Morgan Aero 8 Bertone Slim Ligier Dragon Fly SwissLEM Twike Groupe Design Performance T-Rex Fiat Ecobasic SEAT Salsa Ferrari 360 Daewoo Tacuma Tata Indica Tata Aria EDAG 2000 Lamborghini Diablo 6.0 Lotus M250 Pagani Zonda C 12 S Maserati Buran Imza 700 Cadillac Imaj Chrysler Sebring Alfa Romeo Sportwagon Audi allroad quattro Opel VX220 Nissan Maxima Suzuki Wagon R+ Rolls-Royce Park Ward Toyota Previa Toyota RAV4 Renault Scenic RX4

The biggest surprise at Geneva this year was the new Morgan Aero 8. Morgan is a very small but long established (1909) British specialist producer building sports cars that look as if they were styled decades ago—which, more or less, they were. Morgan buyers are invariably aficionados prepared to order a car from the company and wait several years for delivery. Although Morgan has developed its cars to meet international safety and emissions legislation, new models in the fullest sense have not been on the agenda—until now. The Aero 8 retains much of the Morgan style signature, with flowing fenders and broad running boards; in that aspect it is as retro as retro can be. However, in some senses the remarkably individualistic Aero 8 is thoroughly Y2K. Described as a "completely new" model, it has an aluminum chassis and a combination of thermoplastically and hand-formed aluminum body panels. Morgan describes it as an AIV (aluminum-intensive vehicle). Engineers developed the car over a four-year period, focusing on weight saving, performance, ride, and handling—with lightweight components and materials central to the car's design.

Morgan says the Aero 8 uses "the latest aluminum material" produced by Alcan at its plant in Nachterstedt, Germany. It is the first car in Europe to be produced using this innovative material, which has been specifically designed by Alcan for use in vehicle manufacture, according to Morgan. Sections of the aluminum are bonded using a high-performance Gurritt Essex adhesive and riveted with Bollhoff rivets for secondary strength. This combination provides excellent torsional rigidity, claims the company.

The Aero 8 uses a 4.4-L BMW V8 engine producing 210 kW (281 hp) at 5500 rpm. It is expected to be sufficient for 0-100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in under 5 s and a top speed of around 257 km/h (160 mph). A six-speed gearbox with self-adjusting clutch is fitted. The engine's cradle is made from aluminum extrusions. Use of aluminum extrusions for suspension and braking systems contributes to keeping the car's mass to about 1000 kg (2200 lb). Suspension is all-independent. At the front, each side gets a long cantilever upper arm with lower wishbone and inboard Eibach coil springs over a Koni shock absorber. At the rear are long transverse wishbones with cantilever-mounted fully floating inboard Eibach coil springs over Koni shock absorbers. Anti-roll bars are not fitted.

Like other Morgans, the Aero 8 has an ash frame. Designed in-house using CATIA software, the car has a Cd of 0.39, a figure which shows little variance with the folding roof erect or lowered. Styling is certainly distinctive. The shape, which develops negative lift front and rear, was developed in the UK's MIRA wind tunnel. A Venturi tunnel is incorporated at the rear of the car to reduce lift. The car was tested at BMW's facility in the South of France. Production is scheduled to begin in July.

The Morgan was the complete opposite of the Bertone Slim, with a body shell that looks more like part of the fuselage and cockpit of a military combat aircraft on four wheels. Bertone described it as "an interesting piece of research into urban mobility and more generally into 'fun.'" A two-seat car with tandem configuration, the Slim is 3 m (9.8 ft) long and 1 m (3.3 ft) wide. It has a two-cylinder 15-kW (20-hp) Lombardini engine and is categorized in Europe as a four-wheeled cycle or quadricycle. The sliding cockpit style roof allows easy access. The car can travel with the roof sections open or closed. A similar Lombardini engine is used for Ligier's Dragon Fly, the minimalist body of which gives new meaning to the phrase "open air motoring." The car is only 2.5 m (8.2 ft) long and has two seats. Ligier also makes a more conventional production quadricycle.

SwissLEM uses only three wheels for its Twike, which is electric-powered. A new version, the Twike.Me, designed by Sbarro, made its debut at Geneva. It has integral disc brakes, a monocoque glass-fiber shell, and computer-controlled batteries. It requires 4 kW•h for a distance of 100 km (62 mi). It could also be used to keep fit, for it has a pedal option. There is also a choice between a conventional steering wheel and an aircraft-type joystick.

Groupe Design Performance's T-Rex also has three wheels—"one of them over-sized even by F1 standards." The T-Rex, which has a Suzuki motorcycle engine and a mass of 410 kg (904 lb), was designed at Groupe Design Performance's Canadian facility.

