2002 Geneva Show Preview, Part I

Index: 2002 Geneva Motor Show by TCC Team (3/5/2002)

It’s still a few days to go before the 72^nd International Motor Show in Geneva opens its doors for the media (March 5-6) and the public (March 7 – March 17). But quite a few car manufacturers are competing already for attention by releasing information before the Geneva Show opens. Here's what TCC will be bringing more of later this week:

Smart Crossblade
The Smart, a highly efficient city car, has turned out to be very popular as a company car — not for executives, but for delivery and rolling advertising. The Smart Crossblade debuted last year in Geneva as a prototype and it will be at the Salon’s stage again as a limited-edition production version — albeit without doors or a roof. Although the Crossblade only has a half-windshield, Smart promises the safety through the roll bar behind the seats. The Crossblade will be equipped with the same three-cylinder engine as the standard Smart, but tuned to 70 hp. Its top speed is limited to 84 mph.

Bertone Proto
Carrozzeria Bertone will celebrate its 90^th anniversary with a luxury sedan concept called Proto. Again Bertone has relied on the cooperation of SKF, which supplied the drive-by-wire technology for last year’s Filo. We expect the new concept car will have drive-by-wire throttle and steering as in the Filo. Nokia and Bose may play a role in the concept as well, but we will have to wait until the car is unveiled on March 5^th.

Ferrari 575M
There’s no doubt Ferrari will show its new GT, the 575M, at the Geneva Show, since the car debuted last month alongside the new Ferrari Formula 1 car for a large press crowd in Maranello. The 575M is the first 12-cylinder Ferrari with an F1-like six-speed gearbox. The M does not stand for Maranello, as many people believe, but for modified, to underscore the fact that this car has been heavily modified. The styling of the 550 is left fairly untouched, save for the air intakes in the front, a new spoiler, different wheels, and xenon headlamps. The rocket-like performance of the 575M comes from the 12-cylinder engine found in the 550. With higher capacity, higher compression and new intake manifolds and other changes, power has been increased to 515 hp at 7250 rpm and a maximum torque of 345 ft-lb at 5250 rpm, an increase of 30 hp and nearly 15 lb-ft.
The six-speed gearbox has been placed in the rear axle, and can be operated by buttons on the steering wheel.

Mercedes-Benz CLK

The new 2003 CLK will make its debut in Geneva, a few weeks after official photographs were released. The new CLK has a new suspension and new sheetmetal, a range of reworked engines, and a stouter, roomier body. Top of the line will again be the CLK55, now boosted to 367 hp; eight-, six-, and four-cylinder engines abound down to the 163-hp supercharged four-cylinder found in the CLK200. A diesel engine also will be available, while base U.S. cars likely will continue to offer the 215-hp, 3.2-liter V-6. Body rigidity is up 40 percent while drag is down to 0.28. Front, side and curtain airbags are standard, as are anti-lock brakes.

 

Audi RS6
The sporting elements on its flanks give away that this Audi RS6 is a seriously fast car. It is equipped with the 4.2-liter V-8 that debuted last year and that has been tuned for more power (450 hp) and torque (413 lb-ft at 1950-4500 rpm). The engine has two turbochargers, five valves per cylinder, hydraulic variable intake camshafts and a two-stage intake manifold. The motor is mated with a five-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission and supplies its power to the quattro all-wheel-drive system. The 0-60 mph sprint is a 4.7-second blur, Audi claims.

Ford Fusion
This is the final version of the Ford Fusion that was last seen at the L.A. and Detroit Auto Shows as a concept car. The Fusion is based on the new Fiesta, and will compete in Europe with a new model based on GM’s Opel Corsa that will debut in Geneva as the Concept M. Ford says the Fusion is designed for people living in rural areas: the seats are placed higher than in the Fiesta for better view and easier parking. The body is also higher than normal, providing more ground clearance so that the infamous European speed bumps and other obstacles are easier to conquer. The car will be available with the 1.4- and 1.8-liter Duratec engines and a 1.4-liter Duratorq TDCi turbodiesel.

Mazda 2
Mazda will unveil the MX Sport Runabout, a concept car of the new small Mazda that will go in production next year in the Ford plant in Valencia, Spain. Mazda has released a drawing of what they call a design study, but chances are likely that the concept is Mazda 2 and that will replace the four-year-old Demio. The Mazda uses the Ford Fiesta platform, but externally the two models will not show any similarities.

Rinspeed Presto
Swiss-based Rinspeed will unveil the Presto, a small two-seater that can be stretched into a four-seater via a mechanism centrally mounted in the car. The ties of Rinspeed   with Mercedes-Benz are obvious: headlights and rear lights are from the C-Class Coupe and the dashboard is taken from the small A-Class, whereas the seats are from the Smart.

Hyundai Getz
Hyundai will launch a new model in between the Atos mini and the small Accent. They call it Getz, and will bring it to the European markets in September. The new Korean car will have to compete with the highly successful Peugeot 206, Opel Corsa, Fiat Punto and the new Ford Fiesta and VW Polo. There will be several engines available from a 1.3-liter petrol engine to a 1.5-liter diesel.

Renault Espace
A Renault Espace Concept will debut in Geneva as a show car, but we expect the production version of the father of the European minivans at the auto show in Paris in October. Because we think the version showed here is very long, it may be the Grand Espace, a long version. The show car has a 3.0-liter V-6 turbodiesel engine teamed with a five-speed automatic sequential transmission.

Toyota UUV
Toyota will launch its UUV concept car, a crossover between a sedan and a sport-utility vehicle. The UUV has four-wheel drive and combines sporty performance with a comfortable character. Inside, a dashboard-wide screen offers navigation functions for driver and passenger; it’s called “Glass Vision.” The UUV was developed in Toyota’s European Design Studio.