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20090302-0015_18-ANE.qxd 2/27/09 10:29 AM Page 15 March 2, 2009 www.autonewseurope.com · PAGE 15 Want another copy? For a printer-friendly PDF version Guide to the Geneva auto show of the Geneva preview, go to: autonews.com/geneva09preview Stylish, sexy, smart More than 30 concept and production cars past years likely will be muted due to budget cuts. Still, will make their world debuts this week the roster of vehicles, an equal split between perfor- mance and economy, is impressive. Mark Rechtin At a time when automakers are pulling out of auto Automotive News Europe shows, putting the very survival of the events at risk, the With car sales plummeting globally and little sign of life Geneva salon is perhaps one last display of brashness coming from any nation’s economy, the 79th Geneva from an industry looking for any hint of good news. auto show could be seen as the modern equivalent of Yet it is possible to wonder how grand the Geneva the string quartet on the deck of the Titanic. show could have been. Automakers and design houses will use the show to Many automakers have slowed their product develop- display more than 30 world debuts of concept and pro- ment plans in order to conserve cash, delaying introduc- duction cars. tions and extending the length of their current vehicle Those sorts of numbers are normally seen during cycles. Had those product plans stayed on schedule, this boom times. year’s Geneva show would have been truly epic. What Of course, many of these product plans were started follows is the list of planned introductions to occur dur- when times were good. The glitz and showmanship of ing the show’s March 3-15 run. Audi aims A4 Allroad at rugged set Aston Martin Aston Martin The redesigned A4 Allroad gives Audi a has stuffed a more rugged-looking variant of the A4 6.0-liter V-12 powerplant into its Avant wagon with enhanced off-road small coupe’s engine bay. The V12 capabilities. Vantage will be “the most potent At 180mm, the Allroad’s suspension is production sports car in the marque’s 70mm taller than the Avant’s. This 95-year history,” the automaker claims. results in better ground clearance. The engine produces 510hp and 570Nm of torque, resulting in a 0 V12 Vantage The Allroad also has Audi’s Off Road to 100kph acceleration of 4.2 seconds. Aston Martin engineers cre- Detection stability control system, ated the car in just a year. The engine bay was redesigned to house the larger which offers improved traction dur- motor, brake cooling system and intake system. The rear suspension is more com- ing off-road driving. pact to account for wider wheels and tires. Production will start in the autumn, and With 17-inch wheels, additional be limited to about 400 units a year. Pricing will be revealed at the show. wheel-arch cladding and deeper front and rear protective bumper Mark Rechtin shields, the Allroad’s design has been 3 See related story on Lagonda, Page 17 adapted to reflect its all-wheel-drive A4 Allroad functionality. The A4 Allroad comes initially with three All three motors come in combination gasoline and the larger diesel have a sev- Bentley engines: a 211hp, 2.0-liter turbocharged with a brake-energy regeneration sys- en-speed dual-clutch transmission. gasoline direct-injection engine; a tem, which converts deceleration energy The A4 Allroad goes on sale this summer. Displaying its green-performance credentials, Bentley will 170hp, 2.0-liter turbodiesel; and a 240hp into electricity. The smaller diesel has a unveil a high-performance sports car with an engine that 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel. manual six-speed transmission while the Wim Oude Weernink can run on E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Bentley said adapting the car to run on E85 was achieved by giving it an enhanced engine management system and newly developed transmission. Bentley declined to disclose the price and volume goal for the Continental Supersports, but said it will go on sale this year. The sports car will be positioned above its Continental GT Speed model, with more power than the GT Speed. Bentley Design Director Dirk BMW hatches a new type of 5 series van Braeckel oversaw the car’s styling. Based on the 5-series BMW claims the concept The car will be Bentley’s first model under its platform, BMW has offers legroom compara- long-term strategy to deliver renew- developed a new con- ble with that of the able-fuel vehicles throughout its cept for a five-door premium hatchback. 