler says “combines the spaciousness of an MPV with the comfort typical of a Mercedes passenger car.” READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES
Jeep Renegade: The Jeep Renegade is based on Fiat’s ‘small wide’ platform and built at the Fiat Melfi plant alongside the Fiat 500X
HYUNDAI MOTOR
Kia: Kia’s all-new mild hybrid powertrain is designed to simultaneously reduce emissions and improve engine performance in Kia’s next-generation models. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE
McLaren 650S and 650S Spider: McLaren Automotive’s latest model, the McLaren 650S, is also available in open-top variant, with a two-piece retractable hard top. The launch saw McLaren show off its Tarocco Orange colour, developed with AkzoNobel. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
NISSAN MOTOR
Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge: Infiniti’s Q50 Eau Rouge concept was unveiled with a twin-turbocharged, 3.8-litre V6 gasoline engine. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN
Citroen has 2 all-new cars on the stand – the Citroën C4 Cactus and the new Citroën C1, which is built alongside the Peugeot 107 and the Toyota Aygo. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
Citroen C4 Cactus
QOROS
Qoros 3 hatch
RENAULT GROUP
Renault Twingo: Renault used the 2014 Geneva show to launch the third-generation Twingo. The Renault-Nissan Alliance’s partnership with Daimler will see a five-door smart based on the Twingo built at the same factory in Novo Mesto. READ THE PRESS RELEASE
TOYOTA MOTOR CORP
Toyota Aygo: The Aygo is built on the same line at the PSA-Toyota joint venture plant at Kolin as the Peugeot 107 and the Citroen C1, each of which received its debut at the Geneva show.
CONCEPT CARS
More than 20 concept vehicles will be shown at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show. Some of the key models are shown below:
BMW GROUP
Mini Clubman Concept
FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES
Maserati Alfieri concept: Maserati’s Alfieri 2+2 concept car celebrates the brand’s centenary. Maserati says the Alfieri is an exciting but realistic and 100% functional prototype that strongly indicates design DNA of future Maseratis, hinting that “it could well be a door to the future of the Trident Marque.” READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES
Subaru VIZIV 2: Subaru says the VIZIV 2, a future-generation crossover concept, represents the direction of Subaru’s brand value “Enjoyment and Peace of Mind”. The word “VIZIV” was inspired by the phrase “Vision for Innovation” to express Subaru’s future vision of innovation and the future direction of the brand. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
GEELY
Volvo Car
Volvo Concept Estate: The latest Volvo concept provides further indication that the company will take when it begins its urgently needed new round of model launches, which start with the replacement for the XC90 in 2015. READ THE PRESS RELEASE
HONDA MOTOR COMPANY
Honda Civic Type-R Concept
HYUNDAI MOTOR
Hyundai Intrado: The Intrado is Hyundai’s fuel cell concept designed under Peter Schreyer’s new leadership fo the Hyundai design team. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
MAZDA
The HAZUMI is Mazda’s next-generation subcompact concept model, and provides a clear indication of Mazda’s next-generation subcompact car. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
MITSUBISHI MOTOR
Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV: TeEuropean debut for Mitsubishi’s Concept XR-PHEV plug-in hybrid electric. READ THE PRESS RELEASE
Mitsubishi Concept GC-PHEV: European debut for the Concept GC-PHEV, which Mitsubishi says “blends nearly seven decades of Mitsubishi 4WD technology with the engineering fundamentals of the all-new low environmental impact Outlander PHEV”, calling it a new page in the full-size SUV textbook. READ THE PRESS RELEASE
Mitsubishi Concept AR: FMitsubishi is using the 2014 Geneva show to gauge show visitors’ views on the technologies in and the attributes of the Concept AR. READ THE PRESS RELEASE
NISSAN MOTOR
Nissan Leaf Autonomous Drive
VOLKSWAGEN GROUP
Audi TT quattro sport concept
SEAT Mango Mii
Skoda VisionC: Skoda’s five-door coupé concept combines new design styles and materials to indicate a forthcoming car positioned between the Octavia and the Superb. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
Volkswagen
T-ROC: Volkswagen T-ROC SUV concept is smaller than the Tiguan, but larger than the Taigun SUV concept. READ THE FULL PRESS RELEASE
