Friday 25 March 2011

Motors- 2011 Geneva Motor Show


The 2011 Geneva motor-show is in full swing and there is plenty of concepty tat that most people who have an interest in actual cars will have little or no interest in what-so-ever. My favorite example from Day 1 is Smart, who have produced this, the Smart Forspeed, which looks like the Smart Crossblade, but is however an electric car. Nothing wrong with that is there? You ask, and the answer is ‘No’ if I’m honest. However, what does irritate me/make me laugh, depending on my mood.

It’s not that it has a top speed of 75 mph from it’s 40 bhp worth of electric motor, or that it has no roof, or even that it follows the trend of using a smartphone or tablet instead of dials or a centre console.

No, what ticks me off about the Forspeed is that they’ve gone to the trouble and expense to create this car but, according to the head of Smart, Dr Annette Winkler, the Forspeed will never make production and it’s simply a brain-storming session for bits that might be included in future Smart cars. Maybe. One Day.

So, I’m going to ignore total show car rubbish that will have no bearing what so ever on your actual purchasing habits in the near future. However, I thought I’d bring you a few models that will, at some point make production or evolve into something that we will be looking at in show-rooms in the near future. As the show goes along, this will become a useful idea of what you may buy from 2012 and onwards.

Firstly, I’m going to start with Toyota. Now to be clear, I despise the Prius, especially the Mk I, which was just a blatant lie when it came to it’s relative economy, which would be no better than a diesel Polo anyway.

However they are showing the next generation of Yaris, starting with the Yaris Hybrid, which will use the same basic underpinnings as the Prius, but with either a 1.3 or 1.5 litre petrol engine glued to the electric motor. For those of you who don’t know, ‘HSD’ means ‘Hybrid Synergy Drive’, Toyota’s way of saying ‘It’s a Hybrid’.

Now, this is a concept car, however we know this is a preview of the looks for the next-gen Yaris, a car built in Europe, more specifically France, for the European market. I have to say, I’ve always thought the Yaris was a nice looking car, and this would be a nice evolution, adapting the Prius face nicely and creating a car that is less cute.

The lack of mad bumps and bulges is a good hint that this is a preview car rather than a concept, although, admittedly ignoring the wing mirrors that are cameras, not actual mirrors.

The rear diffuser will be designed to aid aerodynamics which improve fuel economy and the sensibly sized and positioned lights give us a good idea of what the next Yaris, due in the second half of 2012, will look like.

Personally, it’s a bit of a looker, certainly able to challenge the Fiesta on that front. To drive? Well history is not on the Yaris’ side but expect it to be an improvement over the current model.



Sticking with Toyota for a moment, we find this. No it’s not a new bat-mobile, but in fact, a car I have previously declared might never reach production: The FT-86. Well, the FT-86 II.

The FT-86 II is a car for Toyota to show us what they’ve spent three years doing since they first promised us a real sports car. Since Tokyo 2009, it’s been delayed and delayed for a myriad of reasons.

The main differences between the FT-86 and this car, apart for the mad body kit, is the much raised bonnet level, which would have failed pedestrian safety tests, despite this being a corner-stone feature of the Boxer engined car. Toyota claim this is “the clearest indication yet as to the final design of Toyota’s next sports car” although I’m still yet to be convinced it’ll ever make production.

In truth, this car is here to try re-stir the interest that originally surrounded the FT-86, however if it does reach production, 2013 at the earliest, this is probably what it will look like.

From Toyota, I thought I might stay ‘grey’ and talk about the VW Group. Starting with Skoda. Now this car, I admit, is pure show car, with one very significant exception; this is not a show off of new tech, or the engineers wet-dream, but what Skoda’s will look like in 2012.

The car, called the ‘Skoda Vision D’ is an Octavia-sized hatchback and evolves the current design language, borrowing a few ideas from VW such as the narrower headlights but retaining the Skoda grill. The car also shows a greater distinction for the rear quarter of the car, a statement that Skoda wants it’s cars to be more recognisable from all angles

It also previews the revised badge, which will start to phase in along with the new front end from next year. It is pretty much what we’re used to, but with greater visibility, chrome treatment and stronger colours, the Vision D is a statement that Skoda is no longer afraid of it’s cars being recognised as a Skoda.

