Switzerland 1, America 0

"Groagun" (groagun)
03/06/2015 at 18:54 • Filed to: None

Geneva Switzerland, never been there, seems like a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. Much like Vancouver here in Canada. I hate Vancouver or more appropriately, I hate the people who live in Vancouver: More on that in another story.

So how does this relate to America and how is Switzerland 1 and 0 against the good old USA? Well it stems from the fact that Switzerland and it's car market are but a blip on the map yet they hold a, if not the, crown jewel of Motor Shows.

Detroit for as much as I love it is no Geneva, nor is LA, although they are trying and getting closer: NY, Chicago and all others simply do not muster the clout and spectacle that is the Geneva Motor Show.

This post is really about my impressions and opinions of the cars on the show floor but really it has turned into the partial expose of the changing of the automotive world where America is no longer the center of the universe.

I'll wrap up the post with my explanation of this and elaborate further, but for now, onto the cars themselves: ( Full disclosure I'm using an autoblog.com post for reference and order. They do a nice job of putting all things in one concise post. )

Geneva 2015 Autoblog.com

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Phiaro P75 Concept Cipher -While I have been dismissive and even cruel to some of these cars and their makers, I think this type of car is what in the future enthusiasts like you and I are going to have to turn to. Maybe the future isn't so bad after all?

Ford GT -Seen it in person and still not in love with the looks. Pricing announced at $400K in Geneva. My question is, with that price tag, does this move the car and badge out of the 'blue collar hero' status Ford has always enjoyed and lived off of?

MTM Audi RS6 Clubsport -It's interesting to see how the European tuning industry over the last few years has moved to OEM status and left the 'tuner' moniker behind. Legally becoming a manufacturer and finding success. I'm not sure however but is MTM an OEM now or still just a tuning and aftermarket company?

Suzuki iK-2 and iM-4 -"If only they could have held out longer in the US." What a load of shit that statement was when I heard it and I've heard it hundreds of times. No, their downfall was mismanagement that started many decades ago. The Swift was and is a great car that the Europeans get and of course the home market gets. We of course never got that car and Suzuki never let their engineers or NA management team run the show properly and give us the product they were most certainly capable of: that's the great shame!

Skoda Superb - I'd bet if the VW group brought this badge and car here it would outsell its VW sister car.

Sbarro Aria -One of the very cool and pleasant surprises of the Geneva Motor Show. My company and I just might have to talk to these guys to see if it's really plausible.

Spania GTA Spano -Say that 5 times quick. Interesting technology here as they are using grapheme in its construction. Who else is doing that?

Ruf RGT 4.2 -Now these guys I know have achieved OEM and manufacturer status. Smart people but I think they should expand their portfolio to include different makes and platforms or just start from scratch and make their own proprietary technology to develop a whole car.

Techart 911 Targa 4S -The new 911 base cars have failed to capture the enthusiast crowd. It seems this time around the aftermarket tuners are the real choice if you want a standard Carrera 2/4/or even S.

Mercedes V-ision e Concep t-A hybrid minivan. Besides price, what has taken so long?

Kia Cee'd GT -Funny name but kind of cool car. Why again don't we get this here? It seems to be a nice competitor to the Golf GTI.

Ruf Turbo Florio -More Ruf goodness, I'm no Porsche guy though.

Mansory Huracan -Or the 'Man I'm Sorry' for showing this in public car tuner. Seriously it takes a certain kind of dude to rock this ride.

Toyota Auris -This is the European Corolla, why can't we have this one?

Magna Steyr Mila Plu s-Always used as a technology demonstrators, these concept cars are always interesting and it's always a shame that Magna can't build them as they would conflict with their clients.

Qoros 3 City SUV -Of all the Chinese manufacturers I thought Qoros would have been out there first in the American market and leading the pack. Good to even great design and seemingly good to great engineering and quality, what's the problem?

SsangYong Tivoli -For those who don't know SsangYong is Korean and not Chinese. This is a good looking CUV and should do well for the company.

Opel Corsa OPC -A GM hot hatch that we might actually like.

EDAG Light Cocoon -A glimpse into the future or just smoke and mirrors?

Borgward -Who?

VW Touran -A Mazda5 replacement but I'm not sure it would do well here in NA.

Skoda Octavia RS230 -The Jetta we really want.

