Talking to the Irish at Geneva Show

As usual, there was a strong turn out of Irish motor trade people at Geneva, writes Trish Whelan. And those we met had plenty of information to divulge.

We first spoke to Stephen Gleeson (above)of Hyundai Ireland at the reveal of the Intrado Concept which could be a revolution on how to build a car. At the press conference we heard that the Intrado 'is far more than a styling exercise as this car is bout turning every journey into a rewarding experience'. Seems that Hyundai is passionate about becoming 'the most loved brand' and say they are ready to enter new market areas to to introduce new technologies. Their say their ambition to achieve a 5 percent market share by the end of the decade 'is now a reality'. We learnt that the Intrado can travel more than 600kms on a single tank, yet emits only water.

Stephen Gleeson expressed his delight over the launch of the new Genesis. "We should have first arrivals in Ireland in July-August. It will be a showcase for the technology that Hyundai which will be a showcase for the technology that Hyundai are are developing. It will be a flagship for us. Hyundai Europe are trying to fit a 2.0 diesel from the ix35 into it and if that can be done, then I could see us selling a significant quantity of them. If they put a diesel engine in it we will definitely do it in good numbers and our plan, if that happens, is to have one Genesis dealer in Dublin and one in Cork.

Jeanne McGann of Nissan Ireland said that the minor change Juke will arrive before the July 142 plate, and that X-Trail will be smack on for the July plate. It is built on the same platform as the Qashqai. Jeanne also said that their NV 200 will also go on sale here in July. She said a new C-segment hatch will be shown for the first time at the Paris Motor Show in September. "It will be a huge car for us, bringing us back into the mainstream C-segment where we haven't been since Almeira and Tiida." She said Qashqai is selling very well and there could be a waiting list, depending on the type of model a customer wants.

Peugeot were celebrating winning the 2014 European Car of the Year award with their new 308. Sales Manager Colin Sheridan said the award will be a huge boost for the brand and for its sales in Ireland. Peugeot's Managing Director Des Cannon believes there is a switch back to petrol cars. He said costs are now cheaper for the customer to change from diesel to petrol with no disadvantages, and quite similar annual road tax.

Ciaran Allen, Sales Manager Mercedes-Benz passenger cars said the new C-Class will arrive here in Ireland in May-June this year.

Laura Condron, Senior Brand & PR Manager, Opel Ireland is looking forward to the arrival of the Adam Rocks which she says is due by the end of this year. She was also very enthusiastic about the Astra Extreme concept which was the sexy highlight of the stand, and which might well be in production soon if the feedback from the show is positive.

We also met up with Gerard O'Farrell and Melanie McCourt of Jaguar Land Rover Ireland, who were very well taken by the F-Type R which gleamed in white on the Jaguar stand.

Jackie Lavin and Bill Cullen went along to take a look at the future ideas from SsangYong, as they have opened a SsangYong dealership at Bluebell. The XLV Concept was particularly interesting.

Conor Twomey, PR Manager of Fiat UK & Ireland, was really happy with the funky Jeep Renegade, which was a surprise launch at the show. The new 'baby' Jeep will make things tough for a number of competitors, especially Nissan's Juke which leads the segment across Europe.

Steve Tormey and Ian Corbett of Toyota Ireland were more than delighted with the response which the new Aygo was getting on a stand which featured the new car in a wide range of the customising trim options.

We also met up with show regulars James Brooks and Aidan Doyle of Kia Ireland, but they escaped our camera lens for once. They're looking forward, though, to the arrival of the new Kia Soul in the next few months.

We heard there was a contingent from Volkswagen Group Ireland, but failed to make contact. Ah well, you can't win them all.

Trying out the new Cherokee at Geneva

I don't usually get a chance to drive a car at a Motor Show, but was offered just such an opportunity at Geneva 2014, writes Brian Byrne.

It was the new Jeep Cherokee, which will be in Ireland in a few months, and though the experience was on a made-up 'Territory' on the back lot of a local Jeep dealer, it did show off very well the capabilities of the car.

This is new territory for Jeep also, as the car is built on a new platform developed by Fiat and Chrysler jointly, and which also underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the Dodge Dart.

The square look of the previous car is also gone, and the new Cherokee is a sleek and sophisticated car that looks as well in a high-end shopping area as it probably does in the wilderness.

The Americans are reportedly jealous that they can't have the diesel version that goes on sale soon in Europe. In two power outputs, the 2.0 MultiJet unit comes with 140hp for the 6-speed automatic and 170hp with the 9-speed automatic.

It will be available in both FWD and AWD variants, and obviously if you have off-road need, the latter will be the one to go for. There's another with low range gearbox for really tough territory, and a Trailhawk version with locking differential.