In all honesty, I think this design gives Skoda closer links to the current VW front end design, which would reinforce the sub-VW positioning of Skoda, a placement that has seen Skoda break it’s new car sales record two years running thanks to the massive leaps in quality without the leaps in price, proving sub-brands do work.

Like with the Yaris HSD, I think the Vision D looks a sensibly designed car, the reduction of the rear overhang creates a much larger interior without sacrificing boot space, and the rear light clusters look like they came off a current Fabia. I wouldn’t be too surprised if the next Octavia was an evolution of this car when it comes along.

VW itself has something of a blast from the past for us this year, by reintroducing the Golf Cabriolet. It is exactly what it sounds like; a Golf that has had the roof cut off and replaced with a folding canvas roof. For all you CC-nut cases out there, this will never be a hard-top convertible, as this is designed to compliment the Eos, essentially a Golf CC.

Many of you will be uninterested in this car, but for VW fans, the wait for a new Golf Cabro stretches back to 2002 when the Mk III died with no successor.

Design wise, it’s a Mk VI Golf, with the GTi LED tail lights and a distinctive chrome strip that runs along the shoulder line right around the car, a nice touch.

A claimed 9.5 second retraction time is also handy, with VW also claiming that the car offers 250 litres of boot space with the roof down. There will be a single trim level, with ‘packs’ of options available, an idea obviously borrowed from MINI.

Engine wise the Golf Cabriolet gets four petrols and two diesels, all of which are the familiar four cylinder units you’ll find in the regular golf. They are a 103 bhp 1.2 litre, 122 bhp and 158 bhp 1.4 litre units and a 208 bhp 2.0 litre version. The oil-burners are a 103 bhp 1.6 litre and a 2.0-litre unit producing 138 bhp. Transmissions will be five and six-speed manuals, or six and seven-speed DSGs, probably only available as upgrades.

While this sort of car is not to my taste, I’ve wondered at the lack of a convertible option for the Golf as it’s a car that made it’s name as a convertible, so I'm glad to see it returning to the Golf line-up.

The other piece of news from VW is the revised Tiguan small-SUV, one of the last cars in the range to get the Mk VI Golf facial treatment. The interesting thing is the lack of details after pictures were accidentally leaked onto the VW website. However, it’s likely the engine range will remain unchanged and VW has confirmed pricing will remain the same in Germany.

It is likely there will be minor CO₂ and fuel economy improvements. The revised car will be open to orders in June and the first deliveries are expected around August time.


Mercedes have officially launched the third generation of the SLK sports car. We know most of the details about it including the engines and performance figures, as well as those stunning looks that are an evolution of the SLS face that is being adapted to all new Mercedes Benz models.

The SLK continues to be a two-seat, hard-top convertible, rear wheel drive sports car, however the chassis has been improved.

The engines follow the global trend of downsizing engines to turbo-charged units for the base cars in the shape of the SLK200 and SLK250, which both use a 1.8 litre turbo four-pot with 184 and 204 bhp respectively. Impressively, the SLK200 claims a 0-62 mph time of just 7.0 seconds.

The SLK350 features a brand new direct-injection 3.5 litre V6 motor that develops 306 bhp, the same figure as the outgoing engine it replaces. However it will boast vast improvements in fuel economy and emissions thanks to the advancements of the new engine, a new seven speed auto gearbox and other features that include start-stop. So the SLK350 claims a 0-62 mph time of 5.6 seconds as well as offering 39.8 mpg.

For the first time, the SLK range features a diesel model, powered by a twin turbo 2.1 litre four cylinder engine which develops a very healthy 204 bhp.

The top AMG model, the SLK 55 AMG is understood to use a 420 bhp version of AMG’s new 5.5 litre normally aspirated direct injection V8. However, all this is just numbers, the SLK has always been about the looks, and personally, I think the new SLK is a stunning looking car, which means it will remain the perfect car for posing in.

 Mercedes also officially launched the new C-Class coupe, a spiritual successor to the much-lauded CLK. The C-Class coupe is designed to go head to head with the BMW 3 Series and Audi A5. Underneath, as you might expect the coupe sits on the ordinary C-Class saloon base with a 41 mm lower roof height for the two door body.

The UK version, available in June, will include the AMG Sports pack as standard, which includes lower suspension, 18 inch alloy wheels and a distinctive body kit.
The engines, which are taken from the E-Class, will comprise two diesels and three petrols. The £30k entry level C180 will come with a 1.8 litre four cylinder five speed petrol with 152 bhp, a 197 bhp V6 250CGI and the range topping, £38k V6 powered 350CGI with 302 bhp. The diesels are a 161 bhp 220CDI, 197 bhp 250CDI.

