2006 Geneva Motor Show Coverage by TCC Team
(2/19/2006)
BMW Has
Carrera Fighter in Z4 M Coupe

2006 BMW Z4 M Coupe
Faster than the Porsche Carrera,
but less expensive than the Boxster. No wonder BMW officials were smiling during
the preview of their new Z4 M Coupe on Tuesday. The hardtop version of the Z4
roadster will make an impressive 343 horsepower with its 3.2-liter in-line six.
The motor is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox driving the rear wheels. While
final prices haven’t been announced, TheCarConnection.com was told to expect
something under $55,000. Meanwhile, a base version of the Z4 coupe will share
the roadster’s conventional powertrain, while a 400-horsepower race-ready
version will also be launched later this year.
Rolls Reaches Ahead with
101EX Coupe

2006 Rolls-Royce 101EX
More compact and rakish than the
massive Phantom, the 101EX concept could become the next entry into the
expanding Rolls-Royce lineup. CEO Ian Robertson left the question unanswered
during the automaker’s Geneva Motor Show preview. The automaker has already
confirmed plans to build the Corniche convertible, and trial production is
getting underway, according to Robertson. The 101EX seems a good fit as Rolls
seeks to broaden its appeal. The show car was a striking two-tone, with its
chromed hood and dark blue fenders and door panels. Like the flagship Phantom,
the two-door concept is based around an aluminum space frame, but it is shorter
and lower, with a higher beltline. Under that shining hood sits a 6.75-liter
V-12 engine. Inside, the 101EX features some intriguing touches, including a
“starlight headliner,” into which hundreds of LEDs have been woven. At the touch
of a button the lights can be dimmed from bright “to a gentle glow,” noted
Robertson.
Land Rover Outlines Greener
Future

2006 Land Rover Land_e Concept
How do you maintain your off-road chops while being kinder
to Mother Nature? The Land_e concept vehicle hints at the
direction
Land Rover intends to go. “Climate change
is the biggest single challenge facing the auto industry today,” stressed Lewis
Booth, head of Ford Motor Company’s Premier Automotive Group – which includes
the SUV brand. But Land Rover doesn’t want to trade off its traditional rugged,
off-road capabilities. Land_e suggests it is possible to actually use
environmentally-friendly technology to enhance those features. Really just a
stylized shell, the concept is wrapped around a dual-fuel diesel engine that
could run on a mix of conventional and biodiesel. An Integrated
Starter/Generator hybrid, or ISA, can shut the engine off when idling, quickly
starting it up when the brake is released. Recaptured energy can be stored
in a battery and used to run motors attached to the rear axle at low speeds
without the diesel engine. But electric power can also be fed to all four wheels
on a Land_e-based vehicle. And by using a sophisticated electronic controller,
that could actually give a future Land Rover product even more traction in rough
conditions. These and various other features on the prototype could wind up in
production in the near future, Land Rover officials hinted. All told, such
technology could allow a vehicle the size of a Freelander to get as much as 50
mpg, noted the brand’s managing director, Matthew Taylor.
Honda Shows Speedy
Civic

2006 Honda Civic Type R
Anyone who thinks the Honda Civic
is all about basic transportation will have to think again after they see the
new Civic Type R. The thinly-disguised concept shown in
Geneva has plenty of “Honda
racing DNA,” said the automaker’s CEO, Takeo Fukui. Lower and wider than the
base Civic, it features a 2.0-liter, 200-horsepower engine that, asserted
Fukui , “will bring out the race driver in
anyone.”
Honda Backing Away from
Hybrids?
Recent reports have suggested that
Honda is having second thoughts about hybrid powertrains. It’s fair to say that
CEO Takeo Fukui isn’t rushing to fill the automaker’s lineup with the
high-mileage technology – at least not yet. While he told TheCarConnection.com
hybrids have great potential, he stressed that it will be hard to push the
technology into the mainstream “unless (production) costs come down.” The
outspoken executive said that while they represent an ecologically-friendly
alternative, “there has to also exist a good business equation,” and that is
hard to justify right now,
Fukui said. “We’ll probably have more” than the
current Insight, Accord and Civic hybrids, he suggested, but when remains a
question. Besides, he added, the hybrid “is not the only solution.” Honda,
Fukui said, is looking at a variety of other
options, including ethanol and diesel powertrains, as well as hydrogen
power.
Email This Page