Geneva is a charm offensive for the industry, says Motoring Editor Michael McAleer
Armed with an array of new models and eye-catching design concepts, the car industry continued its charm offensive on thrifty European motorists with renewed vigour at the Geneva motor show yesterday, hoping to kick-start a long-awaited recovery in the continent's car market.
With January sales across Europe again recording a slide of 1.6 per cent, car firms are hoping to entice buyers with an ever-widening range of models. These vary from the mainstream - with the likes of the new Peugeot 407 - to the minute, with both Fiat and Opel unveiling diminutive city car concepts. Of course, no car show would be complete without a touch of the outlandish, such as the Ringspeed Splash - a two-seat concept that's a car, a boat and, they claim, a plane.
Sticking more closely to terra firma, most of the interest on opening day at one of the biggest car shows in Europe was in the Peugeot 407, replacement to the 406 and due on Irish roads later this year. French sister company Citroën took a more sedate approach this year, opting to reveal a concept version of the future Xsara replacement, the C4.
Elsewhere, Toyota introduced its seven-seat Corolla Verso, with a similar flexible seating arrangement to the Opel Zafira. With all five rear seats now folding into the floor at the flick of a few levers, it should prove yet another success story for a firm that seemingly cannot put a foot wrong at the moment. Prices are expected to match the Zafira and VW Touran when it arrives in Ireland in a few months.
At the upper end of the market, Audi officially unveiled its new A6. Bigger than the current model, Audi is telling everyone who will listen that it will represent a very serious threat to the traditional big-two in its market - the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-series. Entry level is a 177 bhp 2.4-litre petrol.
Mercedes continued the industry trend of turning last year's concept into this year's production car, with the stylish CLS - a mix of coupé or saloon - being introduced to the public, though Irish fans will have to wait until next year for its arrival. Sister company Chrysler has opted for soft-tops in Geneva, showing the Crossfire roadster and a convertible PT Cruiser for the European market.
BMW was busy launching the new 5-series Touring, going on sale this summer. The range will feature a 525i, 525d and 530d. However, missing at the stand is the new 1-Series, despite the fact it's to be introduced this summer.
Lexus unveiled its new GS model to European market, the replacement for the luxury marque's oldest model. It's the first model from its new design strategy and is a marked improvement. The show is the European debut of the RX400h hybrid, taking Prius technology into the luxury market.
Sadly, Fiat revealed the new Multipla, less the funky "sausage-style" light cluster that ran along its front. Instead it features a far more mundane front end, placating the bland lobby.
Thankfully there was a more spirited effort in the area that Fiat knows best - small cars. The new Trepiuno (3+1 in Italian) concept features all the funky design and retro lines of the old Fiat 500 "Bambino" and if it goes into production could offer a serious threat to the likes of the Smart.
Three certainly seems to be the magic number for small cars at Geneva, as Opel had its own three-seater baby concept with the Trixx. However, for real sporting performance you have, of course, to turn to the likes of Ferrari, which offered up its new 612 Scaglietti to European audiences. A more spacious model from the prancing horse marque, it nonetheless manages 0-62 mph in a respectable 4.2 seconds.
Back to motoring reality, and Skoda unveiled its new Octavia. With more refined lines, a smart crease on the bonnet and a vast boot, it's likely to prove appealing to Irish audiences. Another car to feature appealing styling and design is the Seat Altea, which has made the move over the last year from prototype to production.
Hyundai has introduced its own version of the small SUV with its Tuscon. The four-door soft-roader is smaller than the successful Santa Fe and will be launched here by the end of the year. It's aimed to compete against the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Mitsubishi Outlander. Korean partners Kia is currently working on its own version of the Tuscon, but it won't be on show until the Paris show in September.
As for the outlandish, a quick tour of the stands of smaller design houses and engine tuners reveals everything from the chic to the stomach turning. In the former category falls the Mini estate - reminiscent of the old "woody" version - from Italian designers Castagna. In the latter lies everything on the Rinspeed stand.
And for the car fan with everything - the Brabus version of the €500,000 Maybach. Engineers at Brabus take the already powerful 550bhp Maybach, add a bi-turbo increasing its output to 6.3-litres and 640 bhp, add 21-inch spoked alloy wheels and low profile tyres, and adjust the interior to a more "sports-orientated" look. The end result is a car with a price tag not short of €1 million and looks like it would fit in perfectly at a custom car show next to some 21-year-old petrolhead's converted Opel Corsa. Taste, it seems, has no connection with wealth.