Part 1

Every car lover worth his salt knows about the Geneva Motor Show. Organised since 1905, this year’s event was the 80th edition. Traditionally, the Geneva Motor Show has been about world premieres. The 2010 Geneva Motor Show was no different, but there was a twist in the Geneva tale. A green one at that, with virtually every car manufacturer revealing their environment friendly intentions. Indeed, Ferrari launched a hybrid supercar and followed it up with an announcement that in five years all Ferraris would sport hybrid powertrains! Porsche too had a 918 with a hybrid powertrain.

Supercars aside, SUVs on display too were busy showing off their green-ness. Hence, there was a hybrid Porsche Cayenne and the new Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid. There were green small cars too – the Audi A1 e-tron, the Hyundai i-Blue concept, the SEAT IBE, Twin air powered Fiats and even a Tata Nano in EV guise.

But no motor show is complete without fast cars and faster drivers. So seven times F1 world champion and now Mercedes GP driver Michael Schumacher was present to launch the Mercedes- Benz SLS AMG pace car. Other superfast cars included Bugatti’s four-door car alongside the Grand Sport Veyron,replete with carbonfi bre and brushed aluminium. There was also Hispano Suiza making a come back after a long hiatus with a scorching supercar. Fiat meanwhile had a tarted up 500, courtesy Abarth, as a tribute to Ferrari.

There were some regular vehicles for everyone as well. Suzuki, for instance, had the Alto (A-star in India) on the stands along with slightly reworked versions of the Vitara and Swift.

For those eager to know about India-bound cars there was the Nissan Micra, of which we have a detailed preview elsewhere in this issue. Geneva also saw the launch of the new BMW 5-series, which is likely to be seen in India soon. Hyundai’s Blue range included the i10 and the i20, both of which could come to India. A redone Skoda Fabia was also on display, and while the styling tweaks will come to India, word is that the engines will remain the same as on the current Fabias, tuned to meet BS IV emission norms.

Last but not the least, component manufacturers were also present with Recaro announcing a new range of child seats and Garmin launching a new sat-nav unit. The show also had its fair share of merchandise. So sit back and relive the 2010Geneva Motor Show.

The A1 was a showstopper. It gets xenon head lamps, the now signature Audi LED daytime running lamps and looks ravishing in red. The A1’s chunky tail gate gets 3D tail lamps too. Inside, everything looks and feels upmarket, as one would expect of an Audi. It also gets Audi’s MMI, Bluetooth connectivity and a Bose sound system to boot. There are four powertrain options to choose from – two TDI engines and two TFSI engines. While the diesel engines (TDI) put out 86bhp, the TFSI engines deliver 122bhp peak output.

In keeping with the green theme, Audi also showed the A1 e-tron, which uses a 75kW electric motor along with a 254cc Wankel engine as a range extender. The e-tron’s 330-volt lithium-ion battery sits in place of the fuel tank and it can do a 0-100kmph in 10.2s and has a top speed of 130kmph.

The Giullieta is a four-door hatch inspired by the 8C supercar. Alfa displayed two 235bhp 1.8-litre turbo petrol Quadrifoglio Verde versions, two models powered by a 170bhp 2-litre JTDM turbodiesel, and one with a 170bhp 1.4 MultiAir turbo petrol engine.

Part 2

SEAT, the Spanish car manufacturer, showed the IBE, which is essentially a 2+2 concept. Powered by a 75kW electric motor that produces up to 200Nm of torque, the IBE sprints to 50kmph in 3.4 seconds, and 100kmph in 9.4s. News has also trickled in that this concept is heading towards the production lines very soon.

With the two-tier Chevy grille, large gills and sharp headlamps with xenons within, the Aveo RS is a hot hatch. The large 19in alloys and concealed rear door handles add oomph to the profi le while centre mounted exhaust and sporty roof spoiler give even more attitude to the back. Inside, the motorcycle inspired instrument cluster remains similar to the Beat we have here, but it's now a part of the dashboard. Power comes via a 136bhp turbo 1.6 petrol mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The best part is the production version will retain the looks of this concept and should be India-bound as well.

