Luxury models continue to dominate car show

An air of surrealism hangs over the Geneva Motor Show, set to open its doors to the public on Thursday. Thousands of journalists and VIPs, including California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, swarmed the exhibition halls of Palexpo over two days for a preview of the 79th annual show.

This year it is revving up as some of the world’s largest auto manufacturers teeter on the edge of bankruptcy and the worst global economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s brutally cuts into vehicle sales.

Still, the show must go on, and for habitués of previous car shows this one has a familiar feel to it. Pretty hostesses drape over expensive, powerful, luxurious cars, many of them with astonishingly high price tags.

But for the first time, some companies are also brandishing carbon dioxide emissions figures for their models that have customarily been lost in the fine print, if mentioned at all.

Schwarzenegger, who famously drove gas-guzzling Hummers - military-style SUVs - before becoming a convert to environmentalism, was trailed by a pack of reporters as he visited various areas of the show on Wednesday.

But the former movie actor appeared to spend more of his time at the stands of high-performance luxury cars such as Bentley and Porsche than at exhibitors promoting green credentials.

Greenhouse emissions and other environmental concerns have taken on a greater importance as political leaders from US President Barack Obama on down ramp up policies to reduce global warming.

Greenhouse gases from car tailpipes are an issue that car makers are struggling to grapple with after years of promoting SUVs and high-performance gas guzzlers.

Martin Seifert, a representative for Gasmobil, said the manufacturers appear to be confused about what direction to go.

“I’ve never experienced this before,” said Seifert, at a stand that is promoting the use of natural gas to fuel cars in Switzerland.

After a “go-go” event in 2008, when the economy appeared to be still rosy, “this year there is a slight tension at the show and they (the car companies) are not giving a clear vision.”

In this economy, with new car sales down 20 percent so far this year in Switzerland, “price appears to be extremely critical in terms of (companies) surviving,” he said.

And yet many of the 850 brands on display are too expensive for average households and there is also a mixed message about energy efficiency, Seifert indicated.

Indeed, for prospective purchasers for whom price is no object, the car show offers a wide variety of options for forking over large amounts of cash for vehicles that fall short on environmental performance.

At the Aston Martin stand, for example, the elite British manufacturer is taking orders for its One-77, a sleek sports car capable of travelling at more than 320 kilometres an hour. The price? A cool one million pounds (1.66 million francs).

“It’s a lot more than a car, it’s like a work of art,” said Aston Martin spokesman Matthew Clarke, pointing to a model of the car to be produced for just 77 customers, starting next year.

With a carbon-fibre chassis and a 7.3-litre V-12 engine developing 700 brake horsepower, it is capable of speeds of more than 320 kilometres an hour.

Clarke is confident there will be buyers for the hand-built car and for Aston Martin’s other models – the English company makes just 5,000 a year from its factory in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

“We’re not immune to the economic climate,” he said. “It will be difficult in the short term, but it will turn.”

At the Geneva car show, the company is promoting its Lagonda concept car, a fastback model expected to sell for more than 165,000 pounds when it goes into production in three or four years.

Clarke said that Geneva has one of the strongest dealerships in the world for Aston Martin.

As to the Palexpo event, he said, “it’s still one of the most, if not the most important motor shows in the world.”

With 130 new cars premiered at the show there’s no shortage of fresh and exotic models to admire.

At one end of the exhibition, Rolls Royce is showcasing its “Baby Rolls” called the 200 EX, next to the extended wheelbase version of the latest Rolls Royce Phantom, which claims CO2 emissions of 380 grams per kilometre.

That’s more than four times those claimed by one of the Smart Cars elsewhere in the show that boasts fuel consumption of 3.4 litres per 100 kilometres driven.

Other novelties range from Nissan’s boxy-looking “Cube” to Zurich manufacturer Rinspeed’s iChange, a concept car with a pop-up glass roof and seating that can changed to accommodate one or three people.

Morgan, the sports car company, is celebrating its 100th birthday with models that include the Aero 8, a two-seat convertible with a top speed of 273 kilometres an hour and a pricetag of 134,840 francs.

The German car companies are well-represented with Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen staking out significant space for their products that range from energy-efficient econo-cars to luxury limousines with prices climbing well over 100,000 francs.

For all the hype about electric cars, the number of available models on the market are few and far between, although many of the major manufacturers have concept models on display.

Nissan is promising to release its zero-emission Nuvu electric car in Switzerland and the rest of Europe – in 2012. That’s two years after it is set to be introduced in Japan and the US.

The body style has yet to be finalized but a model of the concept, featuring a compact lithium-ion battery, is on display at the Geneva car show, although it’s not with the rest of the Nissan vehicles.

You can find it in the Pavillon Vert, or “Green pavilion,” a small area showcasing environmental technologies, that was almost deserted Wednesday. 

Amanda Kiefer, a hostess showing off the Nuvu, said it had mostly attracted “people who are really looking for green cars” and “environmental experts.”

Tesla, the American electric car manufacturer, was among the handful of other exhibitors in the Green Pavilion. Its two-seater sport models are selling in Europe for 89,000 euros and are available by reservation only.

A total of 250 exhibitors are represented at the car show with displays covering almost 80,000 square metres of floor space. The show runs daily until March 15 with tickets selling for 14 francs for adults and eight francs for children.

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