Machines of excess and power leave financial woes in their wake.
GREEN vehicles may be the flavour of the 21st century but it doesn't mean the world's car-makers can't still indulge in some high-powered frivolity. The 2009 Salon de l'Automobile - or Geneva motor show - verified that.
From the Audi TT RS and Bentley Continental Supersports to the Mazda3 MPS and Renault Clio Sport Tourer, high-performance variants accounted for much of the glitz of Europe's first major motor show of the year.
In keeping with the performance-focused theme of Europe's glamour show - running until March 15 - it's clear there's still room for horsepower, albeit at more subdued levels than we've seen in the past.
And just in case you were worried the world's millionaires would have nowhere to splash their play money, Ferrari took the covers off the race-going version of its 599 - called the 599XX - while Aston Martin showed off the carbon fibre-laced One-77.
Each is unlikely to leave any change from $1 million. Downsizing well-to-doers could join the queue for the Rolls-Royce 200EX, an experimental vehicle that points to the upcoming RR4, the long-awaited baby brother to the behemoth Phantom.
Or there's the most potent of Lamborghinis, which comes with a name almost as long as its V12 engine, the Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce.
Indeed, a few minutes in the Palexpo Convention Centre halls would be enough to make you question whether there was a financial crisis at all.
"Geneva (motor show) has always been like that," says Anders-Sundt Jensen, head of Mercedes-Benz car brand management. "Geneva is the classic dream fair. (And) Switzerland is one of the richest spots in the world." He says there is clearly still a place for the sorts of cars most of us will never afford but the type many will dream of owning if the sharemarket takes off at the same pace that it nosedived.
"We're all hypocrites; we always talk about green issues and this and that but where do we all stop and where do they start staring?" Jensen says.
The other end of the socio-economic spectrum was well represented at Geneva. Brilliance, a Chinese brand with bold aspirations of infiltrating the tough European market, revealed the car it hopes will tempt buyers from more well-known nameplates. The BS2 may lack attention to detail and design flair but its pricing promises to make rivals take notice.
Another with a price tag more in keeping with today's economic uncertainty is the Indian-sourced Suzuki Alto and its twin under the skin, the Nissan Pixo.
Also from India is a freshened version of the Nano, one of the cheapest new cars in the world and poised to take advantage of demand from that country's masses.
Not everyone could join the performance party in the current climate. General Motors resisted previous Geneva temptations, instead showing off the European version of the car it hopes will become a symbol of the former world No.1's revival. Called the Opel Ampera, it boasts mild tweaks to the Chevrolet Volt electric car, which can be recharged in a regular powerpoint.
GM wasn't alone in its eco efforts. Organisers created a "Green Pavilion" for the first time, giving suppliers the chance to showcase eco-friendly technologies.
Carbon dioxide has made headlines at most motor shows and Geneva couldn't escape either. Many cars had stickers declaring how much carbon dioxide they produced for each kilometre travelled. Fiat went a step further, using an aviary (complete with television screens full of "birds") to cover its next environmentally- friendly star.
Anyone who thought the trend towards white cars would fade was proved wrong. Honda arrived with a fleet of Insight hybrids, every one of them white. Its natural rival, the Toyota Prius, was also white, flanked by an armada of white Toyotas.
Audi chose a different theme, with a bright-red R8 standing out to show off its new Lamborghini-sourced V10 engine.
Speaking of colours, blue is in many ways the new black, at least in the world of green cars. Mercedes-Benz has BlueTec diesel engines and a new BlueEFFICIENCY program designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Similarly, Volkswagen has BlueMotion, while even the Prius has a blue glow around its giant Toyota "T".
But it's the wild one-offs and radical performance cars from predominantly Swiss and German independent tuning houses that create the head-turning character of the Geneva show. Just like the myriad watch brands Switzerland is known for, there was no shortage of surprises.
From go-faster Porsches to monster-engined hotrods such as the Pagani Zonda, Geneva is proof there are cars for all tastes.
The smaller players also made their green presence felt, with electrics and hybrids more popular than ever. Sweden's Koenigsegg, known for handmade supercars, revealed its vision of an electric future in the Quant. This rechargeable four-seater could be on sale by 2012.
There was even some Aussie flavour at Geneva. A tweaked Holden Statesman was on show under the Bitter name, designed to compete against Europe's finest.
For more Geneva motor show coverage, go to drive.com.au/geneva2009.
Drive's pick of Geneva
ALFA ROMEO MITO GTA
THIS hot little Italian is officially a concept car but sources say the Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA is very close to the production version that will arrive in Australia in August next year. The GTA moniker stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerito (Alleggerito means reduced weight in Italian) and it makes extensive use of carbon fibre and aluminium to keep its weight down. The tailgate spoiler and roof are carbon fibre, while the braking system and suspension are aluminium. The GTA is powered by a new 1.8-litre turbocharged engine that puts out 180kW.
ASTON MARTIN ONE-77
ASTON MARTIN expects the 77 lucky millionaires who get their hands on a new One-77 to be both shaken and stirred. Fans of James Bond's favourite set of wheels will probably initially be shaken by the price - 1.2 million ($2.6 million) - but Aston hopes they will be stirred by the race-bred design and 7.3-litre V12, built in collaboration with race engine builder Cosworth. Aston claims it will be good for about 520kW and capable of reaching 0-100km/h in 3.5 seconds. For the less well-heeled, Aston also revealed its new convertible, the Volante. The V12 drop-top should set Australian buyers back more than $600,000.