Visually the car carries traditional Jeep cues, in particular a modernised version of the grille. The 'slit eyes' lights follow from the latest Grand Cherokee, and may be an acquired taste for some. The interior is smart, sophisticated, and with very clear instrumentation.

This is no road test, so I won't go into detail. But the pictures show some of the tests the new Jeep Cherokee was given under my hands.

Pics: Andrea Mazzon.

Variations on electric power

Although sales of electric cars have been disappointingly small in Europe, where thrifty diesels still offer decent frugality at a competitive price, major manufacturers are continuing to push EV variants of mainstream cars, writes Brian Byrne.

The new one on the block is the Kia Soul (above), the EV version of the latest generation of which was the main feature on that brand's stand at Geneva. With a guarantee of a 200km range from its advanced battery system, it's a full sized family car that is driving closer to the point where range anxiety is no longer an issue.

Though there's no confirmation if the Soul EV will be available in Ireland soon, it is definitely going on sale in key European markets this summer, where distributors have already been issued with their targets.

Volkswagen kept faith with the electric future too, giving plenty of space to its up! EV, and also made clear that the electric Golf is available. While Renault provided plenty of copies of its Zoe hatchback and the twiddly Twizy 4-wheel single-seater.



But most automotive electrical thrust seems to be in generating more hybrid cars, especially plug-in versions which generally offer enough EV solus operation for the suburb-city commute. Or provide extra oomph to give powerful performance. That last exemplified by Volkswagen with its Golf GTE (above) making the GT range now a triumvirate. A 7.1 seconds sprint justifies the GT placing.

Audi uses a similar electric motor plus 1.4 TSI petrol engine to underpin its very sporty version of its compact hatch, the A3 Sportback e-tron which has a combined power output of 203hp.



Less aimed at sporty performance, the Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid Outlander is going on sale in Ireland shortly, and provides an extended possibility of driving in EV mode only, even up to 110km/h. It has already found good customers in Europe. The Mitsubishi stand showed the company's commitment to PHEV, with no less than three prototype/concepts, two of them with 1.1 turbocharged petrol engines as the thermal element. The SR suggests thoughts about a large MPV and the XR (above) a compact SUV sharing the 136hp hybrid powertrains, while the GC (below) looks towards a full heavy-duty offroad-capable vehicle with a 3.0 V6 petrol hybrid system.





Ford showed a solar energy C-MAX Concept (above) in this field, and also a PHEV version of its C-MAX and a hybrid variant of the upcoming new Mondeo, both of which will go on sale in Europe this year. And, of course, the Focus pure electric is already on sale on the Continent. We think they'll be looking at what VW has done with the GTE Golf and come up with a low-emissions hybrid powertrain that might rival the old ST in the performance game.

Maybe next year's show?

Looking at little growing bigger

Reflecting on the Geneva Motor Show as we fly away from the city for another year, one theme stands clear, writes Brian Byrne. It's the downsize upsize.

What I describe generally as city cars are getting larger. Probably making a statement as more and more of the world's, and Europe's population are living in cities.



A large case in point at this year's show is the trio of small cars produced by Toyota and Peugeot-Citroen. The Aygo (top), 108 (above) and C1 (below) are larger outside and in. It's hard to believe that it is nine years since the originals of these cars were launched, paving the way in these parts for sub-supermini cars in numbers.



In the meantime, the Koreans came on strong in the same space, particularly Kia with its Picanto and Hyundai with its i10 successor to the Atos. And, of course, closer to home Volkswagen had done the same with the up! and the versions from Skoda and SEAT.



Renault has also shifted ground with its new Twingo. More car, more doors, and an intriguing move to rear-engine format related to the fact that the platform is shared with Daimler for its next Smart. In one respect, that rear-mounted power unit retros us to the early Fiat 500s and its derivatives. I look forward to seeing how the Twingo will handle.

Ford is going the same direction with its next Ka. Though it wasn't in evidence at this show, some of us have seen the the coming car from its South American design origins, and again we have more space and five doors.

Getting back to the Aygo/108/C1 trio, each looks much different to the other now than before. Especially the Aygo, which has taken a strong move forward in hip design. Part of its offer is that a customer can change the colours of many of the external and interior trim panels, mixing and matching to taste.

Ireland differs from the main European markets in that the city car is still a very small segment. It will be interesting to see how the changed trends in the offerings might change our preferences in the coming years.

Geneva, Day 2 — a more relaxed affair

Back at the show on Day 2 it's always a lot more relaxed, the freneticism generated mainly by press conferences and TV crews generally over, write Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan from Geneva. It also means we can look around with a better sense of reflection, and also get photos easier.



