Geneva Motor Show 2014: the best new cars and concepts
Geneva Motor Show 2014: the best new cars and concepts
Lamborghini Huracán
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
Lamborghini Huracán
Audi TT
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 TT
Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept
Audi also showed the Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept, a meaner-looking preview of the incoming range-topping RS.
Q by Aston Martin
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
Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Black
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.
Alfa Romeo 4C Spider
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
Bentley Continental GT Speed
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
Bentley Continental GT Speed
BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
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
BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
Citroën C4 Cactus
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
Ferrari California T
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
Hyundai Intrado
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 Clipper
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
Jeep Renegade
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
Koenigsegg One:1
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
Maserati Alfieri
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
Maserati Alfieri
McLaren 650S Coupé
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
McLaren 650S Spider
Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé
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 Adam Rocks
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.
Opel/Vauxhall Adam Rocks
Opel/Vauxhall Adam S
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.
Peugeot 108
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
Qoros 3 Hatchback
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
Quant e-Sportslimousine
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
Renault Twingo
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 XchangE
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 Ghost II
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
Volvo Concept Estate
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
Volvo Concept Estate
