After a five-year break, the Geneva Motor Show took place in the halls of the Palexpo Exhibition Centre.
Time will show whether it can restart its glorious days in the time of multimedia. Unfortunately, only a handful of companies participated this year, yet here are some fascinating exhibits.
Successful Renault
The first big news at the car show was that the French brand won the Car of the Year award for the seventh time in the traditionally announced survey. The winning model was an electric car, Renault Scénic E-Tech. The 4.47 m long vehicle is built on the middle AmpR platform, and the manufacturer states its range of 625 km (WLTP).
The reincarnated Renault 5 in the E-Tech electric version made its world premiere. It has an eye-catching design, flat floor, 254 cm wheelbase, optimized interior space, 326-liter trunk, lower center of mass, weighs less than 1500 kg, and uses the AmpR Small platform for B-segment electric vehicles. The electric Renault 5 will provide three engine power stages – 70 kW (95 hp; 215 Nm; 40 kWh battery), 90 kW (120 hp; 225 Nm; 40 kWh battery) and 110 kW (150 hp; 245 Nm; 52 kWh battery). The version with the most powerful unit (110 kW) accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 8 seconds.
Three World Premieres
Dacia has launched new Duster, Spring, and Sandrider prototypes for Dakar. The third generation of the Duster uses the CMF-B platform, has a more robust design, and offers LPG ECO G100, Hybrid 140, and mild-hybrid 48V TCe 130 engines.
The Spring got a new exterior and interior, the engines have 33 kW/45 hp (Essential and Expression) and 48 kW/65 hp (Expression and Extreme). Spring is the only electric car in Europe that does not exceed 1000 kg.
The Sandrider will compete in the 2025 Dakar Rally and the W2RC World Championship. The 3.0 V6 biturbo drive unit (265 kW/360 hp; 539 Nm) uses synthetic fuel.
Highly Ambitious BYD
The Chinese car manufacturer BYD presented the BYD Yangwang U8 SUV through its luxury brand Yangwang. Four electric motors (system power 870 kW/1184 hp) provide all-wheel drive. A battery with a small capacity of 49 kWh supplies the vehicle with energy. However, a 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine extends the range.
More “Electro”
The American brand Lucid added the new Gravity with 4×4 drive to the previously known electric car Air. The recently premiered seven-seater SUV has an electric drive with a power of 588 kW (800 hp). The power source is a battery with a capacity of 110-120 kWh. The range is about 700 km. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 3.5 seconds.
New MG3
The Chinese brand, a member of the SAIC group, wants to strengthen its position in European markets, so presenting the MG3 Hybrid+ new model is the right step. It is driven by a 1.5-liter engine and 143 kW (194 hp) electric motor. The maximum speed reaches 170 km/h, and it accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8 seconds. The average consumption is 4.4 l/100 km.
Return to Glory
Kimera, the Italian brand, recalled the days of the famous Lancia 037 Rally with the Evo037. It brought the recently introduced 600-horsepower (441 kW) Evo38 to Geneva.
Text: Peter Stano, photo: GIMS, Renault, Dacia, BYD, Lucid Motors, MG, Kimera Automobili
