— from Trish Whelan & Brian Byrne at Geneva.
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Prologue previews real beauty
Nobody has ever gainsaid the suggestion that the old Peugeot 406 coupe was one of the most beautiful of its genre anywhere, any time.
Well, the long-awaited successor, shown as the Prologue at Geneva, is probably better to most eyes.
And, it is a totally Peugeot design, with no outside design house contracted to provide it, as the 406 coupe had been a Pininfarina design.
It will be the first 407 to have the 2.7-litre V6 diesel built by Ford/PSA Group's joint venture.
The production car rolls off the lines in October.
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C6 for autumn launch
Apart from its C1 reveal, Citroen also went to the other end of its numerical spectrum and showed its new C6 large car.
Spiritual successor to the DS, CX and XM, this svelte vision will be launched in the autumn. For economy of scale reasons, it uses many underpinnings from the C5 and the Peugeot 407.
Power units will include the 2.7-litre V6 diesel developed as part of the Ford/PSA Group joint venture, outputting 204hp. Petrol power will initially come from the familiar 3-litre V6, and there will be a four-cylinder later.
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A robust Zaroot
Nissan's Zaroot concept SUV takes from the brand's 4WD past and current themes and looks to a future of robust lifestyle.
The gullwing doors get over the usual problem with such — of opening too wide — by having them down only to seat height, and a drop-down deep sill allows the occupants to exit.
The interior look has an appealing chunky simplicity. Fortunately, though, the colour is unlikely to make it into any production derivative.
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Alfa 159 a classic evolution
Longer and larger than the 156, the new Alfa 159 clearly comes with influence from the same gene pool.
Indeed, from the back, we'd be hard put to say the difference. But the front is a classic evolution that's pure gorgeous.
Built on a platform developed with Saab, but which the Swedish company decided in the end not to use for its 9-5 replacement, the 159 will have petrol engines ranging 160-260hp and the 1.9-litre turbodiesel with outputs of 120hp and 150hp.
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Ford MAV may come soon
Ford's MAV concept follows the marque's tradition of producing a show car that will almost certainly see production, and very close to the concept's look and finish.
The MAV is the latest such, and 'if' produced, will fill the gap between the C-MAX and Galaxy, with seven-seat capacity.
Could almost have been called 'Grand C-MAX'.
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B Class challenges compact MPVs
Hot on the heels of the quantumly-improved Mercedes-Benz A Class comes the production version of the new B Class.
This is M-B's first true compact class MPV, the size of a Renault Scenic, and will be launched in June with the 95hp 1.5-litre from its smaller sister as well as a brace of 2-litre diesels in 109hp and 140hp forms.
There will also be a 193hp 2-litre turbocharged petrol option.
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New Passat celebrated
Volkswagen's fifth generation Passat celebrates just over 30 years of the nameplate's existence.
In Geneva in the metal it showed that celebration to be extended and understated at the same time.
As with all VW Group recent new products, the Passat V is an upgrade to better specification and materials. The interior rivals that of stablemate Audi A6.
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Geneva wasn't just all about new cars
In keeping with the celebration of the centenary of the show, and the 75th actual show, many manufacturers had some of their old models on show.
Like this Lancia Astura from 1933. Truly a classic model in beautiful condition.
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Hyundai Ireland sets high target
With two new cars coming to Ireland before summer's end, Hyundai Ireland will have a further extended range to help it achieve its 7,500 sales target for 2005.
According to the company's Sam Synott, they are already 'well on track' to reaching that figure on sales trends for the first two months.
"We've set ourselves a high target," he told Irish Car at the Geneva Motor Show yesterday, noting that the 2004 outturn had been 6,800.
The new Sonata arrives at the end of April. Initially to be launched with 2.4-litre and 3-litre petrol engines, these will be later joined by a brace of 2-litre units in petrol and diesel forms.
"I went to Korea to make the case that we needed these for Ireland, and they agreed to provide them," Synott said.
The Grandeur large car will arrive in June or July, initially with a 3.3-litre petrol and later with a 2.2-litre diesel.
"It's for people who want a very good car with an awful lot of kit, and are less interested in badges. There ARE people out there who appreciate an understated car."
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Sweet li'l Zoe
This Renault study, the Zoe, is as cute a looker as any car at this year's show.
