WORDLFEED: 1700GMT
DURATION: 30minutes
McLaren debuts at Geneva Motor Show, whit Koenigsegg and Zenvo following
with their new super cars.
SHOWS: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (MARCH 4, 2014) (GENEVA INTERNATIONAL
MOTOR SHOW)
1. VARIOUS OF GENERAL VIEWS AT PALEXPO, CROWD, HOSTESS
CAR PREMIERES
MCLAREN: 650S
2. MCLAREN 650S BEING PRESENTED
3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANK STEPHENSON, MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE
CHIEF DESIGNER:
"You're either a coupe man or a spider man, as I am, I love my coupes. But with a
spider here it's a retractable hard-top and you get the best of both worlds and in
addition, having a carbon fibre tub means that the only weight that you're adding
to the car, which would normally be strengthening the chassis, is eliminated. So
we're only adding the weight of the motors for the roof so you're getting pretty
much an equally high-performance package and weird with the car as well as the
adaptability of the spyder."
4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) FRANK STEPHENSON, MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE
CHIEF DESIGNER:
"We're trying to establish at the moment what McLaren design traits are. What
can be carried on further. With the P1 we were able to come up with a front end
which looked a little more dramatic than the 12C. The 12C, not that it was
generic, but it didn't really ooze a high level of uniqueness. It was attractive and
pretty and all that but I think we could press that a bit more. So pushing it (the
650S) a bit more in the P1 direction does give it a bit more of emotional,
perfomance look I'd say. So there was an intent to go in that direction."
KOENIGSEGG : ONE 1
5. KOENIGSEGG ONE 1 BEING PRESENTED
6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTIAN KOENIGSEGG, CEO , SAYING:
"So this is the Koenigsegg One:1. The power-to-weight ratio is one horsepower
per kilo. And the car only weighs, including stereo, amplifiers, full tank of fuel,
1360kg. So that's really, really light. That's normally what cars like this have in
dry weight. So it's the most extreme road car ever built."
7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTIAN KOENIGSEGG, CEO , SAYING:
"The top speed should be well over 440kph, but I think what's more interesting
is how we can get there. Our calculations tell us we can reach 400 in about 20
seconds which is just unheard of from any other car out there. 0-300 is about
13.2 seconds. Just incredible acceleration."
ZENVO AUTOMOTIVE : ZENVO ST1
8. NEW ZENVO ST1 BEING PRESENTED
9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTIAN BRANDT CHIEF DESIGNER, SAYING:
“We spent 7 years coming to this point. We showed the prototype of this car at
LeMens’ drivers parade in 2009 and since then we have been preparing the
whole development of the car , we have been doing the testing and of course set
up our production.”
10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTIAN BRANDT CHIEF DESIGNER, SAYING:
“Our main target areas these days are Russia and Middle East, where the most
cars will be sold. “
INFINITI: Q50 EAU ROUGE
11. NEW INFINITI Q50 EAU ROUGE BEING PRESENTED
12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHAN DE NYSSCHEN, CEO INFINITI, SAYING:
“The Infiniti Eau Rouge Concept is for us the panicle of Infiniti performance. Is
the most powerful Infiniti car ever conceived it is packaged in a very sensitive
and stylish design, but also showcases some of the most advanced technology
that the world has ever seen.”
MERCEDES-BENZ: S-CLASS COUPÉ
13. MERCEDES S-CLASS COUPE BEING PRESENTED
14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIETER ZETSCHE, CEO MERCEDES-BENZ, SAYING:
“Obviously the new S-Class coupe is the most beautiful S-Class ever and the most
beautiful car out of them all. We are very found of the reaction this great design
has created in the media and in the costumer already by now.”
15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIETER ZETSCHE, CEO MERCEDES-BENZ, SAYING:
“We definitely took the momentum of 2013 into 2014, first month generally
showed us 15% increase , February is the 2 digit growth number as well so the
year starts very well , we are only starting to launch very important new product
in the new C-class so this will be a good year for Mercedes.”