The Cygnet is based on the revolutionary Toyota IQ. However with an Aston badge on, it's got a complete redesign, front and back. Inside too there's a whole host of features, including handstitched leather and aluminium.

It's assembled in Italy, but is essentially a car from the Chinese maker Cherry. Debuting this year are the DR2 (Chery A1) and DR3, a three-door take on the DR5 mini-ute. Surprisingly, in spite of being Chinese these cars sport pretty decent interiors and build.

Part 3

Renault's small two-seater coupe features an electric roof that pivots open in 12 seconds, without having any effect on luggage capacity. Based on the Twingo platform, it gets 99bhp 1.2 TCE from the Twingo GT and the 131bhp 1.6 from the Twingo Renaultsport.

The Impreza gets a a sporty new front bumper, wheel arches with claddings, black aluminium roofrails, a large roof spoiler and LED brake lights. Two 4-cylinder boxer engines are on offer and, being a Subaru, it's an AWD.

Fiat's little mouse has been fed a good dose of steroids by the lunatics at Abarth. It is now powered by a 4-cylinder T-Jet engine which makes 140bhp. It also gets a 5-speed Abarth Competizione gearbox. The result of all this tarting up is that the 500C can do a top whack of 205kmph and can blitz from standstill to 100kmph in just 7.9 seconds. It also gets an electricaly operated roof along with a glass rear window. Drool!

The other hot hatch on the stands was the Fabia RS. It gets new design tweaks, including a new front bumper with fog lights and LEDs, 17in wheels, red brake callipers, tinted windows, and a new rear bumper, complete with diffuser and twin exhausts. You can also choose a different colour for the roof! Power is the name of the game and the RS gets that from the twincharged 4-cylinder 1.4, which develops a healthy 178bhp. Result of all this is that the RS came sprint to 100kmph in 7.3 seconds.

Part 4

This is the European version of the CR-Z and features a 2+2 cabin layout. A 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine coupled to the Honda IMA parallel hybrid system means CO2 emissions of 117g/km. Honda also claims that it is the first time a 6-speed manual transmission is combined with a hybrid drive train.

It's the 'green' range from Hyundai. The company achieved this by increasing motor efficiency, reducing driveline friction, bettering aerodynamics and including Start-Stop tech, low rolling resistance tyres and lowered suspension. The i-Blue treatment makes the i-range more economical. Importantly, they are headed towards production.

This tiny two-door, four-seat EV-N concept is inspired from the 1960s. It's powered by a small electric motor and has solar panels on the roof to recharge batteries when parked

The 3R-C looks like the future of trikes. The battery electric drivetrain, is mounted low in the chassis to improve stability. It also comes with a canopy which can cover it up when stationary.

Part 5

Our very own Tata Motors was also present in Geneva and of course the Nano made its appearance, albeit with a difference. This time it was present in EV guise; it gets super polymer lithium-ion battery, which gives it a 160km range and a 0-60kmph time of 10 seconds. Tata claims that the electric drivetrain is placed strategically so that the Nano EV retains the immense space of the regular Nano. It also gets larger wheels mounted with four bolts, new lamps, LEDs and chrome inserts on the centre console. Safetywise, the Nano EV gets airbags.

The CrossPolo and the CrossGolf are essentially five-door hatchbacks with a raised ride height and a rugged all-terrain look; the latter is based on the VW Golf Plus.

The Polo, in the GTI trim, gets minor design tweaks, a reworked suspension and is now 15mm lower. But, most importantly, under the hood is a 1.4 TSI bombshell that puts out 178bhp, mated to a 7-speed DSG 'box. Result? Zero to 100kmph takes 6.9 seconds and top speed is 228kmph.