Geneva auto show turns a shade of green

Gerry Malloy

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

With auto makers facing stringent new carbon dioxide emissions regulations on vehicles sold in Europe, possibly as early as 2012, it's not surprising that this year's Geneva auto show has a definite green tinge.

In addition to GM's announcement of expanded hybrid plans (see Green Wheels, page W25), several other manufacturers previewed eco-focused concept or production vehicles this week.

But not everything was so practical. Geneva has a reputation for showcasing cars on the fringes of reality, if not beyond, and this year's show is no exception.

Here are some of the highlights:

Audi has a history of making station wagons that look as good as or better than its sedan counterparts, and the A4 Avant making its debut in Geneva is no exception. When it arrives here this fall, it will feature a new, turbocharged, high-performance four-cylinder gasoline engine also making its debut at the show.

Bentley, of all marques, is tilting green – if only just a little. The company announced revisions to its current engine lineup that will reduce its substantial carbon dioxide emissions by at least 15 per cent by 2012, and a new engine under development, to be introduced at that time, is projected to achieve a 40 per cent reduction.

BMW is putting its focus on models featuring its EfficientDynamics package of engine and drivetrain technologies, which is now offered on 22 models in Europe, and on its Vision EfficientDynamics diesel hybrid concept, featured previously in Wheels.

Ford's all-new Fiesta, based on the Mazda2 platform, may be the most significant new vehicle in the show, at least in terms of potential global volume.

A four-door version of the car, which was called the Verve in concept form, will be offered here as a 2010 model, and with a little luck we just might get the hatchback too.

Kia is showing three Soul concepts that illustrate how fun can still be a part of the equation for small, economical cars. Called Diva, Burner, and Searcher, the trio of sub-compact concepts, created by Kia's European design team, is said to be closely related to a new production car that will make its world premiere at the Paris auto show in October.

Also on the Kia stand are two new "green-performance" concept cars called Eco_cee'd, which are variants of the Pro_cee'd, first shown at the Frankfurt show last year, and the highly popular (in Europe) Cee'd five-door hatchback.

Tata, the Indian auto maker that is about to buy Jaguar and Land Rover, is a regular Geneva exhibitor and this year it had something special to display – two versions of its minimalist Nano, said to be the lowest-priced car in the world, which made its international auto show debut. The company says it has no plans to sell the car in Europe, however – for now.

Lamborghini is displaying a new-spec Gallardo LP560-4. The 560 reflects its power rating (metric horsepower) and the 4 its four-wheel drive. At 552 SAE hp, it tops the lightweight Superleggera that made an appearance at the Canadian auto show by 22 hp. It also claims to have cut carbon emissions and fuel consumption (from 16.8 L/100 km to 13.7 L).

Mercedes-Benz is spotlighting the newest iteration of the iconic SL Roadster, which makes its world premiere at Geneva. But the company is also touting its green credentials, with the announcement of 20 models with BlueEfficiency technology for the Euro market.

BlueEfficiency, like BMW's EfficientDynamics, incorporates a range of fuel-saving technologies that add up to make a measurable improvement.

Mercedes is also showing a hybrid variant of the Vision GLK BlueTec compact SUV "study" that made its debut at the Detroit auto show. Appropriately called the Vision GLK BlueTec Hybrid, it employs innovative diesel-hybrid drive with a newly developed 2.2 L diesel engine that develops 204 hp and 369 lb.-ft. of torque.

Opel is debuting a stylish new Meriva small passenger van that incorporates suicide doors, which are said to improve ease of entry and exit. GM of Canada once considered importing the previous generation Meriva from Brazil.

Perhaps it's time to rethink that strategy. It might make a formidable competitor for the Mazda5.

Pininfarina, the Italian design house closely associated with Ferrari, is playing the green card as well with its Sintesi sports car concept. The Sintesi is powered by what is called "Quadrivium" drive.

The drive system is said to incorporate world-leading hydrogen generation technology and state-of-the-art fuel cells providing power to four distributed wheel-power modules. Pininfarina says this diversion from traditional drivetrain layouts provided the freedom to design the car with the passenger in mind rather than the engine, resulting in a highly stylized car of the future.

Mitsubishi is showing an all-but-production-ready Lancer hatchback concept called the Prototype-S, which is an essential model for the European market, and would probably do well in Canada.

Whether we will ever get the hatchback in Canada remains to be seen, but we will get the show car's intercooled and turbocharged, 2.0L MIVEC four-cylinder engine in the Lancer Ralliart sedan that will go on sale here this summer.

Saab's 9-X BioHybrid concept, which combines design themes from Saab's award-winning Aero X and earlier 9X concepts, is the vehicle chosen to debut GM's next-generation hybrid system. At the core of its hybrid powertrain is a high-efficiency, 200 hp, turbocharged 1.4L engine that runs on E85.

Volkswagen is expanding its BlueMotion diesel line with a version of the Sharan MPV (not sold here) that lowers the seven-seat mini-minivan's CO2 output and increases fuel efficiency.

Volvo is debuting the production version of its XC60 compact CUV, which is little changed from the concept, and which will arrive here early in 2009 to do battle with the BMW X3 and its ilk.

More videos from Wheels.ca and our partners