| GENEVA AUTO SHOW |
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| Écrit par Jean-Pierre Bouchard | |
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Although I get to many auto shows during the average year, the Salon International de L'Automobile in Geneva remains my favourite. Quite apart from the fact that Geneva is a beautiful city, located at the point where the Rhone meets Lake Geneva, the show always manages to be truly interesting - even in years when there isn't much happening by way of world debuts. Geneva provides a great chance to catch up on European automakers whose products aren't sold in North America like Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Rover, Fiat, Alfa-Romeo, Lancia, Skoda and all the others. Also, Geneva usually attracts those weird and wonderful Italian coachbuilders, who always seem to have something either desirable or outrageous - sometimes both. Geneva provides a great chance to catch up on European automakers whose products aren't sold in North America like Renault, Citroen, Peugeot, Rover, Fiat, Alfa-Romeo, Lancia, Skoda and all the others. Also, Geneva usually attracts those weird and wonderful Italian coachbuilders, who always seem to have something either desirable or outrageous - sometimes both. Geneva boasts some interesting peripheral attractions for visitors willing to wander away from the main show areas for a while. I always find it worth a long walk to the distant hall occupied by tuning shops, service station equipment suppliers and tool manufacturers. Also, the place is a mecca for diecast model collectors and there are always at least half as dozen booths offering neat stuff if models are your thing - and I'm not referring to the the girls decorating the Pininfarina stand. As a bonus, the Salon usually devotes some space to classics and this year there was a "salute to the woody," with vehicles from automakers I had no idea were involved in such archaisms - like Lancia and Fiat. Of course, major automakers like VW/Audi, Ford, GM. BMW, Nissan and Toyota are there in force with spectacular exhibits (and catering facilities!) and all kinds of exciting news to deliver. At one VW/Audi dinner, we were told all about the upcoming Bugatti Veyron supercar which will produce over 1000 horsepower from a W-16 engine. Surely this is one car that won't bring the usual grumbling chorus of "it needs more power" from automotive journalists when it hits the streets. Who said automobiles were drifting into a dreary sameness! There was a chance to check out the new Audi A4 at the group's stand, along with the new W-8 Passat and a W-12 Audi A8. There are some intriguing things happening around Wolfsburg and Ingolstadt these days. I was amazed to see how much progress VW family member Skoda has made with its products in recent times - a far cry from the crudely-made clunkers I tested some years ago when the company was struggling to survive in then Soviet Bloc-ruled Czechoslovakia. Just as it did with the E-Type back in 1963, Jaguar used Geneva as launch pad for its great-looking new X-Type sedan, aimed at the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and aforementioned Audi A4. There seems no doubt that Jaguar will become a volume player in the world luxury car market with what is becoming a very full range of automobiles. Formula One and airline legend Nikki Lauda showed up at the X-Type launch, perhaps as part of his new role with the F1 team, wearing his "trademark" red Parmalat baseball cap, blue jeans and scruffy sports coat. BMW launched its new Compact in Geneva - a chopped-off hatchback version of the 3-Series sedan, similar to one sold here a few years back. It was a major attention-getter, as anything from BMW is bound to be. Aston-Martin was a big draw with its stunning Vanquish there to remind showgoers that the famed British automaker is very much a contender in the supercar stakes these days - thanks to Ford backing and the guidance of shrewd Premier Automotive Group boss (and ex BMW exec) Wolfgang Reitzle. One of the perks of attending the Geneva show is snaring a copy of the latest Katalog der Automobil Revue, which is included in the organizers press package. This hefty tome lists every car, van and pickup manufactured anywhere on the planet - a task covered by no other publication, to my knowledge. Where else, for example, can you confirm that the 1954 Morris Oxford Series II lives on in the form of the Hindustan Ambassador? Indian manufacturer Hindustan produces a fascinating range of vehicles apart from the "Morris," including the Contessa sedan, based on a 1972 Vauxhall Victor. Sad to say, Hindustan wasn't among the exhibitors in Geneva, but just about every other automaker of note was. Thankfully, the show is staged every year - don't miss it if you happen to be in Europe during late February/early March.       |
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