Click above for live shots of the Golf TDI Hybrid from Geneva

Remember when Jim Press used vegetables as an illustration for green cars? TTAC writer Alex Kambas manages to make the same comparison, but for completely different reasons. "Like the vegetables of my childhood era, shoving green cars down my throat just because they're good for me won't make me want to buy them," Kambas opines. It seems that he feels that the Geneva Motor Show focused solely on green news, with nothing exciting to show the performance-minded drivers among us. Looking back on Geneva, there certainly were plenty of green cars on display, but we really feel that many of them ought to be interesting to everyone. Take, for instance, the Koenigsegg CCXR Edition, Lotus' Tri-Fuel capable Exige 270E or the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans, all of which use an alternative fuel for performance reasons.

Even if you want nothing to do with green cars, many of the vehicles presented in Geneva catered to the go-fast crowd. The beautiful Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, Spyker C8 Aileron and Artega GT, should be enough to make any performance-minded enthusiast happy.

[Source: TTAC]

When Saab debuted the 9-X BioHybrid concept at the recent Geneva Motor Show, aerodynamics was a big part of the equation. The compact 9-X has a smooth, rounded nose, a raked back wrap-around windshield and a downward sloping roof. To help reduce the drag at the back end of the short body, a spoiler that wraps around the roof extends backward up to four inches. A new video featuring some of the designers talking about the aero work that they did has just been posted on the GMnext web site. You can check out the video after the jump.


[Source: GMnext]

Click on the image above for more pictures of the Quaranta

"Nature has never been so powerful." So sayeth Italdesign Giugiaro. Hmmm, nature has a tendency to be pretty darn powerful, but we suppose we'll let that one slide, considering that all they are trying to do is hype up their new eco-friendly concept car, the Quaranta. They have been teasing us with assorted pictures of this car for the last few weeks, but we finally have the whole view to show you. Last year around this time they were showing off their VAD.HO concept, which was powered by BMW's hydrogen V-12. The Quaranta, on the other hand, uses a 3.3 liter V6 and hybrid bits sourced from Toyota, giving enough power to accelerate from 0-60 in just about four seconds flat. The innovative powerplant is situated in the middle of this sportscar concept, and incorporates an electronic CVT transmission and two electric motors in what Giugiaro is calling their E-Four system. There is no driveshaft tunnel, so we suspect that one of the motors is powering the front wheels without a mechanical connection to the gasoline engine. Giugiaro is claiming that the system offers V8 power and lower emissions than a 4 cylinder. Besides charging the battery via the engine and the energy recaptured when braking, the battery can also be charged by the integral solar panels on the roof.

Mimicking the 1968 Bizzarrini Manta concept, the Quaranta features a 1+3 seating arrangement, offering room for the driver, two passengers and a child. The only thing "green" about the Manta concept was the paint, as a large Chevrolet V8 powered that machine. In this day and age, though, concept cars point not only towards future styling direction, but also to future powertrain alternatives.

[Source: Italdesign Giugiaro via Autoblog]

As we mentioned last week, Rick Wagoner, chairman and CEO of GM spoke to the crowd at the Geneva Motor Show last week, and here is a video to prove it. He spoke quite a bit about alternative fuels and alternative propulsion. He went on to state that GM is committed to providing vehicles that can operate on many different sources of energy, and that GM supports the EU and their goals of reducing harmful emissions from automobiles. Wagoner highlighted that GM has recently been focusing more heavily on electric vehicles, both powered by electricity from hydrogen fuel cells, and "extended range electric vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Volt." Extended range being the on-board internal combustion engine powering a generator providing electricity to charge the batteries, I presume. Wagoner said that GM is also pushing forward with their alternative fuel programs such as E85, and working to improve the efficiency of their gas and diesel offerings. GM would like to displace the use of petroleum based fuels with alternatives such as bioethanol, which he mentioned was the fastest growing biofuel. Wagoner showed off the new Saab 9-3 BioPower vehicle that will be available for sale soon in Europe. The new 2.9 liter diesel V6 engine was also on display as well.

Of interest to us here, Wagoner mentioned the GM Sequel, and announced that a test fleet will be released into Europe of ten fuel cell vehicles. Also, regarding their E Flex platform, Wagoner spoke of using many different sources of electricity to power it, and said that there would be new concept vehicles using the platform at the Shanghai Motor Show and Frankfurt Motor Show. These vehicles would likely have nameplates from GM's European brands. That is certainly something to look forward to!

Thanks for the tip on the video, Linton!

[Source: Youtube]

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the EVE Hybrid technology demonstrator.

Lotus Engineering have launched a production-ready, highly advanced cylinder head with integrated exhaust manifold (IEM) which is designed to reduce manufacturing costs, emissions and weight on most petrol-engined passenger vehicles.

