If you happen to be close to Geneva, there is still time to visit the 88th Motor Show, that takes place until 18 March. I was able to spend a few hours there this week and observe, next to the usual glamour, two main trends.
The first one is obviously electrical cars, and when you see the sheer number of hybrid and electrical cars currently available or in planning in one place, it is hard to imagine that some other alternative fuel would have a chance to compete with electric – the race is probably already run, also in terms of supplying the necessary infrastructure.
The second trend, a bit more unexpected, is – well, flying cars. A number of brands present different types of cars with wings, or more drone-like flying arrangements like the Audi pictured below, the idea of which is for the car both to be able to cruise down a road but then take to the air when the road stops or becomes congested. You can’t help wonder how we will look back on this in 15 years from now…
The Audi Flying Drone (no, that’s not the official name). Will our grand children say “gee, look at how big the wings were then”, or rather “they were really crazy back in the -10’s”?
Next to electrical cars and flying drones, there was however still enough of the old school cubic inches and horsepower around for me to provide some main highlights below.
The BMW X7 is a beautiful study of what a larger, future X5 could look like. No production date has been set, and it’s a bit surprising how late BMW thinks about joining the party, considering competitors such as the Audi Q7 and MB GL/GLS have been around since long.Polestar had their stand next to the (large) Volvo stand, in perhaps the best location of the whole show – well done. Polestar 1 (set to go into production in 2019) looks nice from the front and the side, but the back is as ugly as the new S90 and does not look very premium on the inside. No, this is not a second Polestar1 but rather the AMG GT63, a four-door, four-seat, coupe-like GT car. When you look closer it looks far more aggressive and exclusive than the Polestar. Now if anyone really missed it until it existed, that’s another question. With obviously all the supercar brands being present, I’ll let the Chiron represent them all. No doubt the reddest car at this year’s show!If you feel these lines reminds you of something from your youth, you’re right. This is the new Stratos, a tribute to the original Lancia Stratos and showed as a concept already in 2010, but now about to go into production. It is designed by Pininfarina and will be manufactured by Manifattura Automobili Torino (MAT). Based on a Ferrari F430 chassis, the engine develops over 500 hp for kerb weight under 1300 kg. Last but not least, my favorite from this year’s show, the Ruf SCR. The latest incarnation of this 40-year old name is what first looks like a classic 911 (964), but is a fully modern car with a body in carbon fibre and a 4-litre naturally aspirated six-cylinder engine, developing over 500 hp. The price is as high as the car is beautiful!
The Thrill of Driving 