The C-Class Coupe will be around £1000 cheaper engine for engine than the E-Class, and while interior accommodation is slightly smaller, the boot capacity will be the same 450 litres as the E-Class. The interior is also derived from the E-Class and has a similar level of perceived quality, with Mercedes stating that the two cars are aimed at different aged buyers, with the C-Class appealing to drivers aged between 35 to 45 years old and the E-Class being aimed at drivers who are more mature.

Hyundai is a brand that is really going places these days. The introduction of the ‘i’ series cars has made the range of cars easier to work out, with the i10 city car, i20 fiesta-sized hatch back and the i30 hatchback lifting the whole range with vastly improved build quality, much better cars to drive and incredibly well kitted cars at excellent prices. The i40 is the final car of the conventional model types, aiming squarely at the Ford Mondeo. Like it’s stable-mates, the i40 is a rather handsome beast, something that has been a key in building Hyundai’s current reputation.

Initially the i40 will be available as an estate model only when it goes on sale in June in the UK, but the key thing for the i40 to do for Hyundai is to prove the company can produce cars with high quality interiors, and so this production-ready car is keen to show off the new interior, which is a rather good looking place to be with a very cleverly sculpted center console. A healthy range of petrol and diesel engine options will be available when the car launches.

Kia is a company who has become rather friendly with Hyundai these days and both companies have benefitted hugely from this arrangement. Geneva sees two new models launched for Kia, starting with the Rio, a car that is being moved into the super-mini market, the largest car segment in the UK.

It’s far from the best looking car ever to be designed, however, Kia has realised it needs to homogolate its cars with a corporate ‘face’ if it wants to push beyond Bargain-Bucket markets.

The Rio is also a rather ambitious car. Based on the Hyundai i20 platform, a car that I really like, it will feature the cleanest and most fuel efficient engine in the UK, trumping the Smart Diesel.

The model will be dubbed ‘Ecodynamics’. It will feature a new 1.1 litre three cylinder direct injection turbo diesel engine under the bonnet that will develop 81 bhp and 69 lb/ft and will be equipped with the now common-faire stop-start system. Kia claim the car will be capable of 88 mpg combined and emit 85 g/km of CO₂, which will beat out the FourTwo Diesel’s stats of 85 mpg and 86 g/km of CO₂.

But this is not the most important thing. If the Rio can reach these figures, it will mean it not only becomes the UK’s cleanest and most fuel efficient car, it will do it while still being a proper car, something the Smart absolutely is not.

The rest of the range will comprise 1.25 and 1.4 litre petrols and 1.4 and 1.6 litre turbo diesels. All will either a six speed manual gearbox of five speed autos and have the option of start-stop and have fuel economy ‘in excess’ of 58 mpg and emit less than 114 g/km CO₂ with that particular option ticked.

The range will start from around £10k when it goes on sale.

However, that is not the end of the Rio. That’s because Benny Oeyen, the cheif of marketing and product planning piped in with a little statement saying; “The quality and design is much greater than the brand image represents... You can improved this with cars. A helpful car for us would be a hot hatch, cabrio or a coupe.”

This has opened speculation over whether Kia is considering a hot hatch, or at least warm hatch version of the Rio to boast the brand image, fueled when Oeyen added: “I can imagine a sporty Kia in Europe; we have to develop the brand.”

The Rio wasn’t the only car Kia had to show off to us at Geneva. However, the new Kia Picanto will have a far more difficult time when it reaches UK shores in the autumn.

Firstly, it does not look good, particularly in the weird yellow Kia brought. However, the time they could have used realising they had penned a bit of a pig they actually spent kitting it out for European markets. The Picanto is to be a ‘global’ model, and so will sell in every market Kia is active in with little or no variation. This is becoming a common trick and for some, like the Nissan Micra, is a long way from European standard and even falls short of the car it replaces.

