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The Geneva motor show has long been a favoured destination for any car maker wanting to make a splash.
They often reserve their finest and most interesting visionary concept cars for the event, and accordingly the 2019 event is very much fitting the bill.
Here’s the Autocar guide to all the best new concept cars:
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Volkswagen ID Buggy concept
Volkswagen has reinvented the 1960s Beetle-based dune buggy with the electric ID Buggy – and is considering allowing small-scale manufacturers to produce their own versions of the machine.
The ID Buggy features a 202bhp, 228lb ft rear-mounted electric motor, offering 0-62mph in 7.2sec and a top speed of 99mph. Power comes from a 62kWh battery, giving a range of around 155 miles on the WLTP cycle.
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Aston Martin AM-RB 003
“If Valkyrie is the best of the best, then the 003 is the best at £1m,” design boss Marek Reichman said of the AM-RB 003, which Aston will put into production in late 2021. AM-RB 003’s performance and positioning – likely more than 1000bhp and the kind of performance that would threaten the Nürburgring lap record – would place it alongside next-generation versions of the likes of the McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder, should this trio, which launched in 2013, have been replaced by the time it launches.
The model will use Aston’s new twin-turbo V6 engine mated to a hybrid system, and the car will be built around a carbonfibre architecture and using carbonfibre bodywork.
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Bugatti La Voiture Noire
Bugatti has revealed the most expensive new car of all time: La Voiture Noire, a one-off homage to Jean Bugatti’s iconic Type 57 SC Atlantic. This isn’t strictly speaking a concept car as one customer has already bought one – but they will also be the last to do so. The La Voiture Noire cost them €11 million (around £9.45m/US$12.4m) before taxes.
At the rear, a continuous rear light runs along a grille-like back end, McLaren P1 style, with the company name illuminated in white below. All this sits above a bespoke exhaust set-up comprising six separate pipes running away from the car's 1479bhp 8.0-litre 16-cylinder engine. From the specs, it is likely to be the same engine used in the Chiron.
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Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV
This Alfa Romeo concept is one of the stars of this year's show. The new Tonale plug-in hybrid previews the company's first compact SUV. The Tonale, which sits below the Stelvio in the Italian firm's SUV range, is set to use a hybrid system that will be introduced in the Jeep Renegade shortly.
An Alfa spokesman said the Tonale concept showed what the compact Alfa "could" look like and vowed that the hybrid powertrain would be used to enhance the driving experience, rather than just helping the firm meet CO2 emissions targets.
Alfa has yet to give details of the power output of the system. The Renegade PHEV revealed at Geneva by sister firm Jeep features a 236bhp powertrain, although given Alfa's performance brief any model it offers would likely have significantly more.
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Piëch Mark Zero
Piëch Automotive's Mark Zero is a new electric supercar concept. The company was co-founded in 2016 by Anton Piëch, who is the son of former VW chief Ferdinand Piëch. The two-door, two-seat Mark Zero is unusual among the myriad EVs from start-up brands in that it doesn't use a skateboard-type chassis, as popularised by Tesla. Instead, it's based on a modular platform that Piëch developed with the help of 200 'exterior staff'.
The interesting news here is that the company promises recharging to 80% capacity and a 300 mile range in just four minutes - about the time it takes to fill up a car today.
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Aston Martin Vanquish
Perhaps the most significant of the new Astons is the Vanquish Vision concept, which closely previews Aston’s all-new mid-engined supercar due to go into production at Gaydon in 2022.
The car marks the first time Aston has put a mid-engined model into series production and will line up alongside next-generation versions of the McLaren 720S and 488 GTB, likely priced at around £250,000/US$330,000. The Vanquish, codenamed AM9, will bring with it a brand new, Aston-designed V6 engine that will be built in the UK.
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Audi Q4 E-tron
The Q4 concept shares relative styling details with the the new E-tron SUV, and some of its mechanical make-up. Described as being “in the upper third of the compact class” in terms of size and market positioning, the 4.59-metre (181in) long and 1.9-metre (75in) wide Q4 E-tron is slightly shorter and wider than today’s Audi Q5.
