2013 Geneva Motor Show Preview
On the auto show circuit, the annual event in the Swiss city of Geneva isn’t exactly known for being a place where mainstream automakers present their wares, and a quick perusal of this year’s list of debuts, which includes more than 130 world firsts, shows exactly why.
The Geneva Motor Show tends to be neutral territory for supercar manufacturers and the ultra-luxury brands to present their latest and greatest, and this year’s show is set to be one of the biggest in the event’s 108-year history.
In less than a fortnight we will be treated to new flagship supercars from Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, in addition to new special editions and concepts from the likes of Pagani, Koenigsegg and Spyker.
But it’s not just about performance, as ultra-luxury is also right at home on the floors of Geneva’s Palexpo Arena. Rolls-Royce will have an all-new model on its stands, while Bentley will be showing its new Flying Spur, and Europe’s most illustrious design houses will all present new concepts.
The show is also where the winner of the European Car of the Year awards is announced, along with the finalists for the equally-prestigious World and Performance Car of the Year awards. And on top of this, roughly 10 percent of the 900 vehicles being exhibited will be ‘green’ powered and a series of conferences regarding the future of automotive transportation will be presented by a panel of experts.
With all of this, it’s little wonder that the Geneva Motor Show ranks as one of the world’s five most important auto shows.
PERFORMANCE CARS
Ferrari 'F150' Enzo replacement: Despite the propensity for leaks in the Internet age, Ferrari has done an impressive job of keeping details on its F150 a secret. In fact, we still don’t know what the car will be called as “F150” is simply a code name for the new flagship. What we do know is that it will feature
Ferrari’s first hybrid system, which pairs a traditional V-12 engine with an electric drive system. Purists may hate the thought of Ferrari’s new supercar being a hybrid, but the model promises to be the fastest and most powerful production car ever launched by the automaker.
2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible: In and amongst all of the mega-dollar supercars and luxurious land yachts will be America’s own Chevrolet Corvette. The bowtie brand has confirmed that both the
2014 Corvette Stingray that stunned audiences at the recent Detroit Auto Show, as well as its new convertible variant, will be on display in Geneva. We already have a
pretty good idea as to what the new drop-top will look like, though we bet its unveiling in Geneva will still be a show stopper. Like the coupe, the Corvette Stingray Convertible will pack a 6.2-liter LT1 V-8 good for at least 450 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque.
2014 Porsche 911 GT3: Easily one of our most eagerly-awaited cars of the year, the new Type-991 Porsche 911 GT3 will make its world debut at the Geneva show next month. The new car will be improved in almost every way over the outgoing 997 model, which is already considered one of the best performance cars money can buy. What will those improvements entail? We’re expecting more power, lighter weight and the addition of Porsche’s brilliant
PDK dual-clutch transmission.
Lamborghini’s Fastest Car Ever: Though it hasn’t been confirmed by the automaker, we’re expecting Lamborghini to unveil its fastest car ever in Geneva. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2013, so understandably it won’t want the year to go out without a bang. The new model is likely to be a special edition based on the current Aventador LP 700-4, possibly a new generation of Lamborghini’s legendary SuperVeloce models. To be Lamborghini's fastest model, the new car will need to accelerate to 60 in less than 2.9 seconds and reach a top speed in excess of 217 mph.
McLaren P1: Possibly the only car on the planet capable of outmatching the upcoming Ferrari F150 on the race track will be the P1 from McLaren.
The British company is coming to Geneva for the first time this year, with this being only its second auto show appearance ever. The first was at the 2012 Paris Auto Show last September where we saw the
P1 prototype unveiled.
This time we’re getting the production P1, which, like the Ferrari, will be featuring a hybrid system. McLaren recently confirmed that the system would deliver a peak output of
903 horsepower and 663 pound-feet of torque.
The unveiling of the P1 will certainly be a significant event, as the car is essentially the spiritual successor to the legendary F1 supercar launched by McLaren more than two decades ago. As you may have guessed, production will be limited and pricing should be well in excess of one million dollars.
2014 Alfa Romeo 4C: After presenting it as a concept in Geneva just two years ago, Alfa Romeo will be using this year’s Geneva event to present the production 4C sports car, which is destined to hit U.S. showrooms at the end of the year and in the process herald the return of the Italian brand to these shores.
The production 4C, which will arrive as a 2014 model, looks every bit as breathtaking as the original concept, right down to its mid-engine layout and jet fighter-style cockpit.
It also maintains most of the concept’s drool-worthy specs, including the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, 13-foot length and full carbon fiber monocoque chassis.
Numbers will be limited, with some suggesting just 2,500 will be built for worldwide consumption, which means pricing could be set higher than the original estimates of around $45k. Around 1,000 are expected for the North American market. The good news is that a
4C convertible is also planned and should arrive next year.
2013 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG: The first of AMG’s new compact range will be making its debut in Geneva, and although the striking hot hatch won’t make it to the U.S., its potent powertrain will. That powertrain is a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that’s matched to an all-wheel-drive system and rated at 360 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. That’s as much power as V-8 engines were making just a few years ago and should promise superb performance in the new A45 AMG as well as the upcoming
CLA45 AMG that we’ll be getting on this side of the Atlantic.
