The 83rd International Geneva motor show is open to the public until March 17, and has delivered some of the automotive world’s biggest and most significant debuts.
From revolutionary supercars like the hybrid-powered McLaren P1 and LaFerrari, to evolutionary models like the Lamborghini Veneno and Porsche 911 GT3 – plus more than a few surprises along the way – the 2013 Geneva motor show didn’t disappoint.
Alfa Romeo 4C
The Alfa Romeo 4C is designed to revive the passion and lust for the Italian brand worldwide.
Due to hit Australia early next year with a targeted sub-$80,000 price tag, the mid-engined, two-seater sports car powers its rear wheels via a 176kW turbocharged 1.8-litre direct injection four-cylinder engine and a dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Weighing under 1000kg and measuring less than four metres long, the compact Alfa Romeo 4C can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.5 seconds and hit a top speed of 250km/h.
Audi RSQ3
The German manufacturer’s first-ever RS-branded SUV-based model, the Audi RSQ3 combines more aggressive Audi Q3 looks with a 228kW/420Nm 2.5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder TFSI engine. It is able to deliver a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.5 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h, with the help of seven-speed ‘S-tronic’ dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Despite being 25mm longer and 285kg heavier than the standard Audi Q3, the Audi RSQ3 still offers practical performance with a maximum cargo capacity of 1261 litres (with the rear seats folded down) and, thanks to start-stop and direct-injection technology, claimed fuel consumption of 8.8 litres per 100km.
The RSQ3 is due to arrive locally in the first quarter of 2014, priced below $100,000.
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible
Following the unveiling of the seventh-generation Chevrolet Corvette Stingray coupe at the 2013 Detroit auto show, Geneva marked the reveal of the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray convertible.
Sharing the coupe’s all-new 335kW/610Nm 6.2-litre LT1 direct injection V8 engine and seven-speed manual transmission, and built on the same lightweight aluminium frame, the Corvette Stingray convertible will start arriving in showrooms globally later in the year.
LaFerrari
Easily the most anticipated car to be revealed at Geneva, Ferrari’s fastest and most powerful production car in the company’s history is the LaFerrari.
The epitome of the modern supercar, the LaFerrai incorporates Formula One-derived technology to create an electrically-assisted 6.3-litre V12 powerplant capable of producing 708kW of power and more than 900Nm of torque.
With performance figures that demand a second glance – 0-100km/h in less than three seconds, 0-200km/h in under seven seconds, 0-300km/h in 15 seconds, and a top speed of over 350km/h – and a recorded lap of Ferrari’s Fiorano test track that is more than five seconds faster than its Ferrari Enzo predecessor, the hybrid-powered LaFerrari epitomises the prancing horse stomping into the 21st Century.
Honda Civic Tourer concept
Previewing the next Honda Civic wagon and appearing close to production form, the Honda Civic Tourer concept shows that practical doesn’t have to be boring.
With a front end mirroring the design of the ninth-generation Honda Civic hatch, C-pillar-mounted rear door handles, aggressive bumpers, muscular wheel arches and a dual chrome-tipped exhaust, the sporty and agile-looking Honda Civic Tourer is set to debut in production form at the Frankfurt motor show in September before starting European deliveries early next year.
There are no plans for the wagon to join Honda’s local line-up, with Honda Australia believing there is insufficient demand.
Kia Provo concept
Surprising some and impressing many, the technology-packed Kia Provo concept is an edgy coupe-style hatchback from the Korean brand clearly aimed at taking on the Mini.
Debuting Kia’s new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox alongside a 150kW 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder-based hybrid drivetrain and an all-wheel-drive system that allows for rear-wheel-drive-only operation, the 3.9m-long, 1.8m-wide Kia Provo might just be enough to make Mini’s German owner, BMW, a little nervous.
Lamborghini Veneno
The Lamborghini Veneno, the Italian company’s fastest and most exclusive supercar ever, will help three very unique owners, who have agreed to part with €3 million (plus taxes) each for the privilege, celebrate 50 years of the fighting bull brand. While a 552kW 6.5-litre V12 ensures drivers are pinned to their seat for the 2.8 seconds needed for the Veneno to hit 100km/h, the surge doesn’t stop until a top speed of 355km/h is reached.
Appropriately then, the new supercar’s name continues the Lamborghini tradition of being named after a fighting bull, with Veneno an animal renowned for its speed.
Read more on the Lamborghini Veneno.
McLaren P1
Keeping the Italian supercars in check is the 673kW/900Nm McLaren P1, Britain’s new hybrid-powered supercar limited to just 375 examples.
With an electrically-supported twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8 powering the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the McLaren P1 crushes its sprint from 0-100km/h in less than three seconds, 0-200km/h in under seven seconds and hits 300km/h in 17 seconds – five seconds faster than the legendary McLaren F1 – before being electronically held back at a limited top speed of 350km/h.
