Geneva motor showcase 2017: report, news and picture gallery
For a while, it looked as however fresh cars might have to take a back seat at the two thousand seventeen Geneva motor showcase.
When Peugeot let it be known over the weekend that it would be officially announcing the purchase of Opel a day before the showcase’s traditional Tuesday preview, it seemed we were in for a lot of corporate guff that would take concentrate from what, going in, looked a bumper crop of fresh metal in all departments. But it’s amazing how quickly things stir on.
By Tuesday, we were back to cars: the car community had ‘banked’ the PSA-Opel skill and had also digested reassuring statements from PSA chief Carlos Tavares – who even managed to sound bullish about the prospects for the UK component supply business if there were a hard Brexit.
Various bosses of companies that sell or make cars in the UK queued up to reiterate how significant a zero-tariff post-Brexit situation was going to be, but that has become no more than slightly annoying mood music. Cars were soon back in the spotlight.
Of course, there was a power race. McLaren’s fresh 720S (710bhp) does much more than merely up the power of the Woking company’s fresh core model. It also introduces a fresh look for McLaren, with interesting fresh answers to mid-engined supercar aerodynamics and revolutionised driver visibility.
But its engine output was nevertheless quickly compared by headline-hungry hacks with that of the fresh Ferrari eight hundred twelve Superfast (fresh V12) and with a collection of newcomers such as Aston Martin’s hypercar, now dubbed Valkyrie, the Techrules Ren (1287bhp from a jet-propelled range-extender) and Singapore’s all-electric Dendrobrium, built by Williams Advanced Engineering, a company relatively fresh, let it never be forgotten, from creating the stillborn but brilliant hybrid Jaguar C-X75.
Further down the price scale was the fresh Honda Civic Type R, all wings and vents as usual, which, despite talk of a calmer character, will still have an even higher engine output of 316bhp and a 0-60mph time in the mid-five-second bracket when it starts production in the UK this summer and reaches showrooms in the autumn. Even Tata had a supercar, the neat and compact-looking Racemo, which said good things about the scale of its ambitions.
Geneva always provides an outing for traditional Italian concept car builders, and Volkswagen-owned Italdesign (which displayed its super-exclusive £2m Zerouno) and Mahindra-owned Pininfarina (with the spectacular but plausible Fittipaldi EF7) both staged heartening comebacks to the real world.
Amazing what a bit of big-company backing can do. Alongside other concepts, Bentley had the EXP12, the 2nd iteration of a roadster that now looks plumbed on eventually to be its fifth model line, and at the other end of the scale, Citroën extended its fresh look with C-Aircross, a pretty accurate view of the forthcoming C3 Picasso.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) always likes Geneva and staged another of its familiar ‘Ian and Gerry’ shows. Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum opened the bidding with the long-awaited XF Sportbrake, as remarkable as ever, but Land Rover’s Gerry McGovern held the winning mitt in this phase of the design chiefs’ continuing rivalry with an all-new Range Rover, the Velar, whose similarity under the skin to Callum’s recently launched Jaguar F-Pace was largely (and cheerfully) lost on the vast audience.
The JLR undercurrent was a swathe of models now suggesting various high-power versions of the Wolverhampton-built Ingenium petrol and diesel engines in place of expensively bought-in (and usually less efficient) units.
What else? ‘Autonomous’ and ‘driverless’ were terms loosely bandied on just about every stand. Peugeot’s bumf on its sweet-looking Instinct concept was so packed with detail about connectivity and self driving that it left behind to draw attention to its interesting proportions (it is a coupé-like estate) or the fact that it is a step towards finding a fresh design style for the brand.
And there was the usual crop of fresh season’s refreshes: Audi RS3, Bentley Continental GT, BMW four Series and Infiniti Q50 among them.
VW, always in the news, even helped us end on a hearteningly bizarre note: paramours of quirky car names have long since given up hope of a revival for the much-mourned Nissan Cedric, but this year, VW has stepped into the breech with a self-driving pod called Sedric. It put the icing on the cake. As hacks departed for home on every point of the compass, all seemed right with the world.
Read our minute-by-minute coverage below to find out how the thickest stories at the Geneva motor showcase unfolded:
Geneva motor demonstrate 2017: the starlet cars
Reborn Renault-owned sports car maker Alpine has brought its A110 to the Geneva motor demonstrate. It’s the very first time we’ve seen the production version of the car in the metal, albeit Alpine has been drip-feeding details of the mid-engined coupé to its website .