Italdesign Giugiaro Gea -Very pretty and maybe the best in show of the Italian design house cars: much better than their traditional competitor's offerings this year.

Opel Karl -At least they gave it a name and not an alpha numeric designation.

Hamann Porsche Macan S Diesel -for the love of god, please stop with the Gulf Oil livery!

BMW 2 GT -A min van with BMW handling or just an abomination? It does seem useful however.

Hyundai Tucson -Should prove to be a big seller once again, other than that it's just another SUV.

AC Schnitzer ACS4 -Are we sure that SEMA hasn't moved to Geneva?

VW Golf GTD Variant -In all seriousness, would a Golf Wagon sell well enough to make it profitable for VW to bring it to America?

Renault Clio RS220 Trophy -I love French cars, I wish we could have this here=(

Rinspeed Budii -These guys never fail to dazzle. This time though I'm not sure it's a good thing.

Mansory G63 AMG Sahara -Believe it or not this is their most subtle offering.

Smart Fortwo Moscot -Look out Smart/MB, Yamaha has a competitor that looks to kill off completely the whole Smart lineup.

Mitsubishi XR PHEV I I-Not bad, looks a bit like the Lexus NX thing but better I think and it's hope for the future.

Brabus 850 Coupe -Shock and Awe at its finest.

Nissan Sway -I like this new design language, so much better than the current fleet. A little out there but fresh and bold.

Rolls Royce Serenity -Opulent luxury like it should be, now pass the Grey Poupon.

Mini Countryman Park Lane -How much trouble is Mini in?

Brabus Rocket 900 -For when you have to reverse the tides.

Range Rover Evoque -Still looks awesome and has the chops to wear the badge.

Honda Jazz/Fit -It will still sell by the dozen.

Bentley Conti GT -Never been a big fan of this car and now its death may be ushered in by a new stable mate.

Seat Leon ST Cupra -Another GTI competitor from the VW family

Garia Mansory Currus -Really do I need to say anything?

Nanoflowcell Quant F Quantino - How the fuck does this work again?

Seat 20V20 -Should be in showrooms by early 2017.

McLaren 675LT -Looks great in that grey color and those wheels are a personal fav but really I'm starting to lose interest in this badge.

Audi Prologue Avant -So what do we expect to be different when this hits the showroom floor?

Aston Martin Lagonda Taraf - For some reason I kind of like this car, I have no idea why but I do: very sinister looking in black.

Audi R8 E-Tron -Built to order, I'm just not sure they are going to have many orders.

Kia Sportspace Concept -I'm a wagon lover but I have zero hope we will ever see this in NA and maybe not even Europe.

Touring Superleggera Berlinetta Lusso -I like this! It takes the F12 which is very angular and purposeful and smoothes it out and adds some feminine quality to it. It looks more like a real GT car than the F12.

Kahn Flying Huntsman -I guess someone had to replace the now discontinued MB G Wagon 6x6.

Renault Kadjar -Practical French: It can't be?

Honda Civic Type R -I have yet to be convinced, nor have I ever heard a compelling argument as to why we here in NA should not get the same Civic as Europe gets. Why do we keep getting the second class citizen of the Honda lineup?

VW Caddy -Useful van/minivan that could find a niche here in NA with small families or tradesmen.

911 GT3 RS -Porsche is pushing further up the technology tree and farther from the traditional 'harry chested' and manly mechanical brutality of the old guard. I'm not sure this is the best thing but I love the looks and all the aero bits on this: very 12 year old doodle worthy.

MB G500 4X4 2 -Other than the German and Russian armies of days past, even the Canadian army had some of these; does anyone really take these off road?

Lexus LF-SA -Actually one of the more interesting concepts at the show. A relatively new segment, the mini SUV/CUV designed specifically for city use is starting to emerge. For reasons I can't fully explain I like this. It's a cartoon car that you might be able to buy very soon.

Lotus Evora 400 -It's a good car but I think they made it uglier, too bad. Lotus is moving in the wrong direction: more power, more weight, not "Add lightness!"

VW Sport Coupe GTE -Quite nice actually and I have not been a fan of any current VW design. This isn't radical or a departure but it smoothssss and angles things nicely.

Porsche Cayman GT4 -OK this is one Porsche I am really excited about.

