The Geneva Motor Show is one of the most influential automotive occasions every year, all of the biggest manufacturers of metal gather to show off their new designs and technologies (disregarding Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Vauxhall, and Volvo- who were absent from this year’s event). A trend of the past few years, is achieving sustainability through clean drivetrains and clever design to make efficient EVs, with this year’s show featuring a record number of electric cars!
Automobili Pininfarina Battista
A “viral” car of this year’s show is the Automobili Pininfarina Battista. A fully electric, limited number hypercar that is promising to break records, and necks! Named after the Carrozzeria founder, the car was designed to bring Pininfarina back into the spotlight with a bang. And that it did… The Battista is the companies first venture into the EV market, and their first standalone model. Capable of achieving a 0-60mph speed under 2 seconds, thanks to it’s ultralight carbon fibre monocoque chassis and carbon body. With 1,900 horsepower and 2,300 Nm of torque help to push the hypercar up to speeds of 250mph, while achieving a range of 300 miles (if you have a very gentle right foot..), what’s not to like! Only 150 of these masterpieces will be produced, costing over £1.5 million each, meaning only a select few will be allowed to lay hands on the car. But never-less, we love the Battista, from a design standpoint, it’s sweeping glass and light bars look futuristic yet sleek, and from a tech standpoint, the car is a marvel!
Polestar 2
Polestar is a brand many have been keeping their eyes on since the unveil of their “Polestar 1”, not because of their rather creative model names, but because of their unrivalled simplistic designs, “electrifying performance”, reliability and high quality materials as shown off on their spin-off brand, Volvo. The Swedish company took the covers off of their newest model, the 2, an all electric “fast back” as Polestar like to call it. Packed with 4WD, a 311-mile range from its 78kWh battery, 402bhp and a 0-62mph time of less than five seconds, this little car is set to put some pressure on the Tesla Model 3, in an elegant way may we say! Featuring a plush interior and rather simple design, the car screams “we mean business!”. Move over Elon!
Audi Q4 e-tron Concept
Audi have spent ages teasing electric cars, with their first offering showing up last year in the form of the e-tron. The Q4 e-tron is the new mini-me sibling of the full size SUV. With a similar design language, featuring dominant grilles and sharp thin LED dynamic lights, the Q4 e-tron doesn’t really seem like a concept. It is more alike a prototype of a production ready crossover coupé than a concept, this would be because Audi have the intent to put the car into production in the near future.
Škoda Vision iV
Introducing Skoda’s first car to be based on Volkswagen Group’s MEB modular electric car platform, a bright yellow SUV with a rugged and modern appearance. The SUV features a coupé-esque design, which is a common design trend nowadays, increasing the aerodynamics of the car as a result and giving a rather chunky car, a faux sporty appearance to say the least. Regardless, we are looking forward to seeing a production variant of the Vision iZ!
Peugeot e208
Geneva Motor Show marks the first time that the new e208 has been publicly seen, and what a little car it is! The e208 may look like a typical city car on paper, but when you see the car in person it is impressive for the price range the car falls under! Decked with a 50kWH battery, producing 136hp and torque of 260 Nm, allowing the little car to be nippy yet efficient, and not to mention, silent! Design wise, the Peugeot e208 is alluring and refined, clearly designed with young buyers in mind. The Renault Zoe may just have a new competitor in the electric car arena.
