
2004 Ford auto show logo
2004 Geneva Motor Show Index by TCC
Team (2/22/2004)
Concept 100EX Is Ready to Rolls

2004 Rolls-Royce 100EX concept
To mark the centennial of the company, Rolls-Royce lifted
the covers off the 100EX, the latest in a long-running series of experimental
automobiles that date back nearly to the day when Charles Rolls and Henry Royce
decided to join forces. Though the EX bears a strong resemblance to the new
Rolls-Royce Phantom – including its aluminum spaceframe construction – it adds a
few notable touches, the most obvious being a convertible top. There’s also an
unusual fold-out trunk. The 100EX is nearly seven inches shorter than Phantom,
and about three inches lower. Is it a hint of what’s to come? The prototype
certainly looks like it could be the anticipated replacement for the old
Corniche convertible. But while “everyone will be expecting this to be a new
series model, it is not,” insisted Tony Gott, the CEO for the British brand,
which is now the flagship for BMW AG. At least not now, anyway, but another
senior official tells TheCarConnection there are very definite design elements
and technological features Rolls would like to incorporate into a future
convertible. The challenge is to make a convincing business case, and for the
moment, the high-line marque needs to focus on nudging up demand for its Phantom
sedan. If and when that’s on track, the issue of a second model is likely to get
a more eager reception from the BMW board of directors.
Benz Fields Slick New
SLK

2005 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55
The first thing you notice is the family resemblance. The
newly updated Mercedes-Benz SLK has taken on many of the same design cues
originally seen on the automaker’s higher-priced SL roadster and SLR supercar
models. The basic dimensions of the second-generation roadster resemble those of
the outgoing model, which was first introduced in 1996. There are a number of
interesting innovations debuting with the ’05 SLK, however. These include the
unusual Airscarf system, which directs warm air through the driver and passenger
headrests to make it easier to enjoy top-down driving all year. The SLK gets an
optional, “light-bending” bi-xenon headlight system which follows curves in the
road. And drivers can opt for a variety of powertrains, from a supercharged,
163-hp four-cylinder package to the 360-hp V-8 being offered in the SLK 55 AMG.
The most powerful version of the roadster ever offered, it will launch from
0-100 km/h (0-62.5 mph) in barely 4.9 seconds. Motorists can mate the big engine
to Mercedes’ unique new seven-speed automatic transmission, or opt for a
six-speed manual.
Will A Coupe-Like Sedan Blur the
Benz Lines?

2005 Mercedes-Benz CLS 500
Mercedes also took the wraps off the production version of
its Vision CLS concept, a vehicle that could further blur the lines between
traditional product boundaries. The 2005 CLS features a swept, sporty,
coupe-like roof, but also boasts four doors. Though you may have to duck a bit
to get in, that’s still a lot easier than with a conventional coupe, especially
for the type of older buyers that can afford a Mercedes in this price range,
suggested the automaker’s boss, Juergen Hubbert. The CLS will feature a range of
six- and eight-cylinder engines and come with an array of safety features, such
as head curtain airbags and the German maker’s unique Pre-Safe system, designed
to anticipate and prepare for a likely crash. While Hubbert stressed that
Mercedes won’t abandon the traditional two-door body style, he hinted other
four-door coupes could follow in the coming years. There’s already “a big
demand” for the CLS, he boasted, adding “We’re not sure we have enough
capacity.” Eventually, annual sales could top 30,000, he forecast.
Smart Hooks Up with
Brabus

2004 Smart Brabus
Barely a year after launching its new roadster,
DaimlerChrysler’s Smart brand was back in Geneva with the performance-tuned
Brabus roadster and Brabus roadster-coupe. With 101 horsepower – 20 percent more
than the original models – the Brabus edition delivers a top speed of about 120
mph, no mean feat in cars so small. Both models get sports suspension packages,
17-inch alloy wheels, and heated black leather sports seats. Prices start at
around 25,000 Euros, and we’ll leave it to the mathematicians to figure out what
that works out to in the freefalling U.S. dollar.

2004 Smart Brabus
Smart also rolled out the production version of its latest
model, the five-door forfour. Despite offering seating for four, the new model
still measures barely 12 feet, bumper-to-bumper, and weighs in at just 2200
pounds. The forfour will offer buyers a wide range of gasoline and diesel engine
options, from 68 to 109 hp. The platform for the forfour will serve as the
foundation of another, SUV-like model, the first that will be imported into the
U.S. when Smart debuts there in 2006.
Chrysler Does Euro Math

