
2004 Ford auto show logo
2004 Geneva Motor Show Index by TCC
Team (2/22/2004)
Maserati Feeding Need for
Speed

2004 Maserati MC12 Stradale
Even as it prepares to launch the third new model in its
lineup, the Quattroporte sedan, Maserati has rolled out a fourth product, though
getting one won’t be easy. The MC12 is the name chosen for both the new Maserati
race car, and a street-legal version featuring a 6.0-liter V-12, dubbed the MC12
Stradale. It’s rated to top 205 mph, and will launch from 0-100 km/h (0-62.5 mph)
in 3.8 seconds. Company officials report they’ve already sold all 25 Stradales,
each at 600,000 euros. But Maserati insiders report there’s a good chance a
second batch of MC12s will now be offered up. Though street legal in Europe, the
road-ready racers will not pass federal standards in the States. Even so,
several Americans are believed to be among the buyers.
Lambo Raises the Roof

2004 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster
Lamborghini’s new Murcielago Roadster is
likely to provide the ultimate rush for those who like the feeling of the wind
in their hair. The two-seater is being billed as the world’s fastest open-top
roadster, with a top speed of precisely 200 mph. Officials at the Italian
automaker insist they were also able to avoid making trade-offs in body
stiffness —
which translates into
handling and road stability. With the addition of the new car, the Italian-based
division of Audi becomes a three-model company, and “We think the roadster will
account for 50 percent of the sales in the Murcielago range,” predicted
Lamborghini’s Dr. Giuseppe Greco. That should mean about 200 or so cars
annually, with an estimated price of around $315,000. Look for the first of the
roadsters to be delivered to the U.S., “the most important market in the world
for this type of automobile,” according to Greco. Sales will begin by late this
coming summer, with rollouts to follow in Europe, Japan, and then other parts
of the world.
Female Chauvinists at
Volvo?

2004 Volvo YCC concept
“If a man designed a car like this,
they’d call him a male chauvinist,” declared our esteemed colleague at
Car
and Driver magazine, Csaba Csere. What got him so
worked up? The YCC, or “Your Concept Car,” delivered to the Geneva Show by a
team of women designers and engineers from Volvo. The mission might have seemed
reasonable enough, asking them to come up with a prototype particularly
attentive to women’s needs, but not likely to alienate men in the process. The
YCC certainly got a lot of attention on the display stand, though also a fair
share of criticism from both sexes. Said one female journalist of the
ding-resistant body, “Basically, they’re telling us exactly what men used to
say, that we women are lousy drivers, and likely to slam into the wall of the
garage.” Then there’s the hood, which cannot be opened by the owner. Instead,
there’s a warning system to remind women when to head for the shop when the oil
needs changing —
apparently another
issue the YCC team found difficult for typical female drivers to cope with. And
a special place was provided in the floor, right ahead of the shag carpet, for
high heels, so women drivers don’t cause accidents wearing frilly and
impractical shoes. It’s not the first time an automaker approached the idea of
developing a car tailored to the distaff motorist. Dodge’s ’50s attempt, dubbed
the La Femme, had swiveling seats to preserve modesty during entry and exit.
It’s not clear how much the Volvo show car helps advance the idea of equal
driving.
Ladies’ First with Volvo YCC
Concept by Henny Hemmes (3/3/2004)
An all-woman
team designs a concept, proving that the car industry isn’t just a man’s
world.
Toyota Is Well-Versoed

2004 Toyota Verso
After years of struggling to penetrate the massive European
automotive market, Toyota suddenly seems on its way. The Japanese giant scored
its sixth consecutive year of growth in 2003, with a ten-percent increase nudging
sales to 834,661. That “beat our 2005 target by two years,” declared European
COO Dr. Takis Athanasopoulos during a Geneva briefing. Now the push is on to
blow past the million mark, and Toyota is readying an array of products to get
there. That includes the “no-compromise” Verso, a Corolla-based crossover that
joins the expanding list of European multi-function vehicles. The Verso is
designed to seat seven adults in three rows, yet it measures barely 14 feet,
end-to-end. Second and third-row seats are designed to fold in a variety of
configurations, and when they’re all down, it creates a flat load floor.
Expected to become Toyota’s fourth core vehicle in Europe, Verso launches in May
of this year.
Green machines are also part of the Toyota push, even
though European buyers have generally been wary of the automaker’s emphasis on
hybrid-electric technology until now. The emphasis on the continent has been on
high-mileage diesels which account for over two-thirds of sales in places like
Austria —
rather than complex gasoline-electric powertrains. But Toyota seems to be
gaining some traction with the Prius. Even though it’s only available in about
half of Europe, sales in January and February topped 3000, about 50 percent of
what Toyota was hoping for in all of 2004. “This proves high technology can play
a role, even in the mainstream (European) market,” asserted Athanasopoulos. The
HEV will roll role into the rest of Europe by April. But there are no production
plans for the MTRC. Short for Motor Triathalon Race Car, it’s reminiscent of the
Pod concept shown in Tokyo last October, but this sporty version offers tandem
seating and surprising power from its fuel cell powertrain that drives all
corners through four in-wheel electric motors. Designed by Toyota's European
design studio, ED2, MTRC is featured in 'Gran Turismo 4' the next generation of
Sony Computer Entertainment's wildly popular videogame.
Nissan Qashqai: Hard To Pronounce,
Easy To Use