The Ecobasic is Fiat's concept of a future ultra-compact car. Described as a test laboratory on wheels, Ecobasic is said to have fuel consumption better than 3.0 L/100 km (78 mpg). Mass is 750 kg (1650 lb), and it is highly aerodynamic for such a small car, with a Cd of only 0.28 despite a near-upright windshield. Its engine is a 1.2-L common-rail turbodiesel. Power output is 45 kW (60 hp) at 3500 rpm, giving a 160 km/h (100 mph) top speed. The engine drives through a five-speed "robotized" gearbox. This gearbox's most innovative feature is a program designed to integrate the action of the engine control unit with that of the automatic transmission control unit. The software coordinates the actions of both to select the gear to be engaged and the engine service interval (based on rpm and load). The driver expresses his power requirement through the accelerator and the system meets those requirements in the most fuel-efficient way. The Ecobasic uses thermoplastics for body panels, and the rear window is of polycarbonate. To reduce production costs, Fiat came up with the idea of a new, more streamlined factory with a paint shop that processes more than one car variant. This is then completed and customized at the end of the manufacturing cycle. The body uses mass-dyed plastics. The car's hood is sealed; there is access for fluid top-up through a flap. The car has one door on one side and two on the other.

SEAT's new Salsa concept unveiled at Geneva is described as adaptable to the type of driving desired, so it is subtitled the Multi Driving Concept (MDC). It is powered by a 2.8-L V6 engine producing 209 kW (280 hp) and has four-wheel drive. Salsa's driver can select sport, comfort, or city driving modes by operating a dashboard switch. According to the option chosen, the layout of the dashboard, the driving position, interior lighting, and even the engine note change. In addition, depending on the mode selected, the Salsa swaps between five-speed automatic and manual Tiptronic gear selection. Walter de Silva, who joined SEAT from Alfa Romeo, designed the Salsa. He said of its prospects for production: "The Salsa could occupy a place in the market—it represents modern sportiness in all its aspects and is projected towards a future that is within sight."

Ferrari's new 360 Spider by Pininfarina arrived a year after the 360 Modena berlinetta. The new car is described as the fastest, most powerful open sports car that Ferrari has produced. It has an all-aluminum chassis with structural sections in extruded aluminum with cast nodes—"made in the same foundry as the alloy components for Ferrari's F1 cars." Ferrari claims that the car has the world's highest torsional and flexural rigidity figures for an open car—850 daN•in/° and 420 daN/mm, respectively. Its engine is a V8 3.6-L unit producing 298 kW (400 hp) at 8500 rpm. It has quadruple camshafts and five valves per cylinder. Performance figures include 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4.6 s and a top speed of almost 300 km/h (186 mph).

Pininfarina was also responsible for a very different car, the Daewoo Tacuma, which was also unveiled at Geneva. A compact MPV, it is 4.35 m (14.3 ft) long and 1.57 m (5.10 ft) high—and is designed to seat five people. "What Pininfarina was asked to do was to add dynamism and emotional impact to a type of vehicle whose image is essentially associated with sturdy practicality and to endow it with real character from every angle," said the car's Italian design specialist.

Tata, the Indian motor manufacturer, was at Geneva for the European launch of its five-door 1.4-L Indica, styled in association with design house IDEA. The car was introduced in India in 1998. Tata also showed a concept roadster, the Aria, built on the Indica platform. Tata plans to give it a 104-kW (140-hp) engine, but it is likely to be preceded into production by other Indica variants including a three-box sedan, station wagon, and possibly a small SUV.

German company EDAG presented a limousine design study at Geneva. The EDAG 2000 is described as a study for a new upper/middle-class vehicle. Interior safety and one-box vehicles have been clear, recent trends on the market, according to EDAG. Interior safety is illustrated not only by safety systems but also by bodywork architecture with a reduced glasshouse. Maximum interior space in minimum exterior volume also typifies design in this market sector, so the EDAG 2000 has a shortened trunk. Interior treatment includes a squared steering wheel.

Apart from the roof (steel) and doors (aluminum), most of Lamborghini's body parts are made of carbon fiber. The MY2000 Diablo has a new 6.0-L engine, wider front and rear tracks, improved exhaust system, new 32-bit microprocessor for the engine management system, upgraded chassis, redesigned interior, and a new air-conditioning system. The added engine capacity of 0.29 L takes swept volume to 5.99 L for an added 15 kW (20 hp) and a maximum 410 kW (550 hp). Torque is up from 605 to 620 N•m (446 to 457 lb•ft) at 5500 rpm. Body changes include a new front end with wider fenders to house wider magnesium-alloy wheels and tires. The chassis has been reinforced with carbon-fiber inserts to enhance torsional rigidity.