OPEL: ADAM ROCKS
16. OPEL ADAM ROCKS BEING PRESENTED
MITSUBISHI: CONCEPT XR + GC
17. MITSUBISHI CONCEPT XR BEING PRESENTED
CADILLAC : ATS COUPE
18. CADILLAC ATS COUPE BEING PRESENTED
HYUNDAI: INTRADO CONCEPT
19. VARIOUS OF HYUNDAI INTRADO CONCEPT BEING PRESENTED
BMW: SERIE 2 ACTIVE TOURER
20. VARIOUS OF BMW SERIE 2 ACTIVE TOURER BEING PRESENTED
21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) IAN ROBERTSON, BMW HEAD OF SALES AND
MARKETING:
"This is the first front wheel drive BMW ever, it's built off a new platform which
will underpin a number of the smaller models within the range. It comes with an
exciting new range of engines. The seating position is releatively high compared
to a normal sedan car but you have a lot of space inside the vehicle as well and
that comes out of the new arcitecture. Flexibile seating arrangements, so many
many uses. We think it'll be attractive to some new customer groups who've not
been in the BMW family before, and we're very excited that this can open up a
whole opportunity for us."
MINI: CLUBMAN CONCEPT
22. VARIOUS OF MINI CLUBMAN CONCEPT BEING PRESENTED
PEUGEOT : 108
23. VARIOUS OF PEUGEOT 108 BEING PRESENTED
LAND ROVER: EVOQUE R
24. VARIOUS OF LAND ROVER EVOQUE R BEING PRESENTED
JAGUAR: XFR-S SPORTBRAKE
25. VARIOUS OF XFR-S SPORTBRAKE BEING PRESENTED
VOLVO: CONCEPT ESTATE
26. VARIOUS OF VOLVO CONCEPT ESTATE BEING PRESENTED
FORD : EDGE CONCEPT
27. VARIOUS OF EDGE CONCEPT BEING PRESENTED
MAZDA: MAZDA 2
28. VARIOUS OF MAZDA 2 BEING PRESENTED
HONDA: CIVIC TYPE-R
29. VARIOUS OF HONDA BEING PRESENTED
30. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MASARU HASEGAWA, DESIGNER OF THE CIVIC
TYPE-R, SAYING:
“With this Type-R concept we designed it as a racing car for the road, and we
really wanted to make a car that has a high performance and the styling is
heavily linked tot his performance.”
31. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MASARU HASEGAWA, DESIGNER OF THE CIVIC
TYPE-R, SAYING:
“We want to make the Civic Type-R as very capable car of course to be a fun car
to drive, but also to be very fast. So it’s almost like bringing the car to your
garage.”
NISSAN: NISSAN ENV200
32. VARIOUS OF NISSAN ENV200 BEING PRESENTED
MORGAN MOTOR COMPANY: MORGAN PLUS 4
33. VARIOUS OF MORGAN PLUS 4 BEING PRESENTED
SUZUKI: CELERIO
34. VARIOUS OF SUZUKI CELERIO BEING PRESENTED
ROLLS ROYCE: GHOST SERIES II
35. VARIOUS OF ROLLS ROYCE GHOST SERIES II BEING PRESENTED
CITROEN: C1
36. VARIOUS OF CITROEN C1 BEING PRESENTED
SUBARU: WRX STI
37. VARIOUS OF SUBURU WRX STI BEING PRESENTED
INTERVIEW WITH FERRARI’S CEO AMEDEO FELISA
38. VARIOUS OF NEW FERRARI CALIFORNIA T BEING PRESENTED
39. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) AMEDEO FELISA , CEO FERRARI, SAYING:
“California is Ferrari’s best success so far. We presented it in 2008 with the
target of getting new clients, typical Ferrari clients that like thrills, so we thought
of this concept of car.”
40. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) AMEDEO FELISA , CEO FERRARI, SAYING:
“The evolution we made with the turbo technology is that ot gives a car a good
fuel efficiency, but still has Ferrari’s DNA.”
INTERVIEW TESLA
41. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOCHEN RUDAT, TESLA COUNTRY DIRECTOR
SWITZERLAND, SAYING:
“The success of Tesla is behind us here, this red lovely car. It all starts with the
right product and that’s why we built the Model S from the ground up as electric
car. So from engineering, from the first thoughts, to what you see behind me. It
starts with an incredible range of 500km, with performance from the beginning,
zero to 60 sprint in 4.4 seconds actually, and a lot of functionality with a trunk in
the front and in the back.”
42. VARIOUS OF TESLA S BEING PRESENTED
43. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOCHEN RUDAT, TESLA COUNTRY DIRECTOR
SWITZERLAND, SAYING:
“We have actually in the model behind us a couple of innovations, like the
incredible 17 inch touchscreen, where you have a permanent internet
connection, so you can browse the web, you have internet radio, you have also
the displays in front so you don’t have to look all the time on the big display. It is
safe - after a couple of days or weeks you’re really comfortable in what you’re
doing.”
44. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOCHEN RUDAT, TESLA COUNTRY DIRECTOR
SWITZERLAND, SAYING:
“Yes we came third in the car of the year award, which is a European award. You
have to see we are not in all countries present, like in Spain for example we don’t
have a store there or a service centre for example, so how should the people
know that we have a great car? That’s a bit the challenge we are facing here and
therefore, in that context, we’re very happy about this result and you have to see
further that we were the brand actually which won in most countries the first
place, including Germany for example - and that makes us very proud.”
45. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOCHEN RUDAT, TESLA COUNTRY DIRECTOR
SWITZERLAND, SAYING:
“Rinspeed is a entrepreneur, he’s looking forward when it comes to mobility so
we were very happy that he has chosen a Model S for building his Rinspeed
Model S. It’s a great car. We are strongly looking into driverless cars as well. It is
however a long term thing so we cannot invent everything at the same time but
we are looking into that. At the moment for Tesla it’s important to bring after the
Model S now the Model X by the end of the year in the U.S. and then after two or
three years later the third generation. Those are the current priorities for Tesla
worldwide.”
WOODEN CAR FEATURE STORY
46. FRONT OF BIOFORE CAR.
47. SIDE VIEW OF BIOFORE CAR.
48. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUSSO KONTTINEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF NEW
BUSINESSES & DEVELOPMENT, UPM, SAYING:
“The concept of the wooden car derives from the idea how to make a car more
sustainable, and really starting from the design phase already and understanding
the availability of different materials that one can use to create a sustainable car
- and in this particular case we’ve started from scratch.”
49. ZOOM OUT OF DASHBOARD TO CAR COCKPIT
50. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUSSO KONTTINEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF NEW
BUSINESSES & DEVELOPMENT, UPM, SAYING:
“This is one way to demonstrate how one can make cars more sustainable. So to
substitute selected parts currently made out of fossil-based raw materials
making them now from bio-based materials. And also to run it with bio diesel.”
51. WOODEN FOOT PEDALS OF CAR
52. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUSSO KONTTINEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF NEW
BUSINESSES & DEVELOPMENT, UPM, SAYING:
“We are seeing here a signal of intent. We are not aiming for a serial production
of this specific car, but definitely the materials used in this car are commercially
available and definitely the car producers can start to utilise these materials if
they so wish.”
53. CLOSE UP OF WOODEN CENTRAL CONSOLE
54. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCAR NISSINEN, PROJECT ENGINEER, HELSINKI
METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES:
“There’s wood in different shapes and forms in this car. We have the dashboard
and all the interior panels they have this bio-composite plastic which has wood
fibre in it. This plastic has 30% per weight of wood in it. And of course on the
floor and in the door panels and in this centre console we have this UPM Grada
wood material which is 100% wood.”