The British sports car maker’s Q customisation department has launched a fresh service that permits buyers to spec totally bespoke models for the very first time. Aston is also displaying a customised DB11 (above) to illustrate an expanded range of Q options.
Citroën’s latest concept car, the C-Aircross, indirectly previews the fresh C3 Picasso, which will take on the Nissan Juke when it goes on sale early next year.
Singapore’s very first hypercar uses Williams F1 technology and has a top speed of 200mph. Similar in its intentions to the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercars, it’s likely to be built in very limited numbers.
Fledgling UK company and potential Morgan rival Eadon Green has exposed its dramatic Black Cuillin, which gets a retro-styled exterior inspired by cars of the 1930s.
The eight hundred twelve Superfast, Ferrari’s replacement for the F12 Berlinetta, is one of many supercars at the Geneva showcase. The 789bhp V12 two-door is the most powerful series production Ferrari yet produced.
Honda showcased a production-ready Civic Type R with 316bhp at Geneva. It’s slightly toned down compared with the old car but should be even swifter.
The estate version of Hyundai’s fresh five-door i30 is one of the most spacious models in its class. It mixes generous dimensions with a slanting roofline and a more luxurious interior.
Italian design house Italdesign has launched a fresh car brand, dubbed Italdesign Automobili Speciali, with a V10 sports car called the Zerouno. It shares its powertrain with top-spec Audi R8s.
The smallest Kia gets a fresh fresh look, a more upmarket interior and updated technology and safety features. A sporty GT-Line trim also features, but a full-fat GT won’t be produced.
This one-off Koenigsegg Agera RS Gryphon, which has been produced for an unnamed customer, features 24-carat gold accents.
Land Rover’s Porsche Macan rival is its most road-biased model yet. Called the Velar, it sits inbetween the Evoque and Range Rover Sport and will go on sale later this year.
Lamborghini’s lightweight Huracán has smashed the Nürburgring lap record for production cars. It’s powered by a mid-mounted Five.2-litre V10 engine producing 631bhp and 443lb ft, making it the most powerful engine of its type yet produced by Lamborghini.
McLaren unveiled its replacement for the 650S at Geneva. Called the 720S, it gets an aero-focused fresh look and 710bhp.
Mercedes-AMG has exposed its G sixty five 4×4² Landaulet, a limited-volume, V12-powered semi-convertible version of the G-Class. The hig-spec off-roader acts as a swansong for the outgoing car, which will be substituted by a intensely updated model later this year.
The fresh Mercedes-AMG E sixty three Estate is the world’s quickest wagon, hitting 0-62mph in Three.5sec in range-topping S 4Matic+ guise. That’s just 0.1sec slower than its saloon equivalent. Its closest rival, the fastest version of the Audi RS6 Avant, covers the same sprint in Trio.7sec.
Mercedes is displaying top-end Edition fifty versions of its AMG GT C Roadster, C sixty three Cabriolet and C forty three 4Matic. The Edition fifty version of the hard-top GT C was exposed earlier this year.
Mitsubishi is a rather late joiner of the Qashqai rival club, but the Eclipse is a car that could turn the ailing manufacturer’s fortunes around under fresh Renault-Nissan management. Its look is derived from that of the XR-PHEV concept, very first seen in 2013. The Eclipse name was formerly used on a sports coupé produced from one thousand nine hundred eighty nine until two thousand eleven .
Nissan brought its updated Qashqai to Switzerland. The model introduces Nissan’s single-lane autonomous tech, called Propilot. A £30,000-plus Tekna+ version is coming later this year to challenge the Audi Q3.
This open-top version of the Huayra gets a breathed-on version of the twin-turbocharged V12 engine used by the coupé, but here producing 754bhp. It weighs 1280kg dry and is priced from a cool £2.32 million. Just one hundred will be made, and it’s already sold out.
A supercar called the Pininfarina Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo has been d eveloped in conjunction with two-time F1 champ and Indy five hundred winner Emerson Fittipaldi. The model uses a 600bhp naturally-aspirated V8 and is designed for the track.
The updated nine hundred eleven GT3 gets a manual gearbox option for the very first time, and a redline of 9000rpm. It also gets a fresh engine – a Four.0-litre vapid six with 493bhp.