LAMBORGHINI MURCIELAGO LP670-4 SUPERVELOCE
THE Italian supercar maker will build only 350 of its fastest and most powerful version of the current Murcielago, the LP670-4 SuperVeloce. The "super velocity" tag is apt for a car with a top speed of 342km/h and cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 3.2 seconds. The official figures for the car's 6.5-litre V12 are 493kW of power (up 22kW) and 660Nm of torque courtesy of a revised air intake, new valve timing and a new exhaust system. "A handful" will go to Aussie customers, at $850,000 each.
ROLLS-ROYCE 200EX
THE recession-proof Rolls-Royce? The 200EX concept previews the British luxury marque's new BMW 7-Series-based RR4 limo, a cut-price Rolls designed to sit beneath the $1 million-plus Phantom. The term cut-price is relative, though; the V12-powered limo will cost about $700,000 when it arrives locally in the first quarter of next year. Despite the price, the Australian arm says it has had about 72 expressions of interest and has 18 orders. The model is designed to put a modern slant on the brand including a fighter jet-style head-up display.
OPEL AMPERA
DON'T let the boomerang eyes fool you, this is actually a re-skinned version of GM's Volt. Styled for European markets, the Opel Ampera puts the steering wheel on the other side of the car - the same side as Australia. But Holden, which is currently showing the Volt on its Melbourne motor show stand, said it would stick with the Volt's US-inspired styling, albeit with a Lion badge plastered to the front.
CITROEN DS3 INSIDE
IT DOESN'T look anything like the legendary 1950s-era Citroen DS, the car recently voted the most beautiful of all time by a panel of judges. But that hasn't stopped Citroen from invoking the name for its DS3 Inside concept car.
The Inside concept shown in Geneva is based on the same platform as the Citroen C3, with upmarket variants based on the C4 and C5 slated to follow. The DS3 is likely to arrive in Australia mid next year and will help Citroen fend off the likes of Audi (A1) and BMW.
AUDI TT RS
AUDI has given its sporty TT coupe and roadster duo a testosterone injection to produce the TT RS, a fast and freshened iteration of the platform. The German maker's engineers have tipped in everything from the go-fast parts bin, including a 250kW, five-cylinder, 2.5-litre direct-injection turbocharged engine that carries on a successful history with five-pot screamers that dates back to its World Rally Championship-winning heyday in the 1970s.
The TT RS also gets a lightweight aluminium body, all-wheel-drive and sporty styling including a big rear wing for both the coupe and roadster. The result is a hairy-chested sprint to 100km/h in well under five seconds, while top speed is electronically limited to 250km/h. Audi hasn't said if (or when) it will be in Australia.
FERRARI 599 GTB HGTE AND 599XX
THE Ferrari 599XX is for sale by invitation only and Ferrari refuses to disclose the price, rumoured to be well in excess of $2 million. Ferrari will ask a select group of about 30 current Ferrari owners to act as pseudo test drivers, putting the 599XX through its paces on race tracks around the globe. There are some catches though. The car can only be driven at Ferrari-organised test days and the drivers have to buy their car when the program ends. The engine, based on the 599 GTB's, is good for 515kW. For those not on the list, Ferrari has a new version of its 599 GTB Fiorano, with a "Handling GT Evoluzione package" that includes lower, stiffened suspension and new wheels.
MAYBACH ZEPPELIN
MAYBACH has come up with two limited-edition limousines that revive a badge from the 1930s. Both get upgraded versions of the Maybach 6.0-litre twin-turbo V12, with power up to 470kW and torque topping out at 1000Nm. But the headline act is the new optional perfume atomiser, which costs about $8000. For that price, you can drop a vial of your preferred fragrance into a dispenser and the aroma is pumped through the cabin - the sweet smell of success. Outside, the car gets a two-tone paint job and Zeppelin lettering beneath the Maybach badge, while inside there are lambskin carpets, diamond-quilted seat cushions and Zeppelin-inscribed champagne flutes. The Zeppelin goes on sale this month with a price tag about 450,000 ($1million).
MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS COUPE
SPEARHEADED by a fire-breathing V8 that puts out 285kW of power, the new E-Class coupe replaces the CLK in the Mercedes-Benz line-up. Based on the new E-Class sedan, the new coupe range will start around $90,000 - but expect double that price and more for the V8 and AMG versions. The new car's closest competitors are the Audi A5 and BMW 3-Series coupes. Entry level models will boast four-cylinder engines that use up to 17per cent less fuel, despite delivering more power and torque.
VOLKSWAGEN POLO
KEEPING up with the hybrids is the task Volkswagen has set its new Polo, which despite retaining conventional engines takes the fight up to the Priuses and Insights with more space, less weight and, crucially, less thirst than the model it replaces. The little brother to the Golf picks up the redesigned family resemblance but it's the remarkable fuel efficiency - below 4.0L/100km and less than 100g CO2/km in the range's super-efficient BlueMotion models - that is exciting show-goers on VW's stand in Geneva. Fractionally longer and wider than the model it replaces, the new Polo is still 7.5 per cent lighter. VW claims improved head, leg and shoulder room as well as an extra 10 litres of luggage space.
NISSAN QAZANA
NISSAN has confirmed a version of this funky mini soft-roader will go into production in 2010. The Qazana will replace the Nissan Micra on the line at Nissan's Sunderland plant in Britain and will slot in below the Dualis in the Japanese manufacturer's range. The crossover will be slightly shorter than a conventional small hatch and will have a higher than normal ride height.
The five-door concept shown in Geneva gets coach-like rear doors that open backwards instead of forwards, creating a cavernous side-entry point when both front and rear doors are opened. These are unlikely to make it into production though the basic shape and the style should remain.