55. SIGN ‘DRIVEN BY BIOFORE’ WITH CAR IN FOREGROUND
56. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCAR NISSINEN, PROJECT ENGINEER, HELSINKI
METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES:
“The thing with wood is that it’s renewable, it’s really economically-friendly, it’s
easy to process, it’s good-looking, it’s warm, etc etc. We have a long tradition in
Finland using wood.”
57. INTERIOR OF THE CAR THROUGH WINDSHIELD
58. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCAR NISSINEN, PROJECT ENGINEER, HELSINKI
METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES:
“We have taken safety into account to some level. We can’t make any crash tests
and we have to have all the airbags and that kind of stuff removed because they
have explosives in them.”
60. REAR VIEW OF CAR
61. (SOUNDBITE) (English) OSCAR NISSINEN, PROJECT ENGINEER, HELSINKI
METROPOLIA UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES:
“We have plans to make this road legal and go through the process in Finland to
get the plates, which you can see outside, and that means that we could drive it
on the streets.”
62. TRACKING SHOT OF BIOFORE TEAM
63. TEAM PHOTO WITH CAR IN FOREGROUND
-------------------STORY: McLaren officially revealed its newest supercar, the 650S at the 84th
International Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday (March 4).
The crew from Woking also brought along a convertible Spider version. The
650S' P1-inspired styling is made all the more dramatic with a removable roof.
As with the MP4-12C Spider with which it shares a platform, the 650S Spider
features a retractable hardtop that effectively makes it a coupe with the roof
fitted. The roof takes 17 seconds to raise, a task that can be accomplished at
speeds up to 19 mph. McLaren says the car's carbon fiber MonoCell chassis did
not require any additional strengthening, despite the removal of the roof. The
650S Spider comes equipped with the coupe's lightweight alloy wheels, Pirelli P
Zero Corsa tires, and carbon ceramic brakes. Also unchanged is the 12C-derived
3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V-8, which produces the same 641 horsepower and
500 pound-feet of torque it does in the 650S hardtop. That allows the 650S
Spider to do 0-100 km/h in 3.0 seconds, 0-200 km/h in 8.6 seconds, and reach a
top speed of 328km/h mph. McLaren says the 650S Spider will also return the
same 24.2mpg on the European combined cycle as the coupe. That number will
be significantly lower in U.S. EPA testing, though.
Koenigsegg presented its supercar One:1 that sees changes compared to the
Agera S and the Agera R. The new Koenigsegg One:1 is more aerodynamic and it
has a massive rear wing which should create a lot of downforce, increasing speed
and handling. The power to weight ratio of the impressive Koenigsegg One:1 is
said to stand at one-to-one, and this is where the supercar is getting its name.
The 1,340 kg weighing vehicle is coming with an impressive 1,340 HP V8 engine
under its hood, and these 1,400 kg have been measured, according to Christian
von Koenigsegg, with all water, oil, fuel and even with the weight of an average
sized driver. The 0 to 200 km/h sprint is said to be a new record, along with the
0 to 300 km/h and 0 to 400 km/h accelerations. Top speed will stand at
approximately 450 km/h.
After more than 5 years of development and testing, the production-spec Zenvo
ST1 made its European debut in Geneva. Powered by a turbocharged and
supercharged V8, the car produces 1,104 hp and 1430 Nm of torque. Couple the
power output with the cars relatively low weight of 1590 kg compared to the
Veyron’s 2041 kg bulk, it is one of the fastest cars on the planet! It’s still not a
light as the 1,249 kg of the SSC but we’ll forgive it on the basis of it looks. A
power to weight ratio of 802 hp per tonne is very impressive and Zenvo claim
this could propel the car to 100 km/h in 2.6 seconds. There’s a limiter on the top
speed to 375 km/h.
