The 2020 Geneva Motor Show is no more! The worldwide Coronavirus outbreak has claimed its latest victim, and it's Europe's biggest motor show. But despite the show's axing, we've still seen plenty of debuts readied to be on display for the first time in Geneva. So, to mis-quote Jim Bowen: here's what you could have seen.
Updated 28th February 2020.
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We’ve had a glimpse of this new Los Angeles-born hypercar with its distinctive one-plus-one seating layout already but, ahead of its Geneva unveiling, more details have now come to light. Including some astonishing figures: like 1,233bhp from a 2.88-litre, flat-plane crank V8 with two turbos and two electric motors on the front wheels, and an all-up weight under 1,200kg. Fast? They say so: 0-62mph in 1.9 seconds, 0-186mph in 15 seconds and 0-248mph in 29 seconds. Czinger says there will be 80 cars available, with both road and track-optimised versions on show in Geneva. Brave new hypercar hero or just Californian dreamin’?
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The Aiwaus U6ion is an electric SUV with coupe-inspired styling from a Chinese start-up firm whose chief design advisor is Ken Okuyama, creator of the Ferrari Enzo and former Pininfarina design chief. Which is presumably why in a burgeoning field of powerful SUVs the U6ion boasts a strong character of its own. But then we have seen only sketches so far; under the Geneva lights, will it look as good in the flesh?
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For the first big public showing of Aston’s debut SUV the DBX is getting the bespoke treatment courtesy of the Q by Aston Martin personalisation division. As sporty SUVs go the DBX has generally been given a thumbs up, but bringing out what Aston calls its “darker side” does result in quite a visual statement. Goodies on offer include 22-inch gloss black wheels, diamond patterned satin chrome aluminium details, lots of Obsidian Black leather and carbon fibre inserts in the cabin. What price? If you have to ask…
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A new Golf (it is up to the eighth generation now) means a new Audi A3, VW’s posher, more upmarket cousin. The styling, detailing and interior will be all Audi but drawing on the latest and acclaimed MQB architecture with its roomier cabin, autonomous driving features and all-digital cabin. Expect a plug-in hybrid option for the first time, along with adaptive dampers and variable ratio steering in some versions. Time to hold fire on that order for your Mercedes A Class or BMW 1 Series?
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Britain’s single-seater road/track sensation is being replaced after almost 10 years and the new model will make its bow in Geneva this year. If the new car from the Liverpool-based company is anything like as influential as the first-gen model – with its 10 production car lap records – it will be something remarkable indeed.
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A huge and extravagant two-seat roadster built by Mulliner as a (very) limited edition new Bentley is still firmly under wraps until 3 March, but meantime the Crewe firm’s new-found enthusiasm for coachbuilding, Mulliner style, finds its expression in the Continental GT Mulliner Convertible. Unlike the Bacalar, this is a luxury makeover, not a bespoke model in its own right, but in its execution, design cues, materials and technical finishes it previews a lot of what Mulliner will increasingly be offering in the future.
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BMW’s electrification strategy, which has veered from ground-breaking supercar to battery hatchback to wild concept over the past seven years, promises to emerge in Geneva with new clarity when the new i4 is unveiled. It’s all-electric and zero emissions, is tipped to have plenty of power and is elegantly presented inside a four-door Gran Coupe body. It’s being shown in Geneva as a concept but the production intent here is clear; as BMW design chief Adrian van Hooydonk says, “the Concept i4 brings electrification to the core of the BMW brand.” Question is, is he really brave enough to stick with the massive 328-inspired vertical kidney grille that shocked everyone recently on the 4 Series concept, or will he tone it down a bit?
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The new Seat Leon has its world debut at Geneva and, for the first time, is spawning a range of sporty variants badged Cupra. There’s no bespoke bodywork here, in either hatch or estate forms, but there are plenty of sporty Cupra design cues and branding, plus special matte paint, along with up to 310PS (306bhp) for 0-62mph in under 5.0 seconds. There is also a plug-in hybrid Cupra for the first time with an electric-only range of up to 37 miles. The king of Leons? Watch this space…
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The spacious and comfy luxury French saloon lives! DS Automobiles (the only part of the PSA group to exhibit in Geneva this year) will preview its all-new DS 9, a surprise four-door petrol-electric hybrid sedan from a brand that until now has been built on hatchbacks and SUVs. It’s smart, in a conservative way, with echoes – like the roof-mounted indicators – that its designers would like us to associate with its famous DS namesake from 1955 – and not the Peugeot 508 with which it shares a platform. A new French goddess for the 21st century?
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Electric mobility for all will be the theme on the vast Renault stand at Geneva this year. The most intriguing exhibit promises to be the new Morphoz concept (it morphs between needs, desires and uses, says Renault), but the most relevant may be the first electric model from sub brand Dacia. It is promised to be “the most accessible 100 per cent electric city car on the market”. Most accessible? Cheapest in other words. You do the maths… And what will they call it? Surely not the electric Duster? That would make it a Hoover…
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An Aston Martin Vantage rival, and a car that sees quite a departure from Ferrari’s recent styling habits, the Roma is Ferrari’s newest coupe. Lighter than the convertible Portofino it weighs 1,472kg, and Ferrari claims a 0-62mph spring time of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of more than 199mph.