Lotus estimates that for a typical DOHC 16-valve 1.6 cylinder petrol engine, the IEM can:

• cut up to 5 percent off the total build cost
• reduce catalyst light-off time by up to 20 percent
• reduce powertrain mass by up to 5 kg
• improve engine durability

Analysis: Lotus have been developing their automotive engineering consultancy over the last few years to offer efficient components and design solutions to OEMs. This IEM is a good example of their R&D efforts returning solid, incremental performance and emissions reductions improvements.

Full press release after the jump.

Related:

• Geneva Motor Show: Lotus unveils EVE Hybrid technology demonstrator
• Fifth Gear become "alcoholics" running "Crop Circles" in E85 Lotus Exige
• KTM using carbon fibre to make their X-BOW roadster faster

[Source: Lotus press release]

We previewed the new Mazda3 2.0 litre diesel a few days back, but now the news has officially broken. After a facelift and the introduction of the Mazda3 MPS last year, the Mazda3 range has once again been updated, this time via the addition of the MZR-CD 2.0 common-rail turbo diesel engine in both sedan and hatchback models.

The new engine has a power output of 105 kW / 140 hp which should push the compact model along quite nicely, plus a monster 360 Nm / 266 ft-lbs of torque at 2,000 rpm, a full 40 Nm more than an Audi A4 2.0 TDI. To keep this huge torque in reign, special body shell reinforcements from the high-performance Mazda3 MPS had to be installed – the front suspension upper plate, front cowl member and larger middle tunnel cross member.

As well as sporty highway performance and good handling, the modern common-rail diesel returns an excellent combined fuel economy rating of 6.0 L per 100 km / 39.2 mpg for both the sedan and hatch models. Features of the engine include a six-hole injectors system which electronically controls injection volume, frequency and timing, matched with a low compression ratio of 16.7 : 1. Getting the power to the pavement is a six-speed manual transmission based on the one found in the manic Mazda3 MPS.

To keep the black smoke at bay, a maintenance-free, diesel particulate filter system is fitted as standard allowing the MZR-CD to achieve Euro IV emissions compliance. Inside, Mazda's engineers focussed on cabin and drive comfort, working to keep engine noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) to a minimum.

Analysis: Mazda are really upbeat about the Mazda3, which is their fastest ever model to reach 1 million sales, and their diesel models too. The Mazda6 diesel has received excellent reviews and I think this new, sporty Mazda3 diesel is really going to shake things up in the small car market where fuel economy is already an important factor.

Full press release after the jump.

Related:

• Geneva Motor Show: VW's new diesel line-up detailed
• Los Angeles Times: E320 Bluetec is best car Californians can't buy
• Geneva Motor Show: Details of Land Rover's new CO2 Offset program

[Source: Mazda]

We have shown you Saab's various BioPower vehicles before, and the Rinspeed eXasis, but here is a new take on an already existing vehicle. Borrowing cues from the eXasis concept, the Saab Biopower Rinspeed uses a similar bright yellow color and textures which mimic the eXasis. No real mechanical changes are made to the vehicle, but a tie-in already exists between the two vehicles, as both engines operate on E85.

The collaboration also marks Rinspeed's 30th anniversary, and the 60th anniversary of Saab's "turbocharged ideas", which will also be commemorated with anniversary edition Saabs for public consumption.

Various details of Rinspeed's take on the Saab, in addition to the color, are fiberglass inset headlights, dash and interior panels, and patterned seats. For more pictures, click here. Thanks for the tip, Swade!

For a complete transcript of the news release, continue reading after the break.

[Source: Trollhattan Saab]

Automotive News (subs req'd) has tried to round up the green-friendly cars and concepts that are coming our way from Geneva in a few weeks. Their list is as follows. The few others we know about are below that.

From Autonews:

• "BMW debuts a 1-series three-door variant with a stop-start system and brake energy regeneration that will reduce fuel consumption as well as CO2 emissions.
• Daihatsu will show an Eco version of its Cuore minicar. It will also have a stop-start system that cuts CO2 emissions to 99g/km.
• Toyota and Honda show concepts for potential future hybrid cars. Toyota's Hybrid X study previews a possible new design language for its hybrid cars. Honda's concept is for a small sports car powered by a hybrid powertrain, Honda aims to show that sports cars don't have to be gas guzzlers."

Other expected green in Geneva:

• Geneva Preview: Hyundai's "environmentally friendly" CUV
• Geneva Preview: Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion
• Geneva Motor Show Preview: Subaru to unveil diesel boxer engine
• Peugeot brings three world premiere vehicles to Geneva Motor Show
• Citroën's new SUV, the C-Crosser, uses clean diesel engine, but did Citroën drop biodiesel capability?
• Geneva Preview: Saab to show latest BioPower 100 Concept

Media preview days start on March 6. AutoblogGreen and Autoblog will be in Geneva, and you can trust we'll have details on all these vehicles - and any surprises - from the show floor. High-res galleries, exclusive interviews. You know how we do.

[Source: Autonews (subs req'd)]

UPDATED to include Saab BioPower 100 Concept.