Infiniti presented its Q50 Eau Rouge concept, first revealed at the 2014 NAIAS
Detroit Auto Show in January. The 3799cc, V6, 24-valve, twin-turbocharged
petrol engine sending this power and torque to a conventionally-mounted 7speed automatic transmission and full-time, all-wheel drive system with 50/50
front-to-rear torque split, is sourced from within the company’s powertrain
family. The engine of 560hp sees the Q50 Eau Rouge sprint to 60mph in under
four seconds, and on to a top speed of 180mph. These attainable highperformance figures put the car firmly into the premier league of super-sports
sedans, with the acceleration and pace to match its Formula One-inspired carbon
fiber bodywork.
The next generation of Mercedes Benz S Class Coupe has been showcased in
Geneva. This vehicle features an advanced tilt function, which has just been
revealed and is capable of leaning into corners. It will be a part of the vehicle’s
standard kit, when it launches in certain markets in end 2014. Mercedes Benz
calls this technology, their Magic Body Control and is being officially tested on
this vehicle for the first time. Codenamed C117, this vehicle draws power from a
4.6 litre twin turbo charged V8 petrol engine, displacing 448 bhp (20 bhp greater
than their last form) along with 516 ft lb of torque.
Opel has announced to move the Adam Rocks to production, just one year after
the Adam Rocks concept debuted at Geneva in 2013. The Opel Adam Rocks will
be a soft-roading urban crossover variant of the Opel Adam mini-car, joining the
existing Slam, Glam, and Jam lineup. The Adam Rocks features the GM’s new
turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual
gearbox, available with either 90 or 115 hp. Maximum fuel efficiency for the allaluminum, single-scroll turbocharged engine is estimated at about 4.2 litres per
kilometre, while torque for the 115-hp engine tops out at 122 lb-ft. Both of these
figures improve upon those of the 1.4-liter turbo-four in the existing Opel Adam.
Mitsubishi introduced three new concepts to the European public as part of its
future plans. Focusing on design, performance and low environmental impact,
Mitsubishi presented XR-PHEV, GC-PHEV and Concept RA as the Japanese car
company celebrates 40 years of presence in Europe in 2014. Regarding the
Mitsubishi XR-PHEV concept, it is a compact crossover with a coupe shape and
front wheel drive. The XR-PHEV is likely to anticipate design themes and maybe
a few overall shapes for the next Outlander Sport compact crossover generation.
The GC-PHEV Concept (Grand Cruiser Plug-In Hybrid-Electric Vehicle) is the next
generation of hybrid SUV with permanent 4x4 drive. The Mitsubishi AR (Active
Runabout) Concept is a family car (MPV) which lends the performance of a SUV.
Cadillac’s all-new ATS Coupe celebrated its European premiere on Tuesday. Its
offers drivers the choice of rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, and the 2.0L
Turbo engine is upgraded from the current ATS sport sedan to provide nearly 14
percent more torque, taking it to 400 Nm. This gives the ATS Coupe an advantage
in power and weight over similarly powered premium coupes. It also helps the
ATS Coupe achieve an estimated 0-100 km/h time of 5.8 seconds. A driveradjustable sport suspension is available and includes Cadillac’s Magnetic Ride
Control real-time damping system, a mechanical limited-slip differential, a highcapacity engine cooling system and 18-inch summer-performance tires.
The Hyundai Intrado concept, Hyundai’s hydrogen fuel-cell crossover project,
debuted with a brand-new lightweight body structure. The concept’s fuel-cell
powertrain is a smaller, lighter version of the assembly used in the 2015
Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell. The Hyundai Intrado concept is equipped with a 36kWh battery and boosts 600 kilometres range. Hyundai is confident that the
Intrado’s new carbon fiber frame can inform the future of vehicle construction,
since its strength and rigidity gives designers the freedom to construct body
panels from any material. The Korean automaker also claims that both the
carbon frame and lightweight steel body panels offer better crash protection and
require less time to repair. Inside the Intrado, Hyundai made an effort to
showcase the crossover’s construction with exposed carbon fiber, which is
prominently revealed when the car’s hood, trunk, or doors are opened.
