THE Geneva Motor Show has always been a designer’s showcase for scintillating automobiles with the crème of frenzy auto buyers storming the venue to see the latest auto wheels from car manufacturers.
Indeed, the auto show has been rated as one of the best in the world because of its glamour and funfair that comes into display during the show.
Expectedly to be on parade at this year’s auto show are plenty of reality–production vehicles with dazzling looks and dizzying performance to spark the enthusiast’s imagination.
These are the survey of some of the most notable automobiles debut at the show.
Lamborghini Veneno
The Veneno seemed to exist, at least in part, to steal thunder from a certain red Italian supercar at the other end of the Palexpo convention centre.
This street-legal but track-ready rendition of the mighty Aventador was beyond exotic, with fittingly eye-popping performance stats and a seven-figure price tag. Like it or not, the coachbuilt Veneno will be remembered for a long time.
Land Rover Defender all-terrain electric test vehicle
The Advanced Engineering Team at Land Rover ditched the Defender 110’s diesel engine and fuel tank for an electric motor and a 300-volt lithium-ion battery pack.
The motor produces 94 horsepower and a stout 243 pound-feet of torque, and a full charge will carry passengers 50 miles, or deliver sufficient energy for eight hours of low-speed off-road exercises.
And yes, the electric Defender is a real Land Rover, able to ford three feet of water or haul a 12-tonne load up a 13 per cent gradient.
Volkswagen XL1
It is impossible not to be impressed by the XL1’s calling card: 261mpg.
The philosophical antithesis of its corporate cousin, the Bugatti Veyron, the fastidiously engineered and hand-crafted XL1 is a similarly impressive flex of the
Volkswagen Group’s engineering muscle. VW is starting small, putting just 50 XL1s on German roads this year – leased to their drivers, not sold. But the arrival this tiny two-seater may just be the biggest news of 2013.
Rolls-Royce Wraith
More astonishing than the imposing Wraith’s performance figures – zero to 60mph in 4.4 seconds and an electronically governed top speed of 155 mph– is that it accomplishes such feats of while staying true to everything that makes a Rolls-Royce a Rolls-Royce.
Grand and great and overstuffed with opulence, the fastest model in the British marque’s 109-year history is as true to the Spirit of Ecstasy as a 1950s-era Phantom IV.
Chevrolet Corvette stingray convertible
Pre-show teases from Chevrolet softened a bit of the theatricality of its unveiling, but the Corvette Stingray convertible nonetheless rolled out to cheers from a standing-room-only crowd.
Developed in tandem with the fearsome-looking coupe (which joined the drop-top on stage, prompting another round of applause), the convertible is no afterthought.
It promises to match the closed car’s athleticism and refinement.
BMW 3 Series Gran Turismo
With one visual minor glitch (an ill-considered fender vent), BMW’s 3 Series GT made a wholly appealing statement in Geneva – notably better than its bulky stablemate, the 5 Series GT.
It is some eight inches longer than a 3 Series sedan, with an extra 4.3 inches between the axles, but the lithe four-door fastback wears its extra size well.
The Gran Turismo – in 240hp 328i and the 300hp 335i guises – lands in the US this summer.
Toyota FT-86 open concept
Much less a concept than a coming attraction, the drop-top FT-86, based on the coupe sold in the U.S. as the Scion FR-S, is a wholly irresistible proposition. As a coupe it is handsome, but as a convertible, the FT is downright captivating. And with a spirited 4-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive and tires just narrow enough to allow a little oversteer now and then, it is the vehicular embodiment of the endless summer.
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