The bright lights and unfettered optimism of the auto show here cannot chase away all of the clouds hanging over the industry.
GENEVA
The bright lights and unfettered optimism of the auto show here cannot chase away all of the clouds hanging over the industry. During press previews this week, Ford put on a happy face as it introduced a new Mondeo sedan for the European market, even while it undergoes the latest attempt to cut thousands of jobs and turn around a business that has been losing billions of dollars.
DaimlerChrysler rolled out a sunny roadster design study, the Dodge Demon, in the midst of speculation about whether it will sell its troubled Chrysler operations, and if so, to whom.
Still, the overall message from Geneva seemed to be that the future looks brighter – and greener. Hybrids seem to be here to stay, even on a continent that has been slow to embrace them. The Geneva show featured hybrid concepts for sports cars, family cars, and crossover utility vehicles.
The Geneva show is also known for being eclectic, and that description fits well this year. The halls of the Palexpo center were filled with electric cars, upright minivans, exotic supercars, and bizarre vehicles that tried to be all of the above.
Back-to-back press conferences – often barely 10 minutes long – kept the air thick with PR spin and manufactured excitement. Here are some highlights from the introductions this year:
Audi A5 and S5:
A battle among rich German two-door coupes is shaping up, and these coupes represent a salvo from Audi, aimed at the Mercedes-Benz CLK and the new BMW 3 Series. The Audis are based on an entirely new vehicle platform that will be the basis for future models. Both have strong, solid-looking lines but a fairly conservative appearance, provoking some heated debate in the press as to whether the cars are subtle and handsome or as dull as a Senate filibuster. The A5′s standard engine is a 3.2-liter V-6; the S5 has a 350-horsepower 4.2-liter V-8. Both versions are due to arrive in the U.S. this fall.
Dodge Demon:
Pity the pretty Demon. Under any other circumstances, at any other auto show, this slick little roadster would have been guaranteed star status. The Demon adopts the look and attitude of its big brother, the 510-horsepower Dodge Viper, with an economical 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and proportions nearly identical to the nimble Mazda MX-5 Miata. But with DaimlerChrysler potentially on the verge of splitting up (and the short list of suitors to buy the Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep brands growing shorter), the Demon looked like a four-wheel attempt to put on a brave face, rather than a real contender for series production.
Toyota Hybrid X:
Flush with success – and cash from continued sales successes – Toyota can afford to have some fun. The press conference for the Hybrid X was short on technical specifics, but this Toyota concept car still provided a welcome jolt of frivolity in an environmentally friendly package. Laurent Bouzige, a designer at Toyota’s Europe Design Development offices in Nice, France, was responsible for the Hybrid X’s interior. Mr. Bouzige explained that crystal-like rods serve as door handles and window switches; in addition, the headlights theoretically “communicate” with pedestrians and other drivers by alerting them to any quick maneuvers by the driver. While most of the technology is decades away – and nearly all the technology in the Hybrid X is nonfunctional – it doesn’t take much crystal-ball gazing to deduce that the overall shape of the Hybrid X will influence the next-generation Prius hybrid.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Depending on which model you were looking at on the Mercedes-Benz stand, the 2008 C-Class is everything from a rampaging racecar to a green machine with a fuel-sipping diesel engine. A wide range of 4, 6, and even 8-cylinder engines will be offered, though the American market will initially get only gasoline-powered V-6s. There is even an option of two different grill treatments: the traditional version has plenty of chrome and a proud Mercedes-tristar hood ornament, while the other is bolder but has less bling, featuring an oversized tristar at its center. C-Classes will arrive in the United States this summer with either 3-liter or 3.5-liter V-6s. A six-speed manual is available with the smaller engine, but the 3.5-liter V-6 comes only with a seven-speed automatic. High-performance versions with powerful V-8s are also in the works.