Lotus took the production-ready version of its M250 concept to Geneva, although full production is not expected to start until the first quarter of 2002. Styling is very similar to that of the concept M250 seen at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show. Mass is less than 1000 kg (2200 lb). Lotus claims that "the path to dynamic brilliance is the one signposted 'light weight.'" The M250 employs a development of the Elise's bonded extruded aluminum chassis with a body using advanced composites. Power for European versions of the M250 will come from a Lotus-developed mid-positioned 3.0-L V6 producing 186 kW (250 hp). Lotus adds that the M250 has rear-wheel drive "and doesn't have a microchip anywhere to help handling." The interior is designed to cope with a 98th percentile male. Production is scheduled to reach 4000 units a year. In other Lotus news, initial deliveries of the production Elise 340R started early this year. Only 340 will be built.

One of the more impressively styled concepts at Geneva was the Pagani Zonda C 12 S, first seen at last year's show as the C 12. It is the design of Horacio Pagani. Modena Design was also involved in the project. The new S version has an elongated nose, which together with other changes, improves aerodynamics. Its four exhaust pipe outlets are mounted in a cluster. Carbon fiber is used for what the company describes as a central tub (safety cell) using aircraft-industry production standards. Extensive use is made of aluminum for the suspension. Total mass is said to be less than 1250 kg (2755 lb). The car's engine is a Mercedes-Benz AMG V12 producing 410 kW (550 hp).

Italdesign-Giugiario seldom disappoints at the Geneva Show and this year showed the high-performance Maserati Buran limousine. Although the trend in flagship design as the 20th century ended favored low-slung, streamlined, sporty, almost coupe shapes, the Maserati Buran adopted quite a different approach. The car is close to 5 m (16.4 ft) long and 1650 mm (65 in) high, with a width of 1950 mm (77 in). The Buran marked the first time that a motor-show prototype designed in the company's Moncalieri Styling Center and manufactured in the company's IDC headquarters in California. This was a "strategic" decision to get the most out of the new U.S. design center, which has mainly focused on research and show cars, but now will be used to develop innovative techniques for the manufacture of models to be sold to the general public, according to Italdesign-Giugiario in a statement at Geneva. The Buran is powered by a turbocharged 3.2-L engine producing 276 kW (370 hp) and driving all four wheels.

A new car from Turkey is hardly an everyday event, but the attractive Imza 700 was at Geneva. In prototype form at present but planned for production in 2002, it is a "monospace"—though a station wagon, coupe, cabriolet, and commercial van are planned for the same platform—that at 3.55 m (11.7 ft) is shorter than a Mercedes-Benz A-Class. It is also lower, but is said to offer more interior room. It has five doors and is scheduled to have an engine of between 1.2 and 1.6 L. Styling was carried out in Turkey and the UK.

Concept Cadillacs can be significant designs, and the Imaj shown at Geneva is just that. It follows the Evoq concept roadster and gives a further indication of Cadillac's view of its brand direction. Imaj is described as an all-wheel-drive luxury sedan. It was created at GM's Concept Design Studio at Birmingham in the UK under the leadership of Briton, Simon Cox, with support from the North American Cadillac Design Studio in Warren, MI, led by Cadillac Design Manager Tom Kearns. The Imaj has what 50 years ago would have been described as "razor-edge" styling, although GM uses the term "knife-edge." The car has an "updated version" of the supercharged North-star V8 engine with continuously variable valve timing. Power output is 317 kW (425 hp). The chassis is a weight-saving aluminum spaceframe, and the wheels are magnesium alloy. It has a next-generation StabiliTrak chassis control system. Overall length is 5.1 m (16.7 ft). Imaj is loaded with technology that includes Cadillac's Raytheon-developed infrared Night Vision system, obstacle alert sensors, and rear-vision cameras. It has adjustable pedals, shift-by-wire transmission, and adaptive cruise control. Each seat has individual environment (heating and ventilation) controls, and LCD screen with DVD capabilities, navigation, and entertainment developed by IBM and Delphi. The central element of the system is called Communiport, which integrates several features. At the core of the system are three IBM 10-GB Thinkpad 600Es linked by 10/100 Mbps Ethernet LAN to the monitors and other peripheral devices to provide infrastructure for delivery of information sources including cellular telephone, fax, and e-mail. Voice-activation is part of the system. The car's interior is bright, with the roof made almost entirely of electrochromatic glass. The glass is louvered and each occupant is able to control louver operation above a specific seat.

Chrysler chose Geneva for the debut of its all-new Sebring mid-size sedan. The car is seen as having potential in Europe, where it will go on sale late this year. Engines are a 2.7-L V6 and a four-cylinder 2.0-L. Chrysler says the car's image and detailing is influenced by the latest European coupes and sedans. It continues the company's cab-forward design. The interior also has a European flavor with simulated burr-wood trim. Major effort was placed on reducing mechanical, road, and aerodynamic noise. The Sebring's body provides significant improvements in stiffness compared with the Stratus.

