Geneva twenty-ten

In the race to be green, manufacturer after manufacturer showed off their latest eco-gems at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Jonny Smith reveals his favourites

This year’s Geneva Motor Show, which took place from 4-14 March at Geneva’s Palexpo, revealed motor manufacturer’s ability to adapt to a changing world and a more environmentally-aware audience. From tightly packaged Minis to sleek and sporty Ferraris, cars of all sizes were embracing the green theme.

Porsche
The Stuttgart motor company really pulled an eco-flavoured hat trick on their Geneva plinth. Hardly fleet friendly, but the 911 GT3 R Hybrid and stunning 918 Spyder concept both displayed so called ‘Porsche Intelligent Performance’ – their slogan for adapting super cars for the greener world.
    
The 911 GT3 R takes the rear-engined rear-drive 473bhp race car and adds power to the front wheels via two 60kw electric motors. There are no battery packs however. Instead there is an electric flywheel power generator (strapped next to the driver, spinning at 40,000rpm!) to provide short bursts of power to the front axle. This is charged during braking, then releases up to 120kw of electric muscle when the driver needs more overtaking grunt.
   
The 918 Spyder may be a concept, but Porsche R&D chief Wolfgang Durheimer made a point of mentioning that Porsche has never shown a concept car that it hasn’t put into production. Think of it as a new more slippery Carrera GT, but producing 70g/km CO2. Besides a mid-mounted petrol 3.4-litre race V8 and PDK gearbox there lurks a trio of electric motors which drive the front wheels. This is a plug-in hybrid, so uses lithium ion batteries that can work alone to carry the 918 25km. According to Porsche it sips fuel at a rate of 94mpg and, with the hybrid module engaged, can lap the Nurburgring in seven minutes 30 seconds.

Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
The new look Cayenne – on sale May 29th – was revealed to be the first production Porsche packing hybrid technology. When the 388bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol works with a 34kW electric motor it promises to deliver 34.4mpg and emit 193g/km of CO2 badness, making it the cleanest Porsche ever. The S Hybrid can drive solely on volts up to 40mph and there is a ‘sailing mode’ that automatically cuts the petrol engine at speeds up to 97mph when the vehicle is cruising (coasting) and lets 47bhp of electric power hold momentum. The fresh Cayenne range starts at £41404 (3.6 V6 petrol) and the S Hybrid will relieve the wallet of £57,610. Range-wide changes include a 180kg lighter 4wd transmission, a new 8-speed Tiptronic and Auto Start/Stop.

Lexus CT200h
With the Prius recipe being a runaway success (no pun intended), it is time for Lexus to use its DNA and chase the 1 series BMW and Audi A3. This 4.3 metre-long five door hatch, built on a new bespoke platform tuned for sportiness, is tipped to become Lexus’ best selling mode. It’s also Lexus’ first front wheel drive.
    
Available as a hybrid only, the CT200h features the identical 1.8 VVT-I petrol powertrain and nickel metal hydride batts as the Prius, which allow 100 per cent electric driving for up to 2km, up to no faster than 30mph. Expect a price tag of £22,000 when it arrives on sale in early 2011.

Audi A1/A8 hybrid
The predictable looking VW Polo-based A1 is expected to give the Mini Cooper an elbow in the kidneys, with predicted forecourt tag of £14,000 (base Coopers are just over £13,700).
    
From launch there will be a pair of petrols (85bhp 1.2 and 120bhp 1.4 TFSI) and two diesels – both 1.6 TDIs – available, all boasting direct injection and turbochargers. Optional paddle shift dual clutch gearbox not only improves fuel economy, but also acceleration.
    
With a premium cockpit inspired by aeroplane wings and turbine shapes, the three-door A1 has a robust coupe-like profile. Like its Mini nemesis, expect a ton of interior and exterior options. The A1 claims to be the most aerodynamic in class, with a drag coefficient of 0.32 and at 1045kg it is 90kg lighter than the Mini. 267 litres of boot space also trumps the Mini’s matchbox 160.
    
Audi claim the McPherson strut and torsion beam suspension has been tuned to give a more engaging ride than its VW, Skoda and Seat cousins. There will also be standard, Sport and S-line levels of trim for British consumers to choose from.
    
Following the three-door hatch will be five-door Sportback and cabriolet models. After that expect a Cooper S-rivalling S1. All A1s get stop-start and an energy recuperation system that stores energy lost under braking in the battery.

Nissan Micra
As much a part of British diet as the roast dinner, Nissan’s long established Micra has finally been to the health spa. Unfortunately it has come out looking a lot less cutting edge – the need to appeal to 160 countries, they say, plus the need to keep production costs lean.
    
