The Hindu Business Line : Display of greens, ultra-compacts…

In the haloed, historic portals of the Geneva Palexpo too there were Indians basking in the warmth of the attention being showered by the world media and by some of the senior-most executives of the global automotive industry.

India grabs attention

After grabbing the headlines and shaking up the global automobile industry’s very definition of low-cost manufacturing, the Tata Nano, the ultra-compact with the unbelievable price tag, was again under the spotlight, this time in Geneva.

March 4th and 5th were media days at the 78th International Motor Show in Geneva, the annual showcase event of the auto industry’s best in new technology and products. Even before the expo began, the Tata Nano had already whipped up frenzied interest and the unveiling was eagerly awaited.

Along with interest in Nano the car, there was also a lot of curiosity about the people behind this unique, segment-creating car.

The effort put in by the designers, conceptualisers and engineers behind this cute and very innovative ultra-compact was often part of the discussions.

Another spot at the Geneva Show where Indian design efforts were being appreciated was at the Suzuki stall. Suzuki’s next new environmentally focused product — an A-segment car that the company will be launching as its fifth world strategic model — was presented in its concept form.

The Suzuki A-Star concept, which was debuted at the Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year, has been co-developed by engineers and designers from both Suzuki Japan and Maruti. Speaking at the unveiling of the Concept A-Star, Mr Toshihiro Suzuki, Board Member and Senior Managing Executive Officer, Global Marketing, Suzuki Motor Corporation, said that by bringing together Japanese and Indian aesthetics in pursuit of a design with a mainly European character, this joint team of designers created a unique cross-cultural synergy.

As has been tradition in many of its previous editions, there were a number of other concepts at this year’s Geneva Motor Show too. Some of the eye-catching ones included the Opel Meriva concept, the stunning Italdesign Giugiaro Quaranta concept, the Renault Megane Coupe concept, the Pininfarina Sintesi concept, the Land Rover LRX, Kia Soul concept, the Cadillac CTS Coupe concept and the Audi R8 V12 TDI concept.

Green brigade

This year’s edition of the Motor Show in Geneva was also dominated by a number of new environment-friendly products developed by the major auto companies, including hybrids, bio-enthanol, flex-fuel and electric vehicles.

At this year’s show, close to a 1,000 brands from some thirty countries participated and were represented by around 260 exhibitors, who displayed their autos over a net exhibition surface of over 77,550 square metres.

After the two media days, the Geneva Motor Show opened to the public on Thursday, March 6th. The organisers are expecting once again more than 700,000 visitors over the 11 days the Show will remain open.

As was already heralded in the poster for the 78th Show, the trend towards new technologies and alternative fuels is increasing.

Almost every brand is intensifying its research and development work in this field. Seventeen of the 94 worldwide and European premieres in the three- and four-wheeled vehicle categories are cars using new technologies.

Electric power

The focus of interest this year will be on electrically powered vehicles. Three manufacturers were present for the first time in Geneva, two of them with “green” cars. These are the Chinese brand BYD, which unveiled a hybrid vehicle, and the Norwegian manufacturer Think Global, which launched an electrically powered city car.

The Japanese luxury brand Infiniti also exhibited in Geneva for the first time. The company used its first appearance to launch the second generation of Infiniti’s FX Coupe Crossover, the first time an Infiniti has received its premiere outside the US.

Modern, technically advanced V6 and V8 engines will power the FX Coupe. The FX will surprise not just for its dramatic styling and exquisite interior, but also for a level of standard features that will surpass the competition. Some items, such as Infiniti’s Around View Monitor, are not even offered on its rivals.

Anniversary celebrations

Another feature of this year’s Geneva Motor Show was the trio of companies that celebrated their anniversaries. Italdesign, the renowned design and engineering house responsible for the first Volkswagen Golf, the Alfa Romeo Brera and the Fiat Grande Punto, among others, has fuelled the public’s dreams for 40 years with its elegant and dynamic coachwork.

Franco Sbarro, engineer and designer, celebrated 35 years of exhibiting in Geneva with two cars designed specifically for the occasion.

And, finally, the Swiss brand Monteverdi cast a glance back into the past, with a 1968 Monteverdi 375 S as part of its display.

S.Muralidhar

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