This is the third year Cartell has been giving customers our unique perspective live from the Geneva Motor Show – the premiere event on the annual calendar for developments in the automotive world – and described as “the most eclectic auto show on the planet“. This year is the 84th edition of the show and you can catch some of the highlights on its dedicated TV Channel. We’ve had a look around the venue and once again the presentation of the vehicle’s are breathtaking – there’s a lot of money spent here by the manufacturers. But, in return, this event is covered extensively in the media around the world so it represents an ideal opportunity to get pictures out to the public without the requirement to advertise.

Here’s our take on some of the best bits this year:

Lamborghini

Let’s start with the biggest show-stoppers of them all: Lamborghini. At their stand this year they feature the replacement to their out-going sales leader the Gallardo –The Huracán. Its top speed is over 200mph. It can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h  in 3.2 seconds and from 0 to 200 km/h in 9.9 seconds. This is an all-wheel-drive vehicle. You can explore the vehicle more on the official site. To our eyes it looks fantastic and deserves the attention it’s received this week at the show in Geneva. Similar to the Aventador in several respects, the side profile of the Huracán is particularly striking and the interior is as good as anything we’ve seen. If we could drive out of here in one car this would be it…

BMW

The Bavarian marque have launched the 2 Series Active Tourer at the Geneva Show. The Active Tourer features a 1.5 litre 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine. It will have the option of a 2.0 litre diesel engine also. On launch it has 5 seats but will feature 7 seats in 2015. We think this vehicle may prove popular for larger families that want the extra seats and wish to retain a sense of style that’s often lacking in 7-seaters at the moment.

Citroen C1

Something to appeal more to families is the Citroen C1 which has been launched at the 2014 Show. This vehicle is slightly longer than the current C1 and it’s roomier than before – certainly looks capable of carrying two adults in the back with comfort. It’s available in three or five-door body styles, and has a boot capacity of 196 litres. 

Citroen is offering a large range of colours for this car, including a number of bi-tone options. This will be good for its target audience who want the personalised look. Check out the two-part headlamps and vertical LED daytime running lights.

Ford Focus

Moving to the small family car segment, Ford have released the refreshed Ford Focus at this years Show. Check out the new corporate, Aston Martin-inspired, front grille (the new Mondeo is expected to follow-suit with the same style grill). There are a few visual tweaks in the way of new headlights, tail lights and wheels. In addition, a few interior bits and pieces in the trim have been refreshed, including a standard 4.2-inch display on the dash. Under the hood there have been notable changes, as the Focus gains the Fiesta’s turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine.

Volkswagen Golf GTE

At the higher end of the same segment, the new offering from VW is expected to go on sale in August. The GTE tag has been chosen to reflect what Volkswagen describes as the sporting qualities of the new five-door hatchback, which has been styled in a similar fashion to the existing Golf GTI and GTD. The GTE will be a dedicated petrol-electric plug-in hybrid model. 

Power comes from a transversely mounted 1.4-litre four-cylinder direct-injection petrol engine and synchronous electric motor. The combustion engine develops 148bhp, with the electric motor delivering 101bhp. Together they provide the Golf GTE with a combined 201bhp, along with 258lb ft of torque. By comparison, the GTI turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder direct-injection petrol engine produces 217bhp and the same 258lb ft in standard edition.

Hyundai Intrado Concept

Hyundai have revealed a concept called the Intrado. The Intrado is Hyundai’s interpretation of how cars of the near future will meet mobility needs. The aim was to design a car that is easy to use, intuitive to interact with and adaptable to active lifestyles. It has an SUV/crossover bodystyle, and the car is designed around a central carbon-fibre frame.

Electric Nissan e-NV200 van

This Nissan van was rolled out as a concept at Detroit in 2012 and is expected to be available to customers from May 2014. Aimed at business users the upshot of this vehicle is the reduced running costs. Real-world tests of the van have already been conducted with both FedEx and the Japan Post Service trialling it.

Le Mans Tribute

We should mention the tribute to the Le Mans 24 hour race. A special display brings together 21 former Le Mans race cars which trace the history of probably the greatest of all automobile races in the world. Held annually since 1923 the race is the oldest active sports car endurance race. To see these machines up close is a real pleasure and many regular readers will remember our blog a few years back where we compared the performance of these machines to their F1 counterparts.  Of course, as proud supporters of rallying in Ireland, Cartell was especially interested in this section of the show. Design-wise these are not particularly cutting-edge vehicles, compared to other vehicles on the various stands around the show, but their effectiveness is unparalleled. These are cars designed specifically for the Circuit de la Sarthe and it’s really interesting to see the adaptations up close and personal.

McLaren 650S

Finally, we should end this blog with one spectacular show-stopping vehicle. After the launch of the production version of the P1 at last year’s show, this year, its younger brother the 650 S has been getting all the attention. This vehicle will sit above the 12C but below the P1 in the McLaren line-up of road cars. The vehicle shares the 12C’s carbon fibre composite chassis, and is powered by the same 3.8-litre V8 Twin Turbo engine – producing 641 BHP. We hear this vehicle is chasing down Ferrari 458 customers, and we think it’s got a fair chance – the 650S looks the business.

You can check out the whole album from our visit to the Geneva Show on our Facebook page. Keep an eye for our next Geneva Competition too – coming your way on our Facebook page this Friday.