This year’s Geneva Motor Show wrapped up on Sunday, and as ever, it left supercar fans and experts with plenty to discuss.
The major international auto show, which has been held in the Swiss city for over 110 years, is regularly used by supercar brands to show off their latest futuristic concepts, and this year’s edition was no different.
We’ve come up with five key talking points from the show, which ran from March 8th to March 18th.
The Geneva Motor Show is one of the highlights of the calendar for supercar enthusiasts
Rimac’s electric supercar steals the show
We wrote about Rimac’s self-driving electric supercar last month, and it was at the fore again in Geneva. The concept is controversial – where’s the fun in a supercar that you don’t get to drive? – but you can’t deny that it has gained a lot of attention in the industry.
The Croatian manufacturer’s Concept Two was on show in Geneva and turned a lot of heads with its top speed of 412km/h and 0-100 time of under two seconds. Rimac’s design typified the shift towards electric supercars at this year’s convention. While gas-powered vehicles remain the overwhelming choice of consumers, electric cars are increasingly gaining traction.
Aston Martin reveal zero-emission prototype
As the rise of electric shows, supercar manufacturers are increasingly considering environmental factors in their designs. Aston Martin grabbed the headlines in this regard at Geneva with their announcement of the zero-emission Lagonda Vision Concept.
The legendary brand have hailed the Lagonda as the beginning of a new generation of emission-free luxury vehicles. with the Lagonda marking the world’s first zero-emission luxury brand.
Production is scheduled to begin in 2021. Aston Martin have used the Lagonda name since the 1960s for ultra-luxury sedans, and this announcement takes the high-end concept further to include environmental factors. Is this a reflection of consumer concerns or a play for positive PR?
Porsche tests the water with cross-utility vehicle
One of this year’s Motor Show’s most surprising stories was Porsche revealing a crossover vehicle, the Mission E Cross Turismo.
The four-door electric car combines classic sports car features with everyday practicality. It has been interpreted as a ‘feasibility study’ – an attempt to test the water for demand for such crossover cars.
The Mission E Cross Turismo is powered by two electric motors, which offer a combined 590BHP. This, along with its speed and quick recharge time, are presented as the prototype’s selling points.
Pal-V Flying Car makes its return
The Pal-V Liberty in its two forms (image courtesy of Pal-V)
There’s always one, isn’t there. While the rest of the supercar brands present were showing off their sleek new designs, Dutch manufacturers Pal-V returned with their Liberty Flying Car model, six years after it was first displayed.
The Liberty is capable of reaching 110mph in the skies and 60mph on the road, and – perhaps unsurprisingly for a car that can actually fly – is reportedly priced at $600,000, though a ‘sport edition’ is available for around $200,000 less.
If you want to snap up the ‘pioneer edition’, the more expensive version, you’ll have to be quick, as there are only 90 models available – an exclusivity Pal-V promotes by presenting Liberty owners with a framed. gold-plated serial number of their vehicle.
Inevitably, regulation barriers continue to slow the Liberty’s progress. Pal-V are still waiting for their Federal Aviation Administration licence in the U.S. This is something that critics continue to pick up on, noting that several other ‘flying car’ concepts in the past have failed to get off the ground (sorry) due to practical issues.
Being an autogyro rather than a helicopter means the Liberty is more compact and can fit in a roughly regular parking space. However, it also means that it needs a good run-up before takeoff, as planes do.
Marty McFly would be proud.
‘Booth Babes’ Banished from Show
Following the much-discussed announcement last month that Formula 1’s ‘grid girls’ were no more, the Geneva Motor Show’s ‘booth babes’ also appear to be a thing of the past.
Several exhibitors including Toyota, Nissan and Ssangyong confirmed that they would not be using ‘booth babes’ at this year’s show.
“Times have changed,” Bloomberg quotes a Nissan spokesperson as saying. “It makes more sense to use product specialists because we’re selling cars.”
However, Bloomberg also reports that a Geneva Motor Show spokesperson said exhibitors are free to promote their cars at the show however they want.