The concept uses a synchronous electric motor powering the rear axle most of the time, itself putting out 202bhp and 229lb ft of torque. There’s also a second, smaller electric motor powering the front wheels when traction is low or when full power is requested. It means the total system output is 302bhp - around 100bhp less than the full-size E-tron. The total range is put at 280 miles on the WLTP cycle.
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Lagonda All-Terrain Concept
The Lagonda All-Terrain Concept is the second Lagonda concept car unveiled by Aston Martin as part of the marque’s relaunch as a luxury all-electric brand. The production version of the All-Terrain Concept will line up alongside the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga when it makes production.
As with its mid-engined models at Geneva, Aston has not confirmed technical specifics of the Lagonda All-Terrain Concept. However, Autocar understands Aston is hoping for an all-electric range of around 400 miles for the production version (due in 2022), with a wireless rapid-charging technology fully replenishing the batteries in 15 minutes. At his Geneva presentation of the car, Aston CEO Andy Palmer promised a private-jet like travelling experience.
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Kia Imagine by Kia
The Imagine by Kia concept is expected to arrive in production form in 2021 and will lead the way for performance-focused electric models from the Korean brand. It's part of Kia’s forthcoming electrification ramp-up: the electric e-Niro and Soul EV models arrive this year alongside a plug-in hybrid Ceed.
The four-door concept, described as drawing together elements of an SUV, sleek saloon and crossover, will rival models such as the recently unveiled Polestar 2.
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Italdesign DaVinci
Italian design house Italdesign has officially unveiled its four-seater electric supercar concept, the DaVinci, at the Geneva motor show, having teased what appeared to be a stylish saloon in late February. It has been made entirely in the firm’s Moncalieri plant in Italy.
Although Italdesign predominantly undertakes styling work for other car firms, its own branded designs have included the Zerouno sports car, from which the new DaVinci takes some stylistic cues such as the Y-Duct bonnet air duct system. The truncated back end features an active spoiler and some outrageous rear lights in an exploded design. It also has expansive gullwing doors, through which the front and back seats can be accessed at the same time.
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Honda E-prototype
The production version of the Honda e prototype electric city car will go on sale in Europe later this year – and the firm believes the car’s retro design will give it an Apple-style appeal to customers. The four-seater, displayed at the Geneva motor show, is “95% production ready”, according to the firm.
It maintains the styling of the Urban EV Concept unveiled at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show, albeit with the addition of an extra set of doors. While Honda has yet to reveal full technical details of the car, its designers told Autocar at the Geneva show that it would offer "more than" 98bhp and 221lb ft of torque.
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Subaru Viziv Adrenaline
Subaru's Viziv Adrenaline Concept crossover showcases the firm’s ‘bolder’ design language - and shows the likely styling of the next-generation XV.
The rugged-looking machine is the latest in the firm’s line of Viziv (‘vision for innovation’) concepts, which date back to 2013. Unlike some concepts, the Viziv models do not generally preview specific future Subaru production cars, but instead are used by the firm to explore future concepts or trends.
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Nissan IMQ
Nissan is previewing the design future of its all-conquering Qashqai/Rogue Sport with a new concept car at Geneva. Dubbed the IMq, it’s the brand’s attempt to reinvent the crossover and introduce electric propulsion to a volume segment. The IMq was designed by a small team at Nissan’s London design centre, and chosen out of a number of entries from studios around the world.
The 4.5-metre-long (177in) concept, while likely to be toned down for production, is an athletic-looking crossover with multiple sharp lines, a Range Rover Evoque-style slim glasshouse and spaced-out rear haunches. It also features ‘suicide’ doors leading into a four-seat cabin – both details unlikely to make production.
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Mercedes Concept EQV
Mercedes-Benz has previewed its first electric MPV with the Concept EQV. The machine is based on the V-Class, with the same flexible interior space offering up to eight seats.