One of those which was impossible yesterday was the McLaren 650S, a new and more 'affordable' model from the supercar maker. Carbon fibre body in shocking orange, 650hp, and come-hither doors. The lads (wealthy ones) just drool.



We got a whisper yesterday that Hyundai's Genesis large luxury saloon will actually be available in Ireland, with the possibility down the road that it will get a 2.0 diesel for Europe, which would make it competitive against the target 5 Series and E-Class. It does look good, and is exceptionally well finished.





Smaller and more extreme, the Audi S1 in Canary Yellow looked quite comfortable beside its main player sibling, the new TT and its derivative concepts. With 231hp and quattro drive, a very strong package for those who want the power in a small package and to be seen with the glory.



The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, a beauty for whom a picture is truly worth 1,000 words.



Bentley had its new Superspeed Cabriolet in bright almost-orange colour too, and the format made it easy to explore the plush interior. Tho' there's very little legroom for a pair of rear passengers.



Skoda had a sharp new concept in its Vision C, with some intriguing details. Though a coupe in the concept, it's generally accepted that we're looking at the next Superb in details.



SEAT's Leon Cupra for 2014 is laying claim to be the hottest of accessible hot hatches. With up to 280hp available from a 2.0 TSI petrol engine, it also has a lot of power and handling management technology.



Nissan's new X-Trail changes the place where this nameplate will live. Much bigger, certainly more luxurious, and very recognisably a big brother of the new Qashqai. Main target in Ireland will be Hyundai's Santa Fe and it will be in for the July 142 plate.







Citroen was making a big splash with the new Cactus which we previewed a couple of weeks ago, but they also had their new generation C1 to show off.





Honda has been teasing us about a new Type R Civic for some time now, and at this show they have a concept of the vehicle that's probably about as final to production as it gets. A 2.0 petrol engine and 280hp will pit it against the most potent of current and future hot compact hatchbacks.



We managed to get closer to the Mazda Hazumi concept for the next Mazda2 this morning, and came away even more convinced that this one is going to put it up to the segment competition when it arrives in production form. We reckon all they'll do is change the concept name.





More later

Geneva 2014, a first look

We got late to the show today because of a little technical trouble with our plane, write Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan, but we're just getting a chance to offer you a look at what we're seeing. As usual, over the next couple of days, we'll fill out the detail more.



Though we're not going to see right hand drive versions until early next year, the brand new small Jeep is one of the funkiest and smile-making cars at the show, and we figure it's going to make a big impact in the growing small SUV arena. A large engine range and a 9-speed autobox will feature in the options.



The front of the new Toyota Aygo is very avant garde, and completely different from its Citroen and Peugeot siblings. Panels on the front and inside can be changed to suit customers' individual tastes.





This Intrado Concept from Hyundai is designer Peter Shreyer's first car for the brand and is has a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain and a carbon fibre body. It can travel more than 600kms on a single tank of hydrogen, with no harmful emissions.



If they built Kia's GT4 Stinger Concept as a production road car it would sell in droves to enthusiasts, with 315hp and an ethos which the designers say brings back driving 'before it was muddied up with electronic technology'.



This is the Hazumi Concept from Mazda, in effect the next Mazda2. If they stick close to this, they'll have a stylish humdinger of a supermini in their smart stable.



Alongside the actual new Audi TT, the company showcased its intention to do something more with the model with this TT quattro Concept. There's a space even in these straitened times for power and glory, and the Volkswagen Group's main profit centre is the brand to do it.



No matter how many times we see it, there's always space for a Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, an automotive dream to drool for.



Alongside the GTI and the newer GTD versions of the humble Golf, Volkswagen has added a third, the GTE, a plug-in hybrid version of the brand's bread and butter car that's a benchmark in the sector.



We already saw the Citroen Cactus in the metal at a preview recently, but in the proper buzz of the Geneva Motor Show it really shows its potential as a crowd puller.



Volvo's ES estate concept is the third in a series to prompt interest in the shape of the carmaker's products going ahead.



There was lots of interest in BMW's first front-drive car, the 2 Series Sport Tourer which is targeted at the family compact MPV market.



Kia bared its new Soul in Europe for the first time, and while they were at it they showed their Soul EV concept, which has a range of 200km.





We liked our first look at the new generation Mini Clubman, which may well attract a family buyership to what is essentially a singles nameplate.



Ford featured strongly its new Mustang, which is designed for sale in Europe - a Donegal man is the first here to order it.



Ford also made much of its Focus revise, with a smarter front end, better trim and new engines ... almost a new car.

And there's lots more. We'll feed it out when we catch our breath, and recharge the batteries!