2004 Nissan Qashqai
The Japanese seem to be banking their European future on
crossover SUV/wagon designs, and Nissan is no exception. The automaker noted
that the overall market for various crossover designs has soared from 40,000 to
180,000 recently, and that is spurring Nissan to launch two new products of its
own. First, it revealed plans to bring the Murano to Europe. The vehicle has
already proved a strong success in the U.S. and should strike a similarly
responsive chord on the continent, suggested Nissan Board Member and product
chief Patrick Pelata. By European standards, Murano is quite massive, however,
and that’s prompting the company to consider a second, downsized offering. It’s
spelled Qashqai, pronounced KOSH-kai, and no, it’s not named after a Mideast
dictator. While the name may be a bit precious, Pelata insisted the vehicle
itself is “distinctive yet unpretentious. It’s rear door yawns wide for easy
entry or access to a large and flexible cargo bay. Designed to “spend the
majority of life in the city,” it nonetheless offers all-wheel-drive for owners
who enjoy the outdoor life. Sharing the new, jointly developed platform also
found in the Renault Megane, the Qashqai could hit market by 2006, said Pelata,
“if the market reaction is strong” where the concept vehicle is shown this year.
Look for even more new products from Nissan going forward, now that the
company’s European operations are generating profits, company sources said.
Audi Shifts Shape With New
A6

2004 Audi A6
The last-generation A6 was one of the most innovative
designs in the luxury segment, but the German automaker is adopting a new look
for the critical product. The basic shape won’t surprise fans and foes, though
it does boast a surprisingly distinctive nose that first appeared in production
on the Volkswagen subsidiary’s flagship A8 model last year. (And which was
previewed on Audi’s Nuvolari concept car.) At the rear, an integrated spoiler
offers high-speed downforce. The new A6 grows in almost every critical
dimension: the wheelbase is over three inches longer, the overall length is
stretched nearly five, and it’s about two inches longer. What surprised some
observers was the decision to retain a steel, rather than lightweight aluminum,
body. There are a variety of new, high-tech features, including xenon daytime
running lights, as well as active cornering lights. Audi also adds its MMI
control system. Audi has five new powertrains available, three petrol and two
diesel engines (2.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI V-6). The basic global gasoline engine is a
2.4-liter V-6 with 177 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. Then there is the 3.2-liter
V-6 FSI with 255 hp and torque of 243 lb-ft. The top version is the 4.2-liter
V-8 with 355 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Quattro all-wheel-drive will remain
part of the powertrain package. Specifics on U.S. models, and details on future
performance versions, such as a next-generation RS6, were not released. A
European launch is scheduled for April, but Stateside buyers will have to wait
until later in the year.
BMW Holding The Line…
Even if it’s getting criticized for some of those lines,
stressed the automaker’s confident CEO, Helmut Panke. The distinctive new look
pioneered on the BMW 7-Series “was a necessary step,” essential in helping make
the Bavarian automaker’s various models more distinctive. That will be even more
critical going forward as BMW starts adding more products that step outside
traditional sedan, coupe and wagon body styles, Panke suggested during an
interview with TheCarConnection.com. “Consumers are looking for different
solutions for their own tastes and needs.” Panke emphasized that a
recently-announced reorganization of BMW AG’s product design unit was not in any
way meant to censor or sideline controversial styling chief Chris Bangle. Quite
the opposite, the CEO stressed. And he said there’s no plan to step back from
the hotly-debated iDrive control system, though he did say BMW is continuing to
explore how to make it more user friendly. Panke and his team have all but
encouraged controversy in recent years, but during the interview, the one-time
nuclear physicist acknowledged his own surprise at just ho loud the debate has
grown. “In retrospect,” he acknowledged, BMW might have done a better job
preparing the media and public ahead of time for what was on the
way.
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