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]

Fiat showed a low emissions and low fuel consumption concept version of their tiny 500 at the Geneva Motor Show called the 500 Aria. The Aria is equipped with Fiat's 1.3L MultiJet diesel and the company's Dualogic transmission. The powertrain is topped off with an automatic start-stop system. The Dualogic transmission is an automated manual transmission that can shift automatically or the driver can determine when to shift. The clutch activation duties are always handled automatically. The full package delivers a ten percent improvement in fuel consumption compared to the standard 500.

[Source: Car and Driver]

Mercedes has been working on putting bio-products into its cars for years, since well before AutoblogGreen got started. The company hasn't really been making any sort of announcements about its progress. Hence the lack of coverage of ACO here on ABG.

What's ACO? Why, that's my new name for the abaca fibers, coconut parts and olive pits that find their way into some Mercedes models. The rubberized coconut - a by-product of Brazil's coconut industry - is made into seat padding. The olive pits - also food waste - are crushed and carbonized and then used in air filters. And the fibers of the abaca plant (a kind of banana-like plant) are used as underfloor cladding of A- and B-Class cars. Newspress reminded us about the ACO products in Benz vehicles from the Geneva Motor Show, but you can get a solid background from this old post at Green Car Congress.

[Source: Newspress]

For a time in the mid to late 1980s following the second mid-East oil shock, turbochargers were all the rage. Carmakers were dealing with trying to meet the first round of CAFE requirements and new emissions standards. That meant downsized engines and turbos helped them recover some lost power. Unfortunately in those days engine management systems were extremely primitive and carburetors were still delivering fuel on most engines. Eventually, they switched to fuel injection and electronics got more sophisticated allowing cars to meet the standards while making ever more power. Cheap gas meant there was no pressing need to improve efficiency.

Things are different now. With CO₂ limits pending in Europe and increased fuel economy standards on their way in the U.S., turbocharged direct injection engines running on either gasoline or diesel are increasingly popular. One of the biggest beneficiaries of that popularity is Honeywell and their Garrett turbocharger division. Twenty-eight of the new vehicles that got European and world launches in Geneva this week were equipped with honeywell turbos. They ranged from BMW X6 to the Ford Kuga to the Volvo XC60. The full list is after the jump.

The Saab 9-X BioHybrid concept that debuted in Geneva this week has been picked as the Best Concept in show by the crew at AutoWeek. The 9-X is a vision for a new small Saab coupe to slot in under the 9-3 based on the next generation of GM's Global Compact Car platform. Two years ago Saab won the same award at Geneva for their Aero-X concept. The 9-X has a 200hp 1.4L flex-fuel four cylinder engine paired up with GM's next generation mild hybrid system. A production 9-1 based on this design is highly likely within the next couple of years and the updated hybrid system will be all over GM starting in 2010.



[Source: Saab]

Pininfarina Sintesi, the Th!nk Ox, the KTM X-Bow, the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans, the Toyota iQ, the Rinspeed sQuba, the John Cooper Works Mini (and Clubman), the Morgan LifeCar, Land Rover LRX in black, the Mercedes BlueEFFICIENCY C-Class and Vision GLK BlueTec hybrid, the Opel Meriva, the VW Sharan Bluemotion, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics, the VW Passat EcoFuel, the Mila Alpin, the Saab 9-1X Biohybrid and the Hyundai i-mode.

You know these names and have read about what these vehicles are and what they promise. Now, you can kick back and spend some time getting better acquainted with how these vehicles look. The gallery for the Sintesi
is below. Check out over 75 more photos after the jump.

click photo to enlarge

The Tata Nano, number one in the list of ten cheapest cars in the world, is a big hit at the Geneva Motor Show. Newspress is saying that the tiny and inexpensive Nano is drawing the biggest crowds at the show.The throngs aren't thronging just to see the car - we've seen it in pictures for a while now - but to listen for Tata chairman Ratan Tata update on details of the Jaguar/Land Rover/Tata deal. Instead, he said that the Nano would not be coming to Europe because of stricter emissions and safety standards there. We're all aware that a revamped second-generation Nano is a likely contender for European sales some time down the road.

[Source: Newspress]

Diesel hybrids are popping up everywhere in Geneva this week from Volkswagen to Mercedes-Benz to BMW. One notable exception is Toyota. The hybrid pioneer has never shown a diesel hybrid and according to Katsuaki Watanabe, the company's president they have no plans to offer one. The problem lies in the fact that diesel engines are inherently more expensive than gasoline units and adding in the cost of a hybrid system would make them uncompetitive in terms of cost. Interestingly, most of the diesel hybrids being displayed in Switzerland right now are of the mild hybrid variety rather than the strong hybrid types that Toyota uses.

Mild hybrids have smaller less powerful motors that aren't integrated into the transmission the way a full hybrid typically is. They can be paired up more easily with different engines and transmissions. While they don't offer the potential for as much electric only running, they do provide electric assist and start stop functionality and at a lower cost. Perhaps if Toyota had a less costly (and somewhat less functional) mild hybrid system in their portfolio, they would be considering diesel hybrids. However, just because we haven't seen something like that yet it doesn't mean we won't. Toyota spends a lot on R&D, much of which is never seen in public until they are good and ready. Toyota certainly isn't shying away from hybrid technology in general.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. req'd]

click the Th!nk Ox for a high res gallery

Th!nk, the Norwegian purveyor of electric cars that used to be owned be owned by Ford, has used the occassion of the Geneva Motor Show to show off their new vehicle platform concept. The Ox is a five-seat monocab design that has a space frame structure that can be used for a variety of different body styles. Besides the four-door body Th!nk is also showing a two-door coupe body. The space frame provides the crash structure and mounting locations for battery packs in the floor. The system is designed to be adaptable to different regions and applications so it can be equipped with either sodium batteries or lithium ion.