The fresh Ibiza is a sleeker, more technologically advanced model that will go on sale in July. It shares its underpinnings with the Arona puny SUV, which itself will arrive on roads near the end of the year.
Spyker’s drop-top sports car exchanges the Audi-supplied supercharged Four.2-litre V8 of older models for a Koenigsegg-developed 592bhp V8.
The second-generation Subaru XV petite SUV is based o n the company’s fresh Global Platform that is also used for the fresh Impreza. At the heart of the model will be boxer engines mounted in a way that’s said to reduce stimulation.
Suzuki’s fresh swift is actually more compact than the old car, but a longer wheelbase helps free up more space inwards. The Japanese Ford Fiesta rival also sports an evolved look.
The Techrules Ren is a 1287bhp electrified supercar with a patented diesel-fuelled turbine-recharging (TREV) system. It can do 0-62mph in Two.5sec and tops out at 217mph.
The Toyota Yaris GRMN hot hatch takes the name of the brand’s Gazoo motorsport garment’s spectacle models. The car will go on sale later this year. It’s confirmed to have 205bhp from its 1.8-litre supercharged engine.
Geneva is the venue for the debut of the fresh XC60 puny SUV. It borrows its look from the larger XC90 and will go head-to-head with the Jaguar F-Pace.
Volkswagen’s replacement coupé for the CC moves another step away from its Passat variant roots with a fresh name but the same sort of styling. Since the Phaeton has now ended production, this will be the most expensive saloon in Volkswagen’s range. We’ve already driven an early prototype, and there are whisperings of a shooting brake variant, too.
Vauxhall’s fresh Crossland X ‘urban’ petite SUV is the replacement for the Meriva MPV. It sits alongside the Mokka X rivals the Renault Captur.
This opened up, seven-seat-optional Volkswagen Tiguan gets a choice of six four-cylinder engines and is likely to cost from around £26,000.
To mark ten years of business, Danish supercar maker Zenvo has launched an anniversary version of its TS1 GT in Geneva. The car is powered by a twin-supercharged Five.8-litre V8 that produces more than 1150bhp.
Geneva motor display 2017: report, news and picture gallery, Autocar
Geneva motor demonstrate 2017: report, news and picture gallery
For a while, it looked as however fresh cars might have to take a back seat at the two thousand seventeen Geneva motor display.
When Peugeot let it be known over the weekend that it would be officially announcing the purchase of Opel a day before the showcase’s traditional Tuesday preview, it seemed we were in for a lot of corporate guff that would take concentrate from what, going in, looked a bumper crop of fresh metal in all departments. But it’s amazing how quickly things budge on.
By Tuesday, we were back to cars: the car community had ‘banked’ the PSA-Opel skill and had also digested reassuring statements from PSA chief Carlos Tavares – who even managed to sound bullish about the prospects for the UK component supply business if there were a hard Brexit.
Various bosses of companies that sell or make cars in the UK queued up to reiterate how significant a zero-tariff post-Brexit situation was going to be, but that has become no more than slightly annoying mood music. Cars were soon back in the spotlight.
Of course, there was a power race. McLaren’s fresh 720S (710bhp) does much more than merely up the power of the Woking company’s fresh core model. It also introduces a fresh look for McLaren, with interesting fresh answers to mid-engined supercar aerodynamics and revolutionised driver visibility.
But its engine output was nevertheless quickly compared by headline-hungry hacks with that of the fresh Ferrari eight hundred twelve Superfast (fresh V12) and with a collection of newcomers such as Aston Martin’s hypercar, now dubbed Valkyrie, the Techrules Ren (1287bhp from a jet-propelled range-extender) and Singapore’s all-electric Dendrobrium, built by Williams Advanced Engineering, a company relatively fresh, let it never be forgotten, from creating the stillborn but brilliant hybrid Jaguar C-X75.
Further down the price scale was the fresh Honda Civic Type R, all wings and vents as usual, which, despite talk of a calmer character, will still have an even higher engine output of 316bhp and a 0-60mph time in the mid-five-second bracket when it starts production in the UK this summer and reaches showrooms in the autumn. Even Tata had a supercar, the neat and compact-looking Racemo, which said good things about the scale of its ambitions.
