The Esflow polarised opinion in Geneva. It clearly has a lot of Nissan Z-car language in it, and appears to demonstrate an intention to build an electric sport car before too long. However, inside feels like a very different car to outside (we don’t mean that as a negative comment). We were grabbed by some of the details, such as the indicator stalks (below), bank of toggle switches that sit in the midst of the dual-hump of the IP, and billet-like gear selector (see bottom). Design review coming soon.

Joe Simpson

 

The HSD concept previews the design direction for the next generation Yaris, but there’s nothing groundbreaking here…

Showcasing Toyota’s proprietary hybrid technology in a B-segment package, the monovolume exterior design features some hybrid-specific styling cues previously seen on the Prius and Lexus RX450h. These visual identifiers include the LED headlamps and taillamps and blue Toyota badges.

Within compact exterior dimensions is a ‘spacious practical interior’, Toyota claims. We would have liked to see this for ourselves, but the blacked-out windows of the show car demonstrate that it’s not yet been finished.

Eric Gallina

It’s easy to be completely engrossed by the cars at the motorshow. Clearly, they should be the number one priority but, increasingly, stand design is important too, not only influencing how the cars themselves are perceived, but as a way of communicating brand values. Here are a few of my favourites stand details from this year:

Joe Simpson

VW’s Bulli is an exceptionally well-executed piece of design, evoking a spirit of a by-gone era. It’s especially impressive to see VW’s modern twist on the petrol pump with this electric charging unit that stands alongside the car, topped with a vast VW roundel. The petrol pump and station has formed such a strong part of the automotive-inspired architecture of the last century that it’d be sad to think we will lose that with the onset of the electric car. VW shows it needn’t be so…

Continuing the propulsion theme, Porsche chose to show what (isn’t technically) their oldest car, but one that makes a good story all the same. The first hybrid vehicle ever built, stood proudly on Porsche’s stand next to the company’s newest hybrid, the Panamera. Though many observers seemed to prefer its looks to those of the more modern car…

Seat showed off a simple, eye-catching way to display their range of colours, in this circle of mirrors. It’s not a new idea, but the bright and bold Seat palette was more notable for being somewhat more visually arresting than the IBx concept that can be seen behind…

Volvo’s accessories and stand displays often impress, and Geneva 2011 proved no different. Showing the company’s exterior colour range as a display of ‘jeans cut-outs’ made for a sweet and original display in the corner of the Volvo booth…

Audi is a master of stand design. This is a detail shot from the accessory range for the A1. Is it just us or is that checker-pattern reminiscent of fashion brand Burberry?

Elsewhere, the company’s quattro ice-block might be familiar to those who’ve visited an Audi stand before, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive…

We thought one Vision ConnectedDrive concept would have been enough, but BMW brought two Geneva 2011, fixing one to the wall of their stand. The display features a screen that rolls open or shut, depending on what aspect of the car’s technological aspects is being demonstrated…

We featured it in a previous post, but couldn’t resist sneaking in that half of a Renault 4 display again

The little Morgan Three Wheeler was causing an unexpected stir in the corner of hall six, attracting a constant stream of intrigued and bewildered admirers amongst the designers we spoke to.

The rebirth of the iconic bathtub-style Morgan is a stark and somewhat refreshing vision amidst a sea of ever-more complex surfaces and increasing wheel size. Its dimensions are hard to gauge through photographs, but sitting atop skinny wire wheels and with the V-Twin engine way out front for the world to see, it certainly won’t be mistaken for anything else at the show.

Beneath the pastiche retro exterior nestles a modern engine and gearbox, as well as a sumptuous leather-lined interior, sporting a central aircraft-style dial binnacle. With the exterior adorned in a matte green paint and complete with WWII graphics, you feel compelled to don a sheep-skinned leather jacket just to look at the car. However this convincing fusion of old and new, the simple beauty and eccentric demeanour of the Three Wheeler places it firmly as one of my favourite cars of the show.

John O’Brien

BMW’s Vision ConnectedDrive Concept is one of the real show stars in Geneva. BMW’s Director of Group Design, Adrian van Hooydonk talks more about the overall strategy behind the concept here. And Head of Interior Design at BMW, Marc Girard has talked us through the interior here and here.

