2010 Geneva: Coming to Canada

[svgallery name=”2010 Geneva Coming”]

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

GENEVA–If I had to pick a theme for this year’s Geneva Motor Show, it was the endless parade of hybrid supercars that debuted in the Palexpo halls. Debuts like the Ferrari 599 Hybrid, Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid or Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid – seemingly politically correct marriages of style, performance and promise of zero-emission driving – garnered an inappropriate amount of attention. In the real world, though, the 80th running of Switzerland’s annual auto show provided several production world debuts – some heading to Canadian new car showrooms sooner than later. Read more

Video: Aston One-77 hits the test track

By John LeBlanc

If Aston Martin‘s restyled-Toyota-iQ-based-Cygnet (debuting this week at the Geneva auto show) has created any doubts of the brand’s purity, crank up your speakers and listen to the soundtrack of a prototype of its One-77 super car on track. Close your eyes, and the Aston sounds for all the world like McQueen’s Gulf-Porsche 917K from LeMans.

Priced at £1 million, or about $1,9400,00 Cdn., for each of the 77  (natch) examples, this may be as close as any of us get to the 700 hp, carbon-fibre super car.

Enjoy…

2010 Geneva: Audi shocks with A1 Wankel hybrid

[svgallery name=”2010 Geneva Audi”]

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

GENEVA – As predicted, Germany’s Audi went and debuted this afternoon a third E-Tron electric vehicle concept, this time based on the not-coming-to-North America premium subcompact A1 that also was unveiled here in good ol’ fashioned gas and diesel formats. With a certain Mr. Timberlake aiding the proceedings, Audi showed off the A1 E-Tron’s lithium-ion battery and single-rotor Wankel rotary gas engine hybrid combo. Read more

2010 Geneva: Bertone creates Pandion-ium

[svgallery name=”2010 Geneva Bertone Pandion”]

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

GENEVA – Full disclosure: When I saw the first PR images of Italian design house Bertone’s Geneva concept, the Alfa Romeo Pandion, it came across as a bit of a rip take-off of BMW’s recent Vision EfficientDynamics. Now that I’ve seen the concept up close and personal like, er, not so much. Read more

2010 Geneva: Along came a Porsche Spyder

[svgallery name=”2010 Porsche 918″]

Story and photos by John LeBlanc

GENEVA –As the first significant presentation of this year’s media day, Porsche christened the 2010 Geneva show with a bit of a surprise. We already knew a bit about the next-gen 2011 Cayenne SUV coming to Canada later this year. And 911 GT3 R Hybrid will race at the Nürburgring 24hrs in May 2010 as an experimental green race car. What we weren’t ready for was the 918 Spyder concept, above, a Boxster-size, two-seat roadster that is powered by a 500 hp V8 AND a pair of electric motors—one at each set of wheels—adding an additional 218 hp. Read more

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