Geneva always provides an outing for traditional Italian concept car builders, and Volkswagen-owned Italdesign (which demonstrated its super-exclusive £2m Zerouno) and Mahindra-owned Pininfarina (with the spectacular but plausible Fittipaldi EF7) both staged heartening comebacks to the real world.
Amazing what a bit of big-company backing can do. Alongside other concepts, Bentley had the EXP12, the 2nd iteration of a roadster that now looks torn up on eventually to be its fifth model line, and at the other end of the scale, Citroën extended its fresh look with C-Aircross, a pretty accurate view of the forthcoming C3 Picasso.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) always likes Geneva and staged another of its familiar ‘Ian and Gerry’ shows. Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum opened the bidding with the long-awaited XF Sportbrake, as beautiful as ever, but Land Rover’s Gerry McGovern held the winning palm in this phase of the design chiefs’ continuing rivalry with an all-new Range Rover, the Velar, whose similarity under the skin to Callum’s recently launched Jaguar F-Pace was largely (and joyfully) lost on the vast audience.
The JLR undercurrent was a swathe of models now suggesting various high-power versions of the Wolverhampton-built Ingenium petrol and diesel engines in place of expensively bought-in (and usually less efficient) units.
What else? ‘Autonomous’ and ‘driverless’ were terms loosely bandied on just about every stand. Peugeot’s bumf on its sweet-looking Instinct concept was so packed with detail about connectivity and self driving that it left behind to draw attention to its interesting proportions (it is a coupé-like estate) or the fact that it is a step towards finding a fresh design style for the brand.
And there was the usual crop of fresh season’s refreshes: Audi RS3, Bentley Continental GT, BMW four Series and Infiniti Q50 among them.
VW, always in the news, even helped us end on a hearteningly bizarre note: paramours of quirky car names have long since given up hope of a revival for the much-mourned Nissan Cedric, but this year, VW has stepped into the breech with a self-driving pod called Sedric. It put the icing on the cake. As hacks departed for home on every point of the compass, all seemed right with the world.
Read our minute-by-minute coverage below to find out how the fattest stories at the Geneva motor demonstrate unfolded:
Geneva motor demonstrate 2017: the starlet cars
Reborn Renault-owned sports car maker Alpine has brought its A110 to the Geneva motor display. It’s the very first time we’ve seen the production version of the car in the metal, albeit Alpine has been drip-feeding details of the mid-engined coupé to its website .
The British sports car maker’s Q customisation department has launched a fresh service that permits buyers to spec entirely bespoke models for the very first time. Aston is also demonstrating a customised DB11 (above) to illustrate an expanded range of Q options.
Citroën’s latest concept car, the C-Aircross, indirectly previews the fresh C3 Picasso, which will take on the Nissan Juke when it goes on sale early next year.
Singapore’s very first hypercar uses Williams F1 technology and has a top speed of 200mph. Similar in its intentions to the Aston Martin Valkyrie and Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercars, it’s likely to be built in very limited numbers.
Fledgling UK company and potential Morgan rival Eadon Green has exposed its dramatic Black Cuillin, which gets a retro-styled exterior inspired by cars of the 1930s.
The eight hundred twelve Superfast, Ferrari’s replacement for the F12 Berlinetta, is one of many supercars at the Geneva display. The 789bhp V12 two-door is the most powerful series production Ferrari yet produced.
Honda demonstrated a production-ready Civic Type R with 316bhp at Geneva. It’s slightly toned down compared with the old car but should be even quicker.
The estate version of Hyundai’s fresh five-door i30 is one of the most spacious models in its class. It mixes generous dimensions with a slanting roofline and a more luxurious interior.
Italian design house Italdesign has launched a fresh car brand, dubbed Italdesign Automobili Speciali, with a V10 sports car called the Zerouno. It shares its powertrain with top-spec Audi R8s.
The smallest Kia gets a fresh fresh look, a more upmarket interior and updated technology and safety features. A sporty GT-Line trim also features, but a full-fat GT won’t be produced.
This one-off Koenigsegg Agera RS Gryphon, which has been produced for an unnamed customer, features 24-carat gold accents.
Land Rover’s Porsche Macan rival is its most road-biased model yet. Called the Velar, it sits inbetween the Evoque and Range Rover Sport and will go on sale later this year.
Lamborghini’s lightweight Huracán has smashed the Nürburgring lap record for production cars. It’s powered by a mid-mounted Five.2-litre V10 engine producing 631bhp and 443lb ft, making it the most powerful engine of its type yet produced by Lamborghini.