In terms of passenger capacity, it is a 2+1, making it yet another city car or lifestyle transport for the young.
It is powered by a new turbocharged 1.2-litre engine.
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Croma reveals much nicer car in metal
Fiat finally launched their new Croma in the metal, a nameplate that was last used in 1994. And certainly it looks an awful lot better in reality than it did in the pre-show pictures.
The car is essentially a wagon style, and Fiat suggest it is aimed at the market segment currently occupied by Renault's Vel Satis and Opel's Signum - neither of which have been as successful as anticipated.
Meanwhile, glamour is still an essential part of any motor show, and at this Geneva it was no different, as these two lovely girls hiding Fiat's Panda show.
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Yeti's time has not yet come
Skoda's Yeti is based on the Roomster concept that has been rolling around the shows for the last couple of years.
A true compact SUV extension of that concept, the Yeti is designed to be at home both in the mountains and the city suburbs.
They say it's a study and 'not an anticipation of a car that could soon be mass produced'.
But it would certainly give an image boost to a fairly conservative brand, and it may yet(i) come.
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Aygo and Co 'will expand segment'
This is Toyota's Aygo, due in Ireland in September and the first arrival of the three cars from the joint venture by Toyota, Peugeot and Citroen. The other brands (below) will be here in late 2005 or early 2006.
The cars have a brand new 1-litre engine outputting 68hp, claimed to be one of the cleanest of its class in the world.
There will also be a 1.4-litre 54hp turbodiesel option, though that's probably not really relevant to the class in Ireland, where the segment is very small and the diesel interest even tinier.
However, Toyota Ireland's Ian Corbett and his counterparts in Peugeot and Citroen in Ireland, Emma Toner and Ruth Baily, told Irish Car in Geneva yesterday they all believe that the advent of the three new A-segment cars will help to expand the segment from its current size.
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Audi's mean machine
Audi's new-generation RS4 looks almost gentle, or at least as gentle as anything with the current Audi grille can look.
But don't be deceived. Behind that grille lurks a menacing 4.2-litre V8 with at thumping 420hp on tap.
There's a permanent 4WD system to keep all that manageable and 0-100 km/h is achievable in 4.8sec.
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Rodius pitched against Galaxy in Ireland
The new Ssanyong Rodius MPV will be pitched directly at the Ford Galaxy diesel when it comes to Ireland later this year, Tom McQueirns, MD of Chevrolet Ireland, which handles the Korean brand, told Irish Car yesterday.
The car is certainly distinctive-looking, and is the largest 7-seat MPV in the class. It is powered by a 165hp 2.7-litre turbodiesel.
Meanwhile, there's been a 'very good acceptance' of the recently-launched Chevrolet brand in Ireland, says McQueirns, who is looking forward to continuing growth during 2005.
The marque recently launched its new 3-door version of the Kalos, with a strongly sporty theme.
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Ferrari F430 debuts
There will be drooling amongst the very rich car buffs over this new Ferrari F430 which succeeds the Modena 360.
The 4.30-litre V8 driving the wheels has a staggering 490hp output, mated to a 6-speed electro-hydraulically actuated gearbox.
It does the 0-100 km/h in 4sec. Nuff said.
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2005 a busy year for Mazda Ireland
It will be a major year for Mazda in Ireland with a number of significant launches due through 2005, according to the Irish distributor's Dave Moran.
The new Mazda5 MPV is due in Ireland in July, but dealers have already been clamouring for demonstrators, Moran told Irish Car in Geneva yesterday.
"We'll also have the new MPS high-power version of the Mazda6 in mid-year, powered by a 260hp 2.3-litre engine, along with a revised version of the standard Mazda6 towards the end of the year."
The star of the Geneva show for him is the new MX-5, which has been subtly rebuilt in its new generation without losing any of the essential classic roadster lines that made the current model the best-selling car of its kind. The new one has a slightly beefier look and is powered by a 126hp 1.8-litre engine. It comes to Ireland in November.
On the RX-8, of which over 200 were registered in Ireland last year, Moran says they expect to continue registering up to 150 a year for the foreseeable future.
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A May debut for Swift here
Suzuki's new Swift will have a May arrival in Ireland, initially with a 91hp 1.3-litre petrol engine, says Suzuki Ireland's Niall O'Gorman.