This latest super-sensible Micra is based on the totally fresh Nissan V-platform, which will also be used on the Note replacement, not to mention other derivatives. Most of them will be built in India, as Sunderland’s plant will churn out the forthcoming (wonderfully radical) Juke.
    
A 1.2 triple cylinder petrol will be the only engine on the menu, although it will be served with natural aspiration (79bhp, 80lb ft, 115g/km CO2) or direct injection supercharged (97bhp, 105lb ft, 95g/km CO2). The latter manages impressive emissions through stop/start and both motors will be available with five-speed manual or a new CVT transmission.
    
What it lacks in aesthetics the Micra hopes to make up for in futuristic tech like touch screen sat nav, panoramic glass roof and PSM (parking space measurement). The latter should prove popular with old folks and Parisians. The first Micras have started emerging in Thailand and will hit Britain by Autumn.

Infiniti M Line diesels & hybrids
If Nissan has any hope of their Infiniti brand following in the footsteps of Toyota’s Lexus then they needed less V8 petrols and more European-friendly diesel engines. At Geneva they showed exactly that, with the launch of a Renault-based 238bhp V6 oil burner. Their M Line saloon is a new saloon equipped with aforementioned V6 that hopes to take a swipe at Merc’s E and BM’s 5.
    
Nissan also used Geneva to showcase their very first in-house hybrid system (previous efforts have bought parts and tech from Toyota), which shows promise against the Lexus GS hybrid. For one it uses one electric motor as opposed to two so is (30k) lighter and the smaller li-ion batteries better packaged than its rivals’ metal hydride units. Infiniti claim they will last longer, not to mention improved space in the boot.
    
Tall rear passengers will notice the remarkable stretching room. Infiniti reckon the sports saloon hybrid will crack 0-60mph in six seconds, and can do that speed in electric drive alone. There’s a seven-cog dual clutch semi-auto box, which bins the torque converter and delivers the power from both V6 diesel and electric motor.

Mini Countryman
This is the newest model in BMW’s all-conquering four-strong Mini tribe. It will go on sale in September for around £17k with a choice of three petrol and two diesel engines, ranging from 89bhp (One D Countryman) to 181bhp (Cooper S Countryman). In addition to the six-speed manual, there will be a six speed auto available, taken from BMW’s Steptronic portfolio.
    
The Countryman will be the first model to have four doors, to have the option of ‘All4’ four wheel drive and also the first to showcase the 1.6 petrol engine with twin scroll turbo, direct injection and variable valve management. Also pilfered from the BMW parts bin is brake energy regeneration, electric power steering, start-stop and tiresome gearshift advisory indicator.
    
The All4 system employs an electro hydraulic diff mounted on the final drive, so the control between power from front wheels to rear wheels is infinite. During normal driving up to 50 per cent of power is delivered through the rear wheels, but this car can switch up to 100 per cent.
    
With its elevated driving position and suspension, the Countryman may not be the prettiest vehicle in the world, but it does undeniably carry strong Mini DNA in the looks department. It comes standard as a four-seater but a bench 3-seat rear arrangement is available as a no-cost option. These rear seats move forwards and back, to provide boot capacity between 350 and 1170 litres.

Wildcard! – Ferrari Hy-KERS
It didn’t take Columbo to deduce what Ferrari were unveiling on their Geneva stand. A green painted 599 meant it was time for the prancing horse to seriously consider their future emissions regs. “We cannot close the gap with improvements in engine efficiency only,” admitted Ferrari technical director Roberto Fedeli. So what have they done? Used all those millions of Euros hosed at their Formula One campaign to reuse some technology on street cars.
    
The current Ferrari California has stop/start, but this 599 has a hybrid system, utilising the F1 KERS system. There is a V12 up front as usual, but in the rear – mounted BELOW the centre of gravity – is a 100bhp 100kg 110lb ft electric motor, power controller and cooling system. It sits 480mm off the tarmac so as not to hinder Ferrari’s signature handling.
    
The brushless three-phase electric motor has been developed in-house and integrates with the dual-clutch gearbox. Cars like the 599 have a rear mounted gearbox, and in EV mode torque from the motor is distributed between moving the car and starting the v12 engine by use of the dual clutch system (motor mounted on the odd gears shaft). Range of a 100 per cent electric Ferrari is 2km, the stop-start function is performed by the main electric motor (to save the weight of a starter motor) and a 12v feed is taken from the li-ion cells (beneath the floorpan) instead of a stand-alone starter battery.
    
This tech will be reality by 2015 and the aim is to get a price similar to that of the normal 599. Using lighter materials will offset the electric gubbins, and the KERS system should shave 1.4 seconds from the 0-125mph time. Mpg and CO2 should see a 36 per cent improvement.