This car had a tough act to follow in the form of the acclaimed Vision EfficientDynamics Concept shown at the IAA in Frankfurt in 2009. Based on pictures released some weeks before Geneva, some were also questioning whether this car would live up the high standards of design and originality set by that car. In photos, some of the resolution and surfacing made this car look a little slab-like. Yet in the flesh the car has a lithe, elegant form and a lightness of execution that belies its complex technology.

There is some surprisingly poor surfacing on show on other cars here in Geneva, but the BMW is not one of them . It might not have quite the level of originality the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept displayed, but it’s still an impressive piece of design in its own right and a logical evolution of a set of ideas. Along with the Mini Rocketman, it illustrates the depth of talent within design at BMW right now. Hidden throughout the concept are a series of incredibly complex, yet ultimately quite background technology features, which we’ll explore in greater depth in a longer design review. For now though, here are some of our favourite detail elements of the car, and our flickr photo gallery.

Joe Simpson

…by cutting it in half. In its lime green paint, fixed to the wall of the Renault stand, this 4L struck an arresting visual image as you made your way up the stairs between halls one and two. And as Renault ‘drives the change’, we suspect there’s still much the company can take in inspiration from this innovative small car.

Joe Simpson

The FT-86 II is the latest interpretation of the much-lauded FT-86 concept originally shown at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. But, as the design nears production (or – given Toyota’s reticence to name an on-sale date – should that be creeps towards?), the no-nonsense sports car from the Japanese automaker appears to be becoming much more compromised in terms of its design.

The original showcar had massive appeal – thanks largely to its elegant proportions and exquisite detailing, particularly in the interior. However, this latest variant is devoid of an interior and features a slew of what almost feel like Lexus LFA-referencing elements that have not transitioned well. At the front, the LED strips in the lower bumper are met by LFA-style headlamps, which aren’t as successful as the original, simpler units. Meanwhile, the gaping-mouth grille gives the car the appearance of something you’re more likely to find feeding close to the bottom of a murky sea-bed.

Fender blisters appear at the front and a pronounced air inlet adorns the bodyside. Yet more changes have been made to the rear, where the haunches appear just aft of the crude shoulder that disappears incongruously into the DLO. LFA-like taillamps also adorn the truncated rear end, whilst further addendum – such as a large, tuning-style decklid spoiler and an aggressive diffuser – shout its sporting intent. These are necessary as this latest version has even less tumblehome than the original.

The elegant lines of the original FT-86 didn’t require such ‘go-faster’ bits; the design was much more successful for the lack of them. This car may, perhaps, be more production ready, but the FT-86 II concept regrettably lacks the appeal of its Tokyo forebear. As such, it leaves us wishing that Toyota had left the design alone, and appears to prove true that – as far as FT-86 designs are concerned – less truly does equal more.

Eric Gallina

 

As it seeks to cast its metaphorical net wider than its traditional home of the US, the Infiniti stand (notable for being as physically far way from Nissan’s as possible) held host to the Etherea concept.

While all previous Inifiniti designs have followed the ‘premium’ convention in terms of format (think SUVs and rear-drive sedans) the monovolume Etherea is resolutely front-wheel drive – the traditional antithesis of ‘premium’.

And how refreshing it is to see the brand pluck up the confidence to plough its own furrow; offer a point of difference.

Some feel its execution overwrought, yet while its surfacing is dramatic – particularly its hood-to-fender transition – it manages to hang together in a relaxed, non-aggressive gait.

Owen Ready

John O’Brien

This is an important concept for Alfa. Designed in Centro Stile (one that – for the first time in memory – isn’t based in Milan), its name forces an obvious link with the bigger 8C and elements of its design relate to the larger car. And ultimately, anytime Alfa Romeo announces a new sports car, the motoring establishment immediately digs into its deep bag of “emotive” verbs to describe it.

This time, the proportions and detailing however, were more Lotus than classic Alfa Romeo. The slightly overwrought pinches on the bonnet represent a stark contrast to the bold round forms of its big sister 8C, and the deeply dipped window line looked like it was lifted straight off the Evora, leading many to question the origins of the chassis. The rear haunch, and the shape of the rear window also speak of the soon to be defunct Lotus. The rear deck, meanwhile has strong hits of Ferrari.

To Alfa Romeo’s credit, they chose to show the car in a bold “sparkling rose” velvet matte finish paint that beautifully showed off some of the well-resolved surfaces and a sensuous overall form language that aspects of the car’s design does exhibit.

Andrew Meehan and Joe Simpson