The new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer celebrated its world premiere in Geneva.
Following in the tyre tracks of the Coupe as the second member of the new BMW
2 Series line-up it impresses with its New turbocharged engines with three and
four cylinders. In order to meet the particular requirements of the compact class
in terms of variability and functionality, BMW has given the 2 Series Active
Tourer a cutting-edge front-wheel-drive set-up. Its compact dimensions of just
4,342 millimetres in length, 1,800 millimetres in width and a height of 1,555
millimetres are combined with a raised sensation of space, making it ideally
suited to constantly changing mobility needs within an environment.
The MINI Clubman Concept has been shown for the first time at the Geneva
Motor Show. It might be touted as a concept, but it looks very much ready for
production, with styling similar to the upcoming hatchback. Unlike the outgoing
Clubman, this version has a full four doors, rather than an unusual three-door
arrangement - and it's topped off by the split-rear doors, as per the outgong
Clubman. While it's being pitched as a concept, the new Clubman does have some
flourishes that are unlikely to feature in the finished product such as 19-inch
alloys. Similarly, the cabin features bucket style seats and a mixture of materials
and colours, with blue, red and black elements. Expect the production car to be
more traditional. That said, many of the details appear production ready. The
rear light arrangement is different from the traditional MINI layout and split
boot spoiler is unique but perfectly feasible given the side hinged rear doors.
It’s too early to say what will be under the bonnet, but expect an engine line-up
much like that offered in the MINI hatch, with new three- and four-cylinder
turbocharged engines.
Peugeot presented the new 108. 3.47m long and 1.62m wide, the car is the
champion of compact dimensions and makes the difference in town. Its reduced
overhangs and turning radius of just 4.80m. On opening the tailgate, the shelf
automatically folds away against the rear screen and reveals a boot that is
generous for the category: 196 litres with the puncture repair kit, 180 litres with
the spare wheel. Loading is easy with the low sill, just 77 cm, and a wide 1 metre
space between the wheel arches. The initial volume can be extended to 750 litres
by folding the 50/50 rear seat backrests. The glove box has a lid and will take a 1
litre bottle and the door pockets a 50cl bottle.
Jaguar Land Rover announced the all-new Range Rover Evoque, the most
performance-focussed derivative to the acclaimed Range Rover Evoque line-up
for 2015: the more powerful and agile Autobiography Dynamic. The
Autobiography Dynamic derivative features enhanced dynamic body styling, 20-
inch forged alloy wheels and premium leather interior details with
Autobiography embossed headrests with the option for either the sports or
premium climate seat. The Autobiography Dynamic’s chassis has been optimised
for even sharper handling, while the top-of-the-range 2.0-litre turbocharged
petrol engine has been upgraded to produce 285PS and 400Nm – a substantial
45PS and 60Nm increase compared with the existing Range Rover Evoque. A
new and striking premium metallic body colour called Phoenix orange also
debuts exclusively for the Autobiography Dynamic.
Jaguar revealed XFR-S Sportbrake, one of the brand’s highlights of 2015
model year range. With a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 delivering 542bhp and 502lb
ft of torque, the super-estate can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.6sec. The top
speed is electronically limited to 300km/h. Jaguar says that the Sportbrake has
the same power and agility as the XFR-S Saloon, with increased versatility and
practicality thanks to the 1,675 litres of boot space with the rear seats folded. It
also has an eight-speed automatic transmission. The car has an EU Combined
fuel consumption of 22.2mpg, with CO2 emissions of 297g/km.
