2006 Geneva Motor Show, Part VII

2006 Geneva Motor Show Coverage by TCC Team (2/19/2006) 

 

Volvo S80

 

Volvo Cars is facing the most new-car launches ever in the company’s history, starting with the new C70 coupe-convertible just issued. Over the next three years Volvo will introduce seven new models and, according to Fredrik Arp, president and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, his company is shooting for a target of 600,000 cars sold annually. “To achieve this, improved product quality, further development of our car portfolio, and putting more effort in developing existing and emerging markets are essential,” Arp said at Volvo’s Geneva press conference.

 

The first car in the product offensive is the C70 coupe convertible that was launched earlier this year. The upcoming S80, unveiled in Geneva , is the next. We expect to see the production version of the small C30 hatchback in September in Paris , in European as well as U.S. versions. With the new generation of the S80, Volvo may have a real competitor to the Mercedes E-Class, the BMW 5-Series, and the Audi A6.

 

The new S80 adopts the sophisticated styling of the VCC concept car that was unveiled in 2003. The interior keeps the simple forms that emerged in the S40 and V50 as well. The S80 also has the first Personal Car Communicator, which allows the driver to check from a distance if the car has been locked and the alarm has been activated. The system even can sense if there is a person in the car.

 

The S80 will be available with the same 315 hp V-8 engine that was introduced recently in the XC90. For this version all-wheel drive is standard. In Europe, AWD will be an option as well as the Four-C (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) semi-active suspension. We expect it to be the same for the North American market.
Volvo also has a brand-new in-line six available for the S80. This 3.2-liter powerplant replaces the 2.9-liter six-cylinder and delivers 238 hp. The well-known 2.5-liter turbo five and five-cylinder diesel with 185 hp also will be available.

 

Volvo hopes to sell 50,000 units per year in its main markets North America, Germany, England, and Sweden . Sales will start in June.

 

 

Pininfarina’s Four Models

 

Pininfarina may not be its own car brand, but it does have four recent models on display in Geneva. Besides the new Alfa Spider, the Italian designer and coachbuilder helped design and engineer three of the coupe-convertibles on the Geneva show floor: the Volvo C70, the Ford Focus CC, and the Mitsubishi Colt CZC. And of course, there’s the Pininfarina-designed Ferrari F599 GTB Fiorano. The Torino-based company builds the C70 in the Swedish Uddevalla facility that is a joint venture of with Volvo. The Focus CC, Colt CZC and the Alfa Spider will all be built in its Italian facilities. In the meantime, Pininfarina has also styled, developed, and engineered projects for several Chinese manufacturers, such as Brilliance, Chery, and Dongfeng.

 

Audi A6 allroad quattro

 

Crossovers are a big new trend, but back in 2000, Audi already had its first crossover, the A6-based allroad quattro. In Geneva , Audi’s Chairman of the Board, Prof. dr. Martin Winterkorn, unveiled the second generation of the allroad, which now fits between the A6 Avant and the new Q7. Just like its predecessor, the allroad has permanent all-wheel drive (quattro) and some off-road features, such as the stainless-steel protection underneath the front and rear of the car. The allroad sets itself apart from the A6 Avant with styling details such as larger outside mirrors, different bumpers, and a chrome grille. Audi hopes the new version will be as successful as the first one, of which 88,000 units have been sold. The new model is more spacious and has more luxurious equipment than before; its length of 194 inches and a wheelbase of 111.4 inches give it a cabin that provides room for five passengers and their luggage.

 

Power for the new allroad comes from one of the four available engines, two petrol and two diesel variants. The direct-injected gas engines are the 3.2-liter FSI V-6 with 255 hp and the 4.2 FSI V-8 with 350 hp. High-torque diesels include the 2.7-liter and 3.0 six-cylinder engines with 180 hp and 233 hp, respectively. The allroad can be ordered with a six-speed manual or six-speed Tiptronic transmission.

 

The suspension has five driving modes: automatic, dynamic, comfort, allroad, and lift. In the dynamic mode, the equivalent of a sports suspension, the body is lowered to a ground clearance of 4.9 inches, while in automatic mode the body is raised by 0.6 inches to a ground clearance of 5.5 inches but is automatically lowered again to the dynamic level if the car is driven for some distance at a speed of over 75 mph. In comfort mode the body is raised higher than in sport mode, while the allroad mode provides a ground clearance of 7.0 inches. When you manually select lift mode, the body is lifted to 7.3 inches of clearance for driving in rough terrain at a speed under 22 mph. Above that speed, the A6 goes automatically into allroad mode.

 

The A6 allroad quattro will have premium equipment including automatic climate control and 17-inch light-alloy wheels. The 4.2-liter V-8 model will be equipped standard with 18-inch wheels. Adaptive dynamic cornering light, keyless entry, and a parking aid system will be available.

 

 

Ford Focus Coupe-Convertible

 

When Ford unveiled the Vignale coupe-convertible concept at the Paris auto show in 2004, the stunning car came as a big surprise to show crowds. Here in Geneva , the production version of the car has arrived wearing the name Focus CC.

 

The new open-air version has been developed together with Pininfarina and will be built by Pininfarina from mid-2006. The steel retractable roof consists of two pieces and folds down with the touch of a button, leaving nearly 18 cubic feet of luggage space.

 

The Focus CC will be available with a choice of three engines: a 100-hp 1.6-liter and a 145-hp, 2.0-liter four cylinder as well as a 2.0-liter four-cylinder TDCi diesel with 136 hp.

 

 

Ford S-Max

Ford also shows the S-Max mid-size MPV, a size that is popular in Europe . With a length of 187.4 inches the new model sits between the Mondeo station wagon and the new Galaxy shown below. The S-Max seats five or seven passengers and has a pleasing sporty design by design: the S in S-Max stands for sport, style, and space, Ford says. The space is provided in flexible form by the FoldFlatSystem, which keeps all seats on board. A sliding load floor, which can be pulled out nearly 19 inches, is available for the five-seat S-Max. The S-Max is equipped with a 220-hp Duratec 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine with a choice of many less powerful engines.

 

 

Ford Galaxy

 

The first Galaxy minivan was developed in a joint venture with Volkswagen. The same is true for the new model, which is the first Ford of Europe production vehicle with elements of the company’s new “kinetic design” philosophy.

 

Compared to its predecessor the new Galaxy MPV has stretched by seven inches in length and 2.3 inches in width; height has decreased more than half an inch. The extra inches are especially beneficial for the interior and the luggage space. The latter has increased 30 percent to 15.3 cubic feet, and can be expanded by folding down the second and third row of seats to 82.1 cubic feet. Ford claims the Galaxy has 31 stowage solutions.

 

A full-length roof console and an optional glass panorama roof add to the interior’s charm. Like the S-Max, the new Galaxy also has the FoldFlatSystem, which endows it with a completely flat floor when needed. The third row can seat three persons, so that the Galaxy can transport eight passengers. Ford offers a choice of five engines, including a 140-hp diesel.