Autoblog

It's time for Autoblog Podcast #89. Of course we run over what's been in the garage lately – you'll know what reviews to anticipate. Our big item this week is recapping what we saw in Geneva and what might actually wind up in the US. Talk of Geneva moves us to anticipatory chatter about New York, mere days away. Thanks for your 49 minutes!

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Show-stopping new production cars and concepts were not lacking in Geneva this year. There were so many, in fact, that we struggled to take it all in. Yet while Ferrari didn't have any new models to show us, somehow we couldn't help but slow down in front of its booth as we rushed from press conference to press conference. Maybe it was the classic Daytona sitting next to the 612 Scaglietti bathed in soft light, or maybe the pair of lookers standing next to them. Guess we'll never know, but you can feast your eyes on all the sexy models in the gallery below.

What Ferrari did unveil at the Swiss show, however, was a new customization program. Called One-to-One, the program takes the catalog of options under the existing Carrozzeria Scaglietti Programme a step further. A customization studio is being built at the factory in Maranello where clients can hand-pick a wide variety of options from leather swatches to brake calipers and everything in between. The program is being launched on the 612 Scaglietti, but will assuredly be broadened to the entire range in due course. For the 612, Ferrari also announced the availability of the SuperFast robotic gearbox and a new electrochromatic glass roof that can tint and lighten at the push of a button like the folding hardtop on the limited edition Superamerica. More on the latest from Maranello is available in the press release after the jump.

Click the images to view the new Audi A4 DTM in hi-res

The Audi RS4 is a pretty badass car any way you look at it, but put it next to the A4 DTM and it looks remarkably pedestrian. With torquey turbodiesel versions of the R8 supercar, TT range and Q7 sport-ute all making their debuts at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, Ingolstadt chose the most extreme racing version of its A4 to highlight at its press conference.

Unveiled by Dr. Martin Mühlmeier, Head of Audi Sport Technology; Audi Motorsport chief Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich; and reigning champion driver Mattias Ekström; the "project R14" A4 DTM represents over a year of development. The racing formula governing the DTM German touring car championship precludes Audi from showcasing any of its trademark technologies – like FSI direct-injection, TDI diesels or quattro all-wheel-drive – but that didn't stop Audi's racing engineers from working their magic, focusing on the car's aerodynamics. That much became immediately evident as soon as the veil was lifted off the new racer, decked out in more wings and fins than the San Diego Zoo and Sea World combined. See for yourselves in our high-res gallery, and read more in the press release after the jump.

Click above to view the Ford Kuga in hi-res

Kinetic design has been swallowing Ford of Europe's product range whole, and took a big bite at this year's Geneva Motor Show. Alongside the new Fiesta, Ford showed off the production version of the all-new Kuga crossover. Previewed by the concept unveiled at the last Frankfurt show and drawing on styling cues from the Iosis X show car, the Kuga is based on the same platform as the slicker Focus they get overseas.

Although the Kuga is admittedly one more European model that Ford won't offer in its home market, we're not short of Ford crossovers to choose from over here, so we'll let the Europeans have this one. (Just give us the Focus RS and we'll be happy.) But to see what we're missing, check out our gallery of images from the Geneva show floor by clicking on the thumbnails below. Unfortunately, although we're sure the Kuga rolled off its turntable at night after we were gone and duked it out with the Renault Koleos for market share, we couldn't prove it.

Click above for a gallery of the K.O. 7 and 8.

When we make the trek to Switzerland each year, there always seems to be one particular car that stands out. It's generally something unexpected from an independent automaker far removed from the spotlight. This year, tucked away in a corner cubicle of the Geneva Motor Show's basement, was the K.O. 7 Spider, a concept hailing from Japan that attempts to strike a balance between bespoke supercar and track-day terror.

There were actually two vehicles on display at the Ken Okuyama Design booth: the K.0. 8 coupe, an E.V. that's decidedly less attractive and strictly a design exercise, and the K.O. 7, a production model that will be on sale sometime in 2008.

Hit the jump for all the details.

Click above to view high-res gallery of the Renault Megane Concept

Renault is known for doing hatchbacks, and it does them well, but that's about it. Seeking to increase its market share, Renault's range is rapidly expanding to include a more diversified line-up. Unveiled alongside the new Laguna GT and the Koleos crossover – both also divergent models from the company's small hatch mainstream – the Megane Coupe Concept aims to show the way forward for Renault.