Infinity QX30 -Stable mate to the Nissan Sway, I hope they build it but do not hold your breath waiting. This company has an earned reputation for showing great concepts and never building them. There are much greater and fundamental problems to tackle first at Infinity.

Bugatti Veyron Vitesse La Finale -I'm happy they went more subtle than I thought they would and good bye old friend.

Morgan Aero8 -I'll take the hate mail but I simply do not care about this car or company anymore. After the way they turfed Charles and now this, I just don't care.

Audi R8 LMS -I wish the American Le Mans series was still around.

1997 McLaren F1 GTR Longtail -I know I have ignored some of the old metal at the show and just concentrated on the new stuff but: is the F1 the greatest car ever built? Not just sports car or race car but the greatest car ever?

Lambo Aventador LP750-4 SV -About as surprising as knowing my next birthday puts me one year closer to death.

MB Maybach S600 Pullman -Yes ever VIP from China can 'pull his little man' in the back in private with all that space.

Audi R8 -I'm really struggling with this one. The R8 has been and was a great car. It shook up the industry and forced the competition to get better. The videos I have seen seem to show that the capabilities of the car have increased dramatically. It's seems to be a far more dynamic and capable car. The looks however, kind of turn me off. It's gone even farther down the 'big TT' road and I wanted something more radical.

Ferrari 488 GTB -It's time for people to STFU and stop whining about turbo vs naturally aspirated engines. This car is not as pretty as its predecessor but it will most certainly be quicker and more capable.

Peugeot 208 -I love French cars, I wish we could get them here.

Alpina XD3 -I associate this company with class and prestige and they never fail to deliver.

Aston Martin Vantage GT3 -Buy them up now as major change is right around the corner for good old AM,,,,,,,,G.

Ford Focus RS -Need I say anymore than in this post !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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MB AMG GT3 -WEC and Le Mans look to be awesome this year.

Aston Marin Vulcan -One of the stars of the show!

Citroen DS5 -Coulod the DS brand make its' way to NA. Man I hope so and the rumors keep piling up.

Glickenhaus SCG 003 -The street version: I applaud this guy for taking the leap and moving out on his own. Ambition can be a good thing, only time will tell.

Bentley EXP10 Speed6 -Very Aston Martinish but that is not a dig. This thing is beautiful and awesome. I hope when it comes to market, they don't water it down too much.

Koenigsegg Regera -Crazy and over the top, but what do we expect from this guy/company? This is just the first foray into the electric world for Koenigsegg and I can't wait to see what's next.

Koenigsegg Agera RS -"MORE POWER" but is this design getting old now?

Pininfarina Ferrari Sergio -If you have read any of my other posts you may get the feeling I'm not a big fan of Sergio Marchionne. I think this abomination is fitting for him. Seriously Pininfarina, WFT? Italdesign Giugiaro and Carrozzeria Touring brought much better stuff to the show. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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Aston Martin DBX -This is just a big hot mess. Just do a proper SUV/CUV and pay no attention to the 'sports car only' rubes who simply do not understand the industry and how it works.

McLaren P1 GTR -is this going to be at Le Mans?

So Geneva is a big deal and I missed several cars that didn't make the autoblog.com post. Cars like:

-ABT, AC Schnitzer, Carlsson, Mansory(Man I'm Sorry), MTM and Startech tuner cars.

- Alfa Romeo, BMW, Audi, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Peugeot/Citroen, Renault, Skoda, Toyota and VW face lifted models.

-Special introductions like Cadillac's ATS and CTS V series cars for Europe were on the floor.

-Even Mitsubishi, Zenovo and Lancia, yes I said Lancia were at the show!

-Last but not least, there were 31 concept cars on display: 31! That does not include the Honda NSX or Ford GT.

This is a huge show and a huge deal and America doesn't have an answer to it, anymore. You may argue that this is for Europe and Europeans only, BULLSHIT! There is no such thing anymore as the 'us vs them' and 'x' market is so different from America argument. Americans buy on mass, almost everything Europe and Japan have thrown at us.

The EU market and the JDM are in turmoil and America is once again the place for and the center of the universe for 'the car'. China simply has numbers but political and societal uncertainty steer the dragon. I'm not sure Detroit can be 'that show' so it's up to LA. So America, are you up for the challenge? Can you even the score? Easier said than done!