The 88th Geneva International Motor Show, which took place at Palexpo convention centre from March 8 to 18, featured 900 cars by 180 exhibitors from different countries, in the presence of 110 European and world officials. The event received about 700,000 visitors. Daily News Egypt will review the most important vehicles exhibited at the event.
Hyundai Le Fil Rouge
Hyundai Motor presented a glimpse of its future trends in automotive design through displaying its latest car model, Le Fil Rouge, which means ‘common thread’ in French.
The new model focuses on creating harmony between four key elements: relative dimensions, structure, design, and technique.
The Le Fil Rouge model represents the company’s future design direction, effective sport-style car, which will be applied to all the company’s sedans and SUVs in the future. This new design aims to create natural beauty in and strong attraction to the company’s models.
The designing team aimed to create a car that could quickly and remotely be distinguished as a Hyundai vehicle. In some oblique ways, the body of this new concept resembles an early forebear. The overall silhouette somewhat resembles a more smoothed, stretched-out version of the 1974 Hyundai Pony concept, though with none of the hard angles that were all the rage in the 1970s. It was also characterised by a multi-layered engine cover, as well as a progressive grid with an improved appearance and three-dimensional design.
Toyota GR Supra
Toyota unveiled its new GR Supra Racing Concept during the Geneva International Motor Show after several photos of the car leaked online a few days before the show.
GR Supra showed Toyota’s great interest in expanding in the racing vehicles category through recovering this sporty model, which made world-class racing figures with its first two versions.
Toyota’s Gazoo Racing created the GR Supra Racing Concept as a conceptual GR model for use in class-specific race events. Toyota currently competes in the World Rally Championship, World Endurance Championship, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuits through Gazoo.
Toyota has not revealed much about the concept’s inner workings other than design cues and the interior’s general setup for race-readiness. The bodywork is made up of—unspecified, but probably carbon fibre—composite materials for lightweight strength while the windows are made of plastic rather than glass, as per race specifications. The chassis is low and tight and uses Toyota-sourced original equipment components. Wheels are BBS racing units with centre-nut attachments for pit changes. Those wheels are clad in Michelin tires, a partner of Gazoo Racing. Brembo provides brake callipers and discs.
There are some rumours that the engine will be placed in the front and will be connected to an all-wheel drive (AWD) system similar to previous Supra models. Toyota’s next sports car will be powered by a 335-horsepower, 3.0-litre, 3000cc, turbocharged straight-six engine, courtesy of development partner BMW.
BMW X4
The second-generation BMW X4 SUV was revealed to the public at the Geneva International Motor Show 2018. The new generation model continues to retain its coupé-themed design while sharing its underpinnings with the new generation BMW X3 that was recently launched in India. The new BMW X4 is positioned below the X6, the car that invented the coupé-SUV category, and manages to make overall design more seamless than its predecessor. The front on the X4 is similar to the X3, but things change dramatically at the rear with the coupé roofline.
The overall styling is more elegant though, with a larger grille and standard LED headlights. The proportions on the X4 have increased and the coupé crossover SUV is now 81 mm longer, 37 mm wider, and 3 mm shorter than the previous generation. The wheelbase has increased too, by 54 mm, liberating more legroom for rear passengers.
Inside, there were major upgrades to the older version which include a new 6.5-inch display that comes as standard for the infotainment system or the optional 10.3-inch unit. The steering wheel is shared with the new X3, 5 Series, and 7 Series, while the X4 gets voice and gesture control, and paddle shifters on higher specification variants. The X4 also offers a new ambient air package which adds an ioniser as well as a fragrance diffuser, along with trip-zone climate control and ventilated front seats.
The 2019 BMW X4 will be available in a range of options including the 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder petrol in different states of tune; while there is a 2.0-litre twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel available as well. BMW will also offer 3.0-litre straight-six petrol and diesel engines on the top variants. Transmission duties will be handled by an eight-speed unit on all trims, while the xDrive AWD system will be offered on selected versions.
Jaguar I-PACE, Audi A6 and Volkswagen ID-Vizzion
The Geneva Show also witnessed the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE production model, while the German Audi unveiled the all-new A6. Volkswagen’s all-electric I.D. Vizzion model also grasped the attention of many visitors at the show.