7-series sedan, and head- range. Bentley claims it will be BMW describes it as a Progressive Activity room equal to that of the the first luxury manufacturer Sedan and calls the model the Gran Turis- BMW X5 premium SUV. in the world to do so. mo. The concept GT is designed like a The overall length is four-door coupe, with frameless side 4995mm, while the car is Gran Turismo Bettina Mayer windows. A large two-piece tailgate 1555mm tall. As shown in Continental Supersports gives access to a luggage compartment Geneva, the GT is still a styling concept. A furt then go on sale in the fourth quarter. that grows from 430 liters to 1650 liters production version is expected to be when the rear seats are folded down. unveiled at this September’s IAA in Frank- Wim Oude Weernink Chevrolet Replacing the Matiz, the Spark is 2009 Geneva auto show world debuts Chevrolet’s new minicar model. The Spark was developed in South Korea by GM Production Peugeot 3008 BMW Gran Turismo Daewoo Auto & Technology, which also will manu- Aston Martin V12 Vantage Renault Scenic Citroen Inside DS facture the car. Audi A4 Allroad Renault Grand Scenic Dacia crossover/coupe The Spark comes with either a 1.0- or 1.2-liter four-cylin- Spark Audi TT RS Renault Megane Tourer Ford small minivan der 16-valve gasoline engine. It has a five-door layout Chevrolet Spark Saab 9-3x Hyundai HED-6 that sits on a 2375mm wheelbase, with an overall length of about 3500mm. A Fiat 500 C Seat Exeo ST Infiniti Essence three-door version is also being considered, GM sources said. Mazda 3 MPS Skoda Yeti Italdesign Namir The design of the Spark reflects much of the Chevrolet Beat concept, first shown in Mazda 3 i-stop Toyota Verso Kia YN spring 2007. A motorcycle-style instrument panel, fitted as a separate cluster to Mercedes-Benz E class sedan VW Polo Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport Air the dashboard, is a styling touch that carries over from the Beat. The Spark goes on Mercedes-Benz E class coupe Nissan Qazana sale in Europe during the first quarter of 2010, with a US introduction in 2011. Nissan NV200 Concept Rinspeed iChange Opel Ampera Bentley Continental Supersports Rolls-Royce EX200 Wim Oude Weernink 20090302-0015_18-ANE.qxd 2/27/09 10:29 AM Page 16 PAGE 16 · www.autonewseurope.com March 2, 2009 Geneva auto show Fiat Citroen gives DS a new twist Fiat will take the top off its popular 500 Looking to benefit from past successes, minicar. The 500 C is Citroen will unveil the Inside DS, a three- not a traditional convertible. Only the door hatchback concept that closely fabric roof panel can be folded toward resembles a near-production version of the rear, similar to Fiat’s original 500 mod- the planned DS3 small car. els of the 1950s and ’60s. The new DS3, which goes on sale across The softtop, including its glass rear window, is elec- 500 C Europe in early 2010, will be the first trically operated. The convertible retains the same interior model in Citroen’s planned three-car space for four occupants as the standard 500. “near-premium” range. The DS badge A stop-start system is standard equipment on the 500 C, which shares its power- stands for Distinctive Series. The first DS train lineup with the 500: A choice between 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter gasoline engines, was Citroen’s iconic executive sedan or a 1.3-liter diesel. All are available with a manual or automatic transmission. during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. The 500 C will be made in Fiat’s Tychy, Poland, plant. The car goes on sale in May. However, the Inside DS concept bears The price premium over comparable 500 trim levels should be about €2,000. little resemblance to the classic DS. Instead, its design, size and general feel Fiat also will debut its variable-valve-timing system, called Multiair. The technology draw immediate parallels with BMW’s improves torque and horsepower by about 10 percent, and reduces fuel consump- Mini, whose buyers Citroen executives tion by 10 percent and CO2 emissions by half. say will be one of the principal targets The Multiair technology could be applied to normally aspirated and turbocharged for the DS3 small car. gasoline engines, from two to six cylinders. Its first application will happen this year The DS3 will be built on the same plat- on a 1.4-liter gasoline engine. Fiat says Multiair could also be adapted to work on form as Citroen’s existing small-segment diesel engines, doing this would reduce NOx emissions. car, the C3, as well as sister brand Peu- Inside DS Fiat hopes that eventually the technology could allow two-cylinder engines to take geot’s top-selling 207. the place of four-cylinder engines in small cars.