Although what you see here is not what will hit the road when the new Megane arrives, Renault insists that its "dynamic voluptuousness" is a direct indicator of the more fluid form its upcoming Golf-fighter will take. While everyone else was scrambling to come up with new ways to reinvent the wheel internal combustion engine, Renault's new concept is powered by a regular old 2-liter turbocharged four with 200 horsepower, which frankly doesn't seem that impressive considering that the Clio Renaultsport's naturally-aspirated 2.0 produces just three negligible horsepower less. Fine, so notwithstanding its F1 cars, big impressive engines aren't Renault's thing. Meanwhile, the big gullwing doors are the most obvious element to get axed along the next Megane's road to production, but if the road car bears even a passing resemblance to what could easily be labeled as Renault's most engaging show car in years, European customers will have reason to celebrate and we'll have one more entry on our list of cars we wish we could get Stateside.

Right up until its unveiling, Renault was highly secretive on the Megane Coupe Concept, revealing only that there would be a fourth model premiering in Geneva alongside the Koleos and Laguna GT. Now that the veil has been lifted, however, we've garnered all the details in the press release after the jump and Renault's images, which join our own in the gallery below. Check 'em out to learn more about Renault's vision for the future of the automobile.

Click to view the Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider in hi-res

We here at Autoblog would like to thank Alfa Romeo for releasing updated versions of the Brera and Spider models. Not because we're that excited about the minimal updates themselves, but because it gave us another excuse to stop by the Alfa booth and gawk at this pair of stunning two-doors, whose beauty in the Alfa Romeo range is rivaled only by the luscious 8C, the roadster version of which Alfa also unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show.

As we brought you back in late February, the updates to the Brera and its Spider counterpart are modest, limited mostly to removing weight from the rolling stock. Modest improvements, which we'll let interested parties read about in more detail in our preview post and attached press release, but with a vehicle this breathtaking, as you can see from our images in the gallery below, we're glad Alfa kept the changes minimal in addressing some of the vehicle's dynamic shortcomings without tinkering with the styling.

Click above to view high-res gallery of the new Renault Koleos

Renault pulled out all the stops for this year's Geneva Motor Show, taking the wraps off the swoopy Megane Coupe concept, as well as debuting the Twingo Renaultsport, Laguna GT and this, the Koleos crossover. Although closely based on mechanicals borrowed from sister-company Nissan, the Koleos is far more of a complete project than that other pair of French sport-utes from archrival PSA Peugeot-Citroen.

The Koleos shared center stage with the Megane Coupe this week, outlining how important the new model is to Renault. This is its first proper foray into the sport-ute segment, finally surrendering when the French automaker realized the crossover craze would not be subsiding any time soon. When you can't beat 'em, join 'em, the saying goes, but push come to snooty shove, Renault actually appears to have done a decent job.

For all the details, refer back to the preview post we featured on the Renault Koleos, and be sure to view our gallery of live shots from the show floor alongside Renault's own press shots by clicking on the thumbnails below.

The Geneva Motor Show this week was riddled with diesel hybrid concepts from several manufacturers including Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen. All of those systems seem destined for production in the next couple of years, particularly the VW Golf TDI hybrid. One company that won't be joining that party is Toyota. Speaking to Automotive News at the Geneva Motor Show this week, Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said the hybrid pioneer had no plans to introduce any diesel hybrids.

At the Detroit Auto Show, Watanabe announced that Toyota would offer a diesel engine in the Sequoia and Tundra in 2010. Toyota already offers a variety of diesels in the European market. However, according to Watanabe, the combination of diesel and hybrid doesn't yield enough of an incremental improvement in efficiency to justify the combined cost premium of both. At this point, the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system is not suitable for use in the big trucks, which is why Toyota is following just the diesel path for now. Toyota USA VP Bob Carter told AutoblogGreen in Chicago that diesel hybrids are technically feasible and they are being developed (along with many other things as part of Toyota's $1million/hour in R&D spending), but Carter also said that the combination is not possible at a marketable cost.

One big difference between what was shown in Geneva and what Toyota currently has available is that the German hybrids were largely less expensive mild hybrids. These systems primarily provide start-stop capability and some electrical power boost. They also reduce parasitic losses by using regenerative braking energy to drive electrical accessories. One other thing should be kept in mind. Toyota Communications VP Irv Miller recently told us, "Flexibility is one of the beauties of Toyota."

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd via PickupTruck.com]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Opel Meriva concept.

The Opel Meriva concept's high belt-line and hatchback shape looks like it could double as a Pontiac Vibe of the future, but recent history tells us it could one day find its way into a Saturn dealership. Automotive News quotes unnamed GM execs saying that the next generation Meriva is "being considered" for the U.S. market. The dreaded "business case" has to be made in order for the little MPV to land stateside, but the Meriva, already successful in Europe, has plenty going for it. The concept that previews the next production model was built with parts from two of GM's small car architectures that will be shared with other vehicles, and the Meriva's turbocharged 1.4L engine also rested under the hood of the Saab 9-X concept. The Meriva would also supply Saturn with a fuel-efficient family hauler, at least more efficient than the VUE CUV, another European import from Opel. Heck, it's not our money, we say build it, slap on a Saturn badge and call it a day.


[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]