2014 Aston Martin Rapide S: Aston Martin has given its sultry Rapide sedan a performance upgrade, and at the same time tweaked the styling for a little more aggression as well. Rated at 550 horsepower, the V-12-powered Rapide S is 17 percent stronger than the
existing Rapide, while its handling and dynamics have also been improved. The interior also receives its own series of tweaks and an optional Duotone perforated red-and-black leather trim is a first for the British brand in the new Rapide S.
LUXURY CARS
2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith: Rolls-Royce will be presenting its fastest and most powerful model ever in Geneva, the 2014 Wraith, a new coupe variant of the Ghost luxury sedan that is scheduled to be launched on the market by the end of the year. Power is expected to come from the Ghost’s twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-12 engine, which in its latest application may be tuned to deliver more than 600 horsepower. The car has already been teased in
some official photos, as well as our
own spy shots, and so far looks to be the sportiest and most dynamic model we’ve seen yet from the British marque.
Bentley Comfort And Entertainment Specification: Bentley is introducing a new set of equipment packages that take its Mulsanne flagship sedan to even loftier heights in luxury. These new specifications add to the
Mulliner Driving Specification already offered, as well as Bentley's essentially limitless customization capabilities for the car.
2014 BMW 3-Series Gran Turismo: BMW's Gran Turismo take on a roomier, more useful vehicle somewhere between a sedan and a wagon wasn't all that well received, at least aesthetically, when it first showed up
in 5-Series trim. However, the automaker is having a second go at it, launching the controversial bodystyle in its smaller 3-Series range. As a 3-Series, BMW’s latest Gran Turismo certainly looks better, and we’re sure it will win many fans, if priced right. We should know soon how it’s received by the public as the car goes on sale later this year.
2014 Bentley Flying Spur: Bentley is introducing the most significant update to its Continental Flying Spur range since the model’s launch back in 2006. The latest update sees the car drop the “Continental” part of its title, while picking up a crisp new look and a more powerful W-12 engine. Peak output registers at 616 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to send the big Bentley sedan to 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 200 mph.
CONCEPT CARS
Spyker B6: Spyker, the Dutch sports car manufacturer that once owned Saab, will showcase a concept of a new sports car the company is planning. Called the B6, the new sports car will complement the company’s existing
C8 Aileron and challenge the likes of the Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type and Audi R8.
Apart from a single teaser image, no details about the B6 have been released, though the car is expected to feature a six-cylinder powerplant and retro styling.
CEO of Spyker Victor Muller has previously stated that his company is now ready to start building cars itself (Spyker was previously outsourcing production to British Coachbuilder CPP), so the new B6 could be the first car actually built by Spyker since the company was revived by Muller back in 1999.
Let’s hope things work out for the company and its embattled CEO this time around.
Lamborghini Front-Engined GT Concept: In addition to its
fastest car ever, Lamborghini is expected to present a new concept previewing a potential front-engined GT sports car.
The new concept will feature the automaker’s latest V-12 engine and if built would rival the likes of the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta and Aston Martin Vanquish. The engine, which displaces 6.5 liters, produces 691 horsepower in the Aventador LP 700-4 and could certainly be tuned to deliver more.
Lamborghini has stated in the past that it only develops concepts for vehicles it has the intention of building, though final approval always comes down to its parent company. As we’ve seen from the recent
Estoque and
Urus concepts, that approval doesn’t always come straight away.
Bertone Four-Door Coupe Concept: At last year’s Geneva show, Italian design house Bertone stunned the crowds with its
futuristic Nuccio concept. For 2013, Bertone will exhibit another all-new concept, but this year’s model promises to be a more realistic and practical design. There isn’t much else we can tell you, but going by this teaser it looks to be a stylish four-door coupe.
Citroën C3 Hybrid Air Concept: From the same company that brought us the
world’s first diesel-electric hybrid, comes a new concept that does away with the electric component of hybrid cars and replaces it with compressed air instead. Like a conventional hybrid vehicle, the new Hybrid Air concept uses a gasoline engine for cruising on the highway, but for driving at low speeds it uses an air-powered hydraulic motor. For high-load situations, a combination of the two power sources can be dialed up. According to its designers, a small city car like the one previewed by the concept could average a fuel economy of about 117 mpg.
Mitsubishi GR-HEV Hybrid Pickup Concept: Japanese automaker Mitsubishi will present a new hybrid pickup concept in Geneva, which some are already billing as a preview of a new-generation Raider mid-size truck. Called the GR-HEV, the concept combines a diesel engine with at least two electric motors and features Mitsubishi’s Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) all-wheel-drive system.
Pininfarina Sergio Concept: Italian design house Pininfarina will unveil a new concept car honoring its late patriarch Sergio Pininfarina, who passed away in July of last year. It’s still too early to gauge any details, apart from the concept’s sultry hue pictured in a teaser image released by the design firm. However, we know that it will be called the Sergio and that it has been designed with exclusivity, innovation and passion in mind.
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