The basic specs Kia brought to show us suggest they have started with a European car and are working backwards. It will come with a 1.0 litre three-pot and a 1.25 litre four cylinder engine, capable of bi-fuel, fuel-flex and petrol fueling, although the UK market are only getting the petrol version with a diesel, possibly the 1.1 litre three cylinder diesel Kia announced for the Rio. Power will range from 68 bhp for the three cylinder and 84 for the four cylinder, with 69 and 89 lb/ft of torque respectively. And Kia was keen to inform everyone that they’ve been paying special attention to emissions and economy with this car. So if you buy a rather basic car without stop-start you can expect between 95 and 105 g/km of CO₂ to leave the exhaust, but if you spent out on fuel saving kit such as stop-start, then this will drop to between 90 and 100 g/km of CO₂. Gearboxes will comprise a 5 speed manual or a four speed auto.

Kia, in line with it’s sudden global-domination aspirations, say that while the Picanto is a small city car, it’ll have ‘large car’ technologies. This will include things like LED daytime running lights, button-start with smart key, grip-type outside door handles and either six or seven airbags, depending on the model. Prices and full specs will be announced nearer the official launch date.

Do you remember Lancia? Delta’s and Beta’s and Statos’? Yes? Well they’re back! But not with sports cars and not for the UK. So why mention them? Well, Fiat decided that we think less of Lancia than we do of Chrysler, so they’re going to send new Lancia’s over to the UK and then swap the badges for Chrysler ones, and put them on sale, starting with this; the Ypsilon.

As always, put the show-grade two-tone paint out of your mind and take in the design and imagine a Chrysler badge on the nose and that is what you’ll be able to buy when it reaches showrooms in June 2012.

It sits on a stretched Fiat 500 platform and will come with much of the 500’s tech, including Fiat’s ‘Thin-Seat’ technology as well as the 0.9 litre Twin-Air engine. A 1.2 litre petrol and 1.3 litre diesel will complete the engine line up with the diesel and Twin-Air promising sub 100 g/km CO₂ emissions.

Starting from around £11,000, the Ypsilon will mark itself out with high spec levels, which could include the options of leather and Alcantara trim, something which has helped make the car a success in it’s home market due to the unusualness of being able to spec such materials. It will be interesting to see how the new Chrysler’s will go down with the UK market, badge-engineering has not always been popular, with the Jaguar X-Type flopping because it used a Ford Mondeo as it’s base with a Jaguar designed body.

Also to arrive in 2012 is the new 300C and 200C, rebadged Lancia Therma and Flavia respectively. Announced at the show was that the Therma, the 300C to you and me, will be available with a 3.0 litre V6 diesel engine at launch.

Audi’s recent work on it’s bigger models and the A1 has seen the A3 neglected. However Audi have responded with two A3 derivatives, starting with this; the Audi A3 Saloon.

Due for release in 2013, the A3 Saloon will be primarily for the US and Chinese markets, where compact saloons like the VW Jetta are popular, however Audi are hoping to carve out a new niche for premium saloons below cars like the A4, Passat and Mondeo.

Very little detail was released aside from the fact it will be built in Audi’s Gyor plant in Hungary alongside the current A3 Carbriolet, despite the fact this car will be expected to sell primarily outside out Europe. Expect engines to be the same as the A3 Hatchback

The A3 saloon will also be the first use of Audi’s new MBQ platform which come in four wheel bases and likely under pin a new generations of TT as well as various VW Group cars, possibly the next Octavia.

As well as the A3 Saloon, Audi were also showing off a car they have resisted for almost as long as the A3 has existed; and RS3. This monster, which is on sale now, is the most powerful hot-hatch in the UK thanks to some frankly obscene figures.

It raids the 2.5l turbocharged, five cylinder engine from the TT-RS, before being tweaked to produce 335 bhp as well as a stomping 332 lb/ft of torque directed to all four wheels via a 7 speed DSG Gearbox.

This means the RS3 will power to 62 mph in just 4.6 seconds and onto a limited 155 mph top speed.

The list of potential rivals is short, with the 345 bhp Focus RS 500 and 390 bhp Impreza Cosworth being limited run models. The next RenaultSport Megane is going to be making do with 300 bhp going through the front wheels and the next Astra VXR will also be knocking around that mark.

Audi obviously were chasing the new BMW 1 Series M Coupe which has an identical 335 bhp from it’s twin turbo charged 3.0l straight six engine with around 370 lb/ft of torque but all channeled to the rear wheels. Price wise, the RS3 matches the 1 M Coupe, with BMW saying that it’ll be priced around £40k and the RS3 retailing at £39,900.

This is the car fans of hot-hatches and hot-Audi’s have been begging for from Audi, it’s still as handsome as an A3 should be, but has the same heart stopping that the RS4 had. The RS3 will be fairly reasonable to run, with the 1575 kg car emitting 212 g/km of CO₂ and earning a respectable 31 mpg, although this will undoubtedly drop like a stone when you press on.

Modifications over the S3 include a wider front and rear track, lowered and stiffened suspension, with the front suspension control arms being constructed from “high strength steel” according to Audi. The brakes have been beefed up all round as well.

Porsche are the latest company to add a set of batteries and a motor into a large saloon. In this case it’s the Panamera S, equipped with a 330 bhp supercharged 3.0l V6 and a 44 bhp electric motor that doubles up as the starter motor. The drive train has been lifted from the Cayenne Hybrid.

The packaging is clever, with the motor packaged along with it’s own clutch so either the engine or motor can provide drive.

The battery is a Nickel Metal-Hydride unit that can power the car up to 37 mph before the engine clutches in and takes over and can reach 62 mph in 6 seconds and reaches 168 mph top speed. For this performance, the S Hybrid emits 159 g/km CO₂, which out performs the diesel versions of the BMW 7 Series and Jaguar XJ.

This places the Panamera S Hybrid right between the Panamera Turbo and 4S and Porsche has priced it as such, with the S Hybrid starting from £86,146 when it goes on sale in June.

Volvo were also showing off a new hybrid model, the V60 Estate plug-in hybrid. It features a diesel-electric system, using a 212 bhp, 325 lb/ft 2.4 litre D5 Diesel engine which powers the front wheels through a six speed auto’, while the rear wheel is powered by Volvo’s Electric Rear Axle Drive system which combines a 69 bhp electric motor powered by a 12 kWh Lithium-Ion battery pack.

With Plug-In’s, the important thing is recharge time, and the V60 Plug-In requires 7.5 hours for a full recharge through a household 230V/6A socket.

The V60 Plug-In features three drive modes, called ‘Pure’, ‘Hybrid’ and ‘Power’. As you might expect, ‘Pure’ is electric only, allowing you to travel up to 32 internal combustion-free miles, ‘Hybrid’ uses both system to balance economy and performance and ‘Power’ is essentially four-wheel drive mode for maximum performance.

Other features include the option to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin during the recharging process so the cabin temperature is just right when you get in and this can be operated through the revised instrument panel or through a Smartphone App. The V60 Plug-In also makes use of lightweight alloy wheels and low resistance Pirelli tyres.

When it goes on sale in 2012, Volvo say it will “be more expensive to buy than a Volvo V60 with a conventional combustion engine”, however the extra technology involved in creating the Plug-In meant this is entirely predictable.

The final car that is being looked at is potentially the best, and possibly the least likely. This offering comes from Alfa Romeo.

Since they created the limited run 8C Competizione, insiders hinted at a ‘4C’ sub model. And finally, Alfa were able to show of the car they would call the 4C.

It's likely to be powered by the 232 bhp version of the 1.7 litre turbo charged four cylinder petrol engine that equips the Giulietta hatchback. The car weighs in at less than 850 kg, mainly due to the light weight carbon body supported by a aluminium or lightweight steel space frame chassis.

It has the odd set up of double-wishbones at the front and MacPherson struts at the rear. The engine delivers it’s power to the rear wheels via a twin-dry clutch gearbox. Weight distribution is a perfect 40/60 front/rear and the car would feature Alfa’s DNA control system. Alfa claims that the 4C would achieve 62 mph in “under five seconds” with a top speed of “over 250 km/h”, 155 mph.

Alfa has confirmed a production version of the sports car will be in dealerships for next year so this is either a sandbagging concept or a production-ready show car. Alfa gave no indication on prices, but expect something in the region of £30k.

Alfa did however say that the car is likely to spawn a range of sports cars across Fiat, including a stand-alone car for the resurgent Arbath.

If you take off the chrome alloys and replace the overly showy light clusters, particularly the rear ones, with more conventional units, you can see a car that does appear reasonably finished.

The 2011 Geneva Motor Show gave us plenty to be interested in, as well as the mad creations from the minds of engineers and designers, we also saw a raft of silly-power hyper cars from Lamborghini, Pagani and Koenigsegg, but we also got a chance to see what manufacturers are offering the ordinary driver in the next 12 months, and it seems that there is plenty to brighten our roads.

MD

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