McLaren unveiled its replacement for the 650S at Geneva. Called the 720S, it gets an aero-focused fresh look and 710bhp.
Mercedes-AMG has exposed its G sixty five 4×4² Landaulet, a limited-volume, V12-powered semi-convertible version of the G-Class. The hig-spec off-roader acts as a swansong for the outgoing car, which will be substituted by a strongly updated model later this year.
The fresh Mercedes-AMG E sixty three Estate is the world’s quickest wagon, hitting 0-62mph in Trio.5sec in range-topping S 4Matic+ guise. That’s just 0.1sec slower than its saloon equivalent. Its closest rival, the fastest version of the Audi RS6 Avant, covers the same sprint in Trio.7sec.
Mercedes is demonstrating top-end Edition fifty versions of its AMG GT C Roadster, C sixty three Cabriolet and C forty three 4Matic. The Edition fifty version of the hard-top GT C was exposed earlier this year.
Mitsubishi is a rather late joiner of the Qashqai rival club, but the Eclipse is a car that could turn the ailing manufacturer’s fortunes around under fresh Renault-Nissan management. Its look is derived from that of the XR-PHEV concept, very first seen in 2013. The Eclipse name was formerly used on a sports coupé produced from one thousand nine hundred eighty nine until two thousand eleven .
Nissan brought its updated Qashqai to Switzerland. The model introduces Nissan’s single-lane autonomous tech, called Propilot. A £30,000-plus Tekna+ version is coming later this year to challenge the Audi Q3.
This open-top version of the Huayra gets a breathed-on version of the twin-turbocharged V12 engine used by the coupé, but here producing 754bhp. It weighs 1280kg dry and is priced from a cool £2.32 million. Just one hundred will be made, and it’s already sold out.
A supercar called the Pininfarina Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo has been d eveloped in conjunction with two-time F1 champ and Indy five hundred winner Emerson Fittipaldi. The model uses a 600bhp naturally-aspirated V8 and is designed for the track.
The updated nine hundred eleven GT3 gets a manual gearbox option for the very first time, and a redline of 9000rpm. It also gets a fresh engine – a Four.0-litre plane six with 493bhp.
The fresh Ibiza is a sleeker, more technologically advanced model that will go on sale in July. It shares its underpinnings with the Arona puny SUV, which itself will arrive on roads near the end of the year.
Spyker’s drop-top sports car interchanges the Audi-supplied supercharged Four.2-litre V8 of older models for a Koenigsegg-developed 592bhp V8.
The second-generation Subaru XV puny SUV is based o n the company’s fresh Global Platform that is also used for the fresh Impreza. At the heart of the model will be boxer engines mounted in a way that’s said to reduce stimulation.
Suzuki’s fresh swift is actually more compact than the old car, but a longer wheelbase helps free up more space inwards. The Japanese Ford Fiesta rival also sports an evolved look.
The Techrules Ren is a 1287bhp electrical supercar with a patented diesel-fuelled turbine-recharging (TREV) system. It can do 0-62mph in Two.5sec and tops out at 217mph.
The Toyota Yaris GRMN hot hatch takes the name of the brand’s Gazoo motorsport clothing’s spectacle models. The car will go on sale later this year. It’s confirmed to have 205bhp from its 1.8-litre supercharged engine.
Geneva is the venue for the debut of the fresh XC60 petite SUV. It borrows its look from the larger XC90 and will go head-to-head with the Jaguar F-Pace.
Volkswagen’s replacement coupé for the CC moves another step away from its Passat variant roots with a fresh name but the same sort of styling. Since the Phaeton has now ended production, this will be the most expensive saloon in Volkswagen’s range. We’ve already driven an early prototype, and there are whisperings of a shooting brake variant, too.
Vauxhall’s fresh Crossland X ‘urban’ puny SUV is the replacement for the Meriva MPV. It sits alongside the Mokka X rivals the Renault Captur.
This opened up, seven-seat-optional Volkswagen Tiguan gets a choice of six four-cylinder engines and is likely to cost from around £26,000.
To mark ten years of business, Danish supercar maker Zenvo has launched an anniversary version of its TS1 GT in Geneva. The car is powered by a twin-supercharged Five.8-litre V8 that produces more than 1150bhp.