With all that good news there had to be some bad, and while a potential cost to Australians of close to $2 million per car is one issue, only being produced in left-hand drive is quite another.
Mitsubishi GR-HEV concept
The Mitsubishi GR-HEV concept (or ‘Grand Runner Hybrid Electric Vehicle’) is the Japanese manufacturer’s biggest hint of the future design direction intended for the next-generation Mitsubishi Triton ute, due in 2014.
Teaming up a 2.5-litre clean-diesel engine with an electric motor and a selectable four-wheel-drive system, the Mitsubishi GR-HEV concept aims to balance all-terrain performance with average CO2 emissions of less than 149 grams per kilometre or approximately 5.6 litres per 100km fuel consumption.
Porsche 911 GT3
Marking 50 years of Porsche development before it, the fifth-generation Porsche 911 GT3 brings with it a change of monumental proportions – it’s not manual.
The most focused of the new Porsche 911 models, the GT3 has been revealed with a 350kW naturally aspirated 3.8-litre direct injection six-cylinder engine, four-wheel steering, and in a first for the road-racer, a dual-clutch automatic as the only transmission offered.
Thanks to a launch control system the new Porsche 911 GT3 will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds – quicker than both hardcore GT3 RS and GT3 RS 4.0 997-based models that require drivers to shift ratios for themselves – on its way to a top speed of 315km/h.
The new, somewhat sacrilegious, Porsche 911 GT3 goes on sale in Europe in August before limited numbers are offered to Australian buyers later in the year.
Rolls-Royce Wraith
Dubbed the “ultimate gentlemen’s gran turismo” by the British company’s CEO, the 465kW/800Nm two-door Rolls-Royce Wraith is everything a Rolls-Royce should be, powerful, luxurious, and dripping with craftsmanship.
With the twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V12 engine from the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the Wraith will gracefully take sir from rest to 100km/h in 4.6 seconds while he enjoys the car’s ‘waftability’ from a cabin that features Phantom-grade leathers, Canadel wood panelling and a Starlight headliner made by hand-weaving 1340 fibre optic lights into the roof lining.
The Rolls-Royce Wraith also premiere’s a new satellite-aided transmission system that links the car’s eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox to GPS mapping data to ensure the correct gear is always pre-selected for the road ahead.
Suzuki SX4
The next-generation Suzuki SX4 took pride of place on the Japanese manufacturer’s stand in Geneva ahead of the small car’s arrival in showrooms later in the year.
Bigger than the current Suzuki SX4, the new model offers a 430-litre boot, increased interior space and will again be available in either front- or all-wheel-drive configurations as well as two alternative 1.6-litre four-cylinder engines – one petrol and one diesel.
Toyota 86 Convertible concept
A near-production-ready concept of the all-but-confirmed Toyota 86 Convertible, the officially titled Toyota FT-86 Open concept shows how roof removals should be done.
Featuring an electrically operated soft-top that folds away into the rear-wheel-drive sports car’s boot, the Toyota FT-86 Open concept manages to maintain the smooth lines, recognisable silhouette and 2+2 seating layout of the fixed-roof Toyota 86.
With details light, production is tipped for 2014, with motivation expected to come from the same 147kW/205Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder Boxer engine currently shared by the 86 and its Subaru BRZ twin.
Toyota i-Road concept
Toyota’s vision of a bike-style urban commuter vehicle that doesn’t require users to wear a helmet, put their feet on the ground or spend a cent on petrol, the battery-powered two-seat Toyota i-Road concept is the ‘trike’ of the future.
With a range of 50km possible on a single charge at an average speed of 30km/h, the Toyota i-Road can be recharged from a regular power socket in three hours and can achieve a top speed of 45km/h.
Volkswagen Golf wagon
To be offered for the first time with an 81kW 2.0-litre TDI BlueMotion diesel engine and six-speed manual transmission, the new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf wagon will be the most fuel-efficient Golf wagon of all time with a combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 3.3L/100km.
Providing 605 litres of boot space – 100L more than the current sixth-generation model – that expands to 1620L with the rear seats folded forward, the larger and lighter Volkswagen Golf wagon will be host to a range of petrol and diesel engines when it goes on sale in Australia in early 2014 following next month’s launch of the standard Golf Mk7 range.
While the standouts at this year’s Geneva motor show were many, some notable mentions included the Hyundai i20 WRC, KTM X-Bow GT, Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale, Mitsubishi CA-MiEV concept, Pininfarina Sergio concept, Qoros 3 sedan, Ssangyong SIV-1 concept, Subaru Viziv concept and Volkswagen e-Co-Motion concept. Surprises like the Spyker B6 Venator concept, ItalDesign Giugiaro Parcour concept, Rinspeed Micromax and Opel Adam Rocks also added to the buzz of the show.