Volvo Car Group used the Geneva Motor Show to reveal the third in a series of
concept cars – the Concept Estate – that continues the widely admired exterior
design language revealed in the first two concepts, but, for the first time, reveals
how the interior of Volvo’s forthcoming models will both look and function. The
Volvo Concept Estate’s most striking interior design feature is its simplicity. The
traditional selection of buttons and controls has been replaced by one large
tablet-like touch screen control panel in the centre console, bringing the interior
firmly into the 21st century. In association with Volvo’s specially designed
software, the touch screen will be the main control panel for Volvo’s new in-car
user experience. It replaces all buttons and controls except for a few crucial
functions such as volume, play/pause, hazard warning and window heaters. It
also interacts seamlessly with the digital instrument cluster in front of the driver.
The all-new Ford Edge Concept made its European public motor show debut at
the Geneva Motor Show – giving a strong indication of the technology, design
and craftsmanship direction of the company’s new large SUV for Europe. The
concept also showcases potential advanced technologies, including a pushbutton and remote-operated parking feature customers could use from inside or
outside the vehicle. Already popular in the U.S. and other markets, the Edge will
be Ford’s first large upscale SUV for Europe, one of at least 25 new vehicles that
Ford will launch in the region in the next five years.
Honda debuted the Civic Type R Concept model, the European debut of the
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Concept, the powertrain layout of the new NSX
and the 2014 Civic World Touring Car Championship race-car. Honda’s
appearance at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show will lead with the worldwide reveal
of the Civic Type R Concept model, providing the styling direction for the
exterior design of the highly-anticipated production version that debuts in 2015.
Dubbed by the design team as a ‘racing car for the road’, its bold and aggressive
styling reflects the strong performance characteristics for which Type R is
renowned.
Nissan continues to pioneer the electric vehicle sector with the introduction of
the Nissan e-NV200, with zero emissions and ultra-low running costs to the
compact van segment. Its high performance pure electric drivetrain is allied to
the class-leading cargo volume of the NV200 able to produce neither exhaust
emissions nor noise pollution. The e-NV200's homologated NEDC range
(170kms) is greater than the average 100km daily driving distance of over half
the fleets who utilize this class of van and the payload and cargo area is the same
as NV200's. The battery can be recharged overnight using a domestic 16-amp
single-phase 3.3 kW supply which reduces to four hours if a 6.6kW/32-amp
supply is used. A dedicated CHAdeMO DC 50 kW quick charger can recharge the
battery from 0-80 percent in just 30 minutes or less if the battery is already
partially charged. More than 1000 public CHAdeMO quick chargers are now
installed across Europe, in addition a number of companies have installed their
own dedicated quick charging facilities at their home depots or offices.
The latest range of bespoke and hand-built sports cars from the Morgan Motor
Company has been given its world premiere. Media attending the press
conference have witness a showcase and grand launch of the company's most
powerful Morgan Plus 4 ever produced.
Japanese carmaker Suzuki showcased the all-new 2014 Euro-spec Celerio. The
new model has been already previewed by the A:Wind concept and has the
following dimensions: 3600mm in length, 1600mm in width and 1560mm in
height, with a 2425mm wheelbase. The 2014 Suzuki Celerio comes with a ground
clearance of 165mm and a 4.7-meter turning radius while the curb weight varies
between 810 kg (1,785 lbs) and 830 kg (1,830 kg). Talking about power, the
same is generated from a 3-cylinder 1.0-liter engine with an output of 68 HP (50
kW) at 6,000 rpm and 90 Nm (66 lb-ft) of torque at 3,500 rpm. The power is sent
to the front axle via a five-speed manual or an automated manual gearbox.