Alfa Romeo's 156 coupe-look sedan has proven a major commercial success; now the range expands with the Sportwagon. It is not a station wagon in the sense of being a freighter but it does have added load-carrying versatility with very attractive lines. Like its sedan sibling, the Sportwagon has "hidden" rear door handles to continue the coupe theme. The Sportwagon's overall length is 4.4 m (14.5 ft) and it has good aerodynamics with a Cd of 0.30. The load area has closed shelves and nets to restrain articles and divide space. There is a choice of six engines including two common-rail turbodiesels.

Production-ready versions of two cars already unveiled as concepts were at Geneva: the Audi allroad quattro and Opel/Vauxhall VX220. Seen as a concept at the 1998 Detroit Motor Show, the allroad quattro retains that version's reinforced front and rear bumpers, special radiator grille, pronounced wheel arches, and contrasting ribbed roof. Stainless steel underbody protection is used. The car also has air suspension that is height-adjustable in four stages. It features specially designed axles with air spring struts controlled by separate height sensors that vary the ride height at every wheel. As road speed increases, the intelligent system lowers the body in stages, taking ground clearance from 208 to 142 mm (8.2 to 5.6 in). The driver can manually override the system. A low-ratio transfer box is an option for serious off-road use. Engine choice is a V6 2.5-L turbodiesel or 2.7-L V6 biturbo gasoline engine. Both drive through a quattro permanent four-wheel-drive system. The allroad quattro is being built at Audi's Neckarsulm plant alongside the A6, A8, and new A2.

The VX220 uses GM Europe's 110-kW (147-hp) 2.2-L four-cylinder engine placed amidship to give a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time of about 6 s. Seen as a concept at Geneva last year, GM decided the VX220 was suitable for production. Its basis is the Lotus Elise with a lightweight aluminum chassis. Suspension is independent to all wheels using double wishbones. It comes with ABS and driver airbag, but does not have power steering or central locking. The car's curb mass is about 850 kg (1874 lb) including a 138-kg (304-lb) engine.

Nissan plans to launch more new models in 2000 than in any previous year. It showed its new Maxima QX sedan at Geneva, which has a re-styled exterior, re-engineered suspension, and increased interior space for passengers and luggage. Suzuki chose Geneva to launch the latest version of its little Wagon R series, called the Wagon R+. The European version of the car is built at Magyar Suzuki Corp.'s facility in Hungary, which is similar to Suzuki's Kosai plant in Japan. Another new model at Geneva, albeit on a different scale, was the long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce Park Ward. Based on the Silver Seraph it has an extra 250-mm (9.9-in) rear passenger compartment space. Only 60 will be built this year.

Toyota chose Geneva for the world debut of its new RAV4 leisure off-roader. It has a more rounded shape than the previous model and will be available in three- and five-door forms. The wheelbase has been stretched and there is more interior room. The new Toyota Previa was also at Geneva. Able to carry six to eight adults, it has a front-engine, front-drive layout, which creates added interior space within the same overall length of 4.74 m (15.7 ft). The car is slightly narrower than the previous model and is offered with Toyota's new 2.4-L VVT-I engine developing 115 kW (154 hp). There is a choice of a newly developed five-speed manual gearbox or a new-generation automatic.

Renault's Scenic range has been expanded to include the four-wheel drive RX4. It qualifies as a small SUV, although Renault prefers to call it a 4x4 MAC (Multi-Activity Car). Available with 104-kW (140-hp) 2.0-L gasoline engine or 1.9-L common-rail diesel producing 78 kW (105 hp), the RX4 looks distinctly different from the regular two-wheel-drive Scenic thanks to a higher 210-mm (8.3-in) ground clearance, body cladding, and a spare wheel carried on the tailgate, which now comprises a two-part, sequentially opening door. The upper section is a glass hatch that swings upwards; the lower section a sideways opening door. Fitting the four-wheel-drive system required various structural modifications to the Scenic. At the front, to avoid having to alter the floor, the galvanized engine subframe was lowered 73 mm (2.9 in) to make room for the propeller shaft to the rear wheels. At the rear, the addition of a new subframe called for modification of the luggage compartment floor, with elimination of the spare wheel well. The permanent four-wheel-drive system was designed jointly by Renault and Steyr-Daimler-Puch. It includes a gearbox with twin outputs, a three-section propeller shaft with two intermediate universal joints, a viscous coupling, a rear final drive, and two additional driveshafts. The system automatically adjusts torque distribution front to rear. The system includes electronic traction control. Compared to the two-wheel-drive car, the RX4 is 175 kg (385 lb) heavier.

Stuart Birch

AEI May 2000