2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6
Determined to finally make real inroads into the European
market, Chrysler has figured out what it hopes will be the formula for success:
not just more models, but more powerful ones, as well. Originally, the automaker
had intended to unveil nine new vehicles in Europe this year, but CEO Dieter
Zetsche said that will now grow to 10. Among the models making their first
appearance in Frankfurt were the Crossfire SRT-6 and Crossfire Cabrio SRT-6.
These are the first Chrysler-brand products badged SRT, a designation previously
reserved for Dodge. Using the help of Mercedes’ AMG “tuner” division, the two
Crossfire models will boast hand-built, supercharged 3.2-liter V-6 engines
putting out 330 hp. To complete the package, both the coupe and cabrio SRT-6
models will feature rear spoilers, performance-tuned suspensions, 15-spoke alloy
wheels – with 18-inch front and 19-inch rear tires – along with significantly
beefed-up brakes. The Crossfire models were joined on the Geneva show stand by a
Hemi-powered 300C sedan. It’s all part of a performance push that’s critical for
Chrysler’s long-term success, Zetsche told TheCarConnection. “We think we have a
chance to be in a unique spot as the only brand in Europe offering uniquely
American products, so SRT is an important part of that positioning.”
Zetsche Wants to Join the ME
Generation
Don’t go looking for the ME-412 supercar at your local
Chrysler showroom anytime soon, CEO Dieter Zetsche said during a show floor
interview. But that’s not for lack of trying. Working with his outgoing partner,
Chrysler President (and soon to be Mercedes chief) Wolfgang Bernhard, the
management duo is trying to build a business case that would support production
of the 800-horsepower two-seater. “It will have to stand on its own,” Zetsche
stressed, and that means it must make a true profit, not just serve as a
money-losing halo car for the brand. “We’d love to do it,” Zetsche underscored,
and hinted that the goal is to “make the decision this year.”
Ford Plays It Low-Key

2004 Ford Fiesta RS
Did Ford simply run out of new product for this year’s
Geneva show? That was a question plenty of folks were wondering when the ailing
automaker limited its news conference time to several spin-offs of its
long-running Fiesta lineup. That includes the Fiesta ST, the successor to the
first Fiesta ever to top 100 mph back in the 1980s, along with the prototype
Fiesta Team RS. Despite the low-key event, Ford of Europe’s new CEO, Lewis
Booth, pointed out that the automaker has unleashed a virtual tidal wave of
product in recent times. By the end of this year, it will have launched 45
new vehicles in a five-year cycle, “and we have every intention of continuing
that pace into the next five years.”
Ford Aiming Higher in
Europe
The fourth quarter brought some much-needed good news
for Ford’s struggling European operations in the form of “an encouraging
profit,” said CEO Lewis Booth. Even so, total 2003 losses hit $1.1 billion. An
aggressive new restructuring program should help cut losses to somewhere between
$100 million and $200 million in 2004, Booth forecast, though the final outcome
is also likely to depend on the health of the stuttering European economy. With
demand flat, Booth believes there will be “moderately negative pricing,” meaning
the sticker on the typical Ford of Europe vehicle could slip by as much as one
percent this year. Such problems took Ford by surprise and created some chaotic
conditions inside the company, including the management shake-up that brought
the executive to Europe from his post at the helm of Mazda Motors. “The pace of
change in (the) European (market) was faster than we read and the pace of
economic recovery was slower,” Booth conceded. Now, he added, Ford is simply
struggling to catch up with market realities.
Mazda's Zoom-Zoom Space Wagon

2004 Mazda MX-Flexa concept
Traditional sedans were in
surprisingly short supply during this year’s Geneva Motor Show preview. Perhaps
that reflects the reality of the European market, where the downsizing trend has
led motorists to demand more functionality. With the MX Flexa, the goal
for designer Koichi Hiyashi was to create a smaller version of the Mazda MPV
that was not only practical, but which added “the emotional factor,” or what he
described as a “zoom-zoom space wagon.” The interior features a highly
flexible seating and cargo system accessed through a sliding side door. Don’t
dismiss the Flexa as just another quirky concept, stressed new Executive Vice
President John Parker. “We’ll be back in
Paris
in September with a
production version of the MX Flexa.”
Subtle Muscle from
BMW's M5

2004 BMW M5 Concept
Don’t let the subtle design fool you. The all-new BMW M5
isn’t just a tuned-up version of the standard 5-Series. It boasts “Formula One
technology and power,” declared Ulrich Bruhnke, the new head of the automaker’s
high-performance M division (and formerly head of rival AMG, the muscle division
of Mercedes-Benz). The latest incarnation of the M5 features a new, high-revving
V-10, the first ever in a production sedan. It’s 500-inch displacement punches
out a full 500 horsepower. Officially, the Bavarian rocket is just a concept
vehicle – but just for the moment. That’s because of curious rules at the Geneva
Motor Show. In reality, revealed Bruhnke, “You can expect the introduction of a
production model before the end of this year.” Over the years, BMW has been cautious
about building up its M lineup, often dropping a particular model for a year or
more before offering up a replacement. But that is apparently about to change,
Bruhnke hinted to TheCarConnection. In his previous position at Mercedes, the
affable executive oversaw a grand transition; there are now AMG versions of
virtual all of the automaker’s products, even the big G-Class SUV. Bruhnke
wouldn’t say if BMW would go the same, precise route, but he did say that there
will be “many more” M models added in the next few years.
BMW On Tour

2004 BMW 5-Series Touring
The Bavarian automaker also rolled out a bit more of a
mainstream model in the form of the all-new 5-Series Touring – the German
shorthand for station wagon. The new model is a good bit more sporty than the
old Touring edition. A variety of diesel and gasoline engines have been lined up
for various global markets, including the 333-hp V-8 in the big 545i. All the
wagons will come with rear air suspension systems. And they’ll offer a good bit
more cargo space than the prior model, 17.6 cubic feet with the rear seat up,
and a maximum of 58.2 cubic feet.
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