The car is a major leap ahead of the old Swift, which had remained in production long after its 'best by' date, and is likely to further improve the brand's performance in Ireland.
Suzuki has been on a growth spurt for the last while in Ireland, and O'Gorman says he's 'quietly confident' of another good year in 2005.
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New Civic for Ireland next year
The next generation Honda Civic will come to Ireland next year, and will be very close to the concept revealed at Geneva yesterday, according to Honda Ireland's Frank Kennedy.
The concept has a very dictinctive wedge shape and many of the style cues that came in the current Accord can be seen in it.
Kennedy says there will be a range of VTEC petrol engines for the car, along with the 2.2 diesel that is already in the Accord and C-RV.
He 's also enthusiastic about the early-2006 planned arrival of the new Legend luxury car, also shown at Geneva.
"It will be very high-tech and will have what we believe is the best haldling AWD system for passenger cars in the world. In addition, a collision mitigation system will automatically set off a warning and even work the brakes if you're getting too close to the car in front."
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Geneva 2005: The night before
Well, the motoring year version of the Haj is now in full play, and in advance of the Geneva Motor Show itself we've already had a preview of the key offerings from GM, Ford and the Toyota/Peugeot/Citroen joint venture small car.
It's bitterly cold here, colder than we've known Geneva in the last five years at this time. But that doesn't stop the pizazz of the annual motorfest. Tuesday/Wednesday are the actual press days, but the Monday night before is a preview night when some of the main protagonists try to get their shots in early. The GM event was our first stop, and they had a small but interesting range of cars on show.
The Saab 9-3 Sportcombi is a wagon version of the saloon with a definite lifestyle bent. Nobody wants to call their wagons wagons, or even estates, any more. But using various combinations of 'sport', 'crossover', 'tourer', 'avant', and in this case 'combi' and 'sport' is an attempt to give an individual identity to such variants. And they often are individual. The 9-3 SportCombi, in Aero dress for this event, had its own rear particularly, and should fare well in continental Europe where they do have a better feel for the wagon format.
Chevrolet's new Matiz in production form is a pert and pretty little contender in the suddenly growing mini segment, what with the Geneva advent of the Aygo/C1/107 triumvirate from Toyota, Citroen and Peugeot.
Then there was a high-power version of the new generation Opel Zafira, developed by Opel's performance car OPC division, with all sorts of skin work and a 240hp powerplant, sitting alongside an OPC version of the new Astra GTC sports hatch. 
The Cadillac BLS show car is the presager of a new mid-class model specifically designed for Europe and which goes on sale next year. The initial impression last night was of a tidy and compact car that could well make a trail for itself in GM's new push to make the brand a contender in Europe.
The new superlight Chevrolet Corvette with a 4.1sec sprint to 100 km/h capability was modest in a shocking yellow that would set up its own convoy of speed police just because it looks fast.
And then there was the Hummer H3 for the civvy who wants GI grunt without the pain. Shorter and smaller than the original, it is also said to be more fuel efficient and comes with its own distinctive apocalyptic look.
From that rather modest affair in a tent at the back of the Chateau du Parc des Eaux-Vives we made our way back to Ford's pre-show gig in the President Wilson Hotel, where the highlight of the evening was the 220hp Focus ST, in a pure Club Orange colour that simply says 'Thank you for asking ...' though there was no sign of the guy in his underpants who usually says that phrase after mashing oranges to see if they're good enough for the job. We'll be driving that before the end of the year.
We also saw the final production version of the new Focus sedan, and a very neat car it is too. Important for Ireland, where there's still a strong percentage of four-doors in the mix in that class.
The big event of the night was the joint Toyota/Peugeot/Citroen presentation in the Noga Hilton of their joint new small car. Toyota will be the first into Ireland with their version, the Aygo, in September. The C1 from Citroen and the 107 from Peugeot will follow around the turn of the year. It looks a sweet little number in any guise and between them they'll certainly shake up the market in continental Europe where small cars are making a lot of sense.
More later ... along with the sore feet!
— from Trish Whelan & Brian Byrne at Geneva.
The definitive Geneva 2005 report will be in the March issue of Irish Car magazine.
All content strictly ©2005 WhelanByrneAssociates, Ireland.
