Seductive superstars on show in Geneva
And kicking off the luxury party at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was boss of the bunch, the Bugatti Chiron (“sheer-on”), the €2.4 million successor to the Veyron.
Chiron roars with a 1,500-horsepower, W16 engine pushed by a new, two-stage, turbo-boosting technology. Bugatti engineers said it comes with a unique linear power curve that will hit 60mph in less than 2.5 seconds and 186mph in just over 13 seconds. Top speed on the dashboard is listed at 500km/h but they hinted the car will go faster than that.
Inside, the car matches its exterior excellence. The dashboard includes an analogue speedometer offset by HMI gauges on the side.
Light accents say the word Chiron throughout, plus there’s a matching set of Bugatti Chiron leather luggage.
The Illuminated C-bar in the interior is the longest light-conductor in the automobile industry.
Ferrari showed off the latest of its wares, the world debut Ferrari GTC4 Lusso.
The new car uses a Ferrari V12, 6262-cc naturally-aspirated engine to achieve a whopping 690-horsepower (40hp more than the FF). It can hit 60mph in 3.4 seconds. Top speed is 208mph, which, like its sprint time, is faster than its predecessor. So that’s new.
The upgrades are a continuation of Ferrari’s answer to the new luxury sport utility vehicles from Bentley, Jaguar, Maserati and Lamborghini. (The answer to whether it will ever build a true SUV seems to remain set at “no”.)
True to its word, Lotus unveiled two cars — the Exige Sport 350 Roadster and Lotus Evora Sport 410 in global debuts.
The Exige Sport 350 Roadster, an update to the Exige Sport 350, is the lightest-ever V6 Exige. It is 40kg lighter than the Exige Sport and has a new carbon aero pack that includes a new front splitter, rear wing, and rear diffuser, all made from carbon fibre.
If you buy it, you can choose from a six-speed automatic gearbox or use the manual version with forged aluminium paddles. The 345-horsepower Exige Sport 350 Roadster has a 0-60 mile per hour sprint time of 3.7 seconds; top speed is 150 mph. Pricing starts at €62,185 in Europe, where it will go on sale this spring.
As for the Evora Sport 410, at 1,325kg, that car is 70 kg lighter than its counterpart Evora Sport 400 and will hit 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Top speed is 186 mph.
This is all achieved on a — you guessed it — 410-horsepower, six-cylinder engine. Gales was especially proud of its new-and-improved chassis.
Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has embraced YouTube and Instagram in a bid to entice younger drivers as it prepares to replace its aging flagship, the Phantom.
The addition of new models like the Dawn convertible aims to boost flagging sales. Rolls-Royce sold 3,785 hand-built cars last year, down from a record 4,063 sold in 2014, in part because of a 54% drop on sales in China.
For the first time, the brand is emphasizing outright performance rather than style and discretion, in a bid to attract customers who want sporty driving features.
“The cars have more horsepower and more torque,” Moeller-Oetvoes said.
Rolls-Royce is also working on an offroader, which will be built at its Goodwood plant in England and enter the market around 2018, he said.
McLaren is to triple production to up to 5,000 cars by 2022, its CEO has said.
The small luxury sports car manufacturer, which unveiled its 570 GT model at the Geneva Motor Show, has been ramping up production in recent years and built 1,654 cars in 2015, with prices ranging from about £120,000 £800,000 (€155,000 to €1m).
However, McLaren has ruled out building a sports utility vehicle, resisting the temptation to follow the likes Jaguar in the rush to tap rising demand for 4x4 vehicles.
Mercedes unveiled the new AMG C43 Cabriolet, which as has a 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V6 engine. It gets 362 horsepower and can hit 60 mph in 4.7 seconds.
BMW showcased the M2, which has a 3.0-litre turbo inline-six engine that gets 365 horsepower. It comes with a six-speed manual and rear-wheel drive as standard; a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional.
Porsche took the covers of the 718 Boxster S. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission. Porsche’s excellent PDK transmission is also available. It will hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds.
The Tesla Model X made its first European appearance at Geneva this year. The SUV has “falcon-wing” doors that open up and out and is fully electric like its sister model, the Tesla Model S.
And saving the best for last, Lamborghini displayed the Centenario — a special edition model that celebrates founder Ferruccio Lamborghini’s 100th birthday.
Only 40 will be made. It’s the fastest Lambo to date, with a 770 hp engine, 0-62 mph in 2.8 seconds. The price is €1.75 million before taxes. But who’s counting?
