Highlights from the 2019 Geneva Motor Show

Every year in March, as Europe drags itself out of winter, the automotive industry descends upon the Swiss city of Geneva to showcase their wares. Yep, it’s the Geneva Motor Show.

We pick out some highlights from this year’s gathering that have caught the eye, from show-stopping supercars, to cool concepts previewing the cars that you could be driving in the years ahead.

The Alfa Romeo revival continues apace, and with SUVs all the rage these days, it’s no surprise that Alfa is looking to add another one to its range to accompany the Stelvio. The Tonale is just a concept for now (a good looking one at that), but expect to see it on the roads by the end of next year as a competitor to the BMW X1 and Audi Q3. Word has it that it will have a hybrid powerplant too.

Aston Martin are no strangers to outlandish hypercar projects (remember the Valkyrie?), and the latest to join the fold is the AM-RB 003. Developed together with their Formula One partners Red Bull Advanced Technologies, the AM-RB 003 is a mid-engined, 1,000bhp super machine that will leave Ferrari and McLaren quaking in their boots. It’s fully production ready too, so get your chequebooks ready folks.

Sure, it looks just like a regular Bentayga with slightly sportier trim, but make no mistake, this unassuming luxury barge is now the fastest SUV…in the world. With a top speed of 306km/h, the Bentayga Speed knocks the Lamborghini Urus off its perch as the king of the speedy SUVs. We don’t recommend you attempt that feat on public roads, but imagine all the fun you’ll have when you load up the family and all your stuff, and pelt them along at over 300km/h. Expect screams…

And more records were broken at Geneva, when Bugatti unveiled this, the Voiture Noire, the most expensive new car of all time. Costing a cool 11 million Euros, this one-off special, which has already been spoken for, is said to take inspiration from, and pay homage to, the classic Bugatti Type 57 SC Atlantic. By the way, its name simply means ‘black car’ in French. Imaginative.

It only seemed like yesterday that Ferrari were dazzling us with the 488 GTB, and now it has foisted upon us its replacement, the F8 Tributo. The name is a, er, tribute to the iconic V8 engine that has won International Engine of the Year three years running, and breaks tradition from the triple-digit nomenclature that has blessed Ferrari’s mid-engined sports cars for decades. It is Ferrari. With a whopping 710bhp, the F8 Tributo can rocket from 0-100km/h in just 2.9 seconds.

It’s not all fast and expensive machinery at Geneva; there was room for the nifty and practical too. The Honda E Prototype is one such example, previewing a future compact city car that will run on electric power. Honda says that the E Prototype’s design is inspired by Apple, meaning clean cut looks, a premium feel and an intuitive user experience. Unlike your iPhone however, it probably won’t be rendered obsolete by software updates, and the battery will probably last longer than just a couple of years too.

Kia has been on a roll lately, with the Stinger receiving nearly universal praise since its launch. But the future is electric, and the Imagine Concept is what Kia, er, imagines its future will be. Designed in the form of a sporty four-door hatch/coupe style, the Imagine incorporates plenty of glass and a reworked version of Kia’s iconic grille, calling it the ‘Tiger Mask’. But the greatest fun comes inside, where the Imagine features no less than 21 (twenty one!) screens across the dashboard. Kia says, “These 21 incredibly thin screens are a humorous and irreverent riposte to the on-going competition between some automotive manufacturers to see who can produce the car with the biggest screen.” Great sense of humour these Koreans.

No, the Engelberg Tourer is not named after every childish man’s favourite crooner Engelbert "Quando" Humperdinck. Rather, Mitsubishi says the name is taken from a Swiss village. Regardless, the Engelberg Tourer previews the future of the company’s electric SUV programme, an area which it has had plenty of experience with the Outlander PHEV. It also boasts nifty tech taken from the now-demised Lancer Evolution, such as active yaw control and torque-split all-wheel-drive, while Mitsubishi also took the opportunity to introduce a new home charging system that allows your EV to be charged via solar panels, while also incorporating a bi-directional charger that lets your car become an electric generator for your home in case of emergency.

Looking all sharp and futuristic at the Nissan show stand is the IMQ Concept, a crossover that offers a look at what the next generation Qashqai might look like. Boasting sportier looks than the current Qashqai, the IMQ Concept has clearly taken inspiration from recent sleek-looking SUVs like the Range Rover Evoque and Jaguar I-Pace. As with everything these days, expect some form of electrified version to be offered when it goes on sale within the next couple of years.

Volvo was not present at Geneva, but its new performance brand, Polestar, was. Its main highlight was this, the Polestar 2, which the company says is “the first electric car to compete in the marketplace around the Tesla Model 3”. Certainly a bold move, and the all-new electric sports saloon features a traditional three-box shape sitting on a raised platform, and its design cues borrows heavily from brand stablemates Volvo and Lynk & Co. Production will begin in China from 2020, and the Polestar 2 will go on sale in selected markets initially at launch.

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