My Geneva Autosalon Impressions from today
Hi Guys,
here are just some quick thoughts after spending a day at the show:
Clearly the ecological theme is BIG! Every car producer (particularly Audi and BMW) stress the efficiency of either their fleet or they have at least one super frugal showcar. Still lots of performance cars around luckily...
Porsche: Wonderbar made a wonderbar synopsis so I wont repeat. The new Cayenne looks better in the flesh than on pictures and certainly much better than the old one. It looks and feels more like a car than a truck. The interior is curvy and stylish (I like the silver Panamera accents), it offer good space, while the exterior is also much more Porsche than the old one. Unfortunately the car still suffers from too small wheels, so dont even think to order one with anything else than 20". The much disputed back is not bad in real life, but it looks a bit japanese, no question about that (could be an Infiniti or similar). But I guess this is world design and won't deter from its success.
The 918 is splendid! Yes there are some weird details like the wheel covers but the proportions of the car are perfect! It's smaller than the CGT but certainly not a Lotus! If this car will be produced with the actual design it will be a huge hit!
Volkswagen: Nicest surprise here is the Touareg. It is really good looking and differentiates itself nicely from the Cayenne insofar as it has mostly straight lines versus curvy lines - inside and out. A very clean design. I guess it boils down to taste, but I will consider it as a valid and cheaper alternative to the Cayenne. The back of the Touareg and the way the exhaust pipes are intergrated is really nice and elegant. Every potential buyer of the Cayenne should go to the VW dealer first to check this car out!
Audi: The exposed RS5 was not of my taste: red and chrome wheels, but in a nice colour it will be elegant as usual. Everything has been said on this car, it feels the same inside as my old S5 (ie good), but the next value added comments here will only come from people who drove it. For sure there was not the big queue of people trying to sit in this car as you would expect. That's unlike the RS6 where all kind of people wanted to get inside. Which I understand as it is the most fascinating car Audi is producing IMO (though an ecological disaster!). R8 convertible is nice, but I prefer the coupe. Audi A8: nice, but not as nice as the BMW 7 series IMO.
BMW: 5series very nice in the flesh, inside and out! looks sporty and modern without exaggerating, this car will be a hit! Certainly that shape is a fantastic base for the new M5!
Mini: the new Countryman feels strange: somehow like a blown up Mini, it doesnt have the gokart feel and does not really have much space. I's rather buy a Golf...
Jaguar: the new XJ is an interesting car. Elegant and big. I dont like the shiny radiator grill and the many shiny interior parts, but I' sure it will find its lovers. For sure it has nothing to do anymore with its predecessor...
Mercedes: SLS in white was stunning! Such a nice car: I'm not a Mercedes fan but htis looks so nice and fresh compared eg to aPorsche that it must become a success! Space inside is good. It's cosy (I'm 1.87 tall), but not tight and beautifully made. Compliments Mercedes!
Aston Martin: same old, same old, the Rapide is beautiful but somehow just another iteration of the DB9 and the back seats are ridiculous compared to the Panamera. BTW Sportec had a Panamera turbo on ots stand with 22" rims, it looked fantastic! finally...
Exotic cars: Apollo great as ever, the new ApolloS has steering wheel shifting patterns, 800PS, 900Nm and 1400kg. CRAZY....
Zagato Perana was the most beautiful car on the show, perfect melt between the 60's and modern design! I doubt it will ever make it to production, but it would deserve the 8C underpinnings and a price tag of 150k.
This were my highlight, hope it helps. I didnt spend much time at Ferrrari, Maserati etc cause there wasnt really anything new. It was the first time I saw the 458 in the flesh and it didnt blow me off the feet. 599 is so much nicer...
If you have any questions on other cars, please feel free to ask, 
turbolite
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turbolite
should be perfect for the city....
