Although the most prestigious event of the annual autoshow agenda doesn’t officially open its doors to the public until March 5, many car companies have already offered a sneak peek of what to expect, and this year it’s shaping up to be all about hot hatches and hypercars.
That doesn’t mean that there won’t be a host of new SUVs, crossovers or intelligently packaged city cars on display. Indeed, BMW has chosen Geneva as the venue for the official unveiling of its premium compact seven-seat MPV, the 2 Series Gran Tourer.
But, as clever as it is, the 2 Series Gran Tourer will have a hard time being heard over the din that will no doubt be created by a host of supercar makers.
Ferrari will be taking the wraps off its first ever mid-engine turbocharged V8, the 488GTB.
An evolution of the company’s phenomenal 458 Italia, the new car turns up the style and the performance — 661bhp (up by 99) and a test track lap time of 1 minute, 23 seconds (2 seconds faster) — but also cuts harmful emissions and fuel consumption figures thanks to the turbochargers.
Arch rival Porsche will be showing off two hardcore track-focused cars the Cayman GT4 and its big brother, the 911 GT3 RS both of which are bound to get the company’s biggest fans worked up into hysterics.
British supercar upstart, McLaren will also be hoping to cause jaws to drop. From out of nowhere, it has announced it will be showing off an all new model, the 675LT which, if it lives up to the hype, will be stunningly fast and stunningly good-looking.
However, in terms of sheer spectacle no one will be able to come close to Koenigsegg, the outlandish Swedish car company. It will be launching not one, but two new incredibly fast cars at the show, one of which, the Regera is being described as a megacar because calling it a hypercar would be an insult to its performance capabilities.
But as well as a potential supercar showdown, Geneva will be playing host to some super fast, super practical and super affordable new cars, too.
The hot hatchback, a car segment invented by Volkswagen with the Mark I GTi Golf nearly 40 years ago, is still very much alive and well.
This year’s show will see Honda displaying the finished production version of the Civic Type R, which can purportedly hit a 269kph top speed, and Ford attempting to set new standards in the segment with the third-generation Focus RS. It boasts a 315bhp engine and is the first ever RS with four-wheel drive to ensure that all of that power goes to the road.
But perhaps the one to watch will be the Audi RS3, which, like the Focus, has permanent four-wheel drive but doesn’t look like set dressing from the “Fast and the Furious.”
In fact it’s a lesson in hot hatchback subtlety in all but vital statistics. It can go from 0-100kPh in 4.3 seconds, can hit a top speed of 280kph) and its engine can generate 362bhp.
2015 Volkswagen Sharan.
2016 model year Range Rover Evoque.
2016 model year Range Rover Evoque.
2016 model year Range Rover Evoque.
Audi prologue Avant .
Audi mobile key smartwatch
Audi prologue Avant.
Audi prologue Avant .
Ferrari 488 GTB.
Ford Focus RS.
McLaren 675LT.
McLaren 675LT.
McLaren 675LT.
McLaren P1 GTR.
McLaren P1 GTR.
Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV II.
New Toyota Auris.
Nissan Sway small hatchback.
Peugeot 208.
Qoros 3 City SUV.
Qoros 3 City SUV.
Renault Kadjar.
SsangYong Tivoli.
SsangYong Tivoli.
Porsche Cayman GT4.
Porsche Cayman GT4.
Kia SPORTSPACE Concept
Kia cee’d GT Line.
Kia cee’d GT Line.
From Spain comes the improved GTA Spano with graphene components.
Mercedes-AMG GT3
Mercedes-AMG GT3
Aston Martin Vulcan
Audi R8 V10.
Audi R8 V10.
Lotus Evora 400.
Lotus Evora 400.
Lotus Evora 400.
Keyword: What to look out for at Geneva show (updated with Gallery)