Swiss Set

All the exciting cars to hit the most important European Motor Show.

Switzerland in March does get buzzing with activity. The summer starts to set in, people shed their warm clothes for skimpier numbers and Indians start making a beeline for the Bollywood locales. And while all of that forms the backdrop, the Geneva Motor Show takes centre stage.

Widely regarded as the most important auto show in Europe — unlike Frankfurt or Paris, it’s an annual ritual — the Geneva Motor Show that begins on March 5th will be even more critical for the beleaguered auto industry worldwide. Though, given the overall bad news, there are a host of important launches and concepts that are heading to Geneva this year — some of those might help to turn the tide for their respective manufacturers. We take a look at some of them.

BMW 5 Series GT concept
The Germans are going hell for leather. At a time when everyone is looking at rationalising their product portfolios, BMW, like Audi and Mercedes-Benz, are expanding theirs. This then, is the new BMW 5 Series GT concept — a hatchback based on the 5 Series. Confused? Well, so are we but the GT concept (also called the Progressive Activity Vehicle) will see the light of day as a large production hatch based on the upcoming F10 platform that will be the basis of the next 5 Series.

The Gran Turismo will, apart from other things, feature a two-piece tailgate, a la Skoda Superb and folding rear seats to make space for your skiing equipment. There is space for four adults while the dashboard also hints at future BMW interior enhancements. External design details include the new 7 Series-like nose and an X6-like tailgate design, with enough hints of what the next 5 Series saloon could look like. No details about engines have emerged but we expect a rash of six-cylinder petrol and diesels, including the twin-turbocharged versions of the inline 3.0-litre petrol and diesel mills.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe
You have seen the pictures of the new E-Class on this page earlier. Now that you’ve stared at it hard enough to make the saloon lose its rear doors, we are glad to tell you, Mercedes-Benz has given light to your vision. The new E-Class coupe thus exists in a world where the CL, SLK and SL exist. Yes, the E-Class replaces the CLK that was based on the outgoing E-Class. It boasts a drag co-efficient of 0.24 and a design that is inspired by the 1955 Pontoon S220, according to the suits at Stuttgart. Okay, it doesn’t have pontoons to keep it afloat, but it does have some rather interesting engines.

The E250 CDI with a 204 bhp diesel engine and E250 CGI with 184 bhp bring life to the Coupe, but it’s the bigger engines that really set its pulse racing. Like the E350 CDI with 231 bhp or the E350 CGI with 292 bhp. And if you think that’s still not enough, get the E500 with a 388 bhp V8 — good enough to crack 100 kph in 5 seconds. 

There are a lot of tech bits to keep you company, like sensors to detect drowsiness, radars that engage the brakes, cameras to give you a good view of your surroundings, adaptive main beam assist to brighten up the road up to 300 metres, damper control... the list is long and endless. And yes, when the time is right, there will also be an AMG version with a crazy V8 to burn up the road. Then, it’ll be very difficult to figure if a coupe or a saloon went by.

Hyundai HED-6 concept
If you though that the Hyundai Tucson is as good as dead, you might as well reconsider it. Hyundai will show a precursor to what will likely be its Tucson replacement world over. Called the HED-6 concept (the production version will be called the ix35), it’s been designed at Russelsheim, the company’s European design centre. 

Hyundai have revealed nothing more than this sketch for now, but we think it’s already got a lot of Mitsubishi Outlander and Land Rover LRX cues here and there. The concept will feature 21-inch wheels, LED daytime running lamps, headlamps that resemble family offerings like the i20 and i30 hatchback and the usual hexagonal grille that ensures you don’t confuse it for anything else but a Hyundai. And this will be a running concept, with a 1.6-litre GDi turbocharged engine, good for 175 bhp.

That means a specific output exceeding 100 bhp/litre, staggering by any thought. Of course there will be a diesel engine too, which we suspect will be of similar capacity like the current Tucson. But expect it to be a powerhouse too, producing around 150 bhp and 30+ kgm of torque. And when it does, expect it to set foot in India sometime late next year to take on the Chevrolet Captiva, Honda CR-V and of course, the Mitsu.

Citroen DS Inside concept
Different Spirit. That’s exactly what Citroen’s resurrected DS means. Or were they referring to the new Chevron logo? Anyway, we like the fact that Citroen, who are celebrating 90 years of existence, are keen on bringing back the DS nameplate. Mules are running around Sweden, gathering testing kilometres in the snow covered areas of Arjeplog. After the preview of the concept at Geneva, the DS Inside will go into production in 2010, to become the DS3. 

It doesn’t look like the DS19s from the 1960s, in fact it resembles one of those SX4 hatchbacks on stilts, that’s thanks to its C3 derived underpinnings. It’s still a two-door design study with a large gaping grille and pretty odd-looking fused head lamps. Motive power will come from engines whose cubic capacity starts from 1.2-litres and goes up to 3.0-litre V6s. Two more DS models — the DS4 and DS5 will hit production by 2011. We can’t wait to see which one of them gets tech like four-wheel steer, hydro-pneumatic self-levelling suspension and cornering headlamps that made the DS such a hit in the 1960s.

Rolls-Royce 200 EX
Everybody knows a Phantom. No, not the ghost who walks, but the car that whispers like a ghost and disappears even before you turn around to get a glimpse. But fewer could afford it and even fewer would buy it. But now, Rolls-Royce have created a car for the masses. Er, we mean the masses among the classes. 

This one is a concept, the 200EX, but don’t be surprised if it turns out to be near identical once it rolls out from Goodwood in 2010. Utilising about 20 per cent of the parts from the new BMW 7 Series, the 200 EX features LED headlamps and design cues from the Drophead Coupe.

The greenhouse does resemble the original Phantom’s, while the 20-inch wheels mean it isn’t so much of a baby Rolls. Rolls-Royce is mum about the engine, saying only as much that a V12 will feature in the engine bay, but we feel it will be the all-new 6.0-litre unit that will also find home in the new 7 Series. 

Expect power to be somewhere upwards of 400 bhp and a genuine sub 7-second time to 100 kph. But top speed and acceleration times don’t matter in a Rolls. What does is the opulent interior fittings and handcrafted leather, the brilliant ride quality and the feel of a Rolls that no car can match. Except the Phantom!