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There are facelifts and upgrades all round for Honda’s sporty Civic line-up. Plus, the sportiest of them all, the Type R, will preview in new Limited Edition and Sport Line ‘stealth’ variants, the latter with all the power but without the signature rear wing. The new Jazz will also be making its debut in Geneva, with new variants including a jacked-up SUV-style Jazz Crosstar and a petrol/electric hybrid.
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Anyone in the market for a petrol-electric hybrid seven-seat SUV with all the accessibility that the Kia brand promises should check out the South Korean firm’s Geneva debutant: the new Sorento. Expect the fourth-gen model to be a bigger, slicker, roomier and more practical machine in a far more expressive design, with a distinctive new rear end influenced by the huge US Teluride model. It’s the first Sorento to have an electric side, too. Will that make it a softie or will it be just as tough and capable as before?
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Sure as night follows day, Mercedes has let AMG loose on the newest A Class variant, the GLA, and stuffed in the world’s most powerful series-produced 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine. So the entry-model Merc SUV gets a mighty 421PS (415bhp) in the S form that will be the sole model to go on sale in the UK (first deliveries in the summer). Claims for the top GLA include sharper dynamics, more practicality, advanced all-wheel-drive cleverness… and 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds and 168mph all out. What we don’t know yet is what it will cost.
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The second-generation GLA, revealed online just before Christmas 2019, will be Mercedes’ star car at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show – the new Mercedes S-Class will debut, sadly, in Frankfurt later in the year. The new GLA has shorter overhangs, a longer wheelbase and a wider track, but it’s more a small SUV than ever before. It’ll go on sale in the spring with prices due to be confirmed after the show.
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The Plus Four name is not yet confirmed but that would seem the likely choice for Morgan’s new four-cylinder entry model to join the Plus Six on the firm’s new CX-generation aluminium platform. What Morgan has definitely confirmed is that the newcomer will debut in Geneva this year, and that its four-pot motor will be available with a manual gearbox. And styling wise? The teaser picture suggests the new Morgan will be a sleek, aerodynamic wedge… only kidding!
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If you’re called Pininfarina and it’s the year 2020, what else can you do but celebrate the 90th anniversary of the famous Italian design house? Pininfarina Automobili is marking the occasion with a limited-edition version of the 1,900hp all-electric Battista hypercar that had its world debut in Geneva last year, and then popped down to Goodwood for the 77th Members’ Meeting. The Battista is exquisite already… how much more gorgeous can the “ultimate” version be?
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The chief executive of the cool all-electric brand with Swedish roots and Chinese money says Polestar’s concept car for Geneva 2020, the Precept, is no dream machine but a real pointer to future Polestar design and, especially, greater sustainability. So you get plastic body panels, seats covered in material made from recycled plastic bottles, and carpets made from old fishing nets. You also get what is appears a very cool design in a four-door GT body. But will they make this as the next new Polestar, or will they do an SUV like everyone else?
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On paper the four-cylinder turbocharged boxer engines of the current Cayman and Boxster are perfectly placed. To drive, however, they’ve never been quite as enjoyable to use as the old six-cylinder lumps. Little surprise, then, that Porsche has pulled a U-turn, throwing away the four-cylinder and replacing it with a naturally-aspirated six-cylinder for the GTS. Yours for £64,088.
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Goodness, we love a 911 Turbo. They might not be the most sonorous of 911s, and, yes, the standard 911 is turbocharged as well nowadays, but the 911 Turbo is an absolute weapon. Expect more than 600PS for the Turbo and 650PS for the Turbo S, not to mention four-wheel-drive and a super-quick PDK gearbox.
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Seat has teased its fourth-generation Seat Leon ahead of its full reveal at the Geneva show. It’s more than just a silhouette, as so many teasers are nowadays, but all it really shows is the rear lights and a script-style ‘Leon’ badge. Still, it’ll be interesting to see just how similar – or otherwise – the new Seat Leon is compared to the new Volkswagen Golf, revealed at the end of 2019.
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There were some doubts Škoda would build another vRS, but, with camouflaged mules spotted out and about, it looks like the fast Škoda still has some life in it yet. There’s no info on powertrain just yet, but as another car that shares its platform with the new Golf, it’ll likely have the same four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine as the Golf GTI.
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Well, not many people saw this coming. While Toyota had to pair up with BMW to justify a new Supra, the company has raided every one of its office swear jars to create this: the Toyota GR Yaris. Built to homologate the new WRC car, the all-wheel-drive GR Yaris has 257bhp from a 1.6-litre, turbocharged three-cylinder engine.
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If you can’t get your hands on a GR Yaris (let’s be honest, it’ll be very, very difficult), you might have to settle for the new, standard Yaris. To be fair to Toyota, however, it’s a very smart looking little machine. A five-door only, gone is the old 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, in is a new 1.5-litre three-cylinder hybrid. Geneva will be our first chance to have a proper poke around.
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Yes, the latest version of a hot hatch staple, the Volkswagen Golf GTI, will be unveiled at the 2020 Geneva Motor Show. There are few details to speak of, but it will, of course, be based on the new Mk8 Golf and use a four-cylinder, turbocharged engine. If you’re a fan of the three-door GTI you’re out of luck, as, like the new ‘standard’ Golf, the GTI is five-door only. Expect a Golf R later in 2020, as well as a Golf plug-in hybrid.
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