C-Oh!-2 Emphasis at Geneva
February 28, 2008

By AutoObserver staff

It now seems safe to say the European auto industry is more than a little preoccupied with carbon dioxide.

In fact, Europe’s hubris over CO2 perhaps has surpassed the industry’s longstanding performance one-upmanship, so the pending Geneva Motor Show will feature the strange juxtaposition of automaker PR machinery cranked up to propound, of all things, modesty — environmental modesty.

That means a plethora of diesel engines and alarmingly downsized gasoline power plants. And yes, even a few hybrids.

U.S. Players Still Studying the Rules
For this new, how-low-can-you-go CO2 game, the U.S. automakers still are scanning the rulebook, apparently: Chrysler LLC has no meaningful presence in Geneva, and General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are only somewhat more engaged.

GM’s Chevrolet division shows the new three-door version of its Chevrolet Aveo subcompact; the heftiest power plant is a 1.4-liter four-cylinder making 101 hp.

More important to Europe’s CO2 dialogue — and the overall fortunes of GM’s Saab unit — is the Saab 9-1. This long-discussed compact Saab is charged with countering the semi-successful small-car onslaught from Europe’s highline automakers, led by BMW AG’s 1-Series and Audi AG’s A3 and upcoming A1. Pre-show details were scant, but the 9-1’s importance is partly due to its residence on the new generation of GM’s global compact front-wheel-drive architecture and its manufacturing in Saab's homeland of Sweden.

Ford makes big news at Geneva by hauling out the production version of the Verve concept car–influenced Fiesta, fronting the company’s all-new global compact-car underpinnings, which are said to be the first product of its latest global product-development structure. Then there's the not-insignificant decision to once again use the longstanding Fiesta nameplate. Expect a staggering range of gasoline and diesel engines in accordance with the Fiesta’s worldwide reach, including the U.S. — although, frustratingly, not until 2010.

Europe All Over the CO2 Thing
It’s said the Italian and French automakers are driving the EU thinking CO2 targets, particularly the proposed CO2 tailpipe limit of an airy 130 grams per kilometer.

So with what some call an unfair advantage, the Italians and French are fronting all manner of low-CO2 solutions that continue to instill a performance image. Case in point: Fiat SpA’s Abarth edition of its successful new 500. The tiny but sport-oriented car features a turbocharged 1.4-liter good for 135 hp and probably close to the same number in CO2 g/km.

Fiat’s Alfa subsidiary comes with an open-top version of the stunning 8C. The Spider, which was shown in prototype form at last year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, will have a production run of just 500.

Fiat's other subsidiary, Lancia, will have a busy show as the turnaround of the company will be starting with the new Lancia Delta. The car is based on a stretched Fiat Bravo platform and looks exciting enough — but to have 70,000 sales a year, Lancia leaders will have to fight hard in an executive-car segment that is declining.

France’s Renault SA will debut the production version of its Koleos crossover. Built by Renault-Samsung, the company's South Korean subsidiary, the Koleos will have only one available engine, a 1.5-liter turbodiesel. Koleos will compete with the new Volkswagen Tiguan in Europe’s burgeoning semi-premium compact-crossover market.

It will be interesting to see how Volkswagen AG promotes the production version of the IROC concept, which will become the new-generation Scirocco — all-out performance coupe or some stab at an environmental “spin"? The latter is likely, considering the expected performance orientation of the engine lineup and the nameplate’s heritage.

Skoda, the Czech subsidiary of Volkswagen, will be launching the second-generation of its Superb executive sedan. This time the company went for a more hatchbacklike styling and a more upmarket interior. Interesting features include a smart tailgate that can be opened in stages. Several new Volkswagen gasoline engines will first appear in the Superb, including a 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a 3.6-liter V6, the latter with direct fuel-injection.

Volvo has seriously toned down the look of the XC60 concept, but the production version is still a bold move for the Swedish company. The compact SUV will compete against the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLK and the forthcoming Audi Q5. There will be three engines in Europe, including a diesel. The XC60 also launches a new safety system: City Safety is a self-braking system that automatically engages if it senses the danger of a collision.

BMW’s main emphasis is on furthering its eco-friendly powertrain initiatives. The X5 Vision concept offers up a unique, high-output 2.0-liter turbodiesel (BMW says it’s the first production diesel to crack the magic 100-horsepower-per-liter mark). The powertrain incorporates a 15-kW generator and a small lithium-ion battery pack to impart mild-hybrid functionality. 

Rival Mercedes-Benz shows up at Geneva with its CLC, the two-door coupe variant of the new C-Class, a model hurried into the lineup to tilt with BMW’s 1 Series, the Mini, Volvo C30 and its ilk. Engine choices are likely to slant to the low-CO2 end of the scale.

Mercedes also unveils the face-lifted ’09 SL roadster, a fine-looking beast that, it is assumed, will have no particularly positive environmental credentials, unless there’s a way to get the world thinking something green about a 386-hp, 5.5-liter dual-cam V8.

Japan Makes its Moves
The Japanese automakers can almost invariably be counted on to assess the market and supply the right product. In the case of Europe, the demands are similar to the Japan home market, so it hasn’t taken the Japanese makers long to see the prevailing CO2-driven winds.

One of the most significant Geneva sightings will be Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s all-new Accord. This seven-eights model of the Accord the rest of the world gets serves as the basis for the Acura TSX in North America, and for Europe employs the second generation of Honda’s acclaimed four-cylinder turbodiesel.

Toyota Motor Corp. appears in Geneva with the production version of its tiny iQ, a cross between a smart and a Scion. It’s less than a foot longer than a Smart, but the concept version showed a weird 3-plus-1 seating setup. High mileage and low CO2 are a given, as it is with the Urban Cruiser, an SUV'd interpretation of the ist subcompact.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. kicks off the European launch of its Infiniti upscale brand, with little to show for itself except already seen production cars and the Pivo2 runabout. Fuji Heavy Industries’ Subaru is launching its crucial new horizontally opposed diesel, a first for Subaru and vital for its ongoing competitiveness (and, ahem, CO2 profile) on the Continent.

And the Chinese automakers are not to be overlooked.

It seems Byd Auto — which previously claimed a goal to be the world's biggest automaker by 2025 — will show its current range of models at the Geneva show. Europeans will have their first taste of Byd’s Chevrolet Lacetti5-like F3R and the F1, which bears some resemblance to the Europe-only Toyota Aygo minicar.

Also, HSO Motors Europe S.a.r.l., the Luxembourg-based distributor of China Brilliance (aka Zhonghua) cars will have a display, though sales have still not recommenced after the disastrous 2006 crash test results.

Bill Visnic wrote this story. Pal Negyesi and Peter Nunn contributed.

Photos from the manufacturers

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