Produced by the Stuttgart firm's van division, the EQV continues the firm's roll-out of EQ-branded full-electric vehicles. It is due to go on sale by 2021 and Mercedes says it will show a full production version at the Frankfurt motor show later this year.
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Mitsubishi Engelberg
Named after a Swiss ski resort, the SUV concept is described as “an elegant and functional all-rounder crossover SUV”. The concept’s styling builds on the brand’s design themes introduced in the latest ASX, while lifestyle touches include an electrically opening and closing roof box with built-in projector lamps.
A 2.4-litre four-cylinder non-turbo petrol/gasoline engine is mated to a 20kWh battery pack underneath the floor. The system powers two electric motors front and rear, making four-wheel drive and offering a claimed EV range of 44 miles on the newly established WLTP cycle. With a fully charged battery and full fuel tank, the range is said to be more than 435 miles.
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Hispano Suiza Carmen
A company aiming to revive the historic Hispano Suiza luxury brand has shown an electric luxury grand tourer, named the Carmen, at Geneva. It says the 4.7m (185in) long, the two-seat Carmen is aimed at the emerging 'hyperlux' segment, which combines hypercar performance with Bentley levels of luxury.
Indeed, the Carmen produces a total of 1005bhp yet weighs just 1690kg (3718 lb), meaning it accelerates from 0-62mph in less than 3.0sec. Its top speed is electronically limited to 155mph.
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Cupra Formentor
Seat performance sister brand Cupra has revealed its first standalone model, a 242bhp plug-in hybrid coupé crossover called the Formentor. The concept machine is the second to be badged a Cupra following the Cupra Ateca, and the first not to be based on a model from parent firm Seat. Cupra says the Formentor offers “the benefits of a performance car with the qualities of an SUV”.
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Fiat Concept Centoventi
This small machine, named in recognition of the Italian firm's 120th anniversary, takes styling cues from the Panda and other city cars Fiat has produced. The firm says it represents "electromobility as only Fiat can". The Concept Centoventi is designed to be highly customisable and upgradeable and will be offered in base form with a single battery that gives 62 miles of range.
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Skoda Vision iV
Skoda has provided the strongest glimpse yet of its electric future with the Vision iV concept, revealed at Geneva. The 4.66m-long (183in) Kodiaq-sized four-door coupé crossover is based on the VW Group’s MEB platform and uses a 302bhp four-wheel-drive EV powertrain offering a 310-mile range and the ability to charge up to 80% in 30 minutes.
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Smart Forease
The Forease+ concept car from last year now receives a roof and revises the styling of the Forease electric open-top two-seater shown at last year's Paris motor show to mark the brand's 20th anniversary.
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Seat Minimo
This tiny all-electric quadricycle, similar to the Renault Twizy, has been developed to “help meet the challenges of city driving, emission regulations… the increasing fatigue of traffic jams or the lack of parking spaces”. Measuring just 2.5m long (98in) and 1.24m (49in) wide, the Minimó is less than half the footprint of the average A-segment city car. It will be on sale in 2020.
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Seat el-born concept
The el-Born is Seat's first bespoke electric car, with a range of up to 261 miles and the promise that it will offer a “sporty” driving experience.
The machine, named after a neighbourhood in Barcelona, will be the second EV built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric architecture to go on sale when it is launched in 2020, after the Volkswagen ID hatchback. The engineering and powertrain of the two compact models are expected to be closely aligned, with a range of power outputs offered.
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GFG Style Kangaroo
Can a supercar also be an off-roader? That's the question posed by this new concept car from Giorgetto Giugiario. It's electric-powered and promises a top speed of 155mph and a range of 280 miles.
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Citroën Ami One
The Ami One is a two-seat show car that meets Europe’s quadricycle regulations. That means it’s less than 1.5m (59in) wide, has a top speed of 28mph and weighs less than 450kg (990 lb). As a result, it could be driven without a driving licence in some countries.
The concept explores some of the issues facing makers of very small cars as consumers turn to bigger models - or indeed stop buying cars entirely.
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