Well, today was a lot less frenetic, and there's now a much easier show to navigate around without most of the TV crews,
writes Brian Byrne. We didn't get to show you everything we saw yesterday, but hopefully we have caught up as the day progressed.
In concept showcar terms, it's arguable that Peugeot's Quartz is the star of the show. A crossover SUV in a really rugged theme, the petrol side of the hybrid powertrain is a 1.6 turbocharged unit with 270hp. Add in a brace of electric motors, one on each axle, and to bring the total power up to 500hp. There were crowds around it the full two press days.
Nissan has been waiting for some time to get back into the compact hatch business, and with the Pulsar they're doing so with a bang. A quantum ahead of the old Almera, the new car follows the style theme of the latest Qashqai and X-Trail, and that's not going to do it any harm. They sneaked a pre-Paris debut at the Ploughing in Ireland last week, too.
Hyundai concentrated on its new generation i20 this time around, offering a more spacious and upmarket interior in a complete change from the swirling external looks that have marked its other models in recent years. At first blush it looks a little conservative, then an intrinsic elegance in the profile becomes apparent. It'll grab an extra level of buyer interest, we think, maybe even cannibalising the i30 customer a little.
The more we saw of this new Sorento from Kia, the more we liked it. Coming to Ireland in the first quarter of 2015, it's going to make the large SUV business even more competitive. A 2.2 diesel with 200hp will be Ireland's powertrain, and with a high level of specification it should gain a decent share of the segment.
This Aston Martin Rapide S has a 6.0 V12 offering 560hp and a thunderingly fast sprint to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds. An 8-speed automatic gets that to the wheels. If Q wanted one to convert with all the options, you're talking a quarter of a million euro. Please don't break it, Bond.
The most successful small roadster in automotive history has just had a rebuild, with a shorter footprint but more room inside for the two occupants. It has a bigger boot too, according to Mazda. Power is from 1.5 and 2.0 turbocharged petrol engines. Note the car now has the current Mazda grille design.
Opel's new generation Corsa is aimed at a crowded but very important market, and there's been a serious attempt to offer more car than before. Like Volkswagen though, they's not straying far from what their customers previously had, maybe there's even a little more conservatism built in. New and frugal engines will help boost the model.
SsangYong is busy in Ireland rebuilding awareness of a brand which had been gone for some years, and quite successfully too, especially in rural Ireland. With the XIV Concept it showcases an intention to target the adventure lifestyle buyer in a new vehicle. A steady direction for the long haul.
While there was a lot of luxury metal on the Mercedes-Benz stand, this estate variant of the very excellent current C-Class is one that's going to be an important earner, especially in the brand's home country. In Ireland it will be for the practical among the buyers of the medium luxury car.
Volvo's new XC90 is big, targeting a regaining of a market share in a segment that has the luxury heavy hitters all clambering for buyers. In the Irish context, the 190hp and 254hp diesels will be the most important powertrains, though there are plenty of petrol options for countries where that's the preference. It's the first model from Volvo built on a new architecture that's scaleable for other models in the future.
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Suzuki is adding a new small SUV to its range, resurrecting a name very familiar, the Vitara. The company's pedigree in the SUV field is impeccable, and with the growth in this particular segment attracting a lot of models from the mainstream makers, it's got very competitive. We think the Vitara will be well able to tackle them.
This is the new Lexus NX (above and below), bringing the luxury brand into the compact crossover arena with a very much in your face frontage. The car will be in Ireland shortly, though we don't have specs or prices yet.
Skoda's new Fabia comes to Ireland in November and with its sharp looks and trendy colour combination options, is likely to make a significant impact both among the corps of loyal Fabia fans out there, and also outside the brand. Both hatch and combi variants will have the latest versions of VW Group powertrains, and will be frugal and well as fun.
This wonderful looking concept from Volkswagen breaks totally with the brand's conservative ethos, and upgrades the fuel-sipping X1 which has been doing the rounds for a few shows now. Power comes from a 197hp 2-cylinder motorcycle engine from Ducati, which is now in the ever expanding VW stable. A sub-6 seconds sprint to 100km/h is possible, and without tearing the bottom out of the fuel budget. As we are only occasionally tempted to say here, 'build it and they will buy'.
It's a little easier today to see some of what we already looked at yesterday, with a good chunk of the TV crews no longer getting in the way. So here's a better view of the new Passat, which gets the latest VW 'face' as well as a complete regeneration outside, inside and underneath. The interior gets a better class of finish, and looks comfortable as well as more techie. There's nothing that will frighten the horses ...
This is an appropriate view of the Audi TT Sportback Concept we mentioned yesterday. It shows how a 4-door might come in the sporty coupe's range of versions. The proportions are right, and people here seem to like it. Reckon on a production model for Geneva?
Land Rover's Discovery Sport replaces the Freelander not just in name, but also in positioning and size. This one is smart enough to even pose a threat to the Range Rover Evoque, certainly for those buyers who want a decent space and all the comforts in a vehicle that will take them beyond where they might ever want to go. Starting with a 2.0 diesel, it should beat consumption and tax problems.
This is the intimidating rear end that most other drivers will see of the Ferrari 458 Speciale A. With 587hp growling out of those tailpipes, it will shift in very short order. But there will only be 499 of them built, in carbon fibre to match lightness with the strength required to manage all that.
With the new Jaguar XE now debuted to the public at this show, there will be many suits from the other premium brands taking a very close look to see just how much of a threat this 'small' Jag will be to their bread and butter. In the metal is certainly looks worth consideration against 3 Series and C-Class, and with 2.0 and 3.0 diesels in the powertrain range, there are direct comparisons here.
We still don't have any dealer for the Infiniti brand, the premium arm of Nissan, but with the uptick in business generally, it might finally happen next year. This Q50 is the car with which they'll target particularly the Lexus and Jaguar equivalents, to be built in Sunderland on the same line as the new Qashqai. At each show, they're getting ever smarter.
This is the third generation Twingo from Renault as the brand gradually refreshes its whole range. The looks and quirky colours reflect what they have already done with Clio and Captur, and while it's hitting into a small segment when it gets to Ireland later in the month, it should pick up a fair share. We like the cheerful interior.
That's it for now. We'll do a wrap up over the weekend for anything we forgot.
