One of the year’s biggest automotive happenings, the 86th edition of the Swiss show, known locally as the Salon International de l’automobile, saw some 10,000 media representatives travel from all over the world to Geneva to attend 67 press conferences over the course of two days, on 1st and 2nd March, with the gates open to the public from 3rd to 13th March.
Whether it’s expanding the boundaries of speed and performance or redefining expectations of luxury and technological advancement, the cars of the Geneva Motor Show are invariably leaders in their class. All the major car companies priorities this one week in March as the time to show off their very best and most advanced automobiles and Geneva rarely disappoints.
This year’s edition of the Geneva Motor Show featured new special edition luxury cars, but also a variety of other unveilings and innovations.
Here’s our choice of cars from the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show.
Mercedes-Benz has redesigned the C-Class Coupe for the 2017 model year, making the car larger, more efficient, and more sophisticated in terms of materials and technology. Initially, the new 2017 Mercedes C-Class Coupe will be offered as the C300 and the C300 4Matic. A turbocharged, 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine producing 241 horsepower and 273 lb.-ft. of torque is standard and the 4Matic model includes all-wheel drive. On sale in spring 2016.
PRICE: €35, 500
The sportily-styled Q2 model has just been revealed at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show. The Q2 is aiming to punch above the Mercedes GLA and forthcoming BMW X2 in the fierce crossover boom. The petrol line-up will kick off with the familiar 148bhp 1.4 TSI ‘Cylinder on Demand’ unit, then moves on to the Quattro and auto-only 187bhp 2.0 TFSI. The diesel range consists of a 115bhp 1.6 and 148bhp 2.0 TDI for now, with Quattro four-wheel drive set to be available across most engines later in the year.
PRICE: €37,500
Alpina has unveiled the new BMW Alpina B7 Bi-Turbo, the fourth generation of an Alpina spec BMW 7-Series. The B7’s begins with its 4.4-litre V8 engine that produces 507 hp with a maximum of 700 Nm of torque. 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds, and an electronically limited top speed of 280 km/h. Two new large van turbochargers have been mounted with an optimized intercooler system. In the end, it receives an impressive 115hp output per litre. The driver controls this power through a ZF six-speed automatic sport transmission.
PRICE: Around €115,000
The Citroen Cactus Rip Curl is a special edition Citroen C4 Cactus and has been created in association with Rip Curl, a leading Australian manufacturer of wetsuits. The special edition is based on the Citroen C4 Cactus “Shine” level 3 finish and was presented at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
The C4 Cactus Rip Curl introduces the Grip Control system. Two engines will be available: 1.2 Puretech 110 S&S and BlueHDi 100. The special edition will go on sale by June 2016.
PRICE: Around €21,500
The new Mokka X will be made its world premiere at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, showing off its updated exterior design, new interior and new generation infotainment systems. Alongside the 1.6-litre 136 PS diesel engine, Opel is offering the new-generation 152 PS 1.4-litre Direct Injection Turbo unit that debuted in the new Astra. This engine will also be available in combination with a six-speed automatic gearbox, start/stop technology and adaptive all-wheel drive that can send as much as 100% of the torque to the front wheels or simply do a 50/50 split between the front and rear axle, depending on road conditions.
PRICE: From €23,400
Engine options on the 2016 Scenic will include 115 hp 1.2-litre TCe petrol engine; 110 hp 1.5-litre dC; diesel engine; 130 hp 1.6-litre dCi bi-turbo diesel engine and 160 hp 1.6-litre dCi bi-turbo diesel engine. The transmission choices will include 6-speed manual transmission and 7-speed Efficient Dual-Clutch (EDC) transmission, varying as per the engine option. Furthermore, the report also hints a possibility of an electrified version of the Scenic arriving by 2018.
PRICE: From €23,290
The production model of the new Honda Civic Type R carried over much of the styling cues from the concept model. The interior sports a pair body-hugging semi bucket seats, with a nice short-throw manual shifter. The rest of the interior has the usual Type R sporty red stitching all around.
Petrol-heads will revel because the new Honda Civic Type R packs quite a punch; it gets a turbocharged 2.0-litre iVTEC engine under the hood, which was said to produce in excess of 280 horses.
PRICE: €37,500
The BRABUS 900 based on the MB S 65 Coupé delivers an astonishing 662 kW/900 hp and a peak torque of 1.500 Nm, catapulting itself from 0-100 km/h in only 3,7 s. Sporty and elegantly styled carbon fibre aerodynamics and BRABUS forged wheels in designs up to 22” give the coupe an exclusive appearance.
The top speed of 350 kph makes the Rocket 900 the fastest business limousine in the world. In the back, there is a complete Brabus iBusiness package to be always online and stay up to date with your appointments.
PRICE: €475,000
The Fiat Tipo hatchback should be the successor of the Fiat Bravo The diesel engine range will comprise two turbodiesels – a 1.3-litre MultiJet with 95hp and a 1.6-litre MultiJet with 120hp (the latter offered with a six-speed manual or six-speed TCT twin-clutch transmission). There’ll also be three petrol engines on offer: a 1.4-litre producing 95hp, a 1.4-litre turbo with 120hp and a 1.6-litre ‘e-TorQ’ producing 110hp. The latter will come with a regular six-speed automatic transmission only.
PRICE: €12,500 TO €19,900
The Rimac Concept One (also styled Concept_One) is a two-seat high-performance electric sports car designed and manufactured by Rimac Automobili, Croatia. With a total output of 1,088 hp, an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds, and a price of US$980,000, Concept One has been described as the world’s first electric supercar, becoming the world’s fastest accelerating electric automobile.
PRICE: €861,000