Some of the most attractive cars we’ve seen in a while made their debuts at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, which hosted the reveals of BMW, Hyundai, Lexus, and many more. Motor Trend walked the auto show floor and talked with executives, designers, and product planners to bring you the very best auto-show coverage you’ll find anywhere. So if you’re curious what business a Peugeot fastback sedan has being on the same list as a flagship BMW concept and a new Volvo wagon, keep reading.
Peugeot 508
Hardly anonymous, this fastback sedan is cool, sexy, and suave. The steering wheel has a flat top and a flat bottom. There’s more open-pore wood inside than an Ikea catalog. The leather and Alcantara suede seats are so comfortable they received the Aktion Gesunder Rücken (AGR) label for ergonomic excellence. There’s a nice tactile feel to the stalks, buttons, and dials. And there’s decent back-row space. Yet it couldn’t be more inscrutably French if it came with a pack of Gauloises in the glove box. Pourquoi? The infotainment interface has selection keys like a piano’s for audio, fan, navigation, system, and phone settings—but the hieroglyphs face straight up so the driver can’t see them. —Mark Rechtin
This sleek wagonlike crossover is striking, and we want it. Officially this vehicle is not headed to our shores, but design cues are expected to make their way into future products, so we can only hope. The lines are clean and sensuous with a racy greenhouse, nice haunches, and a great vented hood. Being a Subaru, the concept has a boxer engine and all-wheel drive, but it also has the latest autonomous technology. —Alisa Priddle
What makes this swoopy wedge concept different from similar ideas from Infiniti, Mazda, VW, and Mercedes? I mean, everybody makes this sort of shape when they talk about their next generation of design—then what shows up but another routine three-box sedan. Yet there are signature lines that we’ve seen in past Hyundais, except this version looks like the designers took an internship at Pininfarina last summer. Maybe, just maybe, this thing becomes real. —Mark Rechtin
There were a ton of super/hyper/mega cars at the Geneva show, but Hyundai’s Le Fil Rouge concept is the one that pops me right in the retinas. The CGI images released with the vehicle really don’t do any favors; the car must be seen in the metal to be appreciated. It also helps to have the friendly and smooth head of Hyundai design, SangYup Lee, walk you through all the smart subtleties of this sweeping four-door coupe. The main takeaway with this thoughtfully conