A horological honour

Bill Prince, editor-in-chief

On Thursday evening I presented the award for Best Men’s Watch (which went to Urban Jürgensen) at the 25th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève, otherwise known as the ‘Oscars of the watch industry’, held annually in the Swiss city. The event celebrates watchmaking excellence, whatever and wherever its source, and thus attracts a huge number of entries from across the globe. These are whittled down by the GPHG Academy and then adjudicated by a jury made up of industry insiders, collectors and journalists, of which I was one, and whose final decisions are recorded by secret ballot and revealed on the night. Among the evening’s big winners: Breguet, which picked up the ‘Aiguille d’Or’ (Grand Prize) for its Classique Souscription 2025 timepiece, recreated in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the company’s founding by the 'father of modern watchmaking’, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and Zenith, whose legendary Calibre 135 won the Chronometry prize for supreme accuracy in timekeeping.

A colourful collaboration

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

Last week, I popped into Rixo’s sumptuously vintage-inspired Chelsea flagship to celebrate the brand’s new collaboration with Ruggable – makers of the machine-washable rugs I’m a little bit obsessed with (I have one in my living room, and honestly, I don’t think I could ever go back to stain remover and scrubbing). The collection, which has now launched and is available to shop, fuses Rixo’s playful, hand-painted prints with Ruggable’s life-proof tech. The result is a whimsical mash-up of vibrant florals, intricate geometrics and painterly motifs. These personality-packed pieces are every maximalist's dream, served with a side of nostalgia but sleek enough for the modern interior.

A riveting read

Ailis Bickford, digital project manager

This week, I welcomed the cold weather and the barrage of Christmas reminders by locking myself in my flat like Ebenezer Scrooge and finishing my book, Flesh by David Szalay – the winner of the Booker Prize for 2025. The story follows a man throughout his life – from growing up in Hungary and joining the army to marrying a wealthy older woman in London. At each stage of the narrative, he is desired for his body. As the story unfolds, the disconnect between his body and mind becomes increasingly, heart-wrenchingly apparent. A short but emotional read, this is definitely one to pick up this winter.

A drizzly drive

Jonathan Bell, transport and technology editor

A swift trip to the drizzly Midlands to visit RBW EV, a company that builds all-new bespoke electric sports cars infused with the spirit of the classic MGB. It wasn't quite top down weather but the driving experience managed to rekindle an authentic connection to the road, thanks to RBW's proprietary engineering know-how. These delightful machines are wrapped up in a finely crafted package and shipped around the world to enthusiasts who want a bit more emotional engagement from their EVs.

Relics in Rome

Hannah Silver, art, culture, watches & jewellery editor

I visited Rome this week to celebrate the opening of Cartier & Myths at the beautiful Capitoline Museums, which places Cartier showstoppers in context with ancient sculptures and artefacts, a celebration of how classical codes have always been an inspiration. A stop to see the exquisite new high jewellery collection at Palazzo Talia’s and a fun dinner at Pierluigi Restaurant made for a whirlwind 24 hours.

Innovation at an institution

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

A visit to the new Backstage at The Old Vic this week reminded me to book some nights out at the theatre. Beyond creating functional and joyful – much-needed – spaces for the South London organisation's own operations (from a marvellous green room to dressing rooms and a Writer's Room I’d love to book for myself one day), the building also has a new bar and café, open to all – conveniently just around the corner from the main stage. Warm crimson, terracotta, yellow and orange hues (I have always been partial to that colour palette) bring the interiors alive, beautifully complemented by a sturdy, exposed timber frame. An unexpected highlight is the façade’s sunshading screen, which is, in fact, ingeniously made of refurbished and painted old barn doors. You will find me at the bar, having a pre- or post-performance drink soon.

A Scotch sojourn

Anne Soward, production editor

I had a Brigadoon moment this week, lost in the magical mist and fog of the Scottish island of Islay with two Americans (designer Ini Archibong and his manager brother Archie). Known as the whisky island, the tiny Hebridean enclave (home to 3,000 people and a lot of sheep) hosts ten distilleries, but I was here to visit Port Ellen as it prepares to launch a new artwork by Archibong to welcome visitors (more on this to come in a few weeks). Founded in 1825 but closed for more than four decades, this ‘ghost’ distillery recently reopened after the discovery that some of its single-malt casks, left quietly maturing during the closure, had turned into some seriously palate-blowing Scotch. As a cult following clamoured for the liquid gold, the decision was made to rebuild the distillery in contemporary form, adhering to a Scandinavian aesthetic that both suits its setting and presents a fittingly cosy environment for savouring the whisky’s intense flavours. I’ve never been much of a whisky drinker but I was spirited away by the passions of the Port Ellen hosts, who attuned my palate to the amber nectar’s peaty smokiness, heavily imbued with notes of fruit and spices, conjuring up visions of autumn walks, crackling campfires, and Christmas.

The 25th edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie Geneve (GPHG) took place on 13 November 2025 at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices, a former power plant in the centre of Geneva. The grand prize, or ‘Aiguille d’Or’, was awarded to Breguet, for its faithful reproduction in wristwatch form of a 1796 pocket watch created by company founder and ‘father of modern watchmaking’, Abraham-Louis Breguet. Singled out for the purity of its classically simple design, incorporating a grand feu enamelled dial and a single, blued hand, the latest incarnation of a historic ‘souscription’ (subscription) model – the means by which early watchmakers were able to fund their work – celebrates 270 years since the founding of the brand.

In a similar vein, the Chronometry prize – celebrating excellence in timekeeping – was awarded to a recreation of Zenith’s Calibre 135, the most awarded movement in the history of chronometers. Represented this year as the ‘GFJ’ to mark the 160th anniversary of the company’s founding by Georges Favre-Jacot, the winning watch features a 39mm case with a striking lapis lazuli dial surrounded by a ‘brick’ guilloché motif inspired by the façade of the manufacture in Le Locle.

Among the other winners were Anton Suhanov, who took the Revelation prize for his tabletop world timer tourbillon clock; Audemars Piguet, recognised for the latest iteration of its Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar, fitted with the new, fully crown-set Cailbre 7138; and Bulgari, which won a further prize for its groundbreaking series of Finissimo models, this time in the Tourbillon category.

Other prizes were distributed between Chopard (which took two, for Ladies Compilation and Sports), and Daniel Roth and Gérald Genta, both dial names recently revived under the auspices of the Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton, honoured in the Time-Only and Ladies’ categories respectively.

The Special Jury Prize honoured Alain Dominique Perrin, president of the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, for his visionary role in promoting high-quality watchmaking.

All 90 of the nominated timepieces, including the 19 winners, are on display at the Geneva Musée d'Art et d'Histoire until 16 November 2025.

The 2025 GPHG winners

‘Aiguille d’Or’ Grand Prix : Breguet, Classique Souscription 2025

Chronometry Prize: Zenith, G.F.J. Calibre 135

Horological Revelation Prize: Anton Suhanov, St Petersburg Easter Egg Tourbillon Clock

Audacity Prize: Fam Al Hut, Möbius

Iconic Watch Prize: Audemars Piguet, Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Greubel Forsey, Nano Foudroyante

Chronograph Watch Prize: Angelus, Chronographe Télémètre Yellow Gold

Tourbillon Watch Prize: Bulgari, Octo Finissimo Ultra Tourbillon

Sports Watch Prize: Chopard, Alpine Eagle 41 SL Cadence 8HF

Men’s Complication Watch Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 30

Men’s Watch Prize: Urban Jürgensen, UJ-2: Double wheel natural escapement

Time Only Watch Prize: Daniel Roth, Extra Plat Rose Gold

Jewellery Watch Prize: Dior Montres, La D de Dior Buisson Couture

Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Voutilainen, 28GML SOUYOU

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Chopard, Imperiale Four Seasons

Ladies’ Watch Prize: Gérald Genta, Gentissima Oursin Fire Opal

‘Petite Aiguille’ Watch Prize: MAD Editions, MAD2 Green

Challenge Watch Prize: Dennison, Natural Stone Tiger Eye In Gold

Mechanical Clock Prize: L’Épée 1839, Albatross L’Épée 1839 X MB&F

Special Jury Prize: Alain Dominique Perrin

This new villa in Pregny-Chambésy, a small commune in the canton of Geneva in Switzerland, has been completed to the designs of Lacroix Chessex Architectes and features exposed concrete inside and out. Located in Geneva’s Zone 5 – the area of the city district given over to single, free-standing villas – the project was constructed under tight budgetary constraints yet still creates a rich, warm ambience.

The Zone 5 regulations stipulated elements of the design like the distance between boundary and structure, as well as capping built square metres to a percentage of the plot area. Other strictures determined the environmental credentials of the house, governing the amount of plot given over to permeable surfaces, for example, as well as the number of solar panels required and insulation rating.

‘In terms of the proposed architecture, we had quite a lot of freedom,’ says the practice’s Hiéronyme Lacroix, ‘I would say that it was not complicated to propose this type of architecture for the permission.’ The neo-brutalism of the exterior, with the visible vertical shuttering marks, is paired with polished concrete floors and exposed concrete interior walls. Stone edging adds another material dimension.

‘The combination of raw concrete construction and interior insulation was unbeatable,’ Lacroix continues, adding that the key constraint was economic. The house is designed in such a way that the walls were all poured as solid elements with no holes for windows. Instead, floor-to-ceiling gaps for doors and windows were created in between the concrete structure.

In addition, the house features many step backs and angled elements on the ground floor level, what the architects describe as the ‘fragmentation of the cascading volumes.’ This has the effect of making the living spaces feel much larger than they are, with views long axial views contrasted with the diagonal views between angled walls, niches and full-length windows. Care was taken to avoid large spans – and therefore costly structure – without compromising the sense of openness.

On the ground floor, the entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, and living room form a flowing sequence, with more private areas like a study and bathroom tucked away in the idiosyncratic floorplan. The ground floor also houses a self-contained one-bedroom flat for an older relative, and the house sits above the traditional Swiss basement, here used for storage and as a media and games room.

Upstairs, there’s a large principal bedroom with dressing area and top-lit ensuite, as well as two smaller bedrooms with a separate bathroom, also lit from above. The floor-to-ceiling fenestration also continues here, albeit with deliberately different alignments to the windows on the ground floor. The brutalism of the exterior also serves to distinguish the new villa within its eclectic, leafy suburb.

‘Our aim is to create quality architecture that is both contemporary and timeless,’ the architects write. Established in 2005 by Hiéronyme Lacroix and Simon Chessex, along with partners Grégoire Martin and Ludovic Durand, the award-winning office is based in Geneva.

‘Each commission is approached as a new avenue of exploration, without preconceived ideas, formal a priori, or advance knowledge of the final result,’ they continue, ‘Each project begins again at zero, forcing us to constantly challenge ourselves… In today’s globalized and generic world, we strive to create buildings specific to each site and its uses. Our structures must be able to elevate and enhance every one of these always unique situations.’

LacroixChessex.ch, @LacroixChessex

Launched in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Geneva Watch Days (4-7 September) was the brainchild of Bulgari’s Jean-Christophe Babin, with early backing from Breitling, Bulgari and independents like MB&F. Conceived as an agile, open-air response to the dying behemoth Baselworld, it transformed the city into a stage, scattering launches across hotels, boutiques and galleries. What began as a necessity has set the tone for a decentralised, collaborative, and refreshingly open event.

Now in its fifth year, the roster has swelled to include both heavyweight maisons and niche indies, as well as the founding independents. This year, newcomers like TAG Heuer and Bremont share the spotlight with acclaimed independents such as H. Moser & Cie, Ulysse Nardin and Czapek. The result is a unique alchemy of global giants, avant-garde independents and enthusiastic collectors.

From classic to avant-garde: highlights from Geneva Watch Days

TAG Heuer Carrera Chronograph Tourbillon Extreme Sport TH-Carbonspring

For its Geneva Watch Days debut, TAG Heuer brought out the big guns, with the Carrera and Monaco as the headliners. The chronograph is a Carrera seen through the lens of material innovation, featuring an evolution of their TH carbonspring® tech now ready for serial production. This carbon-cased edition is a sculptural sports watch, with the woven carbon surface offset by a spiral-engraved dial that draws the eye inward. Sleek black tones dominate, but sharp details and luminous details ensure legibility doesn’t lose out to experimentation. The watch balances Carrera’s racing heritage with futurist monochrome, and unsurprisingly is feather-light on the wrist, a Carrera distilled into pure architectural statement.

tagheuer.com

Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan x Bulgari

The Bulgari Octo Finissimo Lee Ufan Special Edition is a study in restrained geometry and materiality. Each 40mm titanium case is hand-filed to a textured, rough finish with overlapping deep and shallow cuts that juxtapose an ethereal mirror-effect in the dial with a vertical fume effect that shifts from grey to black. The signature octagonal bezel and integrated bracelet maintain the collection's architectural integrity. At the same time, the 2.23mm ultra-thin movement reminds us of how much micro-engineering plays a part in the Finissimo success story. Creating an unusual contrast, this marks the first time a steel bezel with radial brushing has been incorporated into the titanium case of the Finissimo. Limited to 150 pieces, this timepiece embodies a harmonious blend of sculptural form and minimalist design, reflecting Ufan's artistic philosophy.

bulgari.com

Bremont Supermarine

Bremont, with Davide Cerrato at the wheel, is asserting its role as a staunchly British take on watchmaking. We’ve seen a reinvigorated range of pilot watches in the Altitude range, and the team was out in force in Geneva with the latest version of the Supermarine 500M, their subaquatic alibi. As part of the renewed brand portfolio, the Supermarine features a crisp, polar white dial with a Grand Seiko-esque quality. It comes in 43mm contrasted by a matt black ceramic bezel, and on their best bracelet yet. The sweeping dune-like texture of the dial works well, and the case is rendered in 904L steel, a harder-to-machine steel used by Rolex, a step above most brands with its distinct lustre.

bremont.com

Gerald Charles Masterlink

Fronting the singular look of a baroque-cased Genta legacy, Gerald Charles’ new gem set version of the Masterlink series focuses on slim geometry and proportion, then surprises with the dazzle of each bezel being invisibly set with sapphires or tsavorites. The stones form a seamless ring that underlines the quirky shape of the signature Masterlink case, with its softened square profile and curved “smile” at six o’clock. It has an architectural quality in its balance of curvaceous case with a strong linearity in the dial, which catches the light but remains a quiet contrast to the polished gem-set frame.

geraldcharles.com

Gerald Genta Geneva Minute Repeater

A favourite of the week was LVMH halo brand Gérald Genta, who presented a new Minute Repeater. Designed by Matthieu Hegi, the 40mm yellow gold case features ultra-thin walls—just 0.6mm at its thinnest point—allowing for optimal sound in a monochrome package, with a distinct end of last century style. The black onyx dial, with a minute track echoing the case's cushion shape, enhances the auditory experience and makes for a strong timeless look. Inside, the Calibre GG-002 movement, developed by La Fabrique du Temps Louis Vuitton's watchmakers Enrico Barbasini and Michel Navas, delivers a crystalline chime. Only ten of these will be made, a timepiece that merges form, function, and sound in a harmonious architectural expression with an almost talismanic quality.

geraldgenta.com

Oris Big Crown Calibre 113

A colourful, retro-tinged sports watch, but with a business calendar? This was an interesting card put on the table by Oris in Geneva. With a lare 43mm case, Oris shows off its Calibre 113, yielding a watch that feels equal parts tool and design experiment. The steel case and oversized crown stay true to pilot watch codes, but the dial is a fun mix of minty green and pink, with an unusual day/date and yearly calendar making for a playful circle of information. A central pointer marks weeks of the year, while day, date, and month occupy neatly balanced windows, all tied together in mint green with rose-pink accents. Ten days of hand-wound reserve keep it steady and retro-architectural, serious in function with a joyful modern twist.

oris.ch

Beda’a Angles

One of the busiest suites at the Beau Rivage hotel during Geneva Watch Days was occupied by Qatar-based brand Beda’a. The brand is run by its 30-year-old creative director Sohaib Maghnam and founder Hader Al-Suwaidi, and one of their debut creations is nominated for a GPHG award, the Oscars of the watch world. At Geneva they presented the perfectly sized new Mecaline version of the octagonal Angles, a 37mm big-lugged piece of minimalist chic. Sohaib has managed to distil the idea of a dress watch, keeping it within a slim 6mm case yet still managing to fit a manual wind ETA7001 movement.

bedaawatches.com

Zenith x USM Chronomaster Revival

Zenith has collaborated with modular furniture brand USM on the Zenith x USM Chronomaster Revival. The company launched its distinctive Haller system, using a ball-joint connector, in 1965, four years before the El Primero movement was unveiled in 1969. It is a shared history acknowledged in retro details including the warm yellow dial and a strong, graphic silhouette.

zenithwatches.com

Renaud Tixier Monday Organica

Dominique Renaud is known as an alchemist of horology; an inventor, rather than a watchmaker, demonstrated in the debut watch from his brand, Renaud Tixier. The Monday Organica offers a duality of mechanical craft and métiers d’art. Powered by Renaud’s RVI2023 Calibre, a highly innovative micro-rotor movement, the 7 pieces that will be produced all feature an intricate dial with blue tones by Olivier Vaucher. Each dial is the result of 112 hours of work that combines multi-level hand engraving, grand feu enamel, and textural effects that transform the surface into a miniature landscape. The enigmatic dial is housed in a hand-engraved scalloped 40.8mm platinum case with a thickness of 12.6mm, including a domed sapphire crystal.

renaudtixier.com

Ulysse Nardin Freak X Crystalium

The Freak watch is 24 years old this year, and Ulysse Nardin marks the anniversary with an embrace of glittering decorative arts. Framed in a black DLC suit, at the core of the Crystalium disc is ruthenium, a platinum-group metal which over days undergoes a slow, controlled vapour-deposition crystallisation process. The Crystalium hour disc, with its pointer positioned beneath the movement, serves as the hour hand, a subtle, continuous motion that fuses engineering and aesthetics. Due do the complexity of the Crystalium manufacturing process, it is only made in an edition of 50 watches.

ulysse-nardin.com

Laurent Ferrier Classic Tourbillon Teal Serie Atelier

Laurent Ferrier is the epitome of quietly spoken classicism, with no blustering or avant-garde flash. Instead, Laurent and a team that includes his son, Christian, have carefully honed a brand that represents a minimalist purity. Each case in the Classic collection is as smooth - and exhibits the same organic balance - as the pebble it takes inspiration from, this time rendered in 950 platinum. The distinctive lustre of weighty platinum frames a dark teal dial in grand feu enamel on a white gold base with the slimmest of Roman numeral markers. Only five pieces will be made, featuring the same LF619.01 calibre that won Laurent Ferrier a GPHG on its debut back in 2010, here in a more contemporary finish, with its beguiling tourbillon visible only to the owner.

laurentferrier.ch.

Furlan Marri Disco Volante Onyx

A highlight of Geneva Watch Days is the chance to discover small brands like Furlan Marri, know for their sub-£1K watches. The big retro wave might be less of a tsunami than five years ago, but last year’s trend of stone dials and shaped cases remain strong. Furlan Marri’s new Disco Volante takes its cues from Audemars Piguet UFO-shaped watches of the Fifties, with an organically layered look that frames a polished black Onyx dial. Underlining its dressy nature are baguette-cut lab grown diamonds for markers, and the slinky weave of a milanaise bracelet.

furlanmarri.com=

Geneva Watch Days from 4-7 September

Eurostar maps out its next stops, in Switzerland and Germany, as it announces plans to launch direct train services to Geneva and Frankfurt from London St Pancras by the early 2030s. Eurostar said it will require a fleet of up to 50 new trains, which will cost €2 billion (£1.7 billion). The journey between London and Frankfurt will be about five hours, while Geneva will be around five hours and 20 minutes.

Geneva is known as a centre for the finer things in life, from exceptional timepieces (the city hosts the annual Watches and Wonders fair) to luxury chocolates. Frankfurt, meanwhile, is Europe's bustling financial hub, and also home to some of the design world's major trade fairs, such as Heimtextil and Ambiente.

Discover the new direct Eurostar routes

Gwendoline Cazenave, Eurostar’s chief executive, said passengers are prepared to take longer train journeys rather than fly, as they want to travel more sustainably. Describing Frankfurt and Geneva as ‘big financial hubs’, Cazenave predicts a high demand from leisure and business travellers for direct services to these destinations.

Finer details such as deciding what stops the services will make and whether passengers are able to get on and off en route are yet to be determined. Granted, there are a number of hurdles Eurostar has to overcome before these services can be launched, including passenger space at the stations, and new border checkpoints, for example.

The announcement follows the reopening of Eurostar’s direct route to Amsterdam earlier this year (Wallpaper* took the opportunity to revisit some longstanding favourite spots in the Dutch capital).

Eurostar has also been busy upgrading its Premier services. In the past year, it has revamped onboard dining for Premier customers, and unveiled redesigned branded lounges in Brussels and Paris, available for Premier passengers travelling on continental routes, as well as Carte Blanche and Carte Étoile loyalty members.

In partnership with Richemont

As Watches and Wonders 2025 opens in Geneva (1-7 April), here are headline new watches to look out for from brands of luxury group Richemont: A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin.

‘This year’s releases are characterised by a clean design, a sharp technical nous and a celebration of craftsmanship, paying tribute to historical codes while encapsulating a very modern mood,’ says Wallpaper* watches & jewellery editor Hannah Silver.

See the watches below, and for those at the fair, when you’ve exhausted the stands, dip into our Geneva guide to help you enjoy some downtime in the city.

A. Lange & Söhne

With every new watch developed by A. Lange & Söhne, the focus is on harmonising technology and aesthetics, finding the balance between tradition and modernity. ‘During the process, we question everything and take great care to ensure that every aspect of a watch, every design feature and every function, fulfils its intended purpose,’ explains director of product development Anthony de Haas. For 2025, optimal readability is a high priority for the brand; from case shape to arched lugs, distinctive hands and typography, new designs nod back to A. Lange & Söhne’s distinctive geometric and aesthetic codes.

alange-soehne.com

Baume & Mercier

The sport-chic spirit of Baume & Mercier’s Riviera collection is inspired by the French Riviera itself, the timepieces’ distinctive 12-sided case and bezel referencing the sculptural relief of the Côte d’Azur landscape. This new iteration of the Riviera Chronograph, the M0A10827, is engineered for the horological aficionado, its 1950s-style, black-and-white dial representing balance, harmony, and beauty.

baume-et-mercier.com

IWC

For the manufacture of its new Ingenieur, IWC Schaffhausen’s material choice allowed no compromise. Rendered in tough zirconium oxide ceramic, Gérald Genta’s design classic is now updated for its Watches and Wonders 2025 debut with sleeker indices and a more lucid dial architecture.

iwc.com

Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Reverso Tribute Geographic, powered by Jaeger-LeCoultre’s newly developed in-house Calibre 834 movement, is a fresh interpretation of the classic and quintessential travel time complication. Displaying world time indication on the reverse dial and presented in a steel case, this new timepiece underlines the innovative and catalytic role that the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso has played in the nine decades since its unique, swivelling case was invented back in 1931.

jaeger-lecoultre.com

Montblanc

Paying homage to Reinhold Messner’s record-breaking 1986 ascent of Mount Vinson, Antarctica (which saw him become the first climber to ascend the seven highest peaks in seven continents without the use of supplementary oxygen), the new Montblanc 1858 Geosphere 0 Oxygen Mount Vinson Limited Edition is available in a run of 986 pieces. A 43.5mm titanium case, inspired by the Mount Vinson landscape, holds a composite middle case crafted from quartz fibres, aluminised basalt fibres, calcium carbonates and light blue resin – the colours and patterns a nod to Antarctica ice crystals. Both the northern and southern hemispheres are represented, through two three-dimensional globes that turn anti-clockwise, with dots marking the seven peaks of Messner’s challenge, as well as the Mont Blanc summit.

montblanc.com

Panerai

The name Luminor originates from a luminous compound created by Panerai, an innovative material that shaped the creation of the first models in the series in the early 1960s, invented to meet the demanding standards of the Italian Navy. Panerai had long been supplying robust and precise instruments to the Marina Militare, but it was the Luminor that brought together a collection of distinctive features in the 1990s. Every element served a purpose, balancing form and function, maximising reliability, readability and resilience in a way that would come to define Panerai’s timepieces as ‘tool’ watches. These characteristics were consolidated into a design that, with its safety lock system along with the sandwich dial and enhanced luminescence, set the Luminor apart and became synonymous with the maison. Now, for the first time in Panerai’s core collection, Luminor Marina sets a new benchmark with enhanced water resistance up to 500m.

panerai.com

Piaget

1969 was the year that Piaget redrew the boundaries between watchmaking and jewellery; in the hands of Jean-Claude Gueit, who led the company’s design team, the wristwatch was transformed from a simple timepiece into an avant-garde design object. Almost 60 years later, new models from Piaget’s ateliers combine the maison’s heritage with the present; the marque’s distinctive trapezoidal shape showcases a graceful balance between geometry and delicacy, refinement and allure.

piaget.com

Vacheron Constantin

Complications continue to push the boundaries of previously accepted limits, amply demonstrated by Vacheron Constantin’s beautifully rendered and technically impressive Traditionnelle Perpetual Calendar. There’s a moon phase with a starry sky in ‘950 platinum’ (with 95 per cent platinum in the alloy) and two three-dimensional moons. The tachymeter scale painted on the dial makes it possible to determine an average speed thanks to the central hand of the chronograph. The perpetual calendar requires no adjustment until the year 2100.

vacheron-constantin.com

In partnership with Richemont

The Watches and Wonders visitor experience at Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition hall is organised with the kind of clockwork expedience that only the Swiss can deliver. Around 50,000 guests are expected during the 2025 show’s seven-day run (1-7 April), and those who arrive via Geneva airport get to stroll the delightful concourse of RSHP’s polychromatic Aile Est terminal, clear customs and immigration and then amble just 800m across a concrete bridge to the lobby of the vast Watches and Wonders show space. No taxis, no shuttle, no excess baggage required.

When all 60 watchmaking marques – among them A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin – have been explored, exceptional novelties perused and brand ambassadors encountered, guests simply walk back to the airport and catch an evening plane home.

As for Wallpaper* watches and jewellery editors? We prefer to make the annual pilgrimage to Geneva more of a 48-hour thing, taking time to immerse ourselves in both show and city. During a two-night stay at the old-school Hôtel Longmalle or Hôtel de la Cigogne, we’ll take time to meander the streets, visiting the galleries, museums and creative landmarks that add to the cultural cachet of the city, which is known as the cradle of horology. And we’ll eat some fine Swiss chocolate along the way.

48 hours in Geneva: what to see and do

Take in an art gallery

Just by the Cirque tram stop, in the city’s banking district, is a good place to start. A cornerstone of both Swiss and international contemporary art worlds, Wilde gallery, established by curatorial partners Barth Pralong and Sébastien Mare, is a 1,000 sq m space whose white and airy storeys incorporate La Petite Librairie, dedicated to rare books and first editions, and the chic Anouch restaurant with a kitchen helmed by Tamara Hussain, formerly of the three-Michelin-starred Clos des Sens in Annecy.
Wilde Gallery Bd Georges-Favon 19, 1204 Genève, wildegallery.ch

Buy Swiss chocolates

Every Geneva local has their favourite chocolatier but when sweet-toothed Wallpaper* is in town for wristwatch business, we head straight to Auer, on the super-smart Rue De Rive, for a box of Pavés Glacés – cubes of fine, fondant chocolate dusted with cocoa powder, inspired by Geneva’s cobblestones and first produced back in 1940, soon after the business was established. Auer, now run by the founding family’s fifth generation, remains the high-cacao-content-seekers’ destination for chocolate-covered almonds, truffles, and other delights – all specialties homemade following original recipes. The packaging is beautiful.
Auer chocolatier, Rue de Rive 4, 1204 Genève, chocolat-auer.ch

Lunch at a traditional Italian

Lunchtime in Switzerland’s first city calls for a traditional Italian. Roberto, an institution since 1945, is Geneva’s best and buzziest Italian restaurant. In the bustling, central Rive district, a crew of bow-tied waiters serves loyal regulars and savvy visitors with platters of ravioli, osso bucco and mouthwatering saltimbocca. Since founding chef Roberto Carugati, five generations of the same family have had a hand in the restaurant’s day-to-day running. Accordingly, amid the delightfully distressed mirrors and patinated, wood-panelled walls, a distinctly familial atmosphere prevails.
Roberto, 10 Rue Pierre Fatio, 1204 Genève, restaurantroberto.ch

Brush up on Le Corbusier

Some nice clean, modernist lines to admire while you are munching on pralines? The Immeuble Clarté apartment block in the Eaux Vives parklands of Geneva is one of Swiss architect Le Corbusier’s early explorations of the residential idiom. It’s also a bona fide survivor. The design and proto-modernist disciplines at play here would later go on to inform Le Corbusier’s five-point, Unité d’Habitation (‘machine for living in’) housing principle, but the 1931 modernist apartment block had to stand firm against its detractors – escaping demolition in both the 1960s and the early 1980s, before being listed as a historic monument and, eventually, inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2016. Grab a coffee, find a bench and look up in wonder at Immeuble Clarté’s roof gardens, open-plan living spaces, pilotis, long windows and expansive façades, and decide which storey you’d like to live on.
Le Corbusier Immeuble Clarté apartment building, Rue Saint-Laurent 2-4, Geneva, sites-le-corbusier.org, fondationlecorbusier.fr

Have supper at a cosy diner

Inspired by Edward Hopper’s iconic Nighthawks painting, Geneva’s Nomos Architects converted a drab pizzeria on a modern, urban apartment-block corner, into a fashionable bar-bistro, Bombar. The Genevoise interpretation of American diner design is more tactile, spare and much happier than Hopper’s. The interior features roughly cast concrete columns, op-art floor tiles and exposed, load-bearing walls, while the bar is all corrugated iron and stainless steel countertops. Head chef Victor Freiburghaus, formerly of the three Michelin-starred Épicure at Paris’ Le Bristol hotel, recommends the 12 hours-cooked, shredded pork shoulder and the roasted butternut squash with tahini, zaatar and lightly toasted pine nuts on the side – and a call ahead to book a table for dinner. Unlike the lonely scene in Hopper’s painting, Bombar is often packed.
Bombar, Place des Augustins 3, 1205 Genève, bombar.ch

Enjoy a post-dip fondue at Bains des Pâquis

Could Bains des Pâquis, just a few metres from the magnificent Jet d’Eau fountain, be any more Geneva? The city’s ‘beach’ – actually, the Quai du Mont-Blanc jetty on Lake Geneva – is perfect for a morning plunge off the art deco board, a quiet night swim, a yoga session, or a full-moon sauna. While you towel off, order Geneva’s most delicious fondue au crémant (fondue made with sparkling wine) from the cute little refreshment stall; best consumed with bare feet dipped in the lake.
Bains des Pâquis, Quai du Mont-Blanc 30, 1201 Geneva, aubp.ch

Also recommended…

More of the best dining and drinking, plus yoga, flea market shopping and book browsing in Geneva.

Leopard Bar at Hotel d’Angleterre, https://dangleterrehotel.com/dining-and-drinks/the-leopard-bar.

Le Bologne Bistro, lebologne.com

Le Dorian brasserie, ledorian.ch

Sauvage bar and restaurant, sauvage.bar

Nagomi Japanese restaurant, nagomi-restaurant.ch

La Clémence terrace café, laclemence.ch

Kā Studio wellness and yoga, kastudio.ch

Plaine de Plainpalais flea market, geneve.com/en/companies/plaine-de-plainpalais

Librairie du Boulevard bookshop librairieduboulevard.ch and, a few doors down, second-hand bookstore/café Les Recyclables

Also read: Watches & Wonders 2025: preview Richemont’s latest innovations, on show at the Geneva watch fair

It’s not exactly easy to pinpoint where the Wallpaper* editors will be. From design festivals to fashion weeks and OOO adventures, there’s always something exciting on our team’s calendars. Keep reading to find out where the magazine’s staff members will be heading in the new year.

Wallpaper* editors’ 2025 getaway plans

LA: Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

‘I will look forward to my annual trip to Los Angeles to visit friends and family. I spend the year diligently plotting all the new openings I want to try on a Google Map so I am fully prepped by the time we arrive. I’m already itching to try Camelia, a French fusion restaurant which opened in Echo Park at the end of the summer. I’m also keen to see how the development of Melrose Hill has progressed since my last visit – a couple of notable galleries had moved into the area and there was a pledge to redevelop a disused retail block with new independent shops and restaurants. To get me through the long British winter, I shall be dreaming of fresh seafood at sundown from The Jolly Oyster on Ventura beach.’

Venice & Helsinki: Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director

‘The Venice Architecture Biennale always causes a stir of excitement at the architecture desk, so my biannual visit to the Italian city in May for the vernissage is at the top of my list for 2025. I am also dreaming of a winter trip to Helsinki. I’ve always felt there’s lots to see and enjoy in the Nordic capital, and I have only scratched the surface. I have only ever been for work, so going on a long weekend in a private capacity is also on my list. The reopening of Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall in January just adds to the reasons why.’

Switzerland & Budapest: Hannah Tindle, Beauty & Grooming Editor

‘I’m hoping to travel to Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland in 2025, a spa and clinic that has been running since 1931. (Previous devotees to its ‘CLP method’ include Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo). I also want to visit the Omorovicza spa in Budapest, another institution with a storied past, built on the Rác Thermal Bath, which dates back to the 16th century.’

Naoshima: Jason Hughes, Creative Director

‘In 2025, I’m heading back to Japan, more specifically to visit the islands of Naoshima and Teshima, which sit in the Seto Inland Sea and are easily accessible by ferry from Osaka. Famous for their art and architecture, I look forward to exploring both islands on a bicycle and seeing the works of artists Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell, Walter De Maria and Lee Ufan. I’m planning to stay at Benesse House, a museum and hotel concept, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.’

Australia, Uzbekistan and beyond: Lauren Ho, Travel Director

‘As I live my life constantly on the road, it’s important for me to plan my trips so that I make the most of each region or destination I am in. For 2025, I will be ringing in the new year in Sydney, followed by a few weeks of checking out new hotels in Australia. In late January, I will be heading to Beijing to see the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, the group’s newest property, which unfolds within a 600-year-old hutong complex. This will be followed by a trip to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which I am particularly excited about, and then, I will make my way to Europe, where I plan to explore Greece’s new hotel openings, and will head from Lisbon to the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. While luxury hotels are my passion, at least once a year I like to visit a random destination I have never been to and that most people might not have access to. Finally, by June, I hope to make my annual pilgrimage to Africa to get my safari fix.’

Malaysia: Melina Keays, Entertaining Director

‘In February, I am travelling to The Datai beach resort in Langkawi - one of my favourite destinations in the world. Langkawi is the largest of a cluster of islands off the coast of northwestern Malaysia, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Malacca. I’ve been visiting this wonderful place for decades, and it never loses its allure. Langkawi is a proper tropical paradise; awarded Geopark status by UNESCO, it offers lush rainforests, stunning mountain ranges and white sand beaches.

There are fantastic things to see and do all over the island, which is rich in history and culture, but I could easily spend all my time at The Datai resort itself. It was designed by visionary architect Kerry Hill, who was determined to honour its environment, and set high over Datai Bay. The hotel is melded into its jungle setting, and its beautiful rooms and spaces float amidst the rainforest canopy, with breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea. The food at the Datai is superb, and I am particularly looking forward to the delicious Malaysian cuisine at The Gulai House, which is to be found at the end of a candle-lit jungle trail.’

Geneva: Tianna Williams, Editorial Executive

‘For the first week of spring, I will be heading to Geneva, Switzerland, to reunite with my cousin and sister. The location of this annual reunion varies from year to year, from the rolling hills of Shropshire, the coastline of the Gower Peninsula to London’s Hyde Park. I am excited to trade the London smog for crisp Mont Blanc mountain air, warm up with soothing mugs of hot chocolate, and, if feeling brave, take a plunge in Lake Geneva.’

Madrid, Rome, Paris: Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor

‘I tend to be quite spontaneous with the locations I travel to, often booking trips or accepting invitations at the last minute. That said, I will begin the new year in Madrid, and a few weeks later, I have a trip planned to Rome to explore the upcoming Hotel Romeo Roma, one of Zaha Hadid’s final projects before she died in 2016. I also have a weekend in Paris scheduled, which is something I make a point to do every year. As for the rest of the year, I hope to fulfil my lifelong dream of visiting Japan.’

Shanghai: Smilian Cibic, Editorial Assistant

‘I’m travelling to Shanghai to visit my dad, who has been working there for the past five years. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s been up to. He’s designed his own micro home apartment, which has had quite a stir in the Chinese press. We will then travel together to Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China and then Shenzhen, the tech capital of the world.’

For more Travel content, visit Wallpaper*’s dedicated channel

The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) took place in Geneva last night (13 November) with its annual celebration of horological excellence.

This year's categories were dominated by independent watchmakers. But with entries showcasing extraordinary levels of handcrafted complexity, we didn't mind in the slightest. The event was a testament to the artistry and ingenuity thriving in independent watchmaking.

Enjoy the wrist art of our favourite category winners that exemplify the pinnacle of contemporary horology.

Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024: see the winners

Men's Complication - DB Kind Of Grande Complication

De Bethune's DB Kind of Grande Complication is a horological masterpiece that distills 22 years of innovation into a single, exceptional timepiece. This reversible, double-sided watch showcases eight complications—including a perpetual calendar, ultra-light tourbillon, spherical moon-phase indication, and jumping seconds—all integrated within a polished platinum case. On the contemporary side, the watch mesmerises with a 36,000 vph tourbillon and a jumping seconds mechanism, contrasted by the classical side featuring a perpetual calendar and a three-dimensional moon-phase set against the maison's signature starry sky in blued titanium. With 751 meticulously assembled components, it's not just a watch but a true composition that captures De Bethune's spirit of technical mastery and aesthetic excellence.

Ladies' Complication - Van Cleef & Arpels Lady Arpels Brise d'Été

Nature has always been a timeless muse, and Van Cleef & Arpels captures its essence with the Lady Arpels Brise d’Été watch—a celebration of a fresh summer morning. This exquisite piece brings blooming corollas to life within the maison's enchanted garden. White and yellow gold butterflies, crafted in plique-à-jour enamel, not only tell time but also flutter away thanks to an on-demand animation that breathes life into the flowers and stems. The corollas, rendered in vallonné enamel with azure hues and spessartite garnet pistils, are set against a matte mother-of-pearl dial that merges foreground and background into a poetic scene of lush greenery. With champlevé enamel leaves and tsavorite garnet-adorned blades of grass, supported by sculptural miniature painting, it's a bucolic landscape where time ticks by in harmony with nature's eternal cycle.

Tourbillon - Daniel Roth Tourbillon Souscription

Thirty-five years after its founding, Daniel Roth returns with the Tourbillon Souscription—a homage to the original 1988 design embodying the brand's enduring values. Crafted by artisans at La Fabrique du Temps, the timepiece upholds the mantra 'La Montre Objet d’Art.' Housed in an exclusive yellow gold double-ellipse case just 9.2mm thick, it features subtly reshaped hand-soldered lugs for enhanced ergonomics. The solid gold dial with Clous de Paris guilloché pays refined tribute to the brand's heritage, produced in Kari Voutilainen's workshop. Beneath beats the in-house calibre DR001, ensuring artisanal excellence continues under master watchmakers Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini.

Petite Aiguille - KUDOKE 3 Salmon

Stefan Kudoke's KUDOKE 3 continues the HANDwerk collection's signature of sophisticated simplicity with an unconventional hour display. Minutes are indicated by a blued steel hand, but hours are shown via a triple-armed hand of varying lengths moving between two dials below the upper dial. As one arm completes an hour scale, the next begins, with hours 2, 6, and 10 displayed twice on different scales. The salmon upper dial complements the silver-plated lower dial's wave shape. Four screws at 10, 20, 40, and 50 serve as minute markers, and diamond edges enhance the aesthetics. The infinity symbol, a HANDwerk motif, is woven into the design. Housed in a 39mm stainless steel case with an onion crown, the KUDOKE 3 showcases the hand-wound KALIBER 1 movement through its sapphire case back.

Jewellery - Chopard Laguna High-Jewellery Secret Watch

Chopard's latest marvel from its Red Carpet Collection is a jewellery-watch embodying the magic of 'a secret about a secret.' Hidden within a seashell, this unique piece merges watchmaking expertise with jewellery artistry. Featuring a natural pearl surrounded by sapphires in pastel hues, it captivates with technicolor mystery. Over 1,000 hours of meticulous work entwine ethical 18-carat gold with titanium—a technical feat. Chopard's commitment to sustainability shines through with 100% ethical gold from transparent, traceable sources.

All the winners at The Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2024

“Aiguille d’Or” Grand Prix: IWC Schaffhausen, Portugieser Eternal Calendar

Audacity Prize: Berneron, Mirage Sienna

Eco-innovation Prize: Chopard, L.U.C Qualité Fleurier

Chronometry Prize: Bernhard Lederer, 3 Times Certified Observatory Chronometer

“Horological Revelation” Prize: Rémy Cools, Tourbillon Atelier

Iconic Watch Prize: Piaget, Piaget Polo 79

Tourbillon Watch Prize: Daniel Roth, Tourbillon Souscription

Calendar and Astronomy Watch Prize: Laurent Ferrier, Classic Moon Silver

Mechanical Exception Watch Prize: Bovet 1822, Récital 28 Prowess 1

Chronograph Watch Prize: Massena Lab, Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena Lab

Sports Watch Prize: Ming, 37.09 Bluefin

Men’s Complication Watch Prize: De Bethune, DB Kind Of Grande Complication

Men’s Watch Prize: Voutilainen, KV20i Reversed

Time Only Watch Prize: H. Moser & Cie, Streamliner Small Seconds Blue Enamel

Jewellery Watch Prize: Chopard, Laguna High-Jewellery Secret Watch

Artistic Crafts Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Jour Enchanté

Ladies’ Complication Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Arpels Brise d'Été

Ladies’ Watch Prize: Van Cleef & Arpels, Lady Jour Nuit

“Petite Aiguille” Watch Prize: Kudoke, 3 Salmon

Challenge Watch Prize: Otsuka Lotec, No.6

Special Jury Prize: Jean-Pierre Hagmann

Tucked between the extensive campus of Geneva’s University Hospital and a huddle of associated medical institutions, laboratories and surgeries, the Avenue de la Roseraie is trod by few casual visitors to the Swiss city. And yet here – out of sight in a small car park – is an extraordinary structure that, situated elsewhere, would surely draw the attention of architectural students like bees to a nectar-rich flower. Horticulturalists, too, perhaps, for whom a building nicknamed La Tulipe might well incite curiosity.

Sprouting from the ground in the guise of a faceted concrete stem, the building opens up and out, like a surreal architectonic flower, shedding weight as it rises, its core supported and shielded by filigree and tapering concrete ribs. Between the ribs, sheets of candy-coloured glass add to a sense of unfamiliarity reinforced by La Tulipe’s enigmatic entrance, an anodised bronze door offering no view inside. Incised above, in capitals, it says, ‘Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales’. Hint enough. Here is a shrine to medical research to which casual visitors are not invited unless they hold the key. Inside, a lift rises through three floors, each accommodating a cluster of laboratories facing out through those delicately framed tinted window petals.

The story behind La Tulipe by Jack Vicajee Bertoli

The interior is purposeful and matter-of-fact. An idle thought that La Tulipe might make a rather special boutique hotel dissipates once you appreciate that this is a busy research centre that has worked closely with the university hospital and medical faculty ever since its completion in 1976.

Its architect, Jack Vicajee Bertoli (now 93, living partly in Geneva and partly on the Catalonian coast), insists the design is purely a matter of form following function. ‘To be a success, it had to be near, if not physically attached to, the hospital, but there was no land available, except for a very small plot on a steep slope, whereupon the idea of a more upright structure was born. It fulfilled a request.’

However, the building is far more imaginative than that, reflecting the richness of Bertoli’s upbringing and experience. Born in Mumbai in 1931, Bertoli is the son of Italian designer Fausto Piscionieri and Kitty Vicajee, an Indian Zoroastrian Parsi whose second husband, Giovanni Bertoli, was an Italian naval air officer. Mother and son lived for some years with Kitty’s sister Thelma, who was married to Franco-Indian business tycoon Jehangir Tata. Through the Tatas, Bertoli got to know Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime minister of independent India, his daughter Indira, India’s first woman prime minister, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, and Mahatma Gandhi. Young Jack was, you might say, well-connected.

Taught by Spanish Jesuits at St Mary’s High School in Mumbai, Bertoli moved on to the International School of Geneva and then to Princeton to study architecture (Louis Kahn and Buckminster Fuller were among his teachers). Following spells in the offices of Marcel Breuer and Eero Saarinen, Bertoli then worked with the Ford Foundation in New Delhi on a new masterplan before joining Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret on the design of Chandigarh.

These creative and social strands wove themselves together when Bertoli became a Swiss citizen, setting up his own studio in Geneva. Among his early clients was Anita Pauling, an alumna of the International School, for whom he designed a house on Lake Geneva. Pauling longed to create a special building for the city. After discussing the possibilities of this with Bertoli, his wife Nelly Roch, a talented decorator and artist, and his brother-in-law, Dr Gaston Zahnd, the founder and first director of the Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales, La Tulipe was born – a distinctive building, with a scientific and social purpose, supported by an enterprising new foundation.

‘I teamed up with civil engineer Claude Huguenin,’ says Bertoli. ‘Everything was hand-drawn. We worked out the geometry and structure in discussions, on paper – no computers, then! – and using scale models in plasticine, wood and terracotta. The glass is not meant to be coloured in the way that it appears now. Originally, it was a silver-bluey-grey, but air has got inside the sealed units and changed it over time.’

La Tulipe is currently undergoing a two-phase renovation, under the guidance of Geneva architects Meier + Associés. ‘We got in touch with Jack Bertoli, which was a really enjoyable experience,’ says project architect Simon Marti. ‘He showed us drawings, photographs and documents relating to the building as originally designed and when newly opened, so we’ve been able to go through the building very carefully to establish how it should look at its best. While bringing its services up to date, we are also reinstating original details, including a bespoke handrail that had been removed from the central stair, and replacing later floor treatments and colour schemes.’

Marti continues, ‘The base of the structure is in good shape, but there is work to be done on the carbonised concrete pillars, and the glass must be replaced to meet new regulations. We are testing colours to see what’s possible, but they’ll be a shade of bluey grey. We’ll also enhance the landscaping. What you’ll see soon is the building as Jack Bertoli designed it.’ It looks like everything is coming up roses for this gorgeously-hued example of Swiss brutalism.

maa.ch

This article appears in the October 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

As Geneva Watch Days 2024 opens its doors today (29 August – 2 September), we are on the ground ready for the annual event, which swaps the dazzle of Watches and Wonders 2024 for a close-knit celebration of the watchmaking craft.

Originally meant to be a pandemic stop-gap, instigated by then-Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin, Geneva Watch Days is fast outgrowing its status as a temporary fix, morphing into one of the prime events on the calendar while keeping its intimate appeal. A fascinating mix of top-tier brands and exquisite independents front the quiet spectacle that's framed by an extended Swiss summer, and these are the brands you should visit if you’re in town.

Geneva Watch Days 2024: the new watches to know

Laurent Ferrier Serie Atèlier VI

Award-winning independent Laurent Ferrier has a portfolio that offers an ever-growing audience a curated alternative to the big brands. With a focused line of timeless wristwear and sports watches, the traditional GWD release of a Serie Atèlier this year has a delicate blend of the two set in 18ct gold. The series VI sees Ferrier meld the minimal splendour of the Classic Microrotor with the elaborate date window design of the Sport Auto, setting a spectacular scene rendered in brushed gold.

laurentferrier.ch

Girard-Perregaux Three Bridges Tourbillon

Trust us, there is also wrist normality to be seen at Geneva Watch Days. But the most impressive releases are halo releases from brands like Girard-Perregaux, with this enticing version of its Three Flying Bridges, this time boasting a tourbillon. With its trademark transparent glamour, the eponymous bridges affix the entire gear train, barrel and tourbillon, appearing to float within an 18ct pink gold case. A 44mm measurement might seem broad these days, but this amphitheatre of gears surely deserves an ample stage. In an unusual move, the bridges are PVD-coated black, matching a textured rubber strap, leaving enticing polished edges of pink gold to catch the light.

girard-perregaux.com

Alpina Extreme Skeleton

The Geneva Watch Days is also about more accessible brands, with the Alpiner Extreme being an entry ticket to intricate open-worked charm in a sturdy steel suit. The broad-shouldered sports watch from Alpina comes with a monochrome charm all of its own, with a grey and steel dial that plays with textures to good effect. A visible gold-toned balance wheel and red seconds hand counterbalance offer two discreet pops of colour within a compact 39mm case size.

alpinawatches.com

Armin Strom Dual Time GMT

The lengthy name indicates a charming complexity, and though white gold has an air of stealth wealth, this 25-piece limited edition is flamboyance personified. A travel-practical GMT function with a colourful extra pointer and a 24-hour bezel is functional, but here it is displayed with the visual drama of twin movements. Two textured sky-blue dials offset below the centre line make sense if your life is split between living and working in two separate time zones, while celebrating the equal importance of work and leisure.

arminstrom.com

Bulgari Serpenti Pallini

With Bulgari instigating this vibrant event, it seems only fitting to bookend this story with the wild splendour of the Serpenti Pallini. Bulgari has already marked its watchmaking strengths by almost yearly besting its Thinnest Watch record with the Octo Finissimo. But there is a vibrant side to the brand, where the Serpenti vigorously embraces Bulgari's Roman past as a top jeweller with insouciant style. Somehow, it also manages to include a watch hidden within the diamond-encrusted jaws of a serpent with emerald eyes.

bulgari.com

The smartphone once signalled the end of the wristwatch but, as Watches and Wonders 2024 proves, the seriously smart wristwatch has entered an era of its own. So much so that this once-exclusive salon will open its doors to the general public for the first time over three days this weekend (from April 13 to 15). Aficionados, curious tech bros and girls, and unsuspecting types who didn’t even know how much they could love a watch design so much will delight at the chance to see new designs up close from Rolex, Patek Philippe, Tag Heuer and scores of other leading luxury watch houses. Here’s where to get tickets, and our guide to what to see and do:

The Architecture

If you’re a spatial designer of any sort, it’s worth making the trip to Geneva just to see the full Watches and Wonders 2024 exhibition streetscape. It’s literally a luxury village, the pathways lined not with houses or shops but with futuristic architectural capsules. For here, the pavilion designs by Rolex, Chanel, Cartier et all are not simply shopfronts. Rather, they are brand mission statements in architectural form.

The Expert Tour

The Watches and Wonders exhibition is vast, and it’s hard to know what you are looking for, or at, unless you understand a little of how to navigate it. Guided tours of around 10-15 people, hosted by watchmaking industry experts are on offer on a ticketed basis. Escorted tours may not be sound appealing, but here you’ll be glad you signed up as you become quickly acquainted with the labyrinthine layout. That allows dedicated time to get a first look at new designs from brands you know (which don't usually appear in boutiques until September) and some names that you've never even heard but will start to wonder about, quite a lot, later.

The LAB

What will the watchmakers of tomorrow create? Will we even be using smartphones or tech linked to them? Will AI have turned us all into robots? It’s no joke - the history of watchmaking includes seriously spooky automatons that could write letters and play instruments. So, if you’re worried about this kind of thing, the LAB area serves to allay your fears, illuminating new thinking around centuries-old micro-technology.

The ECAL school – the École cantonale d'art de Lausanne – famed for its supremo designer-engineers, hosts a show of 15 students' works, some of who will be on site to chat you through their ideas.

There’s also an area dedicated to watch bracelet design, which is a brilliant topic to dive into, whether you’re a jeweller, engineer or watch collector. A start-ups and brands area includes 12 new horological ideas to ponder, while the ‘Agora’ section hosts casual discussions. Swiss chef Dany Khezaar is also on hand to rustle up Swiss-cheese treats and more. Yes, chef!

The Science Bit

Designed to host an up-to-the minute programme in a style that befits a luxury subject, the newly created auditorium offers a roster of panel talks with leading brands, speakers and watch geeks on specific subjects. This year, they include: What does AI mean for the watchmaking industry? How to start a watch collection? Craftsmanship and the human value in watchmaking To be honest, the programme needs a shake-up. Let's hope they get a few more style-savvy subjects in next year beyond a focus on just 'trends'. Where are the social media names who are doing so much to stir up interest in watch design and style? Why did Bad Bunny kickstart an appetite for vintage jewelled watches? Why is Chanel creating a crazy Victorian-curio style clock with dressmakers' dummies inside? Watches and Wonders can still feel a bit too biz-focused and academic but its new look is ever evolving. And, for those who want to see exquisite craftsmanship up close, this is the place to be.

The Must-see Photography Exhibition

By choosing to approach his subject as objects ‘frozen in time’ Luc Debraine has created an intriguing photographic essay of everyday architecture we’d otherwise likely ignore. This Watches and Wonders 2024 exhibition opens the pages of his book Les Garde-Temps. Through photography and text, Luc Debraine composes a fresco of these silent witnesses of history. These timepieces are clocks that keep ‘the time of memory, stopped dead in their tracks by natural or human disasters, from the Titanic to Hiroshima, from Buchenwald to the World Trade Center towers. They still display fateful moments. Some were stopped voluntarily to mark a revolution, a liberation, a singular event.’ The fact that Debraine is a former director of the Swiss Camera Museum in Vevey brings a compelling point of view to what might otherwise have been a highly niche subject.

Beyond the walls of the fair, Geneva is a full-on watch fest, with a city-wide programme of watch-focused cultural and educational activities. From Watches and Wonders' new Watchmaking Village on the Pont de la Machine to brand boutiques staging their own in-store exhibitions, there’s plenty to see downtown. Here are our highlights:

The Satellite Events

Time To Watches, now in its 3rd year, is the biggest draw outside the main event. Located in Geneva’s HEAD art and design school, Time to Watches is halfway from the airport to the lakeside hotels, and hosts a selection of niche brands, from Antoine Preziuso to Sinn and British Bristol-based Fears watches, debuting on the international watch scene.

The early modernist designs of the school buildings make it an architectural destination worth the visit alone. The main building was built in the industrial Les Charmilles area in the 1910s and reworked in 1944 by architect Jean Erb. It once housed the Tavaro factory assembly line for Elna sewing machines, and was renovated in 2006.

Masters of Horology, organised by the AHCI (Académie Horlogers des Créateurs Indépendants) is showing at Ice Bergues, just off the lakefront. Here you'll find a stellar list of makers that includes Philippe Dufour, Svend Andersen, Vianney Halter and Louis Vuitton prize winner, Raúl Pagès. Other small-scale exhibitions include Swiss Pavillion and Watchmakers United, while a number of brand showrooms are mounting exhibitions, including FP Journe, Jacob & Co, MB&F and Urwerk.

Don’t forget that the not-to-be-missed Patek Philippe museum near the Pleinpalais is open as usual – it’s worth a trip to Geneva in itself but offers a welcome respite from too much ‘novelty’ at the main fair.

Tickets for Watches and Wonders 2024 Public Days (13-15 April) are on sale now

Could the fact that Sotheby's Geneva sold a totally outré vintage cuff watch for eight times its estimate, at 393,700 CHF, in its flash 'Rough Diamonds' sale in Geneva last night mark a turning point in the watch design business? Timed to co-incide with Watches and Wonders 2024, when Geneva is swarming with serious international collectors, it was part of flash sale of 24 avant-garde vintage watches. It took just one hour for every piece to sell – online, on the phone and in the room.

Sotheby’s Rough Diamonds vintage watch sale, Geneva

It goes to show that, for the first time since the 1980s, outré watch design is fashionable again. In fact you could say it's having something of a Schiaparelli moment, as surreal, ornate and, frankly psychedelic designs become highly covetable. There's no doubt that the influence of stars such as Bad Bunny and ASAP Rocky, who are partial to wearing vintage jewelled watches, typically designed for women in the 60s, 70s and 80s, are inspiring global interest.

The ‘underground’ auction of weird and wonderful vintage watches spanning the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, was a Sotheby's Geneva collaboration with secretive watch collective Heist-Out. The vintage watches were ‘carefully extracted from horological history’ by specialists and the Heist-Out team. The sale also brought to light lesser-known design greats including Charles de Temple, Gilbert Albert, Jacqueline Dimier and Daryoush Shafa, among others.

'In an industry where each new release often melds into the next, it is invigorating to pay homage to the trailblazers of yesteryear and affirm that audacity has always been pivotal in shaping watch design,' say Maxime Couturier and Lorenzo Maillard, co-founders of Heist-Out, of their curatorial approach.

The best selling lots in Sotheby's Geneva's Rough Diamonds vintage watch sale:

Patek Philippe by Gilbert Albert
A unique Patek Philippe set designed by Gilbert Albert in 1962, featuring a bracelet watch, a ring and a necklace. Achieved 393,700 CHF (435,727 USD) from an initial estimate of 30,000 - 50,000 CHF

Audemars Piguet
A possibly unique white-gold bracelet watch with day and date, Cobra ‘Royal Khanjar’, by Audemars Piguet dated 1985. Achieved 165,100 CHF (182,724 USD) from an initial estimate of 50,000 - 100,000 CHF

Audemars Piguet by Jacqueline Dimier
A unique car-shaped white gold, diamond and emerald-set quartz wristwatch, designed by Jacqueline Dimier for Audemars Piguet, circa 1995. Achieved 107,950 CHF (119,474 USD) from an initial estimate of 40,000 - 80,000 CHF

Men in particular, such as Dune: Part Two star Timothée Chalamet, who often wears gem-set watches, seem to be broadening their tastes beyond ubiquitous heavy gold, sports timepieces to avant-gard vintage and jewelled ones. Josh Pullan, global head of Sotheby’s Luxury Division, agrees: ‘Collectors are increasingly seeking out uniquely expressive pieces, and our Rough Diamonds vintage-watch auction concept is set to capture the imagination of watch aficionados and budding collectors alike.

While it has a subversive touch, is the Rough Diamonds title something of a misnomer? I'd say that gold is the unifying precious material in this showstopping curation of 24 jewelled vintage timepieces. Unless you’ve seen them, however, it would be hard to explain the sheer inventiveness of the thinking behind them.

You might see them, as I do, in terms of the musical influences that abounded in the years they were launched: 1960s John Coltrane (Patek Philippe), 1980s New Order (Boucheron), 1975 Pink Floyd (Piaget), and 1985 Audemars Piguet (The Jesus and Mary Chain). Have a look and make up your own mind about the creative origin of these jewelled delights, because they are so brilliantly outré, you’ll want to keep looking and looking...

Sotheby's Geneva

In Geneva, the doors have opened to the year's biggest watch event, Watches and Wonders 2024. With 54 brands revealing their watch releases for the year ahead, there's plenty to see. Keep an eye on the most exciting news here, in our frequently updated guide.

Independent watch brands

Beyond the headlines, there's lots to see with the smaller watch brands at Watches & Wonders 2024. With over 150 brands exhibiting outside the event’s Palexpo showcase, there’s a wealth of creativity on offer in a bewildering array of styles and at prices ranging from the hundreds to the hundreds of thousands.

Read more

Watch bracelets of the future

A team of engineers, start-ups and schools are celebrating innovation and new technologies as part of the new LAB area at Watches and Wonders, offering an immersive and temptingly tactile experience to all. Particularly intriguing is the ‘ECAL’ area (The École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne), where 15 students will present their designs for the watch bracelets of the future.

Read more

Vacheron Constantin

Are fragranced watches the future? Vacheron Constantin has partnered with fashion designer Yiqing Yin on fragranced concept watch ‘Égérie – The Pleats of Time’, giving us a sweet-smelling hint at what is to come.

Read more here

SpaceOne

SpaceOne have been working with the car designer Olivier Gamiette, and their Tellurium watch is a sun, earth and moon model in a pleasingly spacey design. The brainchild of 38-year-old watch entrepreneur Guillaume Laidet, the design was conceived with French independent watchmaker Thèo Auffret alongside Olivier Gamiette.

Read more here

Rolex

One of the most anticipated launches, this year Rolex combines technical details with historical designs for elegant new collections from the Oyster Perpetual GMT‑Master II, to the Perpetual 1908 and Oyster Perpetual Sky-Dweller.

Read more about the new Rolex launches

Hermès

The geometrical Hermès Cut watches marry a round silhouette with the simple perfection of the circle. Watches are clean, simple and joyful - we particularly love the celebration of textures and colours, from the satin-brushed and polished case to the luminescent Arabic numerals and rubber straps in rainbow hues.

Read more here

France’s Pritzker laureate Christian de Portzamparc describes the new Dior Geneva flagship store he designed as ‘an emblem that aims to liven up the city'. Wrapped in six dazzling white sculptural shells ‘that soar to the sky’, it integrates into and transforms Geneva’s urban fabric. It also interprets the creative process of Christian Dior (1905-1957), the legendary house of Dior founder whose first collection in 1947, known as the ‘New Look’, revolutionised haute couture with tight waistlines and bountiful skirts emphasising an idealised feminine form. 

Christian de Portzamparc's Geneva façade for Dior

The Dior store occupies a tight corner site of just 14x15m on the rue de Rhône, Geneva’s premier luxury shopping destination. ‘The international style is sometimes a bit sad,’ de Portzamparc says, referring to the street’s post-war modernist buildings. ‘I thought we had to bring new life into the street wall.’ 

This is spectacularly achieved by six curving, moulded resin shells, which rise 23.3m from ground level across the two building’s two exposed sides, overlapping on the corner. The gaps between these serpentine forms reveal a complex façade of curved glazing behind them. ‘I wanted to bring light into the building,’ de Portzamparc explains of the fashion store design, and because the shells are not illuminated at night, the building instead shines like ‘a lantern’, from within.

Externally, the building has similarities to de Portzamparc’s 2015 Dior flagship in Seoul, where he had the idea of the ‘suspended cotton canvases with which Christian Dior shaped, cut, and sculpted his dresses’. 

At the new flagship, the shells also evoke the petals of a lily or daisy. Flowers play a signature role in the brand's designs, rooted in Christian Dior’s childhood love of his family flower garden and often manifested in elaborate appliqué on garments. Subtle lines cut through the shells to give structural protection against any seismic ground movement Geneva may experience. De Portzamparc describes them as ‘caryatids [Greek columns shaped as female forms] supporting an entablature, a flat, square roof that emphasises the intersection of the streets’. 

Above that roof is a top floor, set under photovoltaic panels, and wrapped in an open L-shaped terrace. Visible from the street, just above the roofscape, a white star with a central hole is mounted over the corner. The star has recurred in Dior jewellery designs and packaging ever since Christian Dior found one in a Paris street in 1947 and took it as his lucky charm. 

Inside, the top floor hosts a VIP fitting-room salon, lined by CNC-cut concrete dust-textured wood with an exquisite relief pattern by François Mascarello. The floors below have sales rooms that feel airy with textured walls carrying simpler relief patterns. Natural light falls through angled openings as if curtains had been drawn back. Soft seating creates a homely, comfortable feeling. 

Artworks are placed throughout the building, reminding us that before Christian Dior became a couturier, he ran a Paris art gallery showing works by iconic artists of the time. Today, the brand envisions the building as a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ and perhaps the most striking internal element is a vertical vitrine climbing beside the stairs and lift, in which light shines from torso models through cotton fabric to demonstrate Dior’s mastery of shaping textiles. 

Dior is now part of Bernard Arnault’s LVMH luxury retail empire, which first commissioned de Portzamparc for its LVMH Tower in New York (1999). Unrelated Manhattan buildings by the same architect demonstrate strategies he develops further in Geneva – curved glass in the façades of the 306m-high One57 (2013), and Prism Tower’s dynamic, layered sculptural façades (2016). 

But as de Portzamparc comments, Dior’s new flagship store ‘cannot be a UFO, an incongruous object in the street, as in New York’. Instead, he pays ‘homage to European baroque’ with a new look – something that lifts the street and weaves the legacy of Dior aesthetic into the structure. Not least, the internal spaces are perfect for Dior’s uniquely refreshing and cultured shop-floor ambience. 

christiandeportzamparc.com

The 2024 Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) saw the event return to its home city, albeit not quite as we once knew it. The marketing merit of hiring costly motor show space and its associated logistics under the same roof and time as dozens of your rivals had been questioned by carmakers well before the sharp shock of Covid. Since then, sometimes out of necessity, individual brands have sought to create a media buzz away from traditional motor shows through smaller physical events that can also be livestreamed to the world via digital means. 

Add in a group of many carmakers still very unhappy at losing significant sums of money invested in the cancelled 2020 Geneva International Motor Show (the organisers labelled the pandemic an insurance force majeur to avoid paying major compensation and it all went online instead), and it’s unsurprising that the brands attending the 2024 Geneva International Motor Show were mainly new ones.

The Renault Group was the biggest ‘legacy’ player to go large – appropriately launching its ‘legacy-inspired’ Renault 5 alongside three convincing Dacia sister brand models – but there were also eye-catching global and European physical reveals from BYD, IM, Lucid, MG and Yangwang, plus an intriguing virtual one from Pininfarina. 

The 2024 Geneva International Motor Show took up just a slice of the old show’s lower floor (the upper mezzanine floor was chock-full of lovely classic cars instead), while the 168,000 attendance at the reduced one-week show, which closed on Sunday 3 March, was more than two-thirds down on the 2019 event’s 602,000 visitors.

Nevertheless, there was still a lot of interesting product and people to see in one compact venue, without so many expensive and resource-intensive stands of yesteryear. Here are the highlights from Wallpaper*, featuring French flair, American innovation and Chinese surprises.

Geneva Motor Show 2024: the selection 

Le Car is back: Renault revives the 5

The Renault 5 Prototype was one of those rare cars that made the headlines well beyond automotive circles at its January 2021 launch. The Renault E-Tech production version revealed at the 2024 Geneva International Motor Show remains faithful to that concept while referencing design elements of various older generation R5s and with a well-judged new interior to match.

The public already seems to be sold, with a reported 50,000 orders placed. Prices should start from a likely £25,000 in early 2025 in the UK, launching with a 52kWh battery, 248-mile range and numerous customisable elements.  

Renault.co.uk, @RenaultUK

Dacia does brilliance on a budget

The scale of Dacia’s new bandwidth as a brand was displayed well in Geneva with a trio of global unveils. The formerly ‘value-only’ marque did show that side of its game, with the spruced-up Mk2 Spring EV now offered in right-hand drive and set to become the cheapest full-electric vehicle in Europe.

But it also showed its Mk3 Duster compact SUV, which has matured nicely and added more comfort, while still retaining a utilitarian charm suitable for outdoor pursuits. Talking of which, the Romanian brand also showed its wild but functionally on-point Sandrider prototype – derived from the Manifesto concept – that will race for real in the hardcore off-road 2025 Dakar Rally. Quite the transformation.                

Dacia.co.uk, @Dacia_UK

Pininfarina extends its range of eccentric luxury EVs

Storied Italian design house Pininfarina – responsible for the elegant bodywork for countless classic 20th-century Ferrari, Alfa, Maserati and even Peugeot models – went virtual at Geneva 2024 with its Enigma GT concept displayed in a walled room at the back of its stand.

Strapping in willing participants to a VR headset and directing them to the driver’s seat within a basic chassis with just a steering wheel for company, new-ish design boss Felix Kilbertus guided Wallpaper* through the VR experience of ‘sitting’ in the svelte sports car design, optimised for hydrogen power and virtually accessed via a huge top-opening clear canopy. The real thing would have been better, but this is still a typically beautiful Pininfarina design that goes even further than the recent Pura Vision concept.  

Pininfarina.it, @pininfarina_official

Airs and graces: Lucid comes to Europe

US brand Lucid is like Tesla without the controversy. The all-electric premium-luxury brand launched its first Air sports saloon in the US in late 2021 with sleek looks, lighting-quick speed and long range. Now gently easing itself into select continental European markets – including Germany this year – it showed its 464-mile range Air Pure and 2.0 seconds to 0-62mph Air Sapphire models in Geneva alongside its large seven-seat Gravity SUV.

The latter’s refined cabin has a glass windscreen that extends back to a panoramic roof for great views and boasts spacious accommodation. ‘Compromise is not in our DNA,’ says design director Derek Jenkins. ‘This is for seven passengers and luggage and the third row is designed for real adults.’ At the other end of the car a ‘two-person frunk seat’ where the engine would normally live is a novel hang-out spot. Right-hand drive models are a way off, but pencil 2026 in the diary.     

LucidMotors.com, @LucidMotors

A name reborn: MG & IM

Historic British brand MG was ‘near death’ some 20 years ago. But under patient new Chinese ownership it is now back on a roll. It sells healthy amounts of its smartly designed MG 4 EV and showed its all-electric production Cyberster roadster – close to its sportscar roots – with a wraparound, multiscreen cockpit and dramatic ‘scissor-style’ doors in Geneva. Expect prices from £50,000-plus with single and dual motor options, from summer 2024.

MG also has a new premium EV big brother brand called IM (Intelligent Mobility). Firmly targeting Tesla’s line-up, its quartet of models (two saloons and a pair of SUVs) are set to take on everything from the Model 3 to X in the UK from 2025, with long 373-497-mile ranges and interesting tech – note the pixel-based infotainment running through the L7 saloon’s rear light bar as just one example.     

MG.co.uk, @MGmotoruk

Twists and turns from BYD’s Yangwang brand

Chinese brand BYD (Build Your Dreams) sold more cars worldwide than Tesla in 2023 and started official UK car imports last year. With a credible-looking electrified range courtesy of ex-Alfa and Audi designer Wolfgang Egger and self-developed battery technology, the company is now branching upmarket with its new Yangwang brand. 

The imposing 5.3m-long U8 SUV is on sale in China and Yangwang could bring its rugged exterior and Bentley-with-a-Chinese-twist interior to Europe. Party trick tech includes four electric motors that can make left and right wheels spin in different directions to allow 360-degree ‘tank-style’ turns. One to watch, literally. 

Yangwangauto.com

Click through below to read our extensive coverage of the cars, concepts and collaborations shown at previous Geneva Motor Shows:

Geneva 2019 Concepts, 2019 Production Cars 

Geneva 2018 Concepts, 2018 Production Cars

Geneva 2017 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2016 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2014 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2013 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2012 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2011 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2010 Cars and Concepts

Geneva 2009 Cars and Concepts

Two Swiss companies, ID Genève and CompPair, have united to create a ‘self-healing watch’ – one crafted from a new, ‘healable’ material, called Regenerative Carbon. ID Genève's new Circular C collection has not only excited the industry since it was revealed, but has also hit the mainstream, with Leonardo DiCaprio announced as a personal investor in the brand.

So how does the watch heal itself? A dial, side decorations, and bezel are made from fully recycled carbon fibre, sourced from wind-turbine-manufacturing waste, a material that returns to its like-new condition after being heated for a minute, ensuring super-fast repair.

Here, we speak to Nicolas Freudiger, CEO of ID Genève, and Amael Cohades, CEO of CompPair, who give an insight into the process.

The self-healing watch from CompPair + ID Genève: the new Regenerative Carbon 

Wallpaper*: Why did you want to work together on this material?

Nicolas Freudiger and Amael Cohades: We met at the changeNOW summit in Paris in 2023, the world’s largest event where impactful changemakers get together to identify and discuss solutions for the planet. We quickly realised that we shared the same values and that there were strong potential synergies between us. We're Swiss and based just a few kilometres away from each other in Lausanne, on the shores of Lake Geneva. 

At CompPair, it all started with a simple observation: it is more beneficial to the planet to reduce waste than to recycle it. Our aim is to extend the life of composite materials. At ID Genève, we manufacture fully upcycled watches but the ambition goes much deeper than that: it’s about becoming a platform for start-ups to innovate and propose concrete solutions for the planet. Our watches can become a showcase for all the possible and how they can be applied to other industries. 

This new material, Regenerative Carbon, results in ten times lower CO2 emissions than virgin carbon fibres when working with recycled carbon fibres. This super-advanced material was inspired by nature and the human body (take the example of the human skin that can heal itself). It’s ideally suited to watches, which are often subject to small impacts and scratches, sensitive to damage and complex to repair. This makes a watch the perfect showcase for inspiring initiatives such as this one. 

W*: Can you tell us a bit about its properties? How is it self-healing? 

NF and AC: CompPair’s innovation is a composite material, composed of fibres embedded in a resin, which enables intrinsic ultra-fast repair. The process is extremely simple: when a structure built with our materials is damaged, you simply have to apply 100°C of heat directly to the surface for 1-2 minutes; the heat acts as a trigger to activate the healing properties. This process can be done repeatedly, whenever there is damage to the structure, be it scratches, delaminations, impacts. The properties of our materials are comparable with a standard composite material, with an increased toughness.

W*: What were the main challenges you encountered?

NF and AC: The composites industry presents high entry barriers, and both change and new solutions that might bear risks are usually faced with great resistance. It can be challenging to be recognised as a new materials supplier, especially when demonstrating properties, such as self-healing, which bring a paradigm change. However, in addition to demonstrated economic and ecological benefits, that’s what makes the difference, as with Regenerative Carbon. This is further underscored by the Solar Impulse Label, which recognises outstanding companies for their innovative sustainable solutions. Even though the industry recognises the need for more sustainable materials and processes, it rarely accepts trade-offs, for example in terms of higher costs or slight changes in manufacturing conditions. 

At CompPair, we make advanced materials. We have several product families, including Regenerative Carbon. We once faced a situation where a customer was exclusively interested in recycling. When we demonstrated the higher value in life-time extension, it became evident for him to start working with CompPair. We strongly believe we can have better products that last longer and at the same time create less waste. 

idwatch.ch

Wallpaper* reported on Geneva Watch Days 2023 direct from the event a few weeks ago (29 August – 2 September), highlighting the backstory of the watch fair and some of the more eye-catching watches presented. But the range and creativity of the watchmakers taking part needs a second look to do them any sort of justice.

Pleasingly, unlimited budgets aren’t always involved, though ‘affordable’ doesn’t quite mean the same thing where watches are concerned. Designs from Louis Erard, Massena Lab and Trilobe all come in at prices that rival Tudor rather than Patek Philippe.

Interestingly, all three brands share something of a watch insider sensibility – as often as not their customers are Patek owners looking for something with a little more grit. Here we explore new watches from these brands and more.

Geneva Watch Days 2023 standouts to add to your watch list

Louis Erard

Louis Erard has developed an enthusiastic following for its small edition collaborations with watch designers and makers that are ordinarily out of reach either through cost or rarity. Current collaborations include a set of two watches based on the work of the celebrated watch designer Alain Silberstein, that are as pure a slice of 1980s Memphis as you could imagine (but only available through the brand’s US partners) and three art-deco-inspired watches produced with Horolophile, the pick being this 39mm Petite Secondes with a tobacco-coloured dial (CHF2,300.00excl. VAT)

Louis Erard 39mm Petite Secondes with a tobacco-coloured dial, CHF2,300 (£2,066) excl VAT, louiserard.com

Trilobe

Trilobe has a cutely self-conscious mission to deconstruct the codes of classical watchmaking, and cites influences as diverse as the tracery of Sainte-Chapelle’s rayonnant gothic windows and the poet and sometime surrealist, René Char.

The combination of ‘out-there’ display in the form of concentric discs to tell the time and very traditional textures and materials works well, particularly on this 40.5mm Nuit Fantastique Brume that matches an engine-turned dial with a beautifully severe X-Centric movement visible through the caseback.

Trilobe 40.5mm Nuit Fantastique Brume, €13,000, trilobe.com

Massena Lab

Massena Lab has, temporarily, jumped the other way. Better known for savvy reinterpretations of classic designs at good prices (the sold-out Uni-Racer came in at just under $3,500), Massena Lab is a hybrid maker taking responsibility for its own production or outsourcing to collaborative partners just as the logic of each project dictates. 

The latest, with independent maker Sylvain Pinaud who’s won both a Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève, in 2022, and a ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’, is an ambitious, CHF130,000 monopusher chronograph. Purely traditional in construction, it’s avant-garde in design and conception.

Chronograph Monopoussoir Sylvain Pinaud x Massena Lab, CHF130,000 (£116,775), massenalab.com

Greubel Forsey

Greubel Forsey is edging the other way in terms of price, though that only means an ambition to introduce a simpler, sub-six-figure watch. That would be of only passing interest had the maker not had a radical deconstruction of its business that saw external shareholders bought out and new design talent bought in. The watches remain as technically superb as ever but now have a clearer, sharper aesthetic as in the Balancier Convexe S² with its monochromatic decor and condensed case (down to 41.5mm).

Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S², greubelforsey.com

Girard-Perregaux

Girard-Perregaux, which should really be competing with the likes of Audemars Piguet and Hublot, is nevertheless on an upward swing following its buyout from the Kering group along with Ulysse Nardin. Part of that newfound energy is derived from focusing on proven designs with unexpected twists, such as the Laureato Absolute 8Tech.

It’s an angular contemporary version of the Laureato but made from a novel carbon and titanium composite that has the lightness of a composite but a marbled surface texture like Damascus steel.

Girard-Perregaux Laureato Absolute 8Tech, girard-perregaux.com

In Switzerland for the fourth incarnation of Geneva Watch Days (GWD, until 2 September), a grassroots (if you can have such a thing in the watch world) mini fair that showcases mostly smaller boutique makers, there’s an energetic buzz in the air with everyone bringing their best beach tans to the party. It’s a heterodox gathering that takes in pure horology, design-led brands, the ultra-traditional and the achingly avant-garde. And supporting the whole enterprise are a handful of more recognisable names, including Breitling, Bulgari, Girard-Perregaux, Oris and Ulysse Nardin.

GWD caters to a sector that’s still enjoying its Covid bounce (as work from home merged seamlessly into shop from home) and that was evident in the sheer creativity on show. The following five are just a taster of what the 40 or so brands taking part had to show.

Geneva Watch Days 2023 highlights

Bulgari Octo Finissimo CarbonGold Automatic 

Bulgari’s transformation over the past 20 years into fully fledged watchmaker has been astonishing; only Cartier now comes close to rivalling the brand’s volume, range and depth. The new version of the Octo Finissimo, a perpetual calendar in ‘Carbon Gold’ is horological magic – the whole watch is a bare 2.75mm in profile and is cased in carbon fibre, while the movement bridges visible through the back are in rose gold.

£25,000, bulgari.com

H Moser & Cie Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack

H Moser & Cie has acquired a fast-growing legion of followers by combining studiously traditional watchmaking values with a contemporary aesthetic and clever tech. The Endeavour Tourbillon Concept Vantablack matches a reworked tourbillon movement with a dial in Vantablack, the ultra-low reflective surface coating associated with Anish Kapoor.

£75,000, h-moser.com

Singer Reimagined 1969 Timer

Singer Reimagined grew out of a partnership between famed Californian Porsche specialist Singer Vehicle Design and Marco Borraccino, an Italian watch designer (and lecturer at Geneva’s HEAD). The result is a series of watches built around the most advanced chronograph movement on the market that have a unique look with plenty of motorsport cues as in the tonneau-cased 1969.

CHF29,900 (€31,000), singerreimagined.com

Ulysse Nardin Blast Free Wheel Marquetry

In a competitive field, Ulysse Nardin can lay claim to being the single most revolutionary watchmaker over the last 20 years. It’s a position they balance with being a more or less traditional watchmaker. Blast Free Wheel Marquetry lives up to the revolution side with a movement that’s all technical fireworks, from the silicon ‘flying anchor’ to the laser-etched dial.

£120,670, ulysse-nardin.com

Ressence Type 3 EE

Ressence designs watches that show time through concentric discs, a seemingly ultra-modern concept that has its roots in clockmaking from the 17th century. With all the gearing hidden beneath the surface, the design of the Type 3 EE favours colour over detail, though the new watch debuts a number typeface that allows deeper a SuperLuminova fill.

CHF38,200 (€40,000), ressencewatches.com

gva-watch-days.com

The Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement, delayed by a year by the pandemic, is a unique event in more ways than one. Since director of the Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève, Andrea Bellini, took over in 2012, all the featured work has been commissioned specifically for the biennial. Each iteration is co-curated by Bellini and an outside curator of his choosing, this time the New York-based collective DIS.

‘I think the big difference between DIS and all the other curators in the art world is that they have a constant dialogue with the artists they work with, it's a family, it's a community,’ Bellini says.

‘A Goodbye Letter, A Love Call, A Wake Up Song’ comprises 15 works, the majority of which have been made during the pandemic, satisfying a need to mirror the moment, unprecedented in our lifetimes. Artists including Camille Henrot, Juliana Huxtable & Hannah Black, Telfar, Will Benedict & Steffen Jørgensen, Mandy Harris Williams, and Leah Hennessey & Emily Allan raise questions about hierarchies, in terms of identity, finance, race, gender and even species.

According to Lauren Boyle of DIS, the curatorial process was a fluid one, as film is a collaborative medium, which led to a cross-pollination as some artists contributed to each other’s work. As a result, there is a consensus in the messages behind the works. 

The industrial space has been divided up to embody a ‘hotel’ for the art on view, with each installation inhabiting its own room with a small porthole you can peer through before entering. The dark curtained corridors are dimly lit by works from Grau’s Fire, 2021, a series of light sculptures. Large lozenge-shaped, throbbing orbs of red and blue light guide you through the hotel. This evokes a feeling of existing inside a screen, as the works play with the sense of reality as they mark the way through the darkness from film to film.

Everything But The World, 2021 created by DIS, defies the nebulous space we have until now occupied. A historical tour guide deconstructs ideas about feminism and witchcraft, satirical internet personalities Wit and Banter ask us if we know ‘that most fossils are actually unhappy with their condition’, and a White Castle burger-joint drive-through operator lectures his customers about late-stage capitalism as they wait for their food. An overarching narrative is provided by artist and filmmaker Leilah Weinraub, who plays the role of Shock Jock, leaving us with the question ‘Why are you mad?’

The sending up of manifesto and performative identity is a common theme. Mandy Harris Williams’ Couture Critiques looks at performative intellectualism, asking why we need to perform ideas and what doing this via social media can do to their content and meaning. 

Juliana Huxtable & Hannah Black and And Or Forever debunk the hierarchy of species in Penumbra, 2021, a reworking of the original play staged at Performance Space New York. Elsewhere, Simon Fujiwara talks about identity politics outside the digital space in Who is Who? 2021, and Will Benedict & Steffen Jørgensen tackle our relationship with food and digestion. Leah Hennessey & Emily Allan’s film Illuminati Detectives in which Byron and Shelley investigate the paranormal for the Illuminati brings some serious laughs. 

All the works, although often laced with humour, challenge the infrastructure of our lives and inherent identities – from Akeem Smith’s Social Cohesiveness, and Telfar’s TELFARTV, 2021 a live stream, to Theo Anthony’s exploration of the narrative of police body-cam footage. Anthony’s project is serialised on DIS.art, where there are continuations of certain works.

There is something deeply liberating about experiencing work dealing with themes brought into relief by the pandemic. Whether overloading, confusing, life re-assessing, identity re-evaluating or simply offering a chance to step back, universal questions are captivatingly parsed through this exhibition.

INFORMATION

Biennale de l'Image en Mouvement 2021: ‘A Goodbye Letter, A Love Call, A Wake Up Song’, until 30 January, Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève. centre.ch

Designed to complement a renovated and extended 1920s timber chalet in the Swiss countryside, this lush Geneva garden is the work of Belgian landscape architect Erik Dhont. A deft hand at blending nature and architecture to produce artful, flowing, rich compositions, Brussels-based Dhont created this green design for Karin Handlbauer, founder of Galerie Mezzanin, whom he first met ‘on a sunny afternoon in Geneva at a dinner under the oak trees’. Fittingly, nature became a recurring theme in their relationship and this garden project. 

Working against a backdrop of the Frey Architectes-designed contemporary addition to the existing chalet structure, Dhont composed an arrangement that promotes ‘a new spirit of art, nature and balance’. About two thirds of the 1.86-acre garden are dedicated to greenery and ‘reforestation’, including a leafy, undulating landscape and ponds to attract wildlife. 

Among Handlbauer’s wishes for the garden was for it to feel ‘natural and easy-going’, and Dhont obliged. The result is a seemingly ‘unstructured’ garden that combines an organic feel with the right elements and proportions to cater to a range of functions – from swimming to entertaining and relaxing. ‘Architectural gardens are about framing the landscape, but here we worked differently. The void is the architecture, the hard surfaces we use are like spaceships floating in nature,’ says Dhont. He cites creatives such as British gardener Russell Page and Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa as sources of inspiration. 

Oak, pine, black alder, and evergreen shrubs, such as yew and holly, are key features in the garden. Accents are created by cherry, alder buckthorn, lilac, chequer and hornbeam trees. A sculpture by artist Gianni Motti sits among the plants. A swimming pool that Dhont designed together with the architects in Vals stone, next to a terrace made of local granite, completes the design, adding a cooling water element to the soft, verdant landscape.

INFORMATION

erikdhont.com

A version of this article appears in the November 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*271), now on newsstands – subscribe today.

Grand Hers is new collection of sculptural horn combs created by designer Aurore Piedigrossi and now on show at Geneva’s Máti gallery. 

The project is an homage to the history of the Hers Valley in the south of France, which, when described by ECAL graduate Piedigrossi, reads almost like a fairytale. ‘The manufacture of combs is a craft that developed in the 14th century in the Hers Valley,’ she says. ‘The production was organised in many factories that were established along the river [the Hers, or Grand Hers].’

‘Millions of combs were produced each year in the region and were distributed around France and exported around the world. There were horn combs of all kinds, for all types of hair. The arrival of plastic in the middle of the 20th century gradually led to the closing of the factories and the loss of the know-how associated with horn comb production, as people turned to the more modern and less expensive plastic combs. Today, that craft has almost disappeared in France.’ 

The destruction of fine craft at the hands of industrialisation is a familiar story, and one Piedigrossi hopes to rewrite with Grand Hers. By moulding each of the horn combs into unexpected, sinuous shapes, she has transformed an everyday object into a sculptural work of art.

‘The comb is a very classic object in its shape,’ says Piedigrossi. ‘It has become a commonplace object of our daily life and therefore almost invisible. I wanted to offer it a new perspective, to make it evolve in a way.’

The result is an enchanting meditation on the history of the Hers Valley, as well as combs and how we use them. ‘It is a fascinating object to me,’ observes Piedigrossi. ‘The comb has been around in our civilisations for millennia, in infinite forms and materials. It has a special meaning in every culture, and can be found in traditions, but also in myths and rituals.’ 

‘I like the fact that we all have a personal relationship with our own comb; it is full of emotion and meaning. There’s an aesthetic in its use and its connection to the hair. Beyond that, I think it's a beautiful object. I fell in love with it somehow.’

In this way, Grand Hers has found an ideal match in Máti gallery. An incubator of emerging design talent, the young, nomadic gallery is dedicated to ‘breaking down the boundaries between art and design [so that] everyday objects become works of art’.

Grand Hers is currently available to purchase from Máti and is set to be followed by a more extensive line that will include other hair accessories.

INFORMATION

matigalerie.ch

A host of rare timepieces are set to go under the hammer this weekend in Geneva as Phillips, in association with Bacs & Russo, present a selection of timepieces from a private collection.

‘This sale’s theme takes us through the first twenty years of the 21st Century – a time that has seen watchmaking and the industry change more than in the past 100 years put together,’ says Alexandre Ghotbi, head of watches in continental Europe and the Middle East. ‘One of the most important and exciting changes of the new millennium has been the rise of independent watchmaking that has offered us a wind of fresh air. These independent makers have paved a path for themselves with unbridled creativity and technical mastery.’

As well as established watch brands, classical pieces from recognised horology masters F.P. Journe, Philippe Dufour and Kari Voutilainen are on sale alongside cutting edge pieces from the likes of De Bethune, MB&F and Urwerk.

Patek Philippe ref 2523/1

‘Patek Philippe has come to be associated with the world time. Launched in 1953, the reference 2523/1 featured a new two-crown system, one for winding the watch and the other at 9 o’clock controlling the city disc. When introduced to the market this new double crown world time was not a commercial success resulting in very few pieces manufactured – in fact, the movement of the present watch was made in 1954 but only cased in 1966 and finally sold in 1973. The present piece is one of the most breathtaking specimens of the iconic reference 2523/1. It is not only completely unpolished, but it is one of only four known models in pink gold with a beautifully guillochée dial.’ – Alexandre Ghotbi

Movado Oval  

‘A certain suave coolness just oozes out of this incredibly visually arresting extra large oval timepiece from Movado. The shape and size of the case make the watch incomparable to its peers. It is incredible to think that such a timepiece was made some 90 years ago: its innovative and nomenclature defying design is like no other and a must have for the collector of truly rare and unusual watches.’ – Alexandre Ghotbi

Rolex 6241 ‘John Player Special’

‘The Rolex Daytona doesn’t need an introduction. Launched in the early 1960s, it was a ‘tool’ watch made to time sporting events and thus made in steel. However, Rolex made a very few versions in gold and this reference is among the rarest Daytona models ever produced. A so-called ‘John Player Special’ due to its gold and black colour scheme, the present watch is an exceedingly rare variant of the Paul Newman model. It is notably one of a few handful of known ‘John Player Specials’ cased in 14K yellow gold and most probably made for the American market.’ – Alexandre Ghotbi. 

INFORMATION

‘The Geneva Watch Auction: XII and Retrospective: 2000-2020’, 6 – 8 November 2020.
phillips.com

To reach the new addition of the World Health Organisation (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, visitors will need to cross through the entrance of the organisation's existing, historic building at the end of Appia Avenue. The glazed entrance lobby of the original structure, defined by an intricate structural system on which the tall, pre-stressed concrete volume lies, is suggestive of the building’s modernist value amd brutalist architecture and contributes to the dialogue between old and new. Surrounded by woodland and designed by Jean Tschumi (yet developed posthumously by Pierre Bonnard in 1966), the majestic WHO office building is now being refreshed with an extension by Swiss architecture firm Berrel Berrel Kräutler. 

The new office building connects to the existing one via a new, underground, elongated plinth – envisioned as the social heart, the ‘agora', of the entire campus. This gesture further articulates the overall project's relationship with nature. On ground level, the plinth base becomes a terrace that provides ample vantage points for taking in the surrounding landscape; on the lower ground, it contains a courtyard garden that links and organises the several, different spaces around it.

A green atrium at the core of the new building – which spans its entire height and has been recently completed – further nurtures the relationship between inside and outside, and adds to the design's energy-efficient performance. Building on the socially-minded, open-plan office culture of the existing headquarters, the atrium also provides a place for informal gatherings and expresses the formal flexibility underpinning the project; the only truly fixed points in the grid-modular plan are the four service and circulation hubs that run through all nine floors.

The extension building may be tall (reaching around about the same height as the old office, although much slimmer), but its size pays tribute to the original structure on site. A long section reveals that in a similar way, both old and new volumes appear suspended above their connecting base, living next to each other in harmony. The 1960s Tschumi/Bonnard building still seemingly floats above the entire complex, maintaining its iconic presence. 

Currently in construction and seen here in all its brutalist, concrete glory, the project is set to be completed later in autumn 2020.

INFORMATION

bbk-architekten.ch

Geneva 2020 was a motor show that wasn’t. Oft-cited as one of the industry’s most important showcases, Geneva is traditionally relatively compact, well-attended and much-liked by both car makers and media types for its tight focus and plethora of interesting concepts and innovative debuts. Sensible precautions aimed at preventing the spread of the Coronavirus put paid to months of planning, transforming what would have been the 90th edition of the show into a selection of online events.

So what have we missed? There would have been innovation aplenty, no doubt, but overarching trends are harder to discern without being able to compare new ideas side by side. One thing has stayed the same, however, and that’s that March looks set to remain a key date for launches and reveals, regardless of where and how they take place. 

Bizarrely, there’s still a burgeoning market for bespoke hypercars, although in recent years the number of all-electric super-fast machines has increased significantly. But big volume electric is now effectively the mainstream – witness Fiat's 500E and VW's ID.3 and new ID.4 – and plenty of companies are pushing bold visions. Our round-up of the cars that broke cover this month showcases the high-end (for whom Geneva is an important place to garner interest from customers and investors alike) and the more tech-centric ideas that are promising to deliver massive change across the industry.

GFG Style 2030

GFG stands for Giorgetto and Fabrizio Giugiaro, father and son car designers with an impressive haul of highly regarded designs to their name. GFG Style is a venture that knows its market, and the by-now familiar equation – low-slung, mid-engine, carbon-fibre bodywork – has been given an extra spin to bolster its appeal to the Middle Eastern market. The result is the Vision 2030 Desert Raid off-road hypercar, with jacked-up suspension for dune-bashing, alongside a more conventional performance model and a third open-topped Barchetta, the Bandini Dora. 

www.gfgstyle.it

Pininfarina Battista Anniversario

Italian design house Pininfarina is forging ahead with its ambition to become a pioneering luxury brand. The new Battista has been given a limited edition make-over even before it goes on sale. Just five of the projected 150 Battistas will be this special Anniversario model, with a bit of added visual drama inside and out. Expect prices to be around $2.9m.

automobili-pininfarina.com

Vega EVX

Sri Lanka’s first homegrown supercar has skipped the petrol stage altogether and gone straight to electrification. The Vega is an ambitious project for any company, not least in a country with a tiny auto industry. For a first effort it's more than impressive, with a genuinely different take on the common supercar stance. Much of the technology under the skin appears to be developed in house by an engineering team that cut its teeth on high-tech industrial design. using the Vega as a showcase of what they can do. 

vega.lk

Koenigsegg Gemera

At the same time as revealing the Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut – the Swedish niche manufacturer’s fastest-ever car – the company also sprung the surprise debut of the Gemera model, its first four-seater. Mating a compact petrol engine with three electric motors, the Gemera will put the frighteners up companies like Bugatti and Lamborghini. It achieves all this without being especially over the top. The price, on the other hand, is expected to be around $1.7m. 

koenigsegg.com/gemera/

Czinger 21C concept

The $1m+ market must be reaching saturation soon; there seems to be no end of boutique manufacturers touting wondrously specified hypercars in limited edition runs. Geneva is where many of these break cover for the first time. The Hispano Suiza name was revived with a carbon swathed oddity, the Barcelona-built Carmen Boulogne, while just five examples of the extreme €4.2m Pagani Imola will be made. Czinger is another new name hoping to join this exclusive club. The American company's 21C hypercar will be limited to 80 units and makes extensive use of 3D printed elements, mating a big V8 with twin electric motors. The bodywork and aero are explicitly inspired by aviation, with the passenger sitting behind the driver like a jet fighter.

czinger.com

Hyundai Prophecy

If Hyundai's Wallpaper* Design Award winning 45 concept was channeling the 1980s, the company's new Prophecy evokes the swooping forms of the 90s – is it time for a streamline revival? The digital light patterns and shiny black bodywork are straight out of the era's sci-fi visions, while there's a generous dose of 90s-style tartan trim on the spacious interior. The four seats are accessed by rear-hinged doors without a central b-pillar and you'll note the absence of a steering wheel, a rather explicit way of putting faith in the accelerating power of driverless systems. 

Concept only, hyundai.co.uk

Aston Martin V12 Speedster

Just 88 examples of Aston Martin's latest limited edition, the V12 Speedster, are due to be delivered from early next year. There's a rich stew of influences at play in this bespoke creation, built by the secretive Q by Aston Martin department, which has added a bit of aeronautical-inspired drama with detail design inspired by the legendary Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter plane. Built on a unique platform derived from the company's DBS Superleggera and Vantage models, the V12 Speedster is a strict two-seater, with twin open cockpits that refer back to 50s-era Le Mans cars and even Aston's own 2013 CC100 Speedster concept.

From £765,000, astonmartin.com

DS Aero Sport Lounge

The Aero Sport Lounge concept puts Citroen’s sister brand back where it belongs; creating large, elegant avant-garde designs that evoke the spirit of a relaxed, languid grand tour, rather than a furious cross continental dash. A fast-charging, long-range EV, the Aero Sport Lounge has an interior inspired by first class cabins, with motion sensing technology given a haptic spin courtesy of a partnership with a Silicon Valley start-up, Ultraleap. 

Concept only, dsautomobiles.co.uk

McLaren 765LT

The 765LT is McLaren’s latest supercar. Made to a limited 765 numbers, it is the lightest, most powerful, and driver-engaging car in the marque’s Longtail product line – created as a nod to the 1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail, the extreme evolution of the original exotic F1. The 765LT promises the purest of (road-legal) driving thrills – 62mph in 2.8 seconds, 755-horsepower at 7,500rpm and maximum torque of 800Nm at 5,500rpm from the 4-liter two-turbocharged V8 engine. McLaren cars are all about clarity of expression and here too the design firmly supports the 765LT’s hyper power with its stretched silhouette and a host of imaginative aerodynamic ideas to improve performance, downforce and cooling. There is some theatre to be experienced too – the exposed engine bay lights up at speed, and the centrally-mounted titanium exhaust pipes are positioned in such a way to offer a unique LT soundtrack. Only 765 cars will be made, available from September.

cars.mclaren.com

BMW Concept i4

The Concept i4 coupé is BMW’s first mid-size all-electric car. Joining the i3 and i8 in the marque’s expanding electric i family, the design and engineering study is a clear indication of what to expect when the i4 enters production next year. The design evolves the i Vision Dynamics from three years ago with its sharp and clear exterior surfaces, and subtle aerodynamic measures including lightweight wheel rims and a new kidney grille which, in the absence of a traditional engine and required cooling, is covered to house the various sensors, thus signifying the i4’s electric drive. Inside continues this serene theme but with a light, open cabin and an intuitive, touch operated, single-surface curved display. BMW figures suggest the 80kWh battery, and these clever aero tweaks, have helped boost a range of up to 373 miles, an output of some 530-horsepower and acceleration to 62mph in four seconds. What’s more, the marque has involved celebrated composer Hans Zimmer on the sonic characteristics, composing a musical note to define BMW in the age of electrification.  

On sale 2021, bmw.com

Polestar Precept Concept

The Precept electric concept reveals the design and technological direction for the upcoming Polestar production cars. It completes a trio of studies by Volvo’s sustainable performance brand to include Polestar 1 and 2. These cars are highly technical, and the Precept continues the clinical, electronic gadget feel with its angled front headlights and slender wraparound rear light bar. The traditional motor car grille is replaced with a camera and two radar sensors providing semi-autonomous technology, with a ‘Lidar’ pod above the windshield offering further driver assistance. The rear-view mirrors have also been digitalised – an ever-growing trend with electric cars. The interior offers a test bed for imaginative sustainable material use in automotive. Recycled fabrics feature widely, while 3D-knitted plastic bottles, cork and fishing nets surface the seats, headrests and carpets, and the seatbacks are made of the lightweight Bcomp flax-based composite materials. 

Concept only, polestar.com

Renault Morphoz

The Morphoz is a futuristic modular concept that showcases Renault’s electric vision for 2025 and beyond. Designed to support an electric drive ecosystem with vehicle-to-grid technology and conduction charging, it uses artificial intelligence for an intuitive, adaptable and responsive cabin with a focus on the occupants’ wellbeing. Working with the marque’s latest modular electric platform, the Morphoz offers a number of different configurations for power, capacity and range, user-options and boot space. It also previews level three autonomous drive technology. Renault often explores grand ideas with its concept cars, though expect to see some of the more realistic ideas here in a forthcoming electric crossover.

Concept only, groupe.renault.com

Jaguar Land Rover Project Vector

The Project Vector is an electric city vehicle concept with autonomous-ready technology. It forms part of Destination Zero, a collaborative initiative between Jaguar Land Rover, UK academics and transport providers. The idea is to explore workable solutions for the autonomous, electric, connected urban mobility, conceived through a range of progressive products and services. This Project Vector is compact, measuring just four meters in length. The battery and drivetrain components are neatly packaged within the flat floor to allow for a variety of transport applications in city environments. The modular cabin space offers flexible seating configurations, so the vehicle can be used for private and shared transport, or commercial use, including last mile deliveries. JLR plans to integrate the platform into future smart city infrastructures, delivering services for private and shared transport needs.

Concept only, jaguarlandrover.com

Volkswagen ID.4

The ID.4 is Volkswagen's first all-electric SUV. The design, though camouflaged for the Geneva digital reveal, appears to have evolved the earlier ID. Crozz concept to be a more subtle take on electric cars. VW hasn’t spoken about the exact mechanics other than it will be built later this year on the firm’s advanced modular electric drive platform, where the compact, electric drive technology will provide a battery range of up to 300 miles. The ID.4 has a digital cockpit operated primarily using touch surfaces and intelligent, intuitive voice control. The car will initially be offered with rear-wheel drive in Europe, the US and China, while an electric all-wheel drive version will be added to the portfolio at a later date. Alongside the ID.3, the ID.4 represent an important milestone in VW’s quest to become entirely carbon-neutral by 2050. 

Price TBC, on sale late 2020, volkswagen.com

Fiat 500 electric

The new Fiat 500 will be all-electric. This is the third generation of the cinquecento, since its recreation as a highly successful retro-style urban commuter in 2007. The mechanics are entirely new and will be constructed on Fiat’s advanced electric platform. The electric motor has an output of 87kW for a maximum speed of 93mph and acceleration to 62mph in nine seconds. The 500 will offer a battery range of some 199 miles, with a fast charger supplied as standard with the launch edition. Packaging the electric drive has resulted in a slightly bigger car, though with the bonus of added cabin space inside this compact vehicle. Fiat is planning some special editions of the electric car too – Italian-themed models to include the 500 Giorgio Armani, B.500 by Bvlgari and the 500 Kartell. Finally, the Fiat 500 La Prima convertible launch edition, available to order now, comes replete with a vehicle alert sound tuned to Nino Rota’s score for Federico Fellini’s Amarcord.

Price: La Prima launch edition from £29,000, fiat.com

Citroën Ami

The Ami is an electric urban commuter by Citroën. Developed simultaneously with the Ami One concept (we drove an early prototype last year), this electric pod captures the zeitgeist for shared urban transport. It is tiny – 2.41 metres long, 1.39 metres wide and 1.52 metres high – and the 5.5kWh battery has a range of 44 miles and offers speeds of up to 28 mph. The Ami is technically a quadricycle so it can legally be driven in Europe by those over the age of 16 without a driving licence. The design is more akin to personal electric gadgets with its modular structure. And although the production Ami dials down some of the more provocative ideas on the concept car, mainly for legal reasons, it retains the fun exterior look and stripped-out cabin. Your smartphone replaces the conventional central display, is placed in a holder high up on the fascia to be the infotainment hub and navigation screen. Citroën is exploring novel cost-cutting manufacturing ideas such as using the same body panels in the front and rear, so the two doors open in different directions. The Ami will enter production this month and be available for car-sharing, long-term rental or personal purchase thereafter. 

citroen.com

Morgan Plus Four

You'll have to look hard to find the technology here. The Plus Four is Morgan’s latest entry level sports car, but its styling remains as timeless as ever. The brand ventured into electrification a few years ago with the EV3 three-wheeler, only to cancel the promising project. This new car is strictly internal combustion only. The younger sibling to the Plus Six, shown last year at the Geneva Motor Show, here an all-aluminium chassis replaces the outgoing model’s steel, and the new car comes with a six-speed manual option. The engine is a 2.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo, which produces 255-horsepower and up to 400Nm of torque. With most of the components being new, the marque says the Plus Four signifies the most radical advancements in the heritage marque’s history. Innovation the old school way. 

From £62,995, available from late 2020, morgan-motor.com

Rinspeed MetroSnap

The MetroSnap is a clever multi-use electric transport concept by Rinspeed. The Swiss marque is on a mission to explore the possibilities of shared transport systems with a realistic eye on what can economically work for us in the future. The vehicle is autonomous and modular, evolving the firm’s Snap and Microsnap concepts with an eye on series production. The core is based on a chassis that can support multiple cabins and allow them to be swapped about – depending on usage. The general idea isn’t new, though Rinspeed has developed and patented the technology for what it sees as a simple, fast, safe and inexpensive system which can work commercially. The Microsnap has a battery range of 80 miles, but the unique swapping system means the batteries are split between the chassis and cabin area and can be charged separately. So, if the vehicle is running low, one section can effectively be turned off to save on energy. Rinspeed says, this new technology will allow for entirely new vehicle applications to become possible.

Concept only, rinspeed.eu

Fisker Ocean

The Ocean is a fully electric SUV by niche Californian luxury maker Fisker. Its claims are high – to be the world’s utmost sustainable vehicle with its clean power and high reuse and vegan material content. The standard four-wheel drive promises more than 300-horsepower, with an ultra-high-performance version targeting zero to 60 mph in less than three seconds, and the powerful battery offers a range of up to 300 miles. Available from 2022, central to the Ocean is a flexible customer ownership scheme through Fisker’s leasing programme. The design, including the narrow light graphics and chrome detailing, evolve the 2018 Fisker Emotion concept. The front-mounted radar replaces a traditional grille, and side indicators can be used as charging notices, turning green when the battery is full. Lastly, the ‘California mode’ sees a single button lower all glass elements, including the roof, for an open-top cruise. 

Release date TBC, fiskerinc.com

As apartment rentals continue to flourish in the hospitality world, so too does the the design nous traditionally associated with hotels. Case in point is The Hamlet, a series of studios, and single and two-bedroom apartments split across a restored 18th century townhouse in Geneva’s Old Town. 

Quietly furnished with an impressive collection of design classics, each of the 16 spaces is the vision of co-founders Christoph and Tara Wondraczek, who joined forces with Vitra’s design team.

The result is a collection of spaces dressed with standout pieces by the likes of Charles and Ray Eames, Jean Prouvé and Jasper Morrision. Oak parquet floors, large bay windows, original cornicing and artwork by Lynne Hacking create an inviting home-from-home vibe, which is further underlined with fully equipped kitchens and well-appointed bathrooms, which feature walk-in showers and Vola taps, as well as a seemingly bottomless supply of Aesop products.

On the first floor, The Square offers a space for guests to work, relax and interact, while The Library presents peace in the shape of an intimate nook accompanied by cosy sofas and Jean Prouvé furniture. 

With daily yoga and Pilates on offer, along with locally produced food at The Épicerie, The Hamlet is an all-purpose design hub in the heart of city.

ADDRESS

Rue Etienne-Dumont 12-14

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Arguably, the quality and depth of concept cars on display at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show was the best for years. Certainly that was the opinion of most of the commentators we bumped into while walking the halls of the Palexpo exhibition located next to the Swiss city’s airport. Which made it all the harder to whittle down to our list of favourites.

But here goes anyway. Here are the next generation concept cars unveiled at the motor show, including product design-inspired city cars to ultra-luxury electric SUVs.

Citroën Ami One

The award for ‘most photo-friendly Geneva concept’ could easily go to the Citroën Ami One. Celebrating 100 years in 2019, the charmingly idiosyncratic French brand unveiled its 2.5m long city car concept as egalitarian low-cost transport – even for those without a regular driving licence – as the tiny electric two-seater is simple to use and doesn’t go above 30mph. Special emphasis was placed on making the car more affordable to manufacture, with a symmetrical design featuring fewer unique parts. Accordingly the left and right-hand doors are identical – opening in opposite directions so the hinges can be positioned in the same place – and various bumpers and panels are interchangeable. Sit inside and the cabin feels remarkably spacious but still with significant storage. There is also a display slot where you can plug in your own smart phone to substitute for a built-in driver or satnav screen to reduce complexity and cost. Aimed to be either ‘pay-as-you-go’ via an app or owned outright with greater personalisation, Citroën’s head of interior design, Jean-Arthur Madelaine-Advenier tells Wallpaper* the car is for a new kind of traveller. ‘It’s not meant to appeal to a car freak,’ he says with a smile, ‘the aesthetic is different, it’s for a wider and younger audience. The Ami One is more like a “connected” object.’

Kia Imagine

‘We tried to create a car that’s hard to categorise, not clearly a saloon or a hatch and certainly not a dry-looking electric vehicle either,’ Alex Daniel, Kia’s exterior creative manager says of the South Korean brand’s Imagine concept. Boldly named, the result is equally so, especially the interior, with an original mix of the flamboyant and the technical. Instead of just one large infotainment central screen the Imagine’s dashboard proposes 21 iPad-sized ones, fanned out like a pack of cards from door to door. Meanwhile the leather-covered carbon-fibre seat shells ape the look of intricately folded paper and the inner door panel surfacing resembles metal that has been artfully hand-beaten. As Imagine’s interior designer Ralph Kluge concludes: ‘We wanted an airy and roomy cabin but also wanted it to be more inviting than the normal rational approach.’ They’ve succeeded.

Lagonda All-Terrain

Aston Martin had one of the busiest stands at the Geneva Motor Show unveiling four exceptional new vehicles – from a production-ready V12 hypercar to a V6 supercar concept – but the Lagonda All-Terrain concept also caught the eye for signalling the arrival of Aston’s all-electric luxury offshoot brand, starting production in 2022. Following the limousine-shaped 2018 Lagonda Vision, the 2019 All-Terrain concept signposts that there will also be a large and capable electric SUV in the Lagonda range, able to extend luxury travel well beyond the Tarmac and in a cabin environment more akin to a well-appointed front room – with lounge-style seats and softer fabrics including cashmere.

Nissan IMQ

Nissan has been showing various new SUV concepts – mainly electric-powered in some form – for a few years now. Standing out in their angularity of exterior aesthetic, global head of design Alfonso Albaisa tells Wallpaper* the concepts are examples of the firm ‘expressing its roots more than before’ and in the case of the new IMQ concept specifically, an example of the Japanese word Kabuku ‘to embrace the strange or unusual’. The closely-spaced new grille of the IMQ is particularly fresh and the interior features laser-cut fabric on the dash and door panels inspired by a latticed woodwork technique used in classical Japanese screens called Kumiko. Insiders suggest the IMQ gives strong design pointers to the next Qashqai compact SUV and the concept also highlights Nissan’s next generation e-Power system – which utilises a small petrol engine to charge the battery for an electric motor to then power the wheels – and which is already a success in Japan. The firm will be bringing the tech to Europe by 2022.

Fiat Centoventi

According to Fiat Chrysler head of design Ralph Gilles, Fiat hasn’t made a concept car for about 15 years, such has been its focus on production car realities and profitability. So the Fiat Centoventi concept came as a genuine surprise at the Geneva show. Celebrating 120 years of the Italian company – thus the name – the concept features a host of modular and low-cost ideas. These include a battery housing with extra slots so the customer can purchase more packs to facilitate greater electric vehicle range – like a home computer that can similarly cater for ‘extra memory’ needs – and a white-only exterior to which various roof, bumper, wheel covers and external wraps can be added to bring colour and personalisation. In keeping with the anniversary theme, there are 120 accessories initially envisioned and 114 of them – including seat cushions, door storage and a sound system – could be ordered online and fitted by the customer at home, or 3D-printed, in the case of one cup-holder design. The idea is these items could also be resold and traded on the internet when the owner fancies a change, all of which Fiat thinks could promote a greater community of fans for its brand.

Piëch Mark Zero

The wild card of this 2019 Geneva concept car selection is the Piëch Mark Zero concept. The Swiss-German start-up’s company name comes from co-founder Toni Piëch, the son of former VW chairman Ferdinand Piëch and great-grandson of VW Beetle creator Ferdinand Porsche no less. Big boots to fill then, but Toni Piëch believes his company brings something different to the table. The Mark Zero pairs timeless design – recalling classic Jaguar and Maserati styling cues among others – with a new technology package underneath that he says could dramatically reduce electric vehicle charging times close to a conventional combustion engine’s fuel tank fill-up. Piëch Automotive is touting a speed of 80 per cent full in five minutes as possible and says its modular hardware and software concept can accommodate many powertrain types more easily while being easier to update than traditional carmakers’ platforms too. Three types of car are being planned – a two-seater, four-seater plus a sporty SUV – to be produced by existing and experienced contract manufacturers. But the bigger ambition seems to be for Piëch Automotive to market its modular structure to other car manufacturers as part of a business-to-business model. Early days then, but interesting.

INFORMATION
Geneva Motor Show runs from 7 – 17 March. For more information, visit the Geneva Motor Show website

There is a noticeable paradigm shift in the automotive world towards the car as consumer technology, with the bright halls of the 2019 Geneva Motor Show painting a colourful picture of what will drive our near future. The narrative arc is approaching sustainability through clean drivetrains, inventive design and use of ecological material. It is also about utilising autonomous technology to assist the driver and help make the car a safer product. This, the industry hopes, will rekindle our romance with the automobile, and encourage the desire for ownership – private or shared.

The Polestar 2 perhaps epitomises the sentiment best. Everything from Volvo’s new electric car company is considered – from the sustainable production methods, to the electric drivetrain, clear functional design, vegan interior, affordable price and shared ownership schemes. Even the white-cube minimalism of the exhibition pavilion at Geneva tells a bold story of the car as consumer technology.

The Battista, on the other hand, highlights an alternative dialogue of modern motoring – design for desire. The work of another newly-formed brand, Automobili Pininfarina’s premier product is an ode to the splendour of the motor car with an eye on the future. Underneath the surface brilliant of its meticulous sculpted car, and beyond the lush interior of quilted leather and crafted aluminium, is a highly advanced, pure electric drivertrain promising clean power and speed, although in the case of the Battista, only for a select few.

With all these theatricals, it is easy to assume innovation is solely in the hands of the start-ups. The truth is that much of the real advancement is happening quietly behind R&D departments at some of the main traditional makers with a raft of products present and in the pipeline that will populate our roads. BMW has proved its electric credentials with the radical i sub-brand, so it is refreshing to see Audi present a second car, the Q4, in the e-tron family.

No motor show though is quite complete without the sort of extreme motor cars that are so very wrong in today’s world but nevertheless fuel the imagination. The McLaren 720S Spider takes the roof off this carbon-bodied sports car coupé, Ferrari’s F8 Tributo honours Maranello’s epic turbo V8, and Lamborghini’s Aventador SVJ Roadster is an unapologetic, loud open-air racer. All these pale in comparison to the Bugatti La Voiture Noir though – the most ostentatious car by the world’s most exclusive marque and, at some £12 million, possibly the most expensive new car ever built. It is pure motor car grandeur though, translating the timeless elegance of the 1936 Type 57 Atlantic.

The imagination can bloom in times of uncertainty, with some of the most radical creative movements born in volatile times. And it was promising to see that against the cloud of political chaos, economic fragility and pressing climate concerns, this year’s Geneva highlighted the (sometimes overlooked) progressive side of motoring – a sentiment that chimes with the early days of the motor car, when it was a spirited industry rooted in innovation. Here are our top picks of production and near ready cars.

Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 is a premium compact urban electric car by Polestar, announced in 2017 as an independent electric car arm to sit alongside Geely Auto and Volvo Car Group. Whereas the inaugural Polestar 1 is to be an exclusive powerful car, the product displayed at Geneva is a much more egalitarian affair. The clear visual expression speaks of its Scandinavian heritage, and the interior is all vegan. Polesar’s lead designer Maximilian Missoni says he worked with ‘progressive textiles to appeal to a forward-thinking audience’. The car has an expansive panoramic glass roof, delicate frameless side mirrors, Pixel LED lights as well as proximity lighting for a ‘unique welcome sequence’, and an illuminated Polestar logo.

Two electric motors and a 78kWh battery on-board promise an impressive range of up to 310 miles; and the all-wheel drive produces some 408 horsepower and 660 Nm for zero to 62mph in just under five seconds. The Polestar 2 is a hugely tech-advanced gadget too, its backbone provides an adaptable digital environment for apps and vehicle functions to coexist. A Phone-as-Key technology helps with the logistics of car sharing schemes, for a more integrated ownership experience, and it helps the vehicle sense the driver upon approach. Production will begin in early 2020 and, like all Polestar products, the cars will be available to buy exclusively online. From £34,000. polestar.com

Automobili Pininfarina Battista

The Battista is an all-electric gran turismo by Automobili Pininfarina. Named after the carrozzeria founder, this is the pinnacle and first product by the legendary Italian studio’s new automotive arm with ambitions to create pure-electric performance cars. The hypercar’s carbon fibre monocoque chassis and carbon body support acceleration to 62 mph in less than two seconds, top speeds of above 250 mph and with power and torque at 1,900 horsepower and 2,300 Nm. The Battista also promises an impressive zero emissions range of up to 300 miles.

For the design, the creative director Luca Borgogno looked at the studio’s impressive design history, naming the 1947 Cisitalia 202, 512S Modulo of 1970 and the 2008 hydrogen fuel-cell Sintesi as inspiration. The Battista’s carbon body is full of movement with sweeping glass elements, a single dynamic strip of light cascading from the front of the car in place of traditional headlights. The cabin is a curious mix of extreme technology and traditional luxury materials – a feast of soft quilted leather on the seats and inside the doors, and crafted metal elements. Borgogno notes that the fabrics are ethically sourced, the woods natural and paints non-chemical. The interface sees two screens on either side of a motorsport-inspired steering wheel angled towards the driver, whilst a third in direct view replaces conventional dials.

Pininfarina has the advantage of being a design consultancy with clients from most industries from which it can source ideas. Each of the 150 planned Battista cars will therefore have a unique identity. The cars are hand built at the home of the Italian coachbuilder in Cambiano, with deliveries expected to be from 2020. From £1.5 million. automobili-pininfarina.com

McLaren GT

McLaren Automotive used the occasion of Geneva to announce the upcoming GT. Little more was revealed other than this camouflage image and we are told the design is based on the exotic, almost deco-styled Speedtail – a car inspired by the brilliant McLaren F1. Chief executive officer Mike Flewitt says the grand tourer will broaden the marque’s appeal to include customers who want to use their cars for long distance travel. ‘Our cars are track focused and raw, whereas the GT is a more comfortable, luxurious and usable McLaren. The whole design language is different – it is a very elegant and beautiful car,’ he told us. ‘In addition, it will be the lightest of grand tourers and, by also having the best power-to-weight ratio, I promise it will be one of the quickest.’

Flewitt did admits that now that McLaren is on target to produce 18 new models and derivatives by 2024 to include hybrid-electrics, his focus is on building brand awareness especially in key markets such as the US, and this GT will be a key car for attracting new customers. ‘Everyone always asks me if we are planning an SUV – and no we are not – but never a grand tourer, which to me feels like a much more natural evolution,’ he says. McLaren has pioneered a visual language anchored around carbon fibre, and come May, when the car is revealed, it will be interesting to see how the team interprets a McLaren gran turismo. cars.mclaren.com

McLaren 720S Spider

The McLaren Automotive Geneva pavilion was a show of the marque’s incredible success, which in under a decade since the company started has grown into a comprehensive family to include this latest 720S Spider. This convertible will sit in the marque’s Super Series alongside its coupé sibling with which it shares a design theme. With a structure and body made of carbon fibre, a material at the heart of all McLaren cars, it is said to be the lightest of any open-top supercar, using the same 710 horsepower, 568lb ft 4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine as the coupé with the promise of zero to 62mph time in just 2.9 seconds. The new electrical retractable hard-top roof raises and lowers in just 11 seconds and can be operated at speeds of up to 31mph. It is an impressive element too, this single piece of carbon is designed to seamlessly blend into the 720S body and maintain the coupé’s overall sculptural shape. Prices from £237,000. cars.mclaren.com

Audi, Q4 e-tron

The Q4 e-tron is the second electric concept by Audi. The marque has been teasing with the promise of an all-electric family for a decade, with some of the earlier concepts truly avant-garde. These premier e-trons were radical product designs showcasing what was then generally considered to be the electric vehicle vernacular – heavily aerodynamic in shape with a great deal of visual clues, especially with the grille and wheels, as to the sustainable drivetrain.

This Q4 crossover coupé offers a more cautious approach to electrification. It follows a similar design theme to the e-tron SUV we sampled in July for a more traditional car vernacular than the futurism we had hoped to see with Audi’s electric cars. It has an assertive face with slim headlights and a special electric grille with its automatically swivelling vents – a feature that will differentiate the e-trons from the marque’s regular cars. It is inside the clean, digital cabin where there is a noticeable departure with a new steering wheel design flanked by some brilliantly bold vents. It ride on a Volkswagen Group shared flexible electric vehicle platform. The mechanics on the Q4 mean the two electric motors, one at each axle, provide approximately 301 horsepower, zero to 62 miles can be achieved in 6.3 seconds, and the 82-kWh battery can last for up to 280 miles.

Even though the e-tron project has taken some time to materialise, Audi says, by 2025 every third car it sells will be electrified to include the e-tron SUV, the Q2L, a long-wheelbase Q2 made for China and a e-tron gran turismo. Chief designer Marc Leicht says to expect much more progressive design from this electric sub-brand going forward. Speaking to him at the show, he also alluded to the company re-visiting the decade-old Audi Urban Future initiative and join the dialogue around sustainable cities through working with architects and other urban designers. audi.com

Alfa Romeo, Tonale

The Tonale is the second sports utility vehicle proposition from Alfa Romeo. It follows on from the more robust and larger Stelvio and previews a compact car as well as the marque’s first petrol-electric hybrid crossover. The name alludes to the Tonale Pass – the mountainous route through the Italian Alps. The design is a more refined, quiet affair than the bold Stelvio. The slim ‘tre più tre’ headlights at the front frame the distinctive V-shaped ‘scudetto’ Alfa radiator grille, as a subtle nod to the SZ sports car and Type 939 models. The rear lights are equally refined.

Inside is a blend of digital and analogue. It is dominated by a large screen showing the driving dynamics, and a smaller one for infotainment. The system has two new features called Alfista and Paddock. Alfista is a lifestyle-oriented environment that lets people connect with Alfa Romeo clubs for gatherings or drives, and it also offers access to news. Paddock allows for browsing the marque’s products and apparel, in addition to performance upgrades, some of which you can buy directly through the in-car app. alfaromeo.com

INFORMATION
Geneva Motor Show runs from 7 – 17 March. For more information, visit the Geneva Motor

Belmacz, by Julia Muggenburg
German-born, London-based artist Julia Muggenburg studied at London’s St Martin’s School of Art, choosing jewellery as her preferred mode of expression. Muggenburg’s pieces are singular in that they combine fashion, art, and design, into a distinct ‘modern-heritage’ style that is all her own. She operates the Belmacz art gallery in central London.

Ring by Belmacz

GemGenève is on view from 10-13 May, at Palexpo, Geneva

Cora Sheibani
The Swiss born, London-based jewellery designer is a long-term Wallpaper* favourite. Her ‘table jewel’ design for the 2015 Wallpaper Handmade exhibition was a playful take on the pudding course – she designed a sizeable chain of silver dessert bowls, in collaboration with traditional Edinburgh silversmith Hamilton & Inches, who hand-chased the entire piece. Sheibani doesn’t approach jewellery as art but as pure design, moulding line, form, colour, material and texture into a distinctive whole.

Necklace by Cora Sheibani

GemGenève is on view from 10-13 May, at Palexpo, Geneva

Hannah Martin
Just over a decade after she established her contemporary fine jewellery house, Hannah Martin continues to rise above the norm with expertly considered designs that shimmer with a fine art sensibility. A trained goldsmith, her influences range from the surreal fetish photography of French artist Pierre Molinier and the 'contradictions within the role and meaning of the jewel, particularly between the ownership – or possession'  that so often defines a worn jewel. The pull between constraint and freedom in the physical attributes of the jewel are a recurring theme.

Ring by Hannah Martin

GemGenève is on view from 10-13 May, at Palexpo, Geneva

Fabio Salini
Working from his studio in Rome, Salini’s jewellery style is rooted in modernism, with an emphasis on 1970s forms. His architectural perspective on form combines with rich contrasts of precious and poor materials, radiant and matt textures and unexpected components, such as carbon fibre, leather, ebony, bronze and copper. His mission? To create an 'entirely new language for precious jewellery'. 

Earrings by Fabio Salini

GemGenève is on view from 10-13 May, at Palexpo, Geneva

Geneva used to be a place for imagining wondrous and not-so-real motor cars. The annual motor show was a stage for fictional products and fantastical scenarios. Nowadays realism appears to have taken hold. Most show cars are previewed under embargo weeks in advance; some are intentionally leaked leaving little room for suspense. Walking the soulless Palexpo halls, the setup feels a touch archaic – as if echoing the traditional combustion engine that still powers most of these cars. Maybe it is time to rethink the motor show model.

This is not to say all the products displayed here are to be dismissed. This year’s motor show sends a clear message that electric driving in all forms and shapes, from entry to supercar level, is a reality and it is imminent. It is also refreshing to see a confidence in the design of these sustainable products with some carmakers showing an intellectual, measured approach – finding interesting, visually compelling solutions to help direct an industry tentatively navigating its way to a new era of mobility. This alone makes Geneva worthy of the trip.

Tesla agitated traditional carmakers when Elon Musk showed the possibilities of electric technology – his cars refuse to compromise on design or performance, altering the landscape of electric cars. Now Jaguar’s I-Pace sets out to continue this dialogue. This is the marque’s first pure electric product. It is also an attractive, practical, performance car. It will certainly challenge the publics’ image of electrification.

Check out the seven best concept cars from Geneva Motor Show 2018 here – expect flying vehicals and AI masterpieces...

Speaking with Jaguar’s creative director Ian Callum at the show, while the company will continue with combustion engine cars, he feels there is an opportunity to ‘take a ground on this and become an electric car company,’ he says. ‘With I-Pace, we have made a stance and a declaration, and we should continue on this.’

The performance electric car genre was explored elsewhere too. Porsche showed its intentions with Mission E Cross Turismo while sister company Audi’s E-Tron Prototype is a fully-functioning performance electric car, and Volkswagen’s Vizzion concept joins the progressive I.D. electric car range.

Motor show halls are always a clash of the brutal and aesthetic. The selection of extreme sports cars on display this year didn’t disappoint either. McLaren revealed the Senna GTR concept as the most powerful machine from Woking this side of a Formula One, Ferrari displayed the powerful 488 Pista, and Lamborghini a rather fierce looking Huracán Spyder.

At the adjoining Bentley stand, the Bentayga Hybrid SUV was on display alongside Phillippe Starck’s home battery charging dock. While the Rolls-Royce pavilion performed as a testimony to the marque’s unparalleled bespoke skills with yet more highly-crafted customised products on display. We were particularly drawn to a commissioned Phantom with a textile sculpture by London designer Helen Amy Murray for the interior ‘gallery’, and the Spirit of Ecstasy clad in rose gold.

Here’s our choice of the best in-production and near-production cars…

BMW Concept M8

Ahead of the debuts of the production 8-Series coupé and convertible later in the summer, BMW used the occasion of Geneva to present the exotic Concept M8 Gran Coupé, a performance saloon study car with the fashionable coupé styling, long wheelbase and short overhang. The yellow lights are a tribute to Le Mans. Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW Group creative director says Concept M8 Gran Coupé ‘embodies the next stage of our vehicle design language.’ It also previews a later, four-door version of the 8 Series due in 2019.

Jaguar I-Pace

Jaguar’s first pure electric vehicle explores a more sustainable design theme for the marque. The I-Pace proportions reflect the battery-electric technology powering the car for this cab-forward profile instead of the typical long Jaguar bonnet. Much of the design is dictated by aerodynamics to achieve a drag coefficient of just 0.29. The low bonnet is therefore curved in a way that allows air to flow seamlessly across; there is a sweeping roofline and squared-off blunt rear, while flush door handles help direct air away from the volume of the car. ‘The electric powertrain offered us unprecedented design freedom,’ says design director Ian Callum. ‘We have produced a concept car for the road.’

The face takes on a more conventional turn to continue the contemporary Jaguar theme. The grille design maximises airflow through the integral bonnet scoop and over the windscreen onto the roofline to reduce drag. Airflow for battery cooling and the climate control system passes through the grille and active vanes in apertures in the front bumper, which open when required. Inside the car, the TFT digital display is joined by a couple of tactile rotary controls to feel more like a fighter-jet cockpit.

The I-Pace is powered by a 90kWh lithium-ion battery promising a range of almost 300 miles, while the combination of all-wheel drive, 400ps and 696Nm of instantaneous torque gives this clean performance car impressive acceleration, reaching zero to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds and with 80 per cent charging promised in just 40 minutes.

Callum says on the next e-project he would be more confident, revealing, ‘the next generation of this car will be a bit more rakish, a bit more radical.’ On sale now, from £63,000.

Lexus UX Urban

Lexus is firmly aiming for younger buyers with the latest UX. Designed for urbanites seeking easy manoeuvrability in the city, this compact crossover is the smallest vehicle in the expanding SUV family, sitting below the NX. It continues the current Lexus design theme including evolving the distinctive spindle grille with a block-shape mesh pattern. The cabin is spacious and airy with the upper deck of the instrument panel appearing to be extending out and beyond the windshield, and an optional material trim inspired by washi paper. A UX 250h hybrid model will also be available, pairing the same 2.0-litre engine as the normal model with battery power. On sale from 2019.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo

The pure-electric Mission E Cross Turismo concept study car joins the upcoming Mission E saloon in Porsche’s anticipated electric car family. It has four doors and four seats; the low-cut front bonnet visually relates to the 911, while overall package is inspired by the compact Macan crossover. Elements are translated from the Mission E saloon including the distinctive headlamps with four-spot LED daytime running lights, vents and body creases.

Like the E saloon, the car uses two permanent magnet synchronous motors offering some 600 horsepower, zero to 62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, and a battery range of around 250 miles. Porsche is gauging public opinion with this ecological crossover saying the car ‘presents a picture as to what a Turismo model with features of a crossover utility vehicle could look in series production’.

McLaren Senna GTR

Following the announcement of the Senna supercar in the Ultimate Series, McLaren Automotive has revealed the Senna GTR concept at Geneva. This offers an extreme take on the road car to be the fastest non-Formula One machine created by the marque. For the GTR, the Senna’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 has been reworked so it now produces some 814 horsepower – up from the standard car’s 789. McLaren describes the drive as ‘race-style transmission’.

Ferrari 488 Pista

The track-focused 488 Pista mid-engine supercar is based on the marque’s standard 488 GTB with some modification and re-sculpting to improve aerodynamics and speed. This includes a new bonnet and front splitter, a large air intake sculpted into the bonnet to help air flow and at the rear the car is fitted with a large carbon-fibre diffuser.

This is one of Ferrari’s fastest road cars – power on the 3.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 of the standard 488 has been boosted from 661 to 710 horsepower which, alongside some weight reduction, means this supercar can go from zero to 62mph in just 2.8 seconds while achieving a top speed of 211mph. On sale now, from £204,000

Range Rover SV Coupé

The Range Rover SV Coupé is the latest product to emerge from Jaguar Land Rover’s bespoke Special Vehicle Operations department in Warwickshire. Based on the Range Rover but with two doors and a swooping coupé roofline car, the SV further explores the marque’s interior craft skills offering novel materials within the automotive world, including bespoke tailored fabrics from Kvadrat.

‘SV allows you to amplify things,’ says Gerry McGovern, creative director at Land Rover. ‘This SV Coupé is very exclusive and very rare. Our Range Rover customers want to put their twist on their cars, although in this case most have opted for our curated design choice.’

Made in limited 999 numbers, the Range Rover SV Coupé celebrates the marque’s 70th anniversary year. It follows another limited-edition special project the Defender Works V8, unveiled earlier this month. Order books are open now, from £230,000.

Hyundai Kona Electric

Hyundai and Kia are offering electric versions of their popular SUVs in the form of this Kona Electric and the Niro Electric – both made in limited numbers to gauge the electric market. Debuting at Geneva the redesigned Santa Fe, the Kona Electric will be available in two versions with ranges of 186 miles or 292 miles per charge. The short-range teams a 39.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an electric motor for 132 horsepower, while the more powerful has a 64.0 kWh battery pack, and makes 201 horsepower with both models promising 291 lbft of torque. On sale July 2018, from £30,000.

BMW X4

By 2020, BMW would like to be the world’s leading premium marque. This was the message delivered at the Geneva Motor Show with the company promising some 20 new and revised models by then starting with the X4, then the X2 and all-new X7 as well as extending the progressive electric i range to include the i4. Categorised as a sports activity vehicle – for it is a hybrid of coupé design with SUV promises – this second-generation X4 production car follows a similar design theme as the smaller X3. ‘We are going to make our design more distinct and focused,’ explains creative brand director Adrian van Hooydonk, ‘to offer clean modern exterior design with slim wide tail-lamps.’ On sale July 2018, from £41,000.

Audi A6

This is the upcoming A6 production car, on show at the Audi pavilion in Geneva alongside the pure-electric E-Tron crossover prototype. This is the executive saloon’s first re-design in six years and it follows the theme set out by the A8 and A7 Sportback to be polished and technical – the grille extending in width and height to take up a good portion of the car's fascia, while the LED tail lights extend the width of the car. All cars come with mild hybrid engines. Audi will reveal full details of the much-anticipated E-Tron in August. On sale June 2018, from £35,000.

Volvo V60

Volvo shared the allocated Geneva pavilion space with Polestar, the marque’s new electric sub-brand – one side designed in classic Scandinavian light natural wood, the other clean, dark and technical exhibiting the brand’s sole model the Polestar 1 hybrid making its European debut here. Volvo’s main exhibit was V60 estate, a roomier, high-tech premium redesign of the previous model. The petrol and diesel options will be joined later in the year by the T6 and T8 plug-in hybrid engines. On sale September 2018, from £31,000.

RM 11-03 McLaren

McLaren Automotive used the occasion of Geneva to reveal the RM 11-03 McLaren automatic flyback chronograph. This advanced technological watch has been created in collaboration with Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille as part of a ten-year relationship between the two companies. Elements on the watch observe some of the styling cues found on the exterior and interior of McLaren cars, while the highly technical and lightweight materials used to build this wristwatch, including carbon-fibre, are reflective of what constructs the high-performance super cars. Only 500 are planned with first refusal given to the 500 McLaren Senna owners. On sale now, from £137,000.

INFORMATION

The Geneva Motor Show 2018 runs from 8 March – 18 March 2018. For more information, visit the website

The Geneva Motor Show (8 – 18 March 2018) is quite simply the best place in the world to see the widest range of concept cars. From the big players to the small, this year’s event included all manner of electrified and sportscars, saloons and coupes – plus two flying cars – one of which is slated to be less than 12 months away from final customer delivery.

Read on for our seven favourite showstoppers...

Pininfarina HK GT

Renowned Italian design house Pininfarina (behind countless historic Ferraris) uses Geneva to showcase its talent to the world. Although now owned by Indian vehicle maker Mahindra, it’s still based in Turin and works for many marques including the Hybrid Kinetic Group. Indeed, the elegant near-five-metre 2+2 GT is the fourth concept Pininfarina has conceived for the Hong Kong-based emerging tech brand and features an electric powertrain with range-extender capability via an aero industry-inspired micro-turbine, fuel cell or conventional combustion engine to give 620 miles of range. Created by new design VP Carlo Bonzanigo, the GT boasts a well-resolved exterior paired with a modern and tasteful interior. HK says it is on course to launch a production model for the Chinese market by 2020 with some of this concept’s upmarket character and pitched as a luxury Asian marque to rival Tesla and Bentley. High-end stuff.

Icona Nucleus

The Icona is a name you’ve probably not have heard of because it’s not a car brand but a design business – based in Turin, Shanghai and now California – that creates cars for other brands to produce. Already officially eight years old and boasting ex-Bertone senior personnel among its ranks – including Icona VP and global design director Samuel Chuffart – the group chose Geneva to reveal its 600hp in-wheel-electric Nucleus concept. Pitched as a ‘Level 5-autonomous’ vehicle – one that can drive itself in all situations – the Nucleus was born, Chuffart tells Wallpaper* from the ‘idea of a car that you will still love and want to own, despite autonomy’ in a retort to the notion that all future cars will merely be hired as necessary. 

It’s big: 5.25m long, 2.12m wide, 1.75m high and riding on 27” wheels with a 3.3m wheelbase, those dimensions allow for a huge interior space for up to six people. ‘As this will be a car for all occasions, you won’t need to own so many cars,’ Chuffart reasons, ‘so you might invest more on this one, perhaps it will cost €60,000 or so. As it’s autonomous, it could drop you off at the airport, pick up the kids from school and take the grandparents to the doctor as well’.

The other striking element of the design is the lack of conventional glass windows – there’s no driver so no need for a front windscreen, and occupants can look out the sides through semi-transparent body colour panels that allow for privacy from the outside. Considerable time was spent on a well-resolved human machine interface too, which works like a more intuitive Uber app, requesting user interests as well as destination info to curate a more tailored journey, that might for instance, suggest restaurants and other points of interest along the way based on your daily preferences. Despite its two-tonne weight, grand-tourer flexibility is promised via a hydrogen-powered range-extender good for circa 750 miles of travel… in about 2030.

GFG Sibylla

On the small GFG Style stand at Geneva sat two concept cars – the 1963 Chevrolet Testudo concept and the 2018 GFG Sibylla – 55 years apart but designed by the same man: 79-year old Giorgetto Giugiaro. Arguably the most important car designer of the 20th century, behind the VW Golf mk1 and Lotus Esprit among dozens of others, Giugiaro launched a new car design firm called GFG Style in 2015 – named after him and his son Fabrizio, who runs the day-to day business – after selling the final part of his Italdesign business to VW.

This year’s Geneva show was the first time GFG had its own exhibition stand though, where it revealed a four-seat 400Kw electric concept for Envision – China’s second largest wind turbine company and a manager of 100GW of worldwide energy assets. There’s no production intent for this car though. It exists to promote Envision’s EnOS electricity system concept where EVs integrate into a wider energy eco system by contributing power to domestic houses and back to the grid. But GFG has two SUVs launching in 2019 in the Chinese market for a Chinese brand, and plans to open an engineering company with an EV-specialist partner in Shanghai by the end of 2018 (as well as continue its thriving industrial design and architecture businesses).

Italdesign Airbus Pop.Up Next (concept flying car)

VW Group’s Italdesign and Airbus added seriousness to the flying car race at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show with their Pop.Up all-electric part-car, part-drone modular concept. At 2018’s Geneva show the Pop.Up Next – now with added Audi – aims to make clear that the big-hitting companies are still taking the idea of a connected, hail-and-ride, eco-friendly, congestion-busting fly/drive future vehicle seriously. The two-seater has been made more aerodynamic, lighter and a bit more stylish – enough to warrant Audi adding its four rings to the nose – and Italdesign and Airbus’s engineers have improved the coupling and de-coupling systems between the car and flying modules. Although smarter in every sense then, the electric city commuter concept still only offers a 30-mile range and could be 5-10 years away from being production- and cost-viable.

PAL-V Liberty (production flying car)

Unlike the Italdesign Airbus Pop.Up Next, the PAL-V flying car is production-ready – albeit powered by a conventional airplane engine and fuel – with first deliveries due in 2019. The Dutch business Dingemanse behind the vehicle says it has taken 100 orders at between €400-600,000 each, depending on specification (and with 25 flying lessons thrown in) and says the vehicle shown at Geneva only needs certification before customers can literally take-off.

300 miles of flying range is promised and much more on land alone. CEO of PAL-V was more than bullish at what he sees as the first-ever production flying car: ‘This is the moment of truth. All certifications for commercialisation will be granted on the basis of this production model. It is the pivotal point that separates pioneers from dreamers.’

Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept

The South Korean powerhouse group – also boasting Kia and now Genesis within its ranks – has made a great job of transforming into a globally-accepted mainstream volume maker of reliable and smart cars. Now it’s looking to move a little more upmarket and has hired two high-profile ex-Bentley designers – Luc Donckerwolke and SangYup Lee – to help do just that. The Le Fil Rouge concept is their first statement of intent. The four-seat, four-door coupe’s exterior might be classically conventional at first glance, but its simple lines hide new ideas. These include LED pipes underneath its feature lines to create a distinct side profile light signature and a pared-back interior where space normally reserved for bulky dashboards is stripped bare to create curvaceous laminated wood pathways for air flow. A big leap on from today’s Hyundai range, Lee sums ups the change well: ‘Our cars today are practical and good value but in the future that won’t cut it, we have to create emotional value too.’

Touring Superleggera Scià di Persia

It takes old-school Italian design house Touring Superleggera up to 5000 man-hours to transform the Maserati Gran Turismo donor car into the shapely Scià di Persia (‘Shah of Persia’) limited edition that graced its Geneva show stand. The first of only ten units maximum, head of design Louis de Fabribeckers explains that the design house’s focused business model is based on very special customers (with very deep pockets to match, Touring wouldn’t reveal guide prices) who want something bespoke and luxury. ‘With this approach the customer creates a piece of automotive history, regular carmakers can’t match. We do one-offs too.’

INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Geneva Motor Show website

Bentley kicks off this year’s Geneva Motor Show with the launch of the very first high luxury hybrid. By kitting out the Bentayga SUV with an advanced electric motor – and adding a charging dock designed by one-time Wallpaper* Guest Editor Phillippe Starck – the British manufacturer has stolen a march over the competition.

The ultra-low emission vehicle pairs a petrol V6 with battery power, giving a 50km electric only range as well as assisting the marque’s trademark bottomless reserves of power.

Tipped to be launched in the second half of 2018, the new variant was showcased alongside another luxury accessory, the Philippe Starck-designed Power Dock. Combining pressed eco-linen, resin and aluminium, the Bentley by Starck Power Dock is a bold piece of domestic sculpture designed for use in conjunction with a new smartphone app. If you’re lucky enough to have an industrial power supply at home, charge time is reduced to just 2.5 hours.

For now the Bentayga stands alone in the luxury SUV field, with an options list and bespoke options that run rings (and cost considerably more) than its rivals. As Bentley’s first hybrid, it marks the start of a new focus for the company, which hopes to bring increased electrification to all its models in the years to come.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Bentley website

Following exhibitions by artists Tomàs Saraceno, Sheila Hicks and Edmund de Waal, the privately funded space Espace Muraille, Geneva, welcomes a solo exhibition by Olafur Eliasson. Entitled ‘Objets définis par l’activité’ (‘Objects defined by activity’), the show brings together a selection of 18 artworks which highlight, together and separately, Eliasson’s research on time, perception, space, movement, and the relativity of reality. Unique in its form, the project was initiated by Laurence Dreyfus; it took the independent curator almost five years to bring this projects to life with the support of private collectors Caroline and Eric Freymond (patrons of the arts and founders of Espace Muraille).

For Dreyfus, Eliasson embodies the universal artist. ‘Eliasson confronts the finitude of the human being with the idea of a vast, expansive universe. He embodies light and optimism at the same time. He thinks about the present, imagines the future and dreams of what is coming next,’ says the curator. ‘His art form, in a way, is related to cosmology in that his vision is broad and humane. Eliasson is a generous soul who connects human beings. He is a thinker who believes solutions can be found to craft a better world.’

We caught up with Eliasson in Geneva to find out more about his Espace Muraille exhibition...

Wallpaper*: Would you say your work is related to the outside or inner world?
Olafur Eliasson: The world we live in is relative; we are guided through it by our senses. I want the visitor to be the producer rather than the consumer of (a) reality. The works shown here amplify the perception of the space and objects in front of us; they reflect on ‘how’ and ‘why’ we see things this way rather than ‘what’ we see.

For example, the Wavelength lamp (2018) breaks the light into a sequence, and The we mirror (2017) forces the eye into a 3D geometric composition, yet both play with the perception we have of their structure. All that to say our perception of the world is easily fooled: I want to reveal the tricks, highlight the way the media or politicians wrongly address certain issues. I want them to act as advocates for transparency.

W*: You often speak about ‘embodying the work’, what do you refer to?
OE: I always try to work with and around physical elements to create emotions and sensations that stick with the viewer. Social media, on the opposite, generates disembodiment. With the fountains exposed on the lower floor – Objects defined by activity (now), (then) and (soon), 2009 – water and strobe light play together to create a form of timelessness. Perception shifts, a new horizon comes to life: it isn’t a line; it can’t be grasped. The strobe light makes the invisible visible, and the piece itself creates a ‘space’ where simple rules are challenged.

When you combine data with action, you start to influence the viewer: the later becomes the producer of his own reality rather than being the victim of it. I know it is very much a Scandinavian ideal, but these works hint at our capacity, and ability to change the world. All of my work is based on the process of turning a ‘thinking’ into a ‘doing’!

W*: How do geometry, perspective and direction inform your work?
OE: I love the eclipse shape. Did you know that unlike a square, it doesn’t deform in perspective? Confronted with it, in perspective, you can’t sense the depth of the space. I like to play with the idea of challenging perceptions, or reflections, and geometry offers endless possibilities. Many might think that when you enter the art world, you step out of the ‘real’ world. But it is very much the opposite: with amplified sensations, one can connect even closer with the world and its current issues. The geometric and colour spectrum compass (Everywhere compass, 2017) hanging above the staircase it there to orient us in a precise direction. The same goes for the Day and night lava, 2017 in which a dark lava stone half painted in white rotates before a concave mirror: it projects the reflection of the white side when the viewer is faced with the black side. You start looking wit intensity, questioning what you are seeing, going back and forth.

W*: Water, light, stone – the sun is also a key part of your visual language. Can you talk to us about Little Sun?
OE: Little Sun recently became a foundation and we are getting more and more involved in Africa through three different channels. Private vendors that help distribute the lamps at a much lower price than in Europe (the profits made in Europe serve as subsidies to reduce the price of the lamps). NGOs are also helping with the distribution of Little Sun which is expanding rapidly; we recently signed with the International Office of Migrants (ION), to make Little Sun available in refugee camps. Finally, we are partnering with local governments and schools to improve general education. Our hope is also to put a ‘pay as you go’ system in place to make it easier for families to lease the lamps.

My team and I met with the UNPD this morning to discuss further developments. At this stage we have sold 600,000 lamps (the two thirds of which in Africa), and we know, through studies, that a lamp increases the time dedicated to homework by one hour every day. The impact is real and we are hoping it continues to grow, to empower more and more children, especially little girls who benefit the most from such improvements and can study more.

INFORMATION

‘Objets définis par l’activité’ is on view until 28 April. For more information, visit the Espace Muraille website

ADDRESS

Espace Muraille
Place des Casemates 5
1204 Geneva

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Autonomous driving is side-tracking. The conversation has temporarily diverted from its original explosive futuristic narrative for an altogether more tangible one. The automotive world is looking at more pragmatic solutions that can be applied now, without the complications of full autonomy. The excitement is still there, with carmakers focusing much of their R&D efforts into making this a long-term reality. But for now and the near future, the driverless vehicle has been placed on hold for semi-autonomy – as was evident on the pavilions of this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

Customers are not entirely ready to hand over complete control to a machine. Nor, it seems, are they willing to give up driving pleasure. So, for now, autonomous technology will help us to be safer drivers – acting as a co-pilot who controls the wheels on long commutes and dull motorway routes, while we take back sovereignty on fun, twisting, challenging roads.

BMW is going as far as repositioning itself as a tech firm acknowledging the intimacy between the two worlds. The 5 Series Touring and new 4 Series at Geneva are testimony to the company’s commitment to making all its cars as connected, piloted and advanced as possible, and crucially responding quickly to new technology. With competition from Google and Apple, and in response to the likes of Tesla, speed of delivery is key to the survival of traditional carmakers. A similar approach is happening with Audi, Mercedes and across the premium auto world.

Elsewhere, there were plenty of SUVs of all shapes and sizes on display. Volvo’s latest XC60 continues the marque’s confident design theme. Yet with its formal simplicity, clean and clear visual language, and perfect proportions, the Range Rover Velar is proof that Land Rover remains the most accomplished maker in this genre.

However, this being Geneva, the real stars of the show were the exotic motor cars highlighting the disparity between fantasy and reality. These exclusive cars can seem a little indulgent, though in terms of design and innovation they are also often the most accomplished products.

The McLaren 720S, for instance, is sensational. The two-seat sports car is so advanced in design and engineering that it almost feels like it skipped a generation from the 650S it replaces in the Sports Series. This is also a hugely important car for the young marque, for it represents the first production vehicle to be replaced since McLaren Automotive formed seven years ago.

‘It is special. It almost feels like a milestone in the maturity and development of the company,’ says chief executive Mike Flewitt. ‘We started out with one car, the 12C, which evolved to be a range of cars. Now that journey is over, we are replacing them one by one with new models.’ This includes 15 cars planned for 2022, half of which will be hybrids.

The Ferrari 812 Superfast is also fantastic to look at and, as the name suggests, surely a great pleasure to drive – as is the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. Bentley’s 6e is an electric concept that explores the marque’s future design and previews some of the ideas to be seen in the upcoming new Continental GT. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce displayed its bespoke collection, showing the marque’s unrivalled tailoring skills. We particularly enjoyed the custom-built Ghost, a thousand crushed diamonds infused in the paint.

These cars are all about voluptuous, visceral lyricism. They may be indulgent and exclusive, yet they are a reminder of the beauty and the romance of the motor car.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Geneva International Motor Show website

It’s often said to be the luxury hotel group with the small portfolio and a big reputation. Owned by low-profile businessman Michel Reybier, the La Réserve collection now comprises five properties: four in France - including Reybier’s personal home, at the heart of a 200-acre vineyard in Bordeaux; and a Parisian gem within a former hôtel particulier - and the flagship in Geneva where it all began.

A sprawling low-slung hotel set over 10-acres of land on the shores of lac Léman, the 102-room hotel is a peaceful bolthole that feels as though it’s far from the madding crowd but is within striking distance of the city centre’s bustling shops, restaurants, museums and historic sights.

Inside, the Paris-based designer Jacques Garcia has taken his cues from the chichi side of African lodges: hues of royal reds and gold surface in rich leathers,  bold leopard and zebra print carpets; and animal-themed artwork, such as a wall of framed butterflies, bird-shaped light fittings and a giant elephant that presides over the stairs in the lobby.

The guestrooms - led by shades of orange, pale blue and silky taupe - continue the theme with leather-topped desks, velvet safari chairs and original photos depicting scenes of historical expeditions to the far and distant lands of India and Africa.

In the 14 years since opening its doors, a sleek glass-walled shoreside villa has been added and more recently, the hotel has appointed award-winning chef Virginie Basselot, who sends out exquisitely prepared seasonal and locally sourced modern French dishes at Le Loti. We suggest the sea bass and oyster tartar drizzled with lemon cream and topped with caviar; or the expertly cooked cod served with Basselot’s signature lemon balm butter sauce.

Along with Le Tsé Fung, the Chinese restaurant and a sprawling spa from Swiss anti-ageing clinic Nescens, La Réserve Genève is the perfect bolthole for both locals on a weekend getaway or visitors wanting to experience the best of both worlds.

ADDRESS

Route de Lausanne 301

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With La Réserve having built its name on unapologetic luxury, it’s no surprise that its Genèva hotel ticks all the boxes when it comes to providing an opulence of services that on arrival seem superfluous, but on departure have become all but necessary. The latest addition to the La Réserve Hotel and Spa Geneva, Villa du Lac, is a grand continuation of this new standard of luxury. Sitting on the shores of Lake Geneva, the private villa is a unique space that possesses all the amenities of a hotel with the privacy of an independent property.

And while the term ‘villa’ doesn’t do it justice — du Lac includes a private garden, two lounges, a study area and a dining room, as well as a personal concierge and private boat transfers to and from Geneva city — the property does have the intimacy of a private home. Spread over two levels and sheathed in glass, du Lac was designed by Rémi Tessier, who, by way of floor-to-ceiling windows, has invited the beauty of Lake Geneva, the Alps and Mont Blanc into every room, while balconies in bedrooms provide a further gateway to the surrounding scenery. 

A neutral palette, formed in part by cream leather upholstery, long, narrow concrete pillars and unfinished stone brickwork, links the project aesthetically to La Reserve’s other properties, though bursts of colour sporadically interject thanks to a carefully curated selection of art. Should the solitude prove too overwhelming, du Lac is just few steps from the hotel’s five restaurants, and its Nescens spa, complete with indoor swimming pool, sauna, hammam, tennis courts.

ADDRESS

301 route de Lausanne
1293 Bellevue-Genève

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This year’s Geneva Motor Show was awash with interesting metal, major new launches and a new-found technological confidence. Big names made big announcements, newcomers matured and at the upper echelons of the industry there were some significant debuts. Aston Martin and McLaren were both striding forward. The McLaren Automotive pavilion at Palexpo was the perfect stage to reveal an ambitious future blueprint, including a £1bn expansion plan to produce fifteen new models and derivatives over six years, and to boost annual sales from 1600 to 5000 cars, half of which will be propelled by sustainable hybrid technology. It certainly had the show talking.

The story of McLaren Automotive is a compelling one. Its racing heritage may date back to the 1960s, yet the road car making arm in its contemporary form is only six years old. It’s hard not to fall for the marque’s premise – the creation of niche road friendly racing cars employing some of the most advanced technology on the planet from its F1 arm. What’s more, this isn’t some giant global corporation, but a privately owned small firm operating from the slick Foster-designed factory in Surrey.

Aston Martin showed the much-anticipated DB11, a car that follows the DB9 path and promises to be the most customised Aston built where even the roof colour is up for personalisation. The marque also used the occasion to reveal its new partnership with Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille for the creation of a collection of exclusive watches featuring the famed brand wings. Power and performance was also the theme at the Jaguar stand, where the firm debuted the 200mph F-Type SVR.

Elsewhere, Bugatti took the wraps off its most exclusive and powerful car, the Chiron, a €2.4m, 1500bhp GT that replaces the Veyron. Here too, form follows performance, as director of design Achim Anscheidt says, ‘it allows us to explain and orchestrate everything in an authentic way.’

There were a few alluring carbon-free proposals worth mentioning, led by the Pininfarina H2 Speed, the world’s first high-performance hydrogen car. GTZero by Italdesign is an all-electric shooting-brake study – the sleek, low profile explores the classic sports car vernacular for the sustainable era. And the DS E-Tense is a 400bhp electric GT concept debuting a supercar for the ambitious Citroën luxury sub-brand.

Lastly, Rolls-Royce showed the Wraith and Ghost as Black Badge editions. These small batch cars are aimed squarely at the new younger Rolls customer. Company chief Torsten Müller-Ötvös is calling the cars ‘the alter ego of Rolls-Royce; darker, more assertive more confident and powerful, and more demanding’.

Click through above to discover Wallpaper’s pick of the show’s top concept and production cars...

Apollo Arrow: The hypercar is all about power and performance, and only 100 cars are planned. The design, we are told, is shark-inspired and the body based on a lightweight and tough carbon monocroque. The Arrow is a fast car powered by a modified Audi-sourced 4.0-litre V8, with two turbochargers mounted on top. It is capable of developing some 1000bhp, will sprint from 0-62 in under 2.9 seconds and has a top speed of 220mph. Closely based on the Gumpert Apollo, the Arrow is the first product from Apollo Automobil – the Chinese owned marque that helped revive the bankrupt Gumpert

Arash AF10: The latest car from Arash Farboud, the UK-based supercar maker, is an evolution of the 2009 AF10, now with a hybrid drive system promising some 2080bhp. The AF10 has what the firm calls five ‘warp drive units’ - four electric motors and the V8 - each with its own gearbox. Orders open, from £1.2m for the hybrid and £350,000 for V8

Aston Martin DB11: Replacing the DB9 is the DB11, and almost all of what you see here is new. The graphics are harmonious, and surfaces are kept pure - no line feels forced for an overall relaxed sensory experience. Design director Marek Reichman says they started with a blank piece of paper whilst respecting DB’s rich heritage. ‘It has a great lineage and we expressed the spirit of these cars. The DB11 though has its own proportions that are modern and relevant and will remain beautiful for the next 25 years. Aston Martin cars transcend fashion and have to remain timeless in their proportions.’

Aston Martin DB11:  The DB11 is the most customisable Aston Martin; even the roof colour can be specified. The bonnet is a single-piece aluminium clamshell, which can absorb impacts for improved pedestrian safety, and aesthetically it helps reduce the number of shut lines on the body. The grille now stretches the width of the front framed by the marque’s new LEDs, and clever aero features include the ‘curlicue’ on the wing that releases high-pressure air from the wheel-arch and directs it down the side of the car. 

This powerful and efficient DB has a new 600bhp twin-turbo V12, and a revised stiffer body structure. It is also Aston’s most connected car benefiting from the technology joint venture with Mercedes-Benz. 

‘The DBs are grand touring cars,’ offers Reichman, ‘sports cars that are developed and designed to be driven for longer distances offering more comfort, more relaxation but still being able to enjoy the sporting nature of our cars.’ Orders open, from £154,900

Audi Q2: The production Q2 is the fourth and smallest member of the marque’s crossover family. The dynamic design and colourful trim options are based on the Crosslane Coupé concept first revealed in Paris four years ago. On sale July 2016, from £22,000

Bugatti Chiron: Replacing the Veyron is this GT, the most exclusive – only 500 will be made - and powerful Bugatti production car ever built. The 8.0-litre W16 powerplant boasts four new and larger turbochargers delivering some 1500bhp and 1600Nm, and promising top speeds of 420km/h.

Bugatti Chiron: Achim Anscheidt, director of design Bugatti, explains that everything we see follows closely the marque’s principal of form follows performance. The C-shape, he notes, ‘may look like a styling element, and you can be very romantic and see a resemblance to the Bugatti signature line or even to Louis Chiron’s signature but no.’ He explains: ‘It is a performance element of how to get more air in and out of the engine compartment. Performance for our cars mainly means getting rid of the heat from the front brakes or the rear engine compartment.’

Citroën DS E-Tense: The latest concept to join the more up-market Citroën sub-brand DS is a high-performance 400bhp electric GT coupé, the first supercar in the brand. Jewellery and intricate watches informed the exterior design with its abundance of LEDs. Inspired by the evocative 1955 DS, the indicators are integrated into the roof. A digital rear view tech in the cabin replaced a physical rear windscreen. It took some 800 hours to design and build the interior with a sculpted steel dashboard and what Citroen is calling ‘watchstrap’ seat design. This is fast car, capable of 0-62mph in just 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 155mph, as well as promising a range of 193 miles

Ferrari GTC4Lusso: The FF has been given a facelift and a new name – the ‘4’ referencing the number of seats inside the latest Ferrari. The marque cites the 330 GTC, 330 GT and 250 Berlinetta Lusso as styling inspiration here. Of particular interest are the four round tail-lights, and the front grille and air vents certainly draw on the mid 60s 330 GTC. Alongside the roof-mounted rear spoiler and new diffuser, they also help with the overall aerodynamic performance of the car - this powerful shooting-brake packs some 680bhp. Orders open, from £226,000

Italdesign GTZero: The all-electric concept’s sleek and low profile explores the classic sports car shape in the sustainable era. It takes inspiration from Italdesign’s heritage, the body is made of composite light materials a modular monocoque carbon and aluminium frame with integrated batteries forms the skeleton. The clever architecture has allowed for a spacious cabin and two luggage compartments at the front and rear. Inside is minimalist in design - there are no buttons, bar the parking brake, with the controls delegated to the touch screen

Jaguar F-Type SVR: The 200mph F-Type is the first Jaguar from the marque’s Special Vehicle Operations department dedicated to creating unique limited high-performance variations. Tweaks are performance focused here, with an uprated suspension, titanium exhaust and ceramic brakes, and the 567bhp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is 25bhp more powerful than the R. Orders open, from £110,000 coupé or £115,485 convertible

Lamborghini Centenario: This exclusive hypercar is based on the Aventador and celebrates the centenary of its founder Ferruccio Lamborghini. Even by Lamborghini standards this is a hugely flamboyant design, with a bespoke carbon body encasing a 760bhp V12. Orders open, from £1.6m

Maserati Levante: Making its world debut is the production car SUV with an unmistakable Italian flair expected from this extrovert marque. The larger Maserati grille dominates the face framed by slim headlights, and the rear has a roof spoiler, sporty bumper and steep windscreen. The cabin can be specified with silk made with Zegna wool mill and the marque’s latest 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system features for the first time on the Levante. On sale summer 2016, from £54,000

McLaren Automotive 570GT: McLaren unveiled the latest 570 GT at Geneva, positioned as the most practical of its cars for its luggage space and more comfortable suspension. ‘Now that we have the three lines (Sport, Super and Ultimate), it is time to establish the brand, work on credibility for people to see that we are making believable, exciting cars,’ design director Frank Stephenson confirmed at Geneva. ‘We started quietly but if you saw what’s coming you’d see we’re really moving on. Now we have the license to push further.’

McLaren Automotive 570GT: This car is meant for long distance, relaxed driving so it has been given a more comfortable suspension. The frame is a stiff, light carbon structure and the roof and rear are completely new. The GT has a pure relationship with design - a philosophy Frank Stephenson confirms remains central to the marque. ‘Everything we do has to be functional,’ says the design director, ‘although initially I thought the position was a joke,’ he adds, ‘how can you put something on top of the hot engine? The 570S is like Swiss cheese - it has holes everywhere to let the engine heat out. This car has the same engine so what we did was to suck the heat out from underneath the car, and through the lamps,’ he says smiling, ‘this has never been done before.’

Morgan EV3: The electric 3 Wheeler sports car is now offered in a new electric version. This 500kg sports car keeps its weight low thanks to a small 20kWh battery pack which still manages 150 miles on a single charge and promises the raw driving experience at the heart of the marque. Production starts winter 2016

Pininfarina H2 Speed: Pininfarina says its latest conceptual study is ‘halfway between a competition prototype and a production supercar’. This is world’s first high-performance hydrogen car, which took two years to develop alongside GreenGT who specialise in sustainable engines. Top speed is said to be some 186mph and 0-62mph can be achieved in 3.4 seconds. Inspired by racing cars, the design focuses primarily on aerodynamic efficiency. The H2 also promises a very unique sound – the compressor technology offers a silent drive with what the marque is calling a ‘futuristic whistle’

Rinspeed Σtos: Making its European debut at Geneva, Σtos is wild hybrid autonomous vehicle featuring its very own drone. The Swiss think tank and mobility lab based its concept around the BMW i8 carbon fibre and aluminium skeleton. Here eight high-definition exterior cameras monitor all external activity and automatically communicate with the city around, buildings and other vehicles. There is also a drone sidekick that docks with car and is designed to carry out daily errands

Rolls-Royce Black Badge: It reputably took four years to create the alloys with their unique and light carbon-fibre material that boasts some 22 layers of the material. Finally hand-polished paint creates a much deeper, and intense body colour than the main production cars.

Rolls-Royce Black Badge: The new Black Badge edition is aimed squarely at a younger Rolls-Royce customer and is offered only on the Wraith and Ghost, models that are more likely to be driven by their owners, rather than a chauffeur.

The Black Badge editions come in strictly limited numbers. The treatment is very much a customisation option with a black veil seeping through the grille and metaphorically engulfing the car. The colour scheme is inverted on the badge with silver letters on a black background, and the Spirit of Ecstasy changes from chrome to what the marque is referencing ‘high-gloss dark vamp’.

Toyota C-HR: The C-HR is the production version of the compact crossover fusing coupé and SUV styling, now offered with an efficient hybrid drivetrain. It stays close to the original concept and is built on the same platform as the Prius benefiting from much of the original hybrid’s technological know-how powered by the marque’s latest 1.8-litre hybrid system that promises to emit an industry-leading sub 90g/km of C02. On sale summer 2016 

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Geneva Motor Show website

It's good to know that the fascination with finding new ways to tell the time is not a wrist-focused pursuit. And our friends at Geneva's MAD Gallery, dedicated to all things mechanical, are just the people to underline the point. Frank Buchwald's Nixie Machine, currently on show there, is so nicely considered as to remind us that the display clock is not yet relegated to a bygone era - even if it is inspired by one.

Of course, you can still pick up Nixie bulb clock designs, but Buchwald's look different. They are different: the Nixie Machine's hours, minutes and seconds indicators are beguiling because of their particularly authentic glow - achieved using original, preserved Z568M Nixie tubes manufactured by RFT in Communist East Germany during the 1960s.

Buchwald, a German artist and former science-fiction illustrator, branched into interior and furniture design and is known for his Machine Lights, a series of handcrafted steel and brass lighting with an old-school industrial bent.

'The way I have combined a metal and a luminous element here is not dissimilar to my Machine Lights,' says the designer. 'But this time, there was a numerical aspect to my creation - a clock. When you grapple with numbers - sequence them, order them - you soon end up working with a numerical philosophy, and I found this fascinating, so the six Nixie tubes needed to take centre stage.'

First popular in the 1950s, Nixie tubes, connected via electronic circuitry, used 'glow discharge' to present figures and were seen as the perfect indicators for multi-digit displays on computers, counters and clocks. Now, they are hugely collectable and it was MB&F friend and Nixie clock aficionado Alberto Schileo who, having sourced the tubes - tucked away in a sealed Bulgarian army depot - approached Buchwald with an idea.

'I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire such beautiful "new-old stock",' Schileo recalls, 'so I started thinking about a high-end Nixie clock and Frank's work immediately came to mind.' Schileo then collaborated with Buchwald, creating the electronic circuit board that enables the Nixie Machine's six-digit display.

The clocks - just 12 have been made - are undoubtedly nice on the eye but Buchwald's process, particularly his pen-and-marker technical drawings, add a heartfelt quality: 'I am passionate about sketching because it helps me find the essence of a new object,' he says. A prototype follows which, in the case of the Nixie Machine, took a year to complete.  The finished Nixie Machines are made up of 350 handcrafted pieces, created by Buchwald from bars and blocks of raw metal, and, of course, six authentically robust tubes.

'The way I have combined a metal and a luminous element here is not dissimilar to my Machine Lights,' says the designer. 'But this time, there was a numerical aspect to my creation - a clock. When you grapple with numbers - sequence them, order them - you soon end up working with a numerical philosophy, and I found this fascinating, so the six Nixie tubes needed to take centre stage'

First popular in the 1950s, Nixie tubes, connected via electronic circuitry, used 'glow discharge' to present figures and were seen as the perfect indicators for multi-digit displays on computers, counters and clocks. Now, they are hugely collectable and it was MB&F friend and Nixie clock aficionado Alberto Schileo who, having sourced the tubes - tucked away in a sealed Bulgarian army depot - approached Buchwald with an idea

The 610-horsepower V10 engine propels the Lamborghini Huracán to a pretty impressive 202mph. The chassis is an integrated structure of carbon and aluminium. It replaces the 10-year old Gallardo, the best-selling car in the company's history. Over 1000 orders have already been placed for the £188,000 supercar, with first deliveries due later in the year

It was always going to be a tough call designing the new TT - the car found almost cult status when first introduced in 1998. The original model was more product design than automotive styling. This third generation car is now longer and wider to appear sportier; it is exquisite in its execution, the all-aluminium body is impressively sculpted. Yet the fresh approach of the original model has been diluted as the TT moves towards being more car-like, and more Audi. It is inside where the team have excelled. The interior is tech-savvy without being overdone. The dash is completely clutter-free, with all the display functions shown on the main facia, eliminating the need for a central screen.

Audi also showed the Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept, a meaner-looking preview of the incoming range-topping RS.

Q by Aston Martin is a new highly personalised service that offers clients an almost open discourse on their future car. The idea is to encourage customers to personalise their cars with colour and trim specifications as well as accessories, which the marque will create in conjunction with its chosen suppliers. Very special clients can specify certain body shapes too, as long as the request isn't too outlandish and is still in keeping with the brand, as design director Marek Reichman explained while he showed us the Q by Aston Martin V12 Vantage S and Vanquish Volante

Celebrating ten years of AM's iconic GT, the Carbon Black edition is billed as the ultimate DB9. Lightly fettled with the addition of some tastefully placed carbon fibre, the DB9's lines are still unbeatable.

The open-topped sibling to the ground-breaking new 4C, the Spider resurrects one of the all-time classic Alfa names. There's not a lot of roof to chop and this design study (production is expected in 2015) illustrated a small canvas section slotting over a targa-style body

The new Continental GT Speed is now the fastest Bentley ever with a top speed of 206mph for the Coupé and 203mph for the Convertible. Power from the twin turbo 6.0-litre W12 engine is now 626bhp

The 2 Series Active Tourer is BMW's take on a small MPV, a cleverly petite yet versatile package with neat touches like a concealed compartment below the boot floor to store valuables. Spacious and stylish, it's also the company's first front-drive car and will be powered by an efficient three-cylinder engine

Citroën has utilised a mix of plastics and aluminium to reduce the C4 by 200kg making the C4 Cactus production car the most efficient diesel version with a remarkable 82g/km. It features air-filled panels called Airbump that protect the bodywork from low speed scrapes. The Cactus Aventure prototype is an off-road interpretation

The letter 'T' stands for the turbo engine that replaces the naturally aspirated V8 unit in the current California. The 3.8-litre V8 develops 560-horsepower, sprints to 62mph in 3.6sec, tops out at 196mph and will retail around £200,000 when it hits showrooms in 2015. The restyled bodywork is a huge improvement over the original car, and tech has been updated as well; the integrated Apple CarPlay provides iPhone users with an intuitive way to make calls, use maps, listen to music, and access messages with voice command or by touch

The Hyundai Intrado concept interprets the Korean company's new design language. It is built around a lightweight structure made from a mixture of advanced materials and features Hyundai's next-generation small and light hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain

Italdesign Giugiaro's Clipper concept is an electric MPV of sorts, with three rows that seat six passengers. It features quite a unique door design with butterfly doors at the front and gullwings at the rear so the entire cabin is visible when the doors are open. Inside, the displays are all digital, showing different images to the driver and passenger. It includes four iPad Minis integrated into the seats and artificial suede developed with Alcantara

The Renegade is a lightweight baby Jeep that promises impressive off-road capabilities. Essentially a re-bodied Fiat 500X, it not only shows the future of platform sharing between these two brands but demonstrates how even car makers known for big machines are having to downsize their offerings

Billed as the fastest car in the world, the Koenigsegg One: 1 gets its name from its power to weight ratio. The Swedish firm says its latest hypercar has 1,340-horsepower and can reach a top speed in excess of 270mph. Records have not yet been set

Designed in-house to celebrate the 100th anniversary, the Maserati Alfieri showcases the marque's new design language and points to the upcoming GranTurismo. With a long low nose, cab back stance and elegant lines, the Alfieri was inspired by the A6 GCS-53, designed in 1954 by Pininfarina. The Alfieri features a new vertically divided grille design with integrated narrow headlights and was a major highlight for motoring aesthetes

The 650S is the latest supercar to be born out of McLaren's automotive arm. The £195,000 Coupé and Spider models are positioned between the entry-level 12C and the completely sold out £860,000 P1 hypercar. Much like the P1, design director Frank Stephenson has injected a great deal of exterior and interior drama to express the car's high performance. McLaren figures say the top speed on the Coupé is 207mph with 0-62mph in just 3.0 seconds - a second faster than the McLaren F1. Drivers can choose between normal, sport and track suspension settings for the 650-horsepower model

On sale by the end of this year, the new Mercedes S-Class Coupé is soft and sophisticated on the outside, the interior a portrayal of uncomplicated luxury with two touchscreens for driving functions and another for everything else. You can opt for a Magic Ride Control system that has a road scanner function using stereo camera mounted within the windscreen to digitally scan the road surface and automatically lean into corners to improve stability and comfort

Opel/Vauxhall is building on the popularity of its sub-brand Adam with two new derivatives. The Adam family attracts 50 per cent new buyers to the brand, 70 per cent of which are young and female. Geneva saw the reveal of Adam Rocks, featuring a retracting canvas top that opens up three-quarters of the roof to help with rear-view vision.

The Adam S Concept offers something in the region of 30,000 colour and trim options for a highly personalised small affordable city car, this time with a greater focus on performance and handling.

Small car fans got a boost with the debut of the latest version of the Peugeot-Citroen-Toyota partnership, resulting in the Citroen C1, Toyota Aygo and Peugeot 108. All share a common platform but the individual designs are now far more distinctive. The 108 wins the beauty prize, although the two-tone hues of the show car were a little garish. Small engines, small footprints and ultra-high economy should make for a satisfying urban runaround

The newly formed Qoros Automotive introduces a second model to join its saloon. The 3 Hatchback is based on the same modular platform and is designed to appeal to younger buyers. Qoros is an Israeli-Chinese partnership, the sort of industrial co-venture that would have been impossible to predict barely a decade ago

Old school conceptual heroics from battery builders nanoFLOWCELL, using not only a new form of battery technology, but also swoopy bodywork, mighty gullwing doors and lofty promises about class-leading range and performance. The Quant promises the world, but the delivery date is still unsurprisingly vague

Another small car success story, the latest Twingo breaks the mould by placing the engine at the rear, driving the rear wheels. Keen drivers are already salivating at the prospect of a highly tuned version, while the rest of us admire the new Twingo's neat proportions and compact stance. City cars just got a whole lot more interesting

Rinspeed's XchangE is a self-driving electric car modelled on the Tesla Model S, the result of Frank Rinderknecht's annual conceptual exploration of the future of motoring. The XchangE's redesigned cockpit includes a pair of adjustable front seats that can tilt, swivel and recline, while the drive-by-wire steering wheel slides out of the way when not in use, all anticipating a future where driving is taken care of by the car, leaving passengers to amuse themselves in other ways

Rolls Royce displayed Ghost Series II at Geneva, a substantial revision of their 'smaller' and more driver-focused luxury car. Though not a revolutionary departure from the outgoing model, certainly in design terms, Ghost II showcases the marque's new headlight design and colour scheme and features a major upgrade to the in-car technology, improving connectivity and intelligence

This is the third of a trilogy of concept cars developed to illustrate the new design language and the flexibility of Volvo's new architecture to underpin an entire range. The Concept Estate follows the Concept Coupé unveiled at Frankfurt last September. There are no production plans but the design will heavily influence the next XC90, from the elegant proportions down to the beautifully detailed interior, with fabric inspired by classic Volvo interiors of the past and a substantial touch-screen interface

The display of tailored luxurious automobiles, horsepower-heavy sports cars, tech-savvy mainstream vehicles and thoughtful budget run-arounds at the 84th International Geneva Motor Show reveals the complexity of the car industry.

This is a business that is increasingly under pressure to perform, to keep up with technology and to provide for a demanding global market. Economic uncertainty in Europe and elsewhere has had a significant impact - though with the first signs of growth here, things appear to be on the up and the Geneva Motor Show certainly exhibits a dose of optimism.

See our edit of the standout cars from the Geneva Motor Show gallery

In comparison to Frankfurt, Paris and Detroit, Geneva is a more pleasant show to navigate. The smaller halls dictate more modest pavilions as well as a more democratic integration of brands. So superpowers like the Volkswagen Group shared their space with the design firm Pininfarina, and Rolls Royce was forced to sit face-to-face with the brash tuning house Mansory. Whether positive or not, it certainly creates engaging dialogue.

The Lamborghini Huracán was unsurprisingly a genuine showpiece. This is a seriously handsome car, even more so in the flesh. One of the show's first debuts, it stood head-to-head with a wave of exclusive fast cars, including the heavily revised Ferrari California T, McLaren 650S and Bugatti's 2.18 million-euro Rembrandt edition.

The third-generation Audi TT was one of the most anticipated show cars and also polarised the critics. The original TT, with its unique exterior, almost became its own sub-brand within Audi. The latest car, though without question supremely executed - the sharpness, the precision on the all-aluminium body itself is to be commanded - feels more car-like, less like product design and much more in keeping with the ever-expanding Audi family.

Elsewhere, Maserati created a similar stir. Celebrating its centenary this year, the marque is in the midst of an impressive expansion programme that includes the Ghibli production car, the SUV concept we saw in Detroit and this latest Alfieri, in our opinion a stunning design inspired by one of Maserati's most evocative cars of all time, the A6 GCS-53.

Less controversial, though no less impressive, is the S-Class Coupé. Mercedes-Benz's flagship car is softly spoken and sophisticated on the outside, the interior a portrayal of uncomplicated luxury. It is a welcoming departure from the more brash design language of late and nods to a fresh direction for the marque.

Jaguar teased with a brief glimpse of the aluminium-bodied XE small sports saloon on the eve of the show, though the car never made it to Geneva, presumably saved to wow on a more exclusive occasion. This sub £30,000 car is a hugely important car for the marque that seems to do no wrong, and is expected to perform the same economic miracle as the Evoque did for sister brand Land Rover.

Another fresh approach came via Volvo. Concept Estate is the last of a trilogy of cars penned by the new design director Thomas Ingenlath that reveals a stronger visual identity for a marque that hasn't quite found its feet under its new Chinese owners. The new modular platform promises great things and it's also satisfying to see Volvo return to what it does best - estates.

BMW's 2 Series Active Tourer reveals the incredible diversity of the marque, determined to enter every conceivable sector and creating plenty of new ones on route. The Active Tourer is a departure for a company famed for its driving machines, yet the inspired package will no doubt attract even more customers to the brand.

A handful of interesting, more affordable cars also caught our eyes. The Citroën C4 Cactus, among other imaginative qualities, features air-filled panels that protect the bodywork from low speed scrapes. Opel/Vauxhall's Adam Rocks has a fun retracting canvas roof, and Adam S offers something in the region of 30,000 colour and trim options for a highly personalised small car destined for the masses.

Every little boy's dream? Perhaps. But these scrupulously photographed explosions are not at all what they seem. Fabian Oefner, the Swiss photographer acclaimed for capturing unseen micro-seconds in time, has swerved in another direction for these most recent snapshots, on show until May 2014 at Mechanical Art Devices (MAD) in Geneva.

Breaking down his subjects to their individual components, Oefner has manufactured moments of trompe l'oeil by capturing each individual piece separately, then assembling them in 'spontaneous' form. It takes him weeks to achieve each instant on film. Says the artist: 'These are possibly the slowest high-speed images ever captured.'

For his 'Disintegrating' series, Oefner deconstructed model roadsters like a mechanic. The process was 'like peeling an onion,' he says. Then he dangled each screw and panel with needles and wire - more than a thousand in all - for a portrait. In postproduction he superimposed each shot to form the final explosive scene. The 'victims', a 1954 Mercedes 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé, a 1961 Jaguar E-Type and a 1967 Ferrari 330 P4, retain a remarkable grace under fire.

Meanwhile, with 'Hatch', Oefner's follow-up sequence, the artist has machinated the 'birth' of a model 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO from a gypsum shell, like a chick in the nest. This time he smashed the shell and used a microphone to send a signal to his Hasselblad H4D, which captured each reverberating shard.

He repeated the action with dozens of models until the hatching appeared as lifelike as possible. What was in fact painstaking ultimately appears as an impulsive detonation, a mere push of a button by a mischievous child.

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To the casual observer, the 83rd International Geneva Motor Show was all about the showdown between supercar makers, a high noon face-off played out with vast engines, yards of rippling carbon fibre and every technological trick in the book. With international debuts from McLaren, Ferrari and Lamborghini, each vying to outdo the other in terms of sheer outlandish techno-brilliance, the rest of the industry had to take something of a back seat.

As a result, outright innovation was thin on the ground, especially galling at a time of sluggish sales, lost jobs, factory closures and general industry gloom. The job of a motor show is to banish the vicissitudes of everyday life and project a shiny, happy image of progress, brilliance and buoyant optimism. To that end, most manufacturers succeeded, even if excitement was a little thin on the ground.

The luxury sector is still buoyant, and Geneva is a traditional showcase for the more esoteric manufacturers and tuning houses, hell-bent on upping the power output and visual appearance of the major car-makers with exotic limited editions - Startech, Techart, Carlsson, Mansory, AC Schnitzer, Kahn and Hamann were all there demonstrating varying degrees of tastelessness. There was also a raft of boutique sports car and SUV builders on show, all clamouring for a small but lucrative market driven by money from China and the Middle East.

The vaguely patrician attitude that Europe is still the design centre of the world is starting to topple. Geneva saw the world debut of Qoros Auto, an entirely new Chinese brand set to take on the European mass market, with no care whatsoever for the absence of heritage or brand longevity.

So high end or low: take your pick. The ultra cheap car isn't going to go away and burgeoning markets like India, China and South Africa take millions more budget vehicles than they do luxury steeds, even if the latter garner all the attention. We can only hope that the same levels of ingenuity and expertise are applied to making world cars for the masses.  

Electric propulsion is slowly seeping into the mainstream, even if sales still aren't where they should be. The focus has shifted to tricks and gadgets, such as in-car internet, which appeared to finally come of age. Bentley's app-enabled Flying Spur, which allows owners to control satnav, temperature and other rear seat amenities from their smartphones, was countered by Ferrari's newly Siri-integrated FF model, complete with integral iPad minis. Ford, Peugeot and Vauxhall all offered internet on the move and better integration for smartphones, Siri and - in the case of Volvo - with Spotify.

Click through the gallery to see our selection of cars and concepts from the 2013 show.

Bentley Flying Spur: The new-generation Flying Spur is a handsome beast, a drastic improvement on its predecessor. Set apart visually and psychologically from the Continental GT Coupe, the Flying Spur is going for all-out luxury, with a sophisticated in-car internet set-up and the traditional lashings of leather and wood

Mclaren P1: Just 375 McLaren P1s will be made, at £866k each. Hybrid powered, carbon built, the P1 goes head to head with a new offering from Ferrari. It has the kind of deeply-sculpted, vented and curvaceous aero bodywork needed to keep this kind of car on the straight and level at such colossal speeds. But we can't help but feel that the P1 - like the Lamborghini Veneno and the LaFerrari - loses in elegance what it gains in performance

Morgan Plus 2: The prize for most tasteful show stand goes to boutique British car-builder Morgan. Dove-grey bodywork, tan leather, timeless lines and the welcome addition of a bespoke Morgan bicycle mounted on the rear... motoring doesn't get more evocative than this

Lamborghini Veneno: Lamborghini will make precisely three Venenos - all pre-sold to customers who presumably consider the McLaren and Ferrari to be rather common. Charitably described as 'striking', the Veneno appears to have fallen out of a billionaire's packet of top trumps: £3m each, outlandish performance and even more extraordinary in appearance

Ferrari LaFerrari: The name isn't exactly user friendly, but Ferrari managed to pull off a good, old-fashioned exclusive with their world reveal at Geneva, generating huge media interest. Like the McLaren, the LaFerrari is hybrid powered and strictly limited (to 499). Intended as a successor to the legendary Enzo, the LaFerrari will help maintain the stiff rivalry between supercar-makers

Rolls-Royce Wraith: A self-conscious step back from the vulgar power squabbles of the supercar makers, the Wraith is still the most powerful and sporty Rolls-Royce ever built. To our eyes it looks the part, although the Deco-esque sweep of that long fastback body isn't to everyone's taste. No one buys a Rolls to make a subtle statement, though, and the Wraith is cinematic in its styling. From £215,000

Spyker B6 Venator: Few companies can pull off lurid combinations of signature design and fancy materials without descending into outright kitsch. Spkyer have always been more adept than most at balancing rich tastes with fine design, and the new B6 carries on that tradition

Alfa Romeo 4C: The 4C has been long-awaited - a cute mid-engined two-seater drafted to be the saviour of the troubled Italian marque. Designed to compete with the likes of Porsche's Cayman S, the production-ready 4C inexplicably ditched its elegant headlights in favour of some awkward plastic units that don't help the car's looks. Still an exciting prospect, nevertheless

Aston Martin Rapide S: Aston has updated their elegant Rapide, re-working the grille and upping the power output of this fabulous four-door

Porsche GT3: The flagship 911, the latest GT3 is verging on the cartoonish, such are the bumps and lumps of its bolstered bodywork. Set next to its new Italian rivals it is almost invisible, making it still the subtlest supercar on the market

Volkswagen XL1: One of the undeniable stars of the show, the XL1 is production-ready car of the future, an electric two-seater with a clean, teardrop-shaped body shell, carbon-composite construction and a host of other tech firsts. VW will only commit to building 250 - the car's sophistication is such that it'll need specialised servicing - but maybe, just maybe, it's a welcome sign of the shape of things to come

Pininfarina Sergio: One of the most famous design houses of all presented their re-interpretation of the Ferrari 458, an homage to both the prancing horse and the company's founder, Sergio Pininfarina. Decked out in 1970s-era red and gold, the open-topped Sergio is true, old-school Geneva

Bertone Jet 2+2: Bertone's Jet 2 was a one-off shooting brake built around the Vanquish model in 2004. Now the company has given the same treatment to Aston's Rapide, creating the four-door Jet 2+2. Big, bold and handsome, the new car (built for a private collector) was displayed alongside the original

ItalDesign Giugiaro Parcour concept: Now part of the VW Group, the famed design house ItalDesign has had a hand in countless beautiful concepts. We can't help but feel it missed the mark with this year's Parcour concept, a crossover interpretation of an iconically angular 1970s-style supercar. It is vast; imagine an Alfa Montreal on a Land-Rover chassis

Rinspeed microMAX: Going all out in the opposite direction to his peers, Frank Rinderknecht's Rinspeed showed the microMAX, a mobile office on wheels designed with an eye to a future of autonomous swarms of multifunctional vehicles ferrying execs from A to B. In comparison, Franco Sbarro, Switzerland's other maverick car designer, brought out a brace of his greatest hits in lieu of anything new. And the autonomous concept resurfaced on Edag's stand and in AKKA's Ling & go concept

Touring Disco Volante: The first outing for this elegant coupe is a welcome one given the brashness of its near neighbours. Carrozzeria Touring's reworked Alfa is a piece of automotive perfection

Roding Roadster: A neat two-seater courtesy of German boutique builder Roding, BMW-powered and built strictly to order, with high-quality carbon bodywork and interior. In stark contrast is Milan-based Soleil Motors's perverse Anadi. The Anadi is a rebodied last-generation Corvette, given an allegedly luxurious makeover and light restyle. The end result is unimpressive, hamstrung by cheap materials, with clashing colours and an absurdly amateurish brochure

Fornasari Gigi: Another firm with a wilful streak of eccentricity. Fornasari showed their Gigi 311 GT, a retro-styled sportscar with potential. The interior-less concept was flanked by the chunky 99 crossover and the brutal, faceted Hunter, invoking the ghost of the late-lamented Lamborghini LM002 from the 1970s

Exagon Furtive e-GT: The name doesn't inspire, but the Furtive was one of the better realised independent showings at Geneva. A four-seat all-electric sports GT, the Furtive bucks the trend by being attractive, practical and tasteful. We'll follow this firm with interest

Tesla Model X: Still a concept, but very likely to make it to production (maybe with more conventional doors), the Model X is Tesla's crossover. The interior is dominated by a dashboard that is like a super-sized iPad

Subaru Viziv Concept: Gullwing doors also feature on the Viziv, Subaru's attempt to inject a little zest into a relatively lacklustre product range. Expect a production-car version within two years, hopefully building on the success of the company's great BRZ coupe

Mitsubishi CA-Miev Concept: As one of the few mainstream makers of pure EVs, Mitsubishi is a technological leader. The CA-Miev concept triples the range of the current production version and adds wireless charging, paving the way for the next-generation electric car

Mitsubishi GR-HEV Concept: Pick-ups aren't exactly big sellers in Europe, and it's hard to see how an all-electric flatbed will light up America's heartland. Nonetheless, the Japanese company is keen to gauge reaction to such radical ideas

Toyota i-Road Concept: As well as showcasing the forthcoming droptop GT86, Toyota sprung a surprise with this tiny commuter car, the i-Road. A 2+2, the electric three-wheeler has active suspension that lets it lean, motorbike style into the corners

Audi A3 g-tron: We've seen the e-trons, Audi's electric range. Now let's welcome the g-tron, natural gas-powered variants of the company's big sellers. The A3 g-tron promises vast range, low emissions (especially when combined with the company's proposed wind-power synthesised gas) and everyday practicality

BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo: Hatchbacks are back. BMW uses the 'Gran Turismo' name to add exotic spice to the return of this venerable body style. The 3-Series GT is larger and more spacious than its saloon sibling, hopefully finding a home among those who need a little more space

Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG: A high-performance variant of the company's new A-Class hatch, the A45 is a fiery little sportscar made all the more aggressive in this lairy 'Edition 1' trim

Volkswagen Cross-Up!: Our favourite city car gets the butch treatment with add-on bits and raised ride height. No four-wheel drive, sadly, but it still exhibits a Tonka Toy-style solidity

Peugeot 2008: Another crossover hits the market, this time in the burgeoning compact sector. Following on the heels of the elegant 208, the new 2008 has a similarly pleasing shape - no wayward styling or awkward details here. Deserves to do well

Renault Captur: The 2008 will go head to head with the new Captur, Renault's retort and an equally well-sorted design. Both companies are hoping these highly customisable urban SUVs will help turn round their fortunes in the European market

Nissan Resonance Concept: The European debut of this hefty SUV, the Resonance previews the upcoming second-generation Qashqai, the company's mega-seller

Honda Civic Tourer Concept: Yet another thinly veiled production car in concept form, the Civic Tourer Concept epitomises contemporary automotive design: expressive, flowing and a little bit busy

Honda NSX: The Japanese car-maker has been touting its upcoming NSX supercar around the world's autoshows for several years. Anticipation is growing - with no launch date in sight - but the basic building blocks look to be there: elegant, hi-tech and driver-focused

Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell: Another eagerly awaited supercar, the all-electric SLS will be made in strictly limited numbers, with handling and acceleration to rival its petrol-powered sibling

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible: The Corvette is an American icon, and with an all-new model waiting in the wings, Chevrolet chose Geneva to reveal the droptop version

Audi A3

Audi has evolved the design of the compact A3 hatchback to be more in line with its current comprehensive product portfolio. So the exterior features a sharper, more focused front end - incorporating LED daytime running lights - and it retains the car's characteristic thick rear pillar.

'We kept the A3 strong architecture that includes a typical two-box design and a significant bonnet,' explains exterior designer Achim Badstübner. 'The new two-piece tail lamps that features in all Audi cars now gives the A3 a stronger identity in the rear.'

It is inside that the A3 really delivers with the use of soft-touch plastics that almost have a bounce to them and don't seem to leave fingerprint marks, and a slim dashboard. When not in use, the infotainment screen - a touch pad like in the A8 - almost floats above. 'We wanted to bring the upscale technology of the A8 for the A3,' says Badstübner.

On sale: September 2012
Price: Circa £19,000

The car world is a fickle one. For the last couple of years we have been teased with a promise of a future urban setting free of the traditional automobile. We were sold a compelling picture where carbon-free hubs transport us autonomously in this wirelessly connected utopia.

Alas, at this year's Geneva Motor Show there was a conspicuous shortage of such visionary vehicles - a little disappointing given that this is one of the only global car shows where conceptual studies and future thinking are positively encouraged. Instead we were fed a range of pragmatic cars that fit our current (less ideal) urban landscapes, and a host of dreamy sex-fuelled sports cars.

Lamborghini's show car, the Aventador J, is a one-off roadster version of its flagship car, promising 700-horsepower from its 6.5-litre V12 powerhouse. It is undeniably desirable even if to be enjoyed by just one customer (who reportedly bought it for £1.76m). As is Ferrari's F12 Berlinetta, which certainly attracted the most attention at the Geneva Motor Show - the hot red car was barely visible on the stand for the media scrum.

Porsche exhibited the all-new Boxster. Designed to be differentiated from the flagship 911, new doors and subtle tail lamps that integrate into the spoiler succeed in giving this entry-level sports car much more of an individual identity.

On the practical side, Audi and Mercedes-Benz went face-to-face over the small car territory with their respective A3 and A-Class redesigns. In true Audi form, the A3 is chiselled, almost flawless in its execution, if lacking a little in soul. That is not to say it isn't a handsome product and completely right for the marque.

In contrast, the A-Class is bolder - the face exposing an almost jewel-like grille; the sculpture a great deal of surfacing - expressing Daimler's yearning to shed its dated reputation in the design department and jump on the success bandwagon of its German rivals Audi and BMW, who are making relevant cars that resonate with customers all over the world. Whether the A-Class will attract a younger buyer remains to be seen, but it is a vast improvement on its former awkwardly tall predecessor.

With much of Europe in a less than agreeable financial state, carmakers are naturally eyeing up the BRIC markets with hawk-like eyes. It is the needs and wants of Chinese, Indian and increasingly Brazilian customers that is directing what is being designed and engineered in Munich, Stuttgart, Ingolstadt and Coventry.

For example, the main message from Jaguar Land Rover at Geneva was its imminent plans for a joint venture with a Chinese partner, which they have since announced will be Chery. The Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover was on great form at Geneva - oozing confidence and optimism that was far less visible with some of the other car manufacturers. This is unsurprising given JLR's recent growth and hefty profits, all thanks to some intelligent product planning (with six new launches promised this year).

Jaguar has just 1% share of the premium market in China. Adrian Hallmark, global brand director, told Wallpaper*: 'That is 99% of opportunity. Our tailored-for-China approach helped achieve global XJ growth of 45% in 2011.' Jaguar's show offering, the XF Sportbrake, is production ready. Much like the XF, the estate version is elegant and thoughtful, a simple uptake on Jaguar's heritage with a modern edge. Design director Ian Callum mused that estate cars are very much a European preference, bought by younger customers who associate these smaller estates with sporty lifestyles. In this context it is nice to see Jaguar also focusing its attention in Europe and not completely bowing to other markets.

Land Rover's Geneva offering was the Range Rover Evoque convertible concept. Launched last year, the Evoque has been an incredible success story for the company, bringing swathes of new customers to the marque. The intention of the car was to seduce young female buyers and entice customers from markets where the brand is less known. The convertible's design is an acquired taste, but according to LR's head of design Gerry McGovern he will modify it for production depending on the reaction received. There is no doubt that it would attract an even larger audience, even in its current form.

Rather more compelling is the DC100 concept vehicle. Shown for the first time at Geneva's Palexpo halls, this is the marque's vision for a modern Defender - surely one of the most difficult cars to redesign given its almost cult status amongst its loyal customers, ranging from the Queen to the army. The DC100 softens the square edges, adds a little fun to the light graphics yet crucially maintains the utilitarian vernacular of the Defender. However, unlike the Evoque convertible, this car could polarise the more established Land Rover customers.

Motor shows wouldn't quite work without some eye dazzling concept cars from the traditional Italian design studios Bertone, Pininfarina and Italdesign Giugiaro. Of the three Giugiaro is the only one not mired in financial worries - it has sold a majority stake to Volkswagen. The other two historic design houses still have lucrative contracts with other carmakers but once these expire, their debts place them in a fragile situation.

Harsh reality aside, all three carrozeria put on a great show at Geneva, with Pininfarina leading the way with its intelligent Cambiano concept, a seductive three-door saloon-coupe featuring a wood interior crafted from recycled Venetian palinas. Bertone's offering Nuccio is much louder, a little bit of show theatre - the concept is based on the 1970s Lancia Stratos Zero concept.

Finally it was down to Bentley to create a rather big stir at Geneva with its provocative sports-utility proposition. The EXP 9F is an all-wheel drive concept study examining a potential third product to join Mulsanne and Continental. There is certainly economic logic in a Bentley SUV - the customers have asked for it - but perhaps this wasn't the right answer to the question. The somewhat vulgar exterior design, with its massive grille and 23-inch wheels, was a rare disappointment from the marque. Inside, however, the car expressed an entirely different message, with a crisp cabin design hinting at a rather more fun side of the Bentley design team. As for the exterior, new head of design David Hilton did not hide his concerns, reassuring us that 'there is work to be done on the exterior to get it more refined' for the second and final version - possibly - at the Paris Motor Show in September.

Once again, however, the show's biggest draws were hefty luxury cars powered by 12-cylinder engines. Geneva is historically the best auto show for fantasy designs and future speculation, but in recent years it's rather lost its edge to Frankfurt and Tokyo as the place to go for true technological innovation. The 2012 show reinforced that steady shift.

Lamborghini Aventador J

Lamborghini's Aventador J is a two-seater production supercar without a roof or a windscreen - the idea being to have a free-spirited, almost motorbike-like, riding feel. Designed as a one-off for one of the Italian supercar maker's customers, this powerful roadster's 6.5-litre V12 engine promises around 700-horsepower and a top speed of 186mph-plus.

Aventador J's design nods at the forthcoming Lamborghini convertible. It features a new carbon-fibre material called Carbonskin that has special epoxy resins to stabilise the fibres, but keep them soft enough to trim the seats with.
 
On sale: One off sold
Price: £1.76m

Ferrari's F12 Berlinetta

The F12 Berlinetta is the fastest road car Ferrari has produced. Replacing the 599, its 740-horsepower V12 engine sprints to 60mph in just 3.1 second. Weight has been significantly shed and structural rigidity improved with the use of lightweight metal like aluminium, as well as working with technologies from the aeronautics industry.

The sculpture is short and low and highly aerodynamic; the new hood channels air away from the top of the car, thus reducing downforce and drag. All this means fuel consumption has been lowered and CO2 reduced to 350g/km, relatively low for such a super car.

On sale: Early 2013
Price: Circa £250,000

Porsche Boxster

The new Porsche Boxster production car has been redesigned in order to gain its own character rather than play second fiddle to the 911. The new car is longer and wider, but lighter and therefore more economical than the previous model.

It's still recognisably a Boxster, but the headlights are now more vertically stacked, the doors are scalloped to flow into the bigger side intakes, a strong crease runs between the tail lamps and integrates with the pop-up rear spoiler, and every line and angle is just a little bit sharper and more dynamic.

Head of Porsche design Michael Mauer agrees that the main target was to have a bigger differentiation from the 911. 'When the Boxster story started 16 years ago, it was the smaller brother of the 911,' he says, 'and then over the second, and now this generation, it has become more of a car on its own with its character and design features.'

The team worked the proportions so the car would look more adult, or 'more of a serious roadster,' as Mauer puts it. 'The Boxster is the right product to introduce new design elements into the brand as it doesn't have such a long history as the 911. It can be more progressive when it comes to the design approach. The 911 is a different story.'

This is the only mid-engine roadster in this segment, 'so we wanted to emphasise on this layout and make this more visible,' Mauer continues. 'We have this bigger air intake that starts at the front of the door and so it visualises this mid-engine layout.'

The folding fabric roof no longer has a panel to drop behind; instead the roof itself now doubles as the cover when the hood is stowed. The interior is a continuation of new design strategy seen on the 911 with the raising centre console.

On sale: May 2012
Price: From £37,589

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

This is the new A-Class, a completely redesigned entry-level car for Mercedes-Benz. The marque has done away with the awkward one-box mini van architecture of the former model, instead opting for a sportier compact hatch to rival the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series. 'This is a radical change,' admits design director Gorden Wagener.

The design is bold and brave, featuring a great deal of surface movement and sculpting coupled with a rather daring 'diamond grille' design - on the sports version - translated directly from Concept A shown at the Shanghai show last year.

'We tried to maintain the flavour of the original sketch with the narrow greenhouse and wide shoulders that give the car a wider stance,' says the chief designer. 'The surfacing is the interesting side of the car - we created a lot of sculpture to give it sensual surfaces, which is crucial to our design philosophy.'

Crucially the A-Class is the first car in its class to be iPhone compatible - you can slot your smartphone in and connect your personal, work and mobile life seamlessly on the flat screen free floating screen. 'So this car is on-line all the time,' says Wagener. 'It's an iPhone on wheels.'

On sale: December 2012
Price: Not confirmed

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

BMW is expanding the 6 Series range to three models with the introduction of the 6 Series Gran Coupe, the marque's first four-door coupe.

On sale: June 2012
Price: From £61,380

Range Rover Evoque Convertible

Land Rover has taken the roof off the Range Rover Evoque. Only a concept car at this stage, the Evoque convertible has been created to test press and public opinion. If feedback is positive, Land Rover will build a car based on this prototype.

Wallpaper* caught up with Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern at the Geneva Motor Show:
'This is a natural progression for Evoque,' he says, admitting that there is still some refinement to be done. 'I would look to simplifying it a little. This feature line that is there for the hood mechanism, I'd like to see that hidden, more integrated. It will take some clever packaging but we can do that.'

Range Rover doesn't have a convertible option. There is open-top driving in Land Rovers but as McGovern notes, it is more in a functional sense. 'This is not an ordinary convertible, it is a 4x4 for a start, it is also a Range Rover, so a luxury vehicle.'

Land Rover is in the process of designing a whole new generation of vehicles and this includes replacing the ones that are at the end of their cycles. 'We are looking at where there are opportunities, like with the Evoque, to stretch the brand.'

Land Rover DC100 Defender Concept

The Defender is arguably Land Rover's most iconic model. This is a real-life off-roader and its design to date has heavily reflected the car's functionality. Yet the marque feels that the model needs a makeover to bring it in line with the other cars in the family. Besides, the Defender needs to adhere to stringent safety regulations.

Redesigning the Defender, though, is complicated - its owners have a very specific idea of what this car should look like and may not necessarily embrace change. 'We haven't done a Defender for 60 years, so why on earth would we try to replicate a vehicle that looks 60 years old,' says Gerry McGovern. 'The traditionalists would say we've gone far too far but the manufacturing techniques for creating this vehicle are outmoded and it is not a modern package so it is not legal in certain markets.'

McGovern admits that the Defender's looks are a pure consequence of manufacturing and tooling at the time. 'The world has moved on,' he says adding: 'Our design DNA is simple but to develop a modern day version is very complex.'

The inside utilises durable, functional material - you can literally hose it out. It has floating seats and a centre foldable one for the dog. 'This vehicle has to be very capable - you can kick the hell out of it and it'll get up for more,' says McGovern. 'There is still more work to be done and on this particular design we will look at alternatives but the essence of what we have here is the right positioning to start.'

Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Jaguar returns to the estate segment with the XF Sportbrake - its first estate model since the X-type, which was conceived under Ford ownership and based on the Mondeo platform. Elegant in the metal, the Sportbrake is essentially an elongated XF saloon with a generous 1675l boot.

Wallpaper* caught up with design director Ian Callum at the show who had this to say: 'The main thing for me was not to do something that looked ultra functional and therefore static. As it is a Jaguar, it has to look sporty and more interesting than the average estate.'

The car, which is production ready, features two essential lines. 'One is the roof line and it is great fun having a line of this length, stretching it as far as you can, exaggerating it almost,' says Callum. 'The other is the window graphic that is expressive and gives the whole car a natural visual speed. The roof sweeps towards the back like it is floating in air.'

Estate cars, notes Callum, are cool in Europe; they are about sporty lifestyles and seem to appeal to a younger generation of motorists. 'It is for the active generation.'

On sale: Late 2012
Price: Not confirmed

Bertone Nuccio concept

Nuccio is a mid-engine show car, created to celebrate Bertone's100th anniversary. It is very much a show car in that it is theatrical - its low profile, wedge shape design features some interesting air intakes at the front, the metal bumper strip leading the eye to the Bertone badge.

Pininfarina Cambiano

Cambiano, by Italian design house Pininfarina is a seductive, part-electric design study featuring an unusual asymmetrical door arrangement inspired by founder Pinin Farina's personal car in the 1950s.

Wallpaper* caught up with head of design Fabio Filippini at the show. 'The whole concept for the car is one that is very clean, the car speaks softly and is faithful to Pininfarina's traditional values that include elegance, purity and innovation,' he notes. 'By purity, we are talking not just of the design, but the engine and the use of materials.'

The wood used on the flat interior floor, for instance, is of the briccole, the 12m poles of European oak used to indicate the navigation channels and moorings inside the Venice lagoon. 'We took the discarded material and give it a new life,' Filippini enthuses. 'You get a piece of Venice in your car.' Plus the natural pattern of the wood adds character to the cabin.

Working with Italian producer of solid wood furniture Riva1920, the material was milled digitally, ensuring the natural holes in the wood didn't appear on the edges. 'When you mill it, you discover new holes - it is an old fashioned process but great fun,' says the designer.

The same wood has been used on the finishing of the watch manufactured in limited edition by the Swiss watchmaker Bovet 1822. The one in the car is called Cambian and is designed by Pininfarina so that it can be removed from the dashboard and worn as a wristwatch, or used as a sports timer and even a table clock.

The driver's side is higher tech and driving/driver focused, and the passenger side has two doors that open in accommodating carriage style where the interior materials used are softer, and there is less onboard functionality to clutter up the living space. 'If we adjusted it a little it would be a beautiful Maserati,' Filippini teases.

Italdesign Guigiario Brivido

Brivido is a four-seat gran turismo with a plug-in hybrid powertrain - the green engine promising supercar performance. The supercharged 3-litre V6 engine is capable of 360-horspower, zero to 60mph in 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 171mph.

Bentley EXP 9F concept

Bentley customers want the marque to produce an SUV - this is clear but the EXP 9F concept car at the Geneva show is an early design study to gauge opinion.
 
Based on the more sober Mulsanne, the show car's loud exterior with giant 23-inch wheels is in complete contrast to a very intelligent and fun cabin where the design team lead by Robin Page have teamed chunks of thick tan leather, hand stitched of course, with soft padded leather, floor mats with sheep skin on one side and durable leather on the other, and air vents inspired by the interior of rifles. It is a brilliant, almost ironical, play on old and new.

New head of design, David Hilton, who has only been at the firm for a month, did not hide his concerns for the exterior, reassuring Wallpaper* that there will be significant changes when we get to see the second and final version.

'The design is bold - I'll give you that,' he says, with a smile. 'What we're hearing is that it should be more agile, more SUV in quality and with a little less bling. The size and product positioning will be close. But yes there is work to be done on the exterior to get it more refined.'

Certain elements will remain; for instance the expansive panoramic roof, advanced exterior light design and grille with Hilton noting that this could be executed to be more refined so it wouldn't look so huge. 'My job now is to come up with an individual face for this car that is new to Bentley. This guy is in his teenage phase right now and is trying to find himself. The next one will be a true adult. The next one you see will be the car.'

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse

The 8l, 16-cylinder, 1,200-horsepower Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse supercar is capable of 255mph, making it possibly the world's fastest convertible supercar.

Price: Circa £1.5m

Honda NSX concept

Geneva saw the European debut for the NSX concept that heralds Honda's new supercar. Designed simultaneously at the California and Tokyo studios, this hybrid car has a very Japanese aesthetic. It features a V6 mid-mounted engine and will employ a range of new technologies including the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (as in super handling all wheel drive) hybrid system.

On sale: Next three years
Price: Not confirmed

Infiniti Emerg-e concept

Infiniti completes its trio of conceptual design studies with the Emerg-e at Geneva. It joins 2009 Essence and 2011 Etherea, which together hint at what's ahead for Nissan's premium arm. 'Emerg-e has classic sports car proportions in a compact package that shows our future design direction,' says global design director Shiro Nakamura.

Designed in London at the Nissan Design Europe, Emerg-e represents a new package for Infiniti. It is also a fully engineered prototype, featuring a range-extender drivetrain mounted mid-ship.

'We are looking at how we can apply the Infiniti design vocabulary to this kind of car,' explains Francoise Bancon who leads the advanced design studio. This is a performance car with zero noise: 'It is a combination of an exclusive car that is perfectly quite, with zero emission but having the highest level of performance you would want.'

Nakamura explains that the face is very intense and that the eyes are inspired by Japan. The crescent motif is an Infiniti design feature reminiscent of the neck of the kimono. The air vents on the side are both a stylistic addition and an aero efficient feature.

The cabin has been divided into two distinct areas - Carbon Black leather on the driver and Shark Grey on the passenger side - to visually separate these two areas. With the ignition on, a stream of violet light floods from front to rear into the energy source - the battery pack.

MINI Clubvan Concept

The Clubvan concept takes the Mini family into even broader segments, in this case the compact van for business and leisure

Geneva 2011 saw a mad mix of environmentally responsive vehicle design and downright aggressive macho metal. This, mixed with quite a few heritage cars on show, created an almost surreal atmosphere - perhaps exposing car companies' desperation to prove their multi-faceted credentials. That's not to say the show lacked credible design and innovative design thinking.

Starting with power, Jaguar unveiled the XKR-S, its fastest production sports car to date that promises to be one of the cleanest fast cars around. Design director Ian Callum had this to say: 'This is the cleanest car in its class, producing under 300g/km so it is relatively efficient.'

The XKR-S stood in complete contrast to last year's CX-75 electric concept car. We asked Callum how he explains these two very different propositions: one is finding a contemporary Jaguar aesthetic that is in keeping with zeitgeist and environmental concerns; the other is a showcase for power.

'You're right we have to find a balance,' he answered candidly. 'We are a performance car company so we have to have something up there saying we are capable of doing this,' he continued, adding, 'The challenge in the future is to have a car like this with extremely green credentials. We've developed the technology for the CX-75 and it would be a terrible shame not to build it. In my view it is everything the brand stands for.'

Jaguar also celebrated 50 years of the E-Type on the eve of the show. Earlier that day we were taken to du Parc des Eaux Vives on the edge of the city, the very place where Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons first unveiled the car half a century ago. Here the company had gathered a range of E-Types, coupés and convertibles, from the heritage museum and through private owners, themselves present, their personal narratives lending a human touch as we relived the 1961 test route up a nearby hill climb and by Lake Geneva.

In 1961 the E-Type caused an immediate sensation, with striking design, sporty driving dynamics (it could reach 150mph) and competitive pricing. Enzo Ferrari called it: 'the most beautiful car in the world'. Brigitte Bardot, Tony Curtis and Steve McQueen owned one - and it became the symbol of modernity and the free-spirited 1960s.

Nowadays our priorities have shifted. Speed - in some circles anyhow - is no longer the indicator of modernity, and car designers are almost apologetic about showcasing the power beneath the metal. Or so it would seem.

Back at the show, new launches came thick and fast. Aston Martin unwrapped the cover off the Virage, a V12-engined GT that sits somewhere between the DB9 and DBS; and Lamborghini the Aventador, another cartoon-like supercar to replace the outgoing Murcielago.

Ferrari presented the Pininfarina-designed four-wheel-drive FF GT. Exhibited in red on the Ferrari stand, and in a much more subtle white at Pininfarina, it is an interesting proposition by a marque eager to capitalise on new markets and female buyers.

A notable theme that's been at the forefront of current vehicle design is the search for new vernaculars for the family car, forms that are compact yet also spacious. Volkswagen's Bulli, for instance, is a small modern day 1950s Camper van concept with six seats - aimed at younger buyers who would need to double up their car as a mobile office.

Renault also had some inspired cars on display. The French marque has been rethinking its position under its present design boss, Dutch designer Laurens Van der Acker. He has been pushing for a new design language that highlights the human, more populist Renault heritage with the three concept cars DeZir, R-Space and Captur. Sadly these are predominately conceptual ideas although the firm is committed to applying many of the features, especially from the interior, to its upcoming production cars.

Audi's A3 Saloon concept, on the other hand, is almost production ready. Speaking to us at the show, head of Audi design Stefan Sielaff said: 'We feel a strong renaissance of the original compact, efficient, smaller saloons especially in markets like China and the US where the taste is a little more conservative and so the demand for saloons is quite high.' In typical Audi fashion, the car is meticulously designed and boasts material finishing and an attention to detail rarely found in this category.

The Range Rover Evoque was no doubt the star of the so-called 'soft off-roader' category. Clearly, and unashamedly, aimed at the non off-roader buyer - young, female and design conscious - the Evoque hails a new design direction away from overtly utilitarian one for the brand.

Speaking with Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern at the show, he admitted the car is 'more of a design approach. The vehicle still has the overall integrity and the capabilities, but it is capability that is relevant today,' he said.

'People say you're glamorising the brand and that is probably true but so what,' he continued. 'I wouldn't call it overt bling though. We're making a transition from selling four-by-four vehicles to luxury products.' Incidentally, the Evoque was selected as the best production car of the year by the people's vote at the Car Design of the year that evening.

Not surprisingly, sustainable driving featured high on the list with almost all manufacturers showing both zero-emission production cars and advanced design thinking in this area. Peugeot showed the EX1 electric racecar and Nissan the Esflow - both designed to convey how the electric powertrain can open up so much scope for designers to make sexy cars and supercars.

Head of Nissan Design Europe Victor Nacif told W* that 'the mentality of a sports car is the same as the electric car. The sports car is also about pure efficiency, to get there as quickly as you can and as efficiently as you can. Having an electric engine in there makes sense.'

Peugeot's Gilles Vidal echoed a similar philosophy. Referencing the EX1, a record-breaking two seater electric sports car, he told us that 'the idea is to show that electric driving isn't just for slow city cars. It can be about performance, driving experience and driving pleasure.'

Yet, it was left to BMW to truly make a statement with some real advanced thinking wrapped inside the Vision ConnectedDrive concept. 'This is not conceptual,' Adrian Van Hooydonk told W* as he explained the thinking behind this visionary car, but rather, a bed of ideas that are doable and ones that genuinely push forward driving and mobility in the real world.

'Two years ago we showed Vision EfficientDynamics that was also dealing with a new technology, mainly lightweight. With this car we're showing something that is invisible but is about connectivity,' he said. 'Internet connectivity is all good and well but the deciding factor will now depend on how you deliver this information to the driver and the co-driver.

'Our Megacity Vehicle, out in two years, will be zero emission and will have that kind of connectivity to its immediate environment in the megacity. This car is more for the current city - somewhere like London and Paris,' he concluded.

Alfa Romeo 4C GTA



The Alfa Romeo 4C GTA hints at future design cues for the Italian marque.

www.alfaromeo.com

Alfa Romeo 4C GTA

Aston Martin Virage

The Aston Martin Virage and Virage Volante are powered by the marque's hand-built 6.0 litre V12 engine and combine technology from the DBS with the comfort and refinement of the DB9, to sit somewhere between the two in the sporting GT line-up.

Sale date: May 2011

Price: Circa £150,000

www.astonmartin.com

Aston Martin Virage

Aston Martin Virage

Audi A3 Saloon Concept

The A3 Saloon Concept previews the 2012 A3 production car. The saloon/sedan package is new to the A3 family with Audi design director Stefan Sielaff confirming that it would become a new family member.

'Our marketing experts are convinced this is the right product for China and the US,' he notes. 'In Shanghai, Hong Kong and Beijing people are behaving rather American. You need the prestigious big cars for chauffer-driven activities, but the normal Chinese customer is youthful and they are keen on the new definition of the saloon.'

The concept has four seats, is 4440mm long, 1840mm wide, but just 1390mm high, making it appear dynamic. The short overhang was achieved by minimising certain ingredients to achieve a compact front-end. 'We chopped the roof for the show car and made the sides wider it appears bigger. The production version is much more modest,' admits Sielaff.

The designer says the Audi range needs to find more differentiation between the various models explaining that it is with the interior that the marque intends to achieve this. 'The identity of the individual cars is something we have to massage out and has a lot to do with the interior,' he says candidly. 'You need to immediately know what family member you're sitting in. It is more adventurous in the A1 and then pretty quickly we develop a premium interior with the A3. Bit by bit we tune it up to the A8.'

Audi will show the electric e-tron version of this car at the Shanghai Motor Show next month. Sielaff promises that the e-tron A3 Saloon will be more modest looking to express the electric drive.



www.audi.com

Audi A3 Saloon Concept

Bertone B99

Following the futuristic and aesthetically loud Pandion Alfa Spider concept last year, Italian design consultancy Bertone seemed in a rather more sober mood at the 2011 Geneva Show with the B99 Jaguar compact executive concept. The B stands for Bertone and the 99 represents the years since the founding of the company. The firm has worked with Jaguar in the past, designing the limited edition 1957 XK 150, the 1966 FT concept and the 1967 Ascot. Here design director Mike Robinson is exploring a new form language, attempted to translate the marque's classic style for the future.

www.bertone.com

Bertone B99

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive



Vision ConnectedDrive is the latest advanced design from BMW that seamlessly connects the driver, vehicle and the outside world. This is essentially a test bed of ideas on internet connectivity housed in a two-seater roadster with classic BMW proportions. Sensors in the headlamps and rear lights monitor traffic and antennas receive and transmit data; fibre optic wrap-around lighting inside make a visual differentiation between three areas - safety, convenience and infotainment with lighting red, green and blue to illustrate the flow of information through the vehicle.



BMW Group design director Adrian Van Hooydonk explains the thinking behind this car: 'We are showing how internet connectivity can enhance the driver experience and not take anything away. We're doing this in a very classic concept, a two seater roadster - we like this division of classic concept and modern technology.' Van Hooydonk admits that essentially this is about the user interface. The interior treatment is light and playful, made of layers that wrap around the driver and floating element in the dashboard that hints at the marque's next level of driver orientation.

www.bmw.com

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

Citroën DS4

Citroën's DS4 concept is the second interpretation of the iconic 50s DS car. Design director Thierry Metroz explains that the DS range have to be more expressive than the mainstream models. 'We work like a sculptor, playing around with the surfaces so that it isn't boring and has a three-dimensional effect,' he says. 'It is very important to the DNA of Citroën to first explore a new silhouette and new proportions, then we explore new design and formal language for the body,' explains head of design Thierry Metroz. 'This was the same on the DS3, now the DS4 and will be on the DS5.' According to Metroz the firm is playing around with the satin body colours. Pointing to the purple DS4 on display he says: 'I think it works very well especially the way it contrasts with the shiny chrome elements. We like to follow fashion trends and we would like to work closely with fashion like we did last year with Lacoste.'

www.citroen.com

Ferrari FF

The FF GT features four seats - hence the name, which stands for Ferrari Four - and it features the first four-wheel drive system for the marque. Replacing the 612 Scaglietti, the Pininfarina-designed car aims to attract new customers.

Price: Circa £225,000

Delivery date: TBC

www.ferrari.com

Ferrari FF

Ferrari FF

Infiniti

Infiniti's Etherea concept previews the baby sub-G Infiniti. An extension of the design language introduced on last year's Essence, it shows the Japanese marque's confident design language aimed at Europe.

www.infiniti.com

Infiniti

Jaguar E-Type

Jaguar showcased the classic E-Type in time for the car's 50th birthday. Over 70,000 were sold between 1961 and 1974, and competitively priced around £2000; it was an accessible dream and became one of the symbols of the 60s. 'It is impossible to overstate the impact the E-Type had when it was unveiled in 1961,' says Jaguar design director Ian Callum. 'Here was a car that encapsulated the spirit of the revolutionary era it came to symbolise. 'The E-Type is a design that even today continues to inform the work we do in styling the Jaguars of the future. It is the spirit of the E-Type that I try to capture in our cars and I strongly believe the CX75 has the expression of the E-Type.'



www.jaguar.com

Jaguar E-Type

Jaguar E-Type

Jaguar XKR-S

Jaguar's XKR-S GT is essentially a high-performance XK. It is undeniably powerful: 542bhp and torque swells to 501lb ft, claims to be the fastest production Jaguar sports car, yet boasts one of the cleanest performance figures in its class. Design director Ian Callum explains that a performance car manufacturer like Jaguar has to, in a sense, prove that it is capable of making such cars. 'Last year's CX-75 electric concept car was our attempt at an advanced car to demonstrate you can have the performance and style and almost outrageous supercar design but at the same time have proper green credentials,' he says admitting that if given the green light he would like to produce this car. 'Everything on this XKR-S package stems from the engine, and the package is all driven from that point. The moment you take that away your paradigm is shifted entirely,' he says.

Price: £97,000

Sale date: September 2011

www.jaguar.com

Jaguar XKR-S

Jaguar XKR-S

Ian Callum, Jaguar design director, in the Jaguar XKR-S

Koenigsegg Agera R

The Koenigsegg Agera R is a hypercar, featuring a carbon fibre monocroque. It is capable of accelerating to 62mph is only 2.9 seconds.

www.Koenigsegg.com

Koenigsegg Agera R

Lamborghini Aventador LP-7004

Lamborghini's Aventador LP-7004 is another supercar proposition by the Italian marque that replaces the outgoing Murcielago. The wedged shape car features a carbon fibre chassis.

Sale date: Late summer 2011

Price: Circa £220,000

www.lamborghini.com

Lamborghini Aventador LP-7004

Maserati Grancabrio Sport

The Maserati Grancabrio Sport is a faster version of the 2009 Grancabrio drop-top GT.

Price: TBC

Sale date: October 2011

www.maserati.com

Mazda

Mazda's Minagi is a compact crossover concept that hints at the new CX-5 and is the second concept to come out of the new Shinari design language introduced by design director Ikuo Maeda in 2009. Meaning 'soul of motion' this new philosophy aims at a contemporary Japanese aesthetic for a brand that has struggled to find a unique identity. Minagi itself roughly translates to internal power and Maeda says the car is very close to the final production. 'The grille design is very much part of the new language as is the body design which has been almost twisted, this is also something that is part of the new design theme,' he says.

Sitting side-by-side the Hakaze concept - a car that was unveiled last year - the Japanese identity is apparent in the treatment of the surfacing 'taking the fat off the body and making it tense,' as Maeda puts it.

www.mazda.com

The first concept to come out of the Shinari design language that will form the basis for all Mazda cars.

Mazda Minagi interior

Ikuo Maeda, Mazda design director

Mercedes-Benz SLK

This is the third-generation SLK production car that marries the overall proportions of the previous model with the more striking design language introduced on the CLS - the focus being a strong sculptural grille.

Sale date: June 2011

Prices: TBC

www.mercedes-benz.com

Mercedes-Benz SLK

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

The Mercedes-Benz C-Class expands the range with a two-door coupé that like the SLK extends the CLS design language.

Sale date: June 2011

Prices: Circa £25,500

www.mercedes-benz.com

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mini Rocketman

Mini's Rocketman concept is the first small Mini by the BMW-owned company. Design director Adrian Van Hooydonk admitted that he has wanted to make a Mini of this size and flexibility for some time and would make it if they get the go-ahead. Measuring 3419mm long - the current hatchback is 3723mm - the Rocketman is within a few centimetres of Alec Issignois's 1959 original. It features innovative double-hinged doors that make for easy entry. There are four seats one of the rear ones removable for a three or four-seat configuration. The clever boot has a traditional roof-hinged one and an extra area underneath that looks and functions very much like a drawer to hold objects as large as a surfboard.

www.mini.com

Adrian Van Hooydonk BMW Group design director, with the Mini Rocketman

Mitsubishi Global Small Concept Car

Mitsubishi's Global Small Concept Car is one of 12 vehicles on show that previews its vision for future city small car mobility.

www.mitsubishi.com

Morgan Threewheeler

British niche automobile maker Morgan harked back to its heritage with the Threewheeler, albeit with a modern powertrain. The firm started out making three-wheelers in 1909, completing as many as 30,000 by 1953, one even winning the French Grand Prix in 1913.

 www.morgan.com

Morgan Threewheeler

Nissan Esflow

Nissan's Esflow concept has been designed to show how the electric powertrain can liberate the designer to create interesting shapes as well as prove that clean driving should not be limited to small city cars. Head of Nissan Design Europe Victor Nacif explains: 'We wanted to try to work with more classic sports cars proportions and balance even though it looks friendly.' The Esflow uses the same electric technology as the Leaf. 'There is nothing here that is difficult to do and nothing that is part of a dream world,' says Nacif who took over the running of the Paddington studio last year.

www.nissan.com

Nissan Esflow

Nissan Esflow

Pagani Huayra

Niche Italian automobile maker Pagani replaces the Zonda 12 with the Huayra, a bespoke supercar pitched at wealthy collectors.

www.pagani.com

Peugeot 308

The 308 facelift follows from the 508 design that translates SR1 concept car design language to the marque's production car portfolio.

www.peuegot.com

Peugeot EX1

Peugeot designed the EX1 racing car to show how fast an electric car can go, and how desirable clean emission driving can be. The car is essentially designed around the electric engine, the battery and the very low driving position. 'It was like a puzzle,' says design director Gilles Vidal. 'The structure, body and interior design is almost one piece.'

www.peugeot.com

Peugeot EX1

Porsche 911 Black Edition

The Porsche 911 Black Edition is the same size at the regular 911, but the new package sees brake callipers, door rims, sports steering wheel, instrumentation and interior badging decked out in basalt black. Only 1,911 will be made.

www.porsche.com

Porsche Panamera hybrid

Porsche Semper Vivus

The Porsche Museum in Stuttgart painstakingly recreated the 1900 Semper Vivus for the Geneva Show, the first functional hybrid petrol-electric car built by Ferdinand Porsche. It took four years to build the car.

www.porsche.com/international/aboutporsche/porschemuseum

Range Rover e



This is the Range Rover e, Land Rover's entry into the electric/hybrid game.



www.landrover.com

Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover Evoque



Land Rover showed the Range Rover Evoque coupé and five-door with customer personalisation options for the first time at Geneva. The Evoque is the first production car under design director Gerry McGovern and marks a fresh design language for the marque. 'When I came to Land Rover I set about looking at what we have in terms of design strategy and design philosophy,' he explains. 'Clearly a lot of the reasons why Land Rovers and Range Rovers looked the way they did is because of what they did. There was a whole collection of design cues that had evolved over many years. The question I posed was how relevant will this be in a future context.' McGovern's team deliberately set out to find a fresh design language based on a new approach to functionality. 'It had to be more tailored towards customers' changing lifestyles,' he says referring to buyers who don't necessarily need off-roader capabilities but like the look and the secure feeling of off-roaders. McGovern explains that personalisation has always been an afterthought for the marque. By offering three main design themes - Pure, Prestige and Dynamic - the customer can then use this as a base to build their own customised vehicle without sacrificing the essence of Evoque design. 'You need to give the customer enough flexibility so they feel they are contributing towards creating something that is personal for them but at the same time do it in a way that protects the design integrity,' he says.



Price: Circa £30,000



Sale date: Summer 2011



www.landrover.com

Range Rover Evoque

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate



The Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate is the marque's highest expression of interior luxury featuring a pair of iPads as standard for rear seat passengers, soft leather, Kalahari wood veneers, and a boot lined with a teak decking that is inspired by Wally yachts.

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate

Price: Circa £120,000

Sale date: TBC

www.landrover.com

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate

Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director, in the Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate

Range Rover Evoque Bike

Range Rover Evoque Bike concept is light and nimble, and created by the Land Rover design team. The central element is a high modulus carbon fibre monocoque frame, crafted by Karbona using techniques derived from Formula 1.

www.landrover.com

Renault R Space



The Renault R Space concept is the third car to express the French marque's current design thinking that focuses bringing more human values to the brand. 'The DeZir represents love, Captur simplicity and R-Space family,' says Fabrice Pouille responsible for the exterior design of this car. 'The family aspect of Renault is very important but we wanted to bring something new to the formal language - new shapes and new volumes as seen on the DeZir and now on this family car.' The R Space represents the feeling of exploration and with rear seats made of configurable boxes, is a playful small family car proposition. 'We wanted a desirable exterior but a family interior,' says the young designer. 'Everything is symbolic about the family. For instance the doors work like hands, coming together to protect a pregnant woman.'



www.renault.com

Renault R Space

Renault R Space

Renault Captur



Renault's second concept car Captur represents simplicity.



www.renault.com

Renault Captur

The Renault Zoe electric production car



www.renault.com

Renault Zoe electric production car

Rinspeed Bamboo

The Rinspeed Bamboo concept features an interior made of bamboo, the marque stating it can imagine Bridget Bardot behind the wheels. It is like a golf buggy and offers four seats and open air driving and is a tribute to the 70s.

www.Rinspeed.com

Rinspeed Bamboo

Saab Phoenix

The Saab Phoenix concept conveys the newly independent firm's bold design language under the design direction of former Bertone designer Jason Castriota. He calls it 'aeroemotional' design - the dramatic coupé design reflecting cues from Saab's Scandinavian heritage and aircraft design.

www.saab.com

Saab Phoenix

Smart Forspeed

The Smart Forspeed is purely conceptual study for electric urban mobility.

www.smart.com

Smart Forspeed

Volvo V60



The volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is a virtually production-ready car with carbon dioxide emissions below 50 g/km.



www.volvo.com

Volkswagen Bulli

The VW Bulli is a modern, slightly shrunken take on the iconic 50s Camper van aimed at today's younger buyer who wants to multi task their car as mobile office. Around the same size as four-door Polo, this is a six-seater with three front and three rear seats that fold flat for a six-foot bed. The Bulli is still conceptual but if public opinion is positive the car may be produced in the next few years.

www.volkswagen.com

Volkswagen Bulli

Wiesmann Spyder

Dutch firm Wiesmann's Spyder Concept is a small, lightweight car with no windshield.

www.wiesmann.com

Geneva 2010 marked a return to simple lines, elegant forms and fresh optimism. There appeared to be an almost unified attempt to address and shape emerging new themes in the motor industry, as companies stepped up with myriad solutions for a design language that engaged with sustainable mobility.

Mike Robinson, Design Director of Stile Bertone told us: 'We have come to the end of an era and need a new language. We must take advantage of the changing times and not cry about it,' he said admitting: 'It is a fantastic moment for car designers.'

The auto world has taken its time to truly embrace green design. Until the Frankfurt show last September, it almost felt as if some were going through the motions, rather than approaching ecological design with the pulse of excitement necessary to create interesting products.

There have been, off course, exceptions - Audi's e-tron, BMW's Vision Efficient Dynamic, and Renault and Nissan's family of adventurous electric cars, for example. At Geneva, however, almost all marques, including performance-focused Porsche and Ferrari, demonstrated a thoroughly thoughtful approach to housing the modern powertrain. It was, for example, Ferrari's first stab at electrification (however mild). Porsche's designers, on the other hand, formulated a green design language with a high degree of intelligent restraint.

The beautifully sculpted 918 Spyder is a part electric-hybrid supercar. Although still at the conceptual stage, Porsche rarely invests in show cars that do not morph into reality, meaning that the 918 is likely to become the street car sibling of the Le Mans series RS Spyder race car. 'We wanted to show that there is a future with sports cars,' said the company's Design Director Michael Mauer. 'That if you do it in an intelligent way, you can keep the emotional part and still be eco friendly.'

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the F800, built to house either the latest hydrogen fuel tech cell or a plug-in hybrid system. 'It has been developed to be a car for the modern powertrain, and the design should reflect this,' agreed Steffen Köhl, Head of Advanced Design. The F800 is also a teaser for the marque's upcoming design language. With its simple yet precise lines, sophisticated surfacing and light interior inspired by Art Deco, the F800 pays discreet homage to the classic Mercedes of the 1930s without resorting to all-out retro design.

SEAT showcased its IBE concept car, an electric city run around for those on a more modest budget. Its author Luc Donckerwolke set out to expresses the car's modern powertrain. 'We are saying you can have fun driving, be responsible and not feel guilty,' he said.

Not all companies, however, focused on an eco-friendly message. Arguably one of the most elegant cars of the show sat on Italian design house Pininfarina's stand. The Alfa Romeo 2uettottanta concept is a vision for a future open top Spider that also celebrates the firm's 80th anniversary and Alfa's centenary.

Design Director Lowie Vermeersch explained: 'The Alfa Spider was one of the cars that started the story of Pininfarina and so we thought the best way to celebrate this was to show a future vision for this car.' His main goal was to work with sleek and classic proportions to give the car what he referred to as 'a touch of class'.

In complete contrast, competing Italian consultancy Bertone unveiled the Pandion, its future vision for the Alfa Spider. This loud and futuristic concept car features vast scissor doors that run the length of the car and stand over 3.6m high when open.

French firms Peugeot and Citroën made a timely return to the design scene with the elegant SR1, which previews Peugeot's upcoming design language, while Citroen added two newcomers to its high-end DS line – the DS3 High Rider and DS Racing. The former previews the upcoming DS4, a rival to the Nissan Juke and MINI Countryman, also unveiled at Geneva. These cars fall into a new trend in smaller 4x4s that strive to offer some of the comfort of larger sports utility vehicles without entirely alienating the green brigade.

One noteworthy unveil was the pint-sized Nissan Micra. In its fourth generation, the car will be built at the all-new Nissan-Renault factory in Chennai in India and is designed for a world market that includes the all-important emerging markets so crucial to the survival of all car manufacturers. This makes the Micra a truly populist car in every sense, one that has to have extremely broad appeal.

Finally, it was left to Aston Martin to ruffle a few feathers through its partnership with the slightly less glamorous Toyota. The result is the ultimate accessory, a premium commuter car. Design Director Marek Reichman described the Cygnet as being akin to a piece of clothing, something more appropriate to slip on when popping in and out of urban areas.

'As our world changes there is a shift in the consciousness of how we drive and get to places,' he told W*. 'It becomes the intellectual choice to have a sports car for the open road, but then in the city have something more appropriate - something that you can manoeuvre, doesn't cost you the earth and takes up less road space.'

Alfa Romeo Giulietta: The production car replaces the entry-level 147. It was originally named the Milano until production was switched to Turin, upsetting the Milanese in the process.

On sale: Summer 2010

Price: from approx £17,000

www.alfaromeo.com

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Aston Martin Cygnet: Marek Reichman, Design Director at Aston Martin, describes his new – and controversial – city runabout as 'a piece of clothing'. He explains: 'We talk about street fashion, about wearing a suit and being corporate. But when you go in the city you want to wear something cool that looks right in that environment.'



The Cygnet production car is a three-seater based on the Toyota iQ platform, although in the flesh it hardly resembles its rather less premium brother. The exterior package is simple but distinctive, featuring Aston Martin's trademark aluminium grille.



It is inside the cosy cabin, however, where Reichman and his team have used their creative energy the most, surrounding the driver and passengers in soft quilted leather and metal elements – with no plastics in sight. 'We've treated the touch zones with care,' he stresses. With almost every range of accessory available to support the modern commuter lifestyle, the Cygnet is almost like a luxury handbag that can transport you from A to B.



'If the Rapide is the yacht then this is its tender,' notes the designer. 'It is small, precious and very desirable – which gives it a feel good factor. It is the ultimate accessory.'

On sale: late 2010/early 2011

Price: from £30k

www.astonmartin.com

Aston Martin Cygnet

Audi A1 and A1 e-tron: This is the long-awaited MINI rival and an entry-level car for Audi. It will be launched first as a three-door then a five-door Sportback, with sportier variants available down the line.

On sale: October 2010 for A1 and late 2012 for A1 e-tron

Prices: Circa £13k for A1

www.audi.com

Audi A1 and A1 e-tron

Audi RS5: The new coupe is powered by a V8 FSI petrol engine delivering 450PS, and features a new evolution of the firm's trademark quattro all-wheel-drive.

On sale: Spring 2010

Price: circa £57k

www.audi.com

Audi RS5

Bentley Continental Supersport Convertible: Bentley describes this as the world's fastest four-seat convertible. The Supersports accelerates to 62mph in 3.9 seconds, on to a top speed of 202mph. The car has the same twin-turbocharged 621bhp 12-cylinder engine as the Supersports coupe introduced last year and will run on petrol or bio-ethanol fuel.

On sale: Autumn 2010

Price: Circa £175k

www.bentleymotors.com

Bentley Continental Supersport Convertible

Bertone Alfa Romeo Pandion: The second concept celebrating Alfa's 100th anniversary is a futuristic design featuring scissor doors that run the length of the car and stand over 3.6m high when open.



Mike Robinson, new Design Director, says of his bold concept car: 'I wanted the back end to show visual speed. The rear is like the tail of a comet going so fast that these bits are braking loose.' Inside continues the futuristic look with seats that appear to be floating above the floor. 'The centre console is an alien force trying to come out,' admits the designer adding: 'There is a dynamic mix between skin and frame – skin is the sexy part and the frame holds the technical side. So I have tried to find a way of breaking up the two.'



Robinson and his team have intentionally made no references to past Alfa Spiders. 'The idea is that I wanted to exaggerate – this is about the dream, the fantasy,' he notes.

www.bertone.it

Bertone Alfa Romeo Pandion

Bertone Alfa Romeo Pandion

Carlsson C25: Based on the Mercedes-Benz CL, this car is powered by a 743bhp, bi-turbo 6-litre V12 with 848lb ft of torque. Only 25 will be built.

www.carlsson.de

Carlsson C25

Citroën DS Racing: This is the fastest and most powerful hot hatch to be launched by the French marque to date - the 1.6-litre engine is tuned to produce 200hp. Citroën will limit production to 1,000 units.

On sale: Second half 2010

Price: Circa £22k

www.ds3.citroen.com

Citroën DS Racing

Citroën DS High Rider: The original DS remains one of the most iconic cars ever made. Penned by Italian designer Flaminio Bertoni in 1955, the car took on an almost mythological status with French philosopher Roland Barthes devoting a whole chapter to it in his 1957 book Mythologies. Back then Citroën was a marque known for its idiosyncratic design, a distinction lost thanks to a decade of practical cars and low prices. Finally the firm has acknowledged this design-led heritage; hence the new DS range.



This is the second in the DS line following the DS3 launched earlier this year. The three-door, four-seater High Rider is a teaser for the DS4 due early next year. Citroen designer Mark Lloyd insists that the whole DS range will remain 'anti retro'. For this reason like its younger sibling the DS3, it has been designed much like a gadget, with lots of optional finishes for the roof, door mirrors and wheels. The DS3 offers eight dashboard colours with matching gear knobs, while there are four optional roof colours and roof stickers to further personalise your car.

On sale: DS3

On sale: DS4 2011

Price: Start £11k

www.ds3.citroen.com

Citroën DS High Rider

Ferrari 599 hybrid: Ferrari's first (mild) hybrid is a petrol-electric that is rumoured to go into production in the near future.

www.ferrari.com

Ferrari 599 hybrid

Hispano-Suiza XIOV: This supercar marks the revival of the famous Hispano-Suiza automotive brand. Based around Audi's R8 V10 with an all-new carbonfibre body, it's suggested that around 25 cars will be built each year, with a convertible to be launched in 2011.

Price: £635k

www.hispano-suiza-sa.com

Hispano-Suiza XIOV

I.D.E.A. Institute's Sofia: Italian design house I.D.E.A. Institute's striking four-seat saloon is designed to use a hybrid powertrain.

www.idea.institute.it

Infiniti M35 hybrid: Infiniti's first hybrid features a system developed by parent company Nissan. The two clutch system installed between 3.5-litre V6 and the electric motor, which allows a relatively high degree of electric intervention, boosting efficiency and lowering CO2 emissions.

On sale: Spring 2011

Price: N/A

www.infiniti.eu

Infiniti M line: This is the first saloon from Nissan's luxury arm Infiniti that has been designed specifically for Europe. With a small portfolio of high performance cars, the company first entered the European market two years ago. The M line now includes a much-needed range of high-performance V6 turbo diesel engines tuned for European driving.



'The London studio is now deep in the Infiniti design process,' admits Vice President of Nissan Design Europe Alfonso Albaisa. Infiniti's subtle take on luxury aims to have Japanese cultural and aesthetic heritage at its core – something that is most evident in the M cars. 'You can see this in the brush works which is like Kabuki makeup,' he says pointing to the 'brow' above the headlights.

On sale: M37 and M30d autumn 2010

Price: Circa £37k

www.infiniti.eu

Lexus Ct200h: The petrol-electric hybrid small car is the production car based on the LF-Ch shown at Frankfurt.

On sale: late 2010

Price: N/A

www.lexus.com

Lexus Ct200h

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid: This is an engineering demonstrator for Lotus. The hybrid Evora reaches 62mph in less than four seconds thanks to two electric motors generating 408bhp and 590lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels. It uses a lithium-polymer battery to store power and a three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine to recharge the battery. The car can travel 55 km in all-electric mode and about 480 km per fill-up when the onboard engine is employed.

www.grouplotus.com

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid

Mazda 5: This is the first Mazda production car to feature its Nagare (flow) design theme as seen in recent concept cars.

On sale: Autumn 2010

Price: N/A

www.mazda.com

Mercedes-Benz F800: This is an important car for Mercedes-Benz. On the one hand it shows how the marque intends to package its future cars – it is built to house both a new compact hydrogen fuel cell and the next generation plug-in hybrid - and on the other it is an obvious nod to its future design direction which we will soon see on the entry-level four-door coupé that's due to replace the CLC.



Steffen Köhl, who heads up Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio, explains that this car is the baby brother to the big CLS. He admits that the styling language will filter through to production cars - the front end, specifically, revealing a new brand face. 'Surfaces have become more dramatic and we have a distinctively bolder beltline,' he adds.



The F800 is highly aero efficient thanks to extensive wind tunnel development. This being an essentially a green car, Köhl also set out to express visual lightness. 'You see this on the very natural concave and convex surfaces all over the car. There are fine, natural flowing lines around the car that shape and adapt to one another.'



The cabin, a modern take on Art Deco, will form the base for future production cars. It features light, bendy wood that looks almost untreated to reveal the natural grain. The organically shaped wrap-around dash and floating centre console sit in contrast to the high-tech controls.

www.mercedes-benz.com

Mercedes-Benz F800

MINI Countryman: The Countryman is the fourth model in the MINI range; it is also the first with optional four-wheel drive and four proper passenger seats.

On sale: from September 2010 (UK)

Price: from £16,000

www.mini.com

Nissan Juke: This production car was previewed a year ago at Geneva as the Qazana concept. Designed as a collaborative project between the Nissan studios in Yokohama and London, the road car, built from scratch, maintains much of the bold design of the original show car.



'The motorcycle feel, tilted towards the driver inside is directly from the concept,' says Head of Global Design Shiro Nakamura. 'It is a very functional car but with an unusual look,' he admits. 'We were able to be expressive with the design because it is a small car. If it were even a few centimetres bigger it would seem aggressive.'



The small 4x4 is targeted at a younger market with which Nissan hopes to attract a new customer to the marque.

On sale: October 2010

Price: Circa £13k

www.nissan-global.com

Nissan Juke

Nissan Micra: Geneva was the platform for the world premier of a very important car for Nissan. The fourth generation Micra, designed for a world market, looks less adventurous than the outgoing model precisely as it needs to have mass appeal.



Global Design Director Shiro Nakamura explains: 'This is a basic but simple car as functionality is very important for emerging markets.' He admits that the old Micra may have been too niche, and that his new design will appeal to a wider audience. Inside the cabin is simple and uncluttered as he believes even the emerging markets are realising that 'more simplicity is luxury,' he notes.

On sale: November 2010

Price: Circa £10k

www.nissan-global.com

Nissan Micra

Opel Vauxhall Flextreme: The concept is powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain designed to illustrate how extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be plugged into large or mid-sized vehicles, as well as compact cars. Aerodynamics has largely governed the exterior – the low roofline and aero blades at the rear that automatically deploy at speed reduce the vehicle's drag to as little as 0.22cd.

www.opel.com

Opel Vauxhall Flextreme

Pininfarina 2uettottanta: The Italian design consultant's vision for an Alfa Romeo Spider, the 2uettottanta represents a joint birthday celebration – Pininfarina's 80th and Alfa's 100th. The prototype two-seater open top retains the classic roadster shape with its long bonnet and short rear overhang but as design chief Lowie Vermeersch points out, it suggests a more simple design.



He says: 'I think the combination of the sleek proportions, of simple lines and great sophistication in surfacing gives that touch of class. It is this that also gives it the feeling of luxury. We wanted to create a car that through simplicity won't date.'



The headlights are slim. Vermeersch explains: 'We stepped aside from making the lights purely decorative and went for something that illustrates what LED technology allows, i.e. slimmer lights. The headlights look from under the 'eyebrow; to give the Alfa Romeo expression a tougher, more assertive look.'

www.pininfarina.com

Pininfarina 2uettottanta

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid: This car is a showcase for Porsche's hybrid drive developed specifically for racing and scheduled to compete in May's 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. It uses an electrical front axle drive with two electric motors each developing 60 kW to supplement the familiar 480hp 4.0-litre flat-six petrol engine at the rear. Instead of the usual supplementary batteries in a hybrid-powered road car, the 911 hybrid features an electric flywheel power generator – mounted inside the cockpit beside the driver – that delivers energy to the electric motors on the front axle.

www.porsche.com

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid

Porsche 918 Spyder: This is a part electric-hybrid two-seater supercar concept housing a mid-mounted 3.4-litre V8 engine. There are three electric motors driving the front axle, and the car can run for 25km in pure electric mode. A dial on the dash allows the driver to choose between electric hybrid, sport and race modes.



The 918 hasn't been designed to look obviously green, but Design Director Michael Mauer and his team have incorporated what he calls a 'mild and wild' theme to differentiate between the car's duel personality – environmental and performance.



He explains: 'When the car is in race mode the spoiler and everything comes out to show that something is about to happen. But when in electric mode it has a less aggressive look.'



Inspiration came from old Le Mans racing cars, which also incorporated covers on the wheels for a more aero efficient drive. The 918 features two exhaust pipes on the side that exist purely as a styling exercise to help clear the rear of the car. The inside hints at the future Porsche cabin with its use of lightweight material, and compact design.



Mauer notes that the sound the car makes is similar to a jet aeroplane. He says: 'I feel Porsche is about understatement. If you take the 911 Turbo, performance-wise it is at least as good as all the Ferraris and Lamborghinis, but looks less aggressive and the design is not telling everybody I am the best.'



'We are developing the best technology when it comes to hybrid cars. I don't think you have to compromise design to visualise eco. But then again, if technology allows for freedom then you should use this freedom.'



At this stage, the 918 may still be conceptual, but it is strongly rumoured to become the street car version of the Le Mans series RS Spyder. 'It drives like a racing car but is for the public road,' says Mauer.

www.porsche.com

Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne Hybrid: The second-generation Cayenne tries hard to look less like a large sports utility vehicle. As a result it is far less imposing in the flesh than its predecessor. 'I wanted to visualise that this is the Porsche amongst the SUVs,' says its designer Michael Mauer. 'Therefore we thought it has to look lighter and less SUV. We wanted to move the expression of the car closer to what we believe the brand stands for.'



Mauer and his team have achieved this by giving the Cayenne a shark like face for a sportier impression. The proportions between glass and body have been changed by allowing for a shallower side glass that creates the impression that the car is lower and more compact than it actually is. In fact the new wheelbase has been extended by 40mm.



Another subtle change has been made to the tailgate. Mauer explains that the old Cayenne had a very 'rational' tailgate - practical for loading but too obvious. The new car's boot is just as functional, but by disguising the shut line it appears less 'SUV' and more sporting.



There is also a hybrid version of the new Cayenne developed with partner Volkswagen's Touareg Hybrid.

On sale: May 2010


Price: Starts £44k

www.porsche.com

Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne Hybrid

Renault Wind: The two-seater coupé-roadster features an innovative electric roof that pivots open in just 12 seconds.

On sale: July 2010

Price: Circa £16k

www.renault.com

Rinspeed UC?: The name stands for Urban Commuter or You See? The 2.5m long car is designed to be loaded onto customised railcars for longer journeys and use a web-based system for booking into battery-charging stations. The forward-thinking Swiss firm claims there is a good chance it will make it into production.

www.rinspeed.com

Rinspeed UC?

SEAT IBE concept: This is the Spanish firm's first zero-emissions concept featuring an electric motor. It also provides subtle clues as to future SEAT design, starting with the new-generation Leon.



Design Director Luc Donckerwolke says this is the path he intends to take with future SEAT models. 'I am trying to do the minimum with the design - it is about muscle, sexiness and tension,' he says. 'The first line shoots through the eyebrows, over the muscle of the wheel and carries on until it fades into the body at which point another line almost like a musical instrument catches it and gets the rhythm again. And the game starts all over again.'



The low bonnet and long roofline allow for a more compact look. The side mirrors and the unusual graphic lights will be incorporated into future production cars.



Donckenwolk was the designer behind the Murciélago, the Gallardo and the Murciélago Roadster when he steered Lamborghini design back in 2003. He believes that such emotive cars shouldn't only be for the privileged. 'Motorbikes are great in every price range and this is what I want for cars. I want small cars, compact cars, city cars and electric cars to be enjoyable. This for me is a modern four-wheel scooter for young people.'

www.seat.com

Peugeot SRI: The SR1 is Peugeot's vision for an all-new design direction, after a few too many years in the aesthetic wilderness. The 2+1 roadster is not destined for production but does give a good clue to a possible 407 Coupé successor. The SR1 also highlights Peugeot's Hybrid4 system, which goes into production next year on the 3008. The concept also features Bell & Ross original dashboard clock, highlighting an ongoing partnership between the two companies.

www.peugeot.com

Peugeot SRI

Italdesign Giugiaro Proton: This forms part of a range of compact hybrids that Proton and design consultant Italdesign Giugiaro plan to co-develop. The car's hybrid system features a small front-mounted engine that is used to recharge the lithium-ion batteries. The drivetrain is fully electric.

www.italdesign.it

Following Fabergé’s re-launch last September - after a near-century hiatus - the historic Russian jeweller has recently opened the doors of its first boutique since 1917, on Geneva’s rue Pierre-Fatio 5.

The Fabergé boutique - located within a townhouse overlooking Le Jardin Anglais - encourages clients to browse the latest creations from artist-jeweller, Frédéric Zaavy - and also features a second-floor salon (reached by a private lift) where prospective purchasers can 'enjoy the jewels at their leisure'.

Katharina Flohr – the recently instated creative director of Fabergé – made an unanticipated choice of designer for the new Geneva base, picking Spanish creative Jaime Hayon for the job.

With a view to meld Fabergé’s craft-centric history with his own aesthetic, Hayon has combined minimal forms, understated tones and weighty materials throughout.

Featuring platinum-finished ceramic chandeliers, gem-shaped door panels, silk drapery and mirrors a-plenty, the boutique is all about luminosity.

Conceived by Hayon to embrace the Fabergé heritage, and to breathe a little joie de vivre into the brand - the boutique is Fabergé’s first new show space, some 90 years since the creation of Peter Carl Fabergé’s last masterpiece in 1917.

Read our interview with Jaime Hayon

ADDRESS

Fabergé Salon
rue Pierre-Fatio 5
1204 Geneva
Switzerland

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Right now, the automobile is having an identity crisis. The industry's current business model is in financial ruins and established brands are facing unprecedented challenges. Traditionally, the Geneva Motor Show has provided a bit of escapism, steering away from reality in favour of a futuristic showcase for advanced designs.

It helps that the show is compact and user-friendly, its Swiss location a perfect venue for the display of high-end metal from the nearby European motor giants. 2009 proved to be no exception; despite the doom and gloom, the show presented a refreshing selection of beautifully executed premium vehicles sitting alongside beefed-up super cars and an array of imaginative eco concepts that will hopefully grace our roads in the near future.

Here’s our round-up of the most interesting cars on show

The race towards greener cars has picked up serious momentum with EU targets set for 130g/km by 2015. Renault revealed its plans to produce a full family of electric vehicles, with three new models expected by 2012. Nissan has already said it is serious about EVs and Toyota and Honda have long been in the game with their green options.

One interesting concept at Geneva was GM

’s futuristic looking Ampera - the European version of the Chevrolet Volt. Housing an innovative petrol-electric hybrid engine, it points the way to mass-market low-emissions motoring. SEAT, Volkswagen’s Spanish arm, showed the Leon Ecomotive, a green concept for the five-door family car, while Ford displayed the Iosis Max, a C-segment car that features the firm’s EcoBoost petrol engine technology.

Others gave eco cars sex appeal. Italian coachbuilder Italdesign Giugiaro unveiled Namir, a deliciously-styled concept sports car powered by a hybrid system. Premium Californian marque Fisker Automotive showed Europe the sleek Karma sedan luxury plug-in hybrid and the Karma S hardtop convertible variant.

There were hardly any grey clouds hovering over Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bentley or Rolls Royce either, at least not to the casual observer. New product, new ideas and a brave face are clearly the ways to tough out tumultuous market conditions. Well-heeled consumers prove that there is still global demand, albeit niche, for beautifully-sculpted metal, replete with sumptuous, handcrafted interiors.

Aston Martin displayed the elegant DBS Volante and the bespoke One-77, Ferrari unveiled the 599XX showpiece, Lamborghini the ultimate rendition of the ageing Murcielago, Bentley the powerful Continental Supersports and Rolls Royce the 200EX baby executive car. Business, it seems, is carrying on as usual.

The middle of the market is still being offered plenty of charm. We especially liked the gorgeously lines of the new Audi A5 Cabriolet and the equally desirable Mercedes E-Class Coupe. Other notable cars included the Tata Nano Europa, the ‘people's’ car for Europe, and the Pininfarina-designed Prima prototype, which showcased the Indian marque’s willingness to adapt its design to suite the high maintenance European market.

There were also some innovative design solutions on show from the likes of Nissan and upmarket sister marque Infiniti. Both the Qazana and Essence demonstrate yet again that design director Shiro Nakamura and his London-based team have a clear direction in mind for each brand, injecting them with just the right dose of Japanese heritage. Others showed off some true avant-garde futurism, most notably the Swiss company Rinspeed with their iChange, a car that can adapt its shape according to the number of passengers on-board.

The show was a missed opportunity for some, most notably Citroen who showed little perception by attempting to resurrect its once iconic DS badge with a small C3-sized concept. The pink-roofed DS was displayed in a dimly-lit room tucked away at the back of the stand, not exactly a triumphant return to quirky design values.