Citroen introduced the new C1, a new version of the outgoing model we first
saw in 2005. At 3.46m long, the 2014 Citroen C1 is 15cm longer than its
predecessor. The French manufacturer says it’s roomier than before, and able to
carry four adults in comfort. It’s available in three or five-door body styles, and
has a decent boot capacity of 196 litres (rising to 750 litres with the rear seats
folded down). Like the previous model, the new Citroen C1 retains a cheeky
character emphasised by the two-part headlamps and vertical LED daytime
running lights. Citroen is offering a large range of colours for its new C1,
including a number of bi-tone options. 2014 Citroen C1 comes with a choice of
two petrol engines – both highly efficient, with the 83hp 3-cylinder 1.2-litre VTi
engine returning 65mpg and emitting 99g/km CO2. These impressive figures are
the result of “innovative technologies” says Citroen, as well as weight saving –
tipping the scales at 840kg.
Subaru presented the all-new 2015 WRX STI, the hottest version of the WRX.
In concert with the regular Subaru engineers, STI plans and develops the WRX
STI. STI makes its own line of tuning parts and accessories for Subaru vehicles,
and builds and races specialty Subarus. Even though the STI is based on the
Impreza, it really is a unique vehicle unto itself. STI gets a lot of structural high
strength steel in its underpinnings, resulting in improved rigidity, and aluminum
bits where practical -- hood, trunk, some suspension pieces, etc. -- to reduce
weight.
Tesla unveiled its new Model S on Tuesday. As the electric car company’s share
price continues to rocket, the luxury brand attributes its success to the product
they’ve built from the ground up. 11-year-old Tesla is owned by Silicon Valley’s
Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, who recently announced plans for a new battery
‘gigafactory’. This new version of the Model S has a 17in touchscreen, which
controls air-conditioning, audio and functions like braking, air suspension and
sunroof. The car is the basis for Rinspeed’s driverless car, also showing at the
Geneva Motor Show.
Two Finnish institutions joined forces to present a prototype for the first ever
wooden car at the Geneva Motor Show.
UPM, a Finnish paper and timber manufacturer, worked with engineers at
Helsinki’s Metropolia University to build the UPM Biofore.
The concept car is a futuristic look at what could be a street-legal vehicle
demonstrating the use of renewable biomaterials in the car industry.
The prototype is built using UPM’s Formi biocomposite and Grada
thermoformable wood material. Its engine is borrowed from the Volkswagen
Polo, but has been modified to run on UPM BioVerno wood-based renewable
diesel made from trees - although it can also run on regular diesel if necessary.
Jusso Konttinen, Vice President of New Businesses and Development at UPM
said: “This is one way to demonstrate how one can make cars more sustainable.
So to substitute selected parts currently made out of fossil-based raw materials
making them now from bio-based materials. And also to run it with bio diesel.”
UPM took their idea for a wooden car to Metropolia, which has a history of
creating concept cars. The Helsinki University unveiled what was then the fastest
electric car in 2010.
Despite moves in the car industry towards aluminium, Biofore’s makers
believe wood can make a comeback. Laminated wood and hemp fibres can
replace fibreglass and plastics, they say.
Oscar Nissinen, Project Engineer at the Helsinki Metropolia University of
Applied Sciences explains: “The thing with wood is that it’s renewable, it’s really
economically-friendly, it’s easy to process, it’s good-looking, it’s warm, etc. We
have a long tradition in Finland using wood.”
Although the Biofore was presented as a concept car, the makers see a
production future in it. Jusso Konttinen said: “We are seeing here a signal of
intent. We are not aiming for a serial production of this specific car, but definitely
the materials used in this car are commercially available and definitely the car
producers can start to utilise these materials if they so wish.”
50 technicians have spent 30,000 hours on the car, and it first test drove in
August in the rain to allay fears that a wooden car wouldn’t be able to handle the
wet. Oscar Nissinen says safety has been taken on board: “We have taken safety
into account to some level. We can’t make any crash tests and we have to have all
the airbags and that kind of stuff removed because they have explosives in
them.”
Biofore’s makers, then, are looking to the future, as Nissinen explains: “We
have plans to make this road legal and go through the process in Finland to get
the plates, which you can see outside, and that means that we could drive it on
the streets.”