Revolution in the air but it could take over a decade to arrive

In the digital age, static car shows are struggling to compete with the constant flow of online coverage. For all the bunfights and flying elbows on the stands as motoring hacks strain to get a better look at the new metal, images of these cars have already made it online weeks ago. Some had even been out in public in the metal.

So instead of seeking to showcase new metal to the world’s media, annual gatherings like Geneva have become the palaces of promises. Chief executives step into the spotlight and make promises about a clean-green future for their respective firms. And one where autonomous motoring is a welcome innovation, not a fundamental challenge.

Two seismic revolutions are underway in the motor industry: one the replacement of the combustion engine for electric power. The other is the replacement of the driver with a robot, and turning everyone in a vehicle into a passenger.

Frightening prospect

How the car firms, who have long used performance and driving dynamics to lure in buyers, cope with these changes remains to be seen.

In the longer term we may regard driving as a pastime or hobby, in the same way that horse riding went from a mode of transport to a hobby for amateurs and a sport for professionals. It’s a frightening prospect for petrolheads.

Yet the CEOs in the spotlights are there to reassure us – and their investors – that they have everything in hand. And in fairness, the revolution will not happen overnight.

For a start cost will remain a restriction. Electric cars and hybrid platforms are on the way from virtually all of the brands. Even Bentley drove an electric concept onto the stage. Yet analysts still predict a low double-digit market share on the global stage well into the 2020s.

Sitting on tenterhooks

Petrol is certainly making a comeback: there was little or no mention of new diesel engines at any stand or presentation.

Similar conditions apply with autonomous or self-driving technology. While Nissan made much of its autonomous capability on the updated Qashqai, it is more of a driver-aid system, requiring the motorist to be ready to take back control at a moment's notice. Sitting on tenterhooks in case the car needs you to veer out of trouble is not quite the same as an autonomous vehicle future.

Ford is promising so-called Level 4 autonomy – where the car is in full control in most situations – by 2021 but that’s a massive leap of faith for many motorists.

With both new technologies, price will be critical and with VW suggesting fully autonomous tech could double the cost of a car, the initial audience will be limited. And until alternative powertrains offer practical range and affordable pricing – without harsh depreciation – then the same will apply.