The 60kW electric motor should be able to accelerate the 3,300lb Ox to 62mph in about 8.5 seconds. Th!nk is claiming that with lithium batteries the Ox will have a range of about 120miles on the US06 driving cycle. The US06 is the new, more aggressive schedule that was added to the EPA fuel efficiency testing routine for 2008. If the Ox can actually achieve that range on US06 it should do at least as well in the real world (see our interview with GM's Pete Savagian for more discussion on driving test cycles including US06). So far we don't have any information from Th!nk on when we will actually see the Ox or something similar on the road or how much it will cost. Th!nk's press conference is tomorrow so we may get an update then.


[Source: Th!nk, thanks to Sindre and Kristoffer for the tips]

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• EcoBoost.
• The ECOnetic brand, including the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic, a car that emits under 100g/km of CO₂
• Flexifuel engines
• Compressed natural gas

These four items are the cornerstones of Ford of Europe's attempt to reduce the environmental impact of the Blue Oval across the pond. At the Geneva Motor Show today, Ford issued a wide-ranging press release (available after the jump) about the company's low-CO₂ targets. With Toyota continuing the all-hybrid line in Geneva and GM making their own waves with the Two-Mode BAS hybrid upgrade announcement today, the lack of a strong hybrid component is all too noticeable here. This is understandable considering the low popularity of hybrids in Europe today. Ethanol-capable and cleaner gasoline engines are the stars here, with CNG and LPG making an appearance as well. Will Ford's cornerstones be enough to win over increasingly eco-aware drivers?

click for high-resolution gallery of the HED 5 i mode

Color me disappointed. When Hyundai teased the announcement of the HED-5 "i-mode" concept crossover about a month ago, the company was saying it would feature "exceptional fuel economy." These sorts of things are easy to promise in a concept car, but the official statement from Hyundai, now that the vehicle has been unveiled in Geneva, doesn't give any mileage details. Instead, we hear a lot about the front seat that can swivel around so the front passenger can engage the four people in the back of the car. On the green front, the HED-5 i-mode uses lightweight body materials and Bayer-designed "self-healing water based bodywork finishes" that somehow work to repair minor scratches automatically. More standard eco-touches are in the exhaust gas recirculation system, which reduces NOx emissions and will help the new 2.2-litre R diesel engine meet future Euro emissions standards. The R engines will be coming in production vehicles starting in 2009 - first as single turbocharged versions and then as dual-stage turbocharged editions in early 2011. I guess that's not all bad. More details after the jump.

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Aside from the flying members of the Great Chinese State Circus, who presented an extract from their European tour show of Swan Lake, the stars of the Mercedes stage at the Geneva Motor Show were the C 350 CGi BlueEFFICIENCY and the Vision GLK BlueTEC Hybrid. Joining the acrobats and new models on stage were Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Jutta Benz, great grand daughter of Carl and Bertha Benz, who drove up on the historical Benz tricycle. Mercedes also unveiled a new smart, the fotwo edition two, about which more in a bit. We've read about the BlueEFFICIENCY and BlueTEC vehicles already (there's a fresh press release pasted after the jump if you're still hungry), so for now let's enjoy the photo gallery from Geneva.

Green has long been a color associated with Bentley going back to their Le Mans victories in the 1920s. In those days - before race cars became rolling billboards - they were painted in colors specific to their countries of origin, with British cars running in green. These days however, going green means something very different. With limits on carbon dioxide emissions looming in Europe and new fuel economy standards in the U.S., Bentley CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen made a major announcement at the Geneva Motor Show today.

In 2009 Bentley will introduce its first flex-fuel engine and by 2012 everything they produce will be capable of running on biofuels. The ultra-luxury British brand (owned by Volkswagen) intends to achieve at least a fifteen percent reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2012. By 2012 they will also introduce a new powertrain that will deliver a forty percent reduction in fuel consumption. That will most likely be a hybrid system that's been rumored for some time, perhaps even a diesel hybrid. Paefgen also said that Bentley will be making a major push to reduce the weight of their cars which have always been rather portly. The bottom line is that Bentley wants to have all their vehicles capable of emitting less than 120g/km of CO₂ on a well-to-wheels basis by 2012 (assuming of course that they are running on biofuels).

[Source: Bentley]

click the Toyota iQ for high res gallery

Toyota is officially jumping into the ranks of companies building city cars with the Geneva Motor Show debut of the new iQ. The 9.8ft-long iQ has a 78.8in wheelbase and seating for 3+1 in an assymetrical configuration. With such a short span between the axles, there obviously wouldn't be much room for passengers in the second row. The passenger side of the dashboard is farther forward than the driver's side allowing the seat to slide further forward ahead of the driver providing at least theoretical room for a third adult in the rear seat. The position behind the driver is strictly for kids or Cotton Hill. Overall for such a small car, Toyota has done some very nice packaging of components and developed smaller systems like the HVAC unit and steering gear. A flat fuel tank sits under the driver's seat. The company has designed the iQ to get a five star rating on the Euro NCAP crash test regime. Toyota hasn't provided powertrain details yet although they have said there will be two gas and one diesel engine when it goes on sale late in 2008. No word yet on pricing or whether we will ever see this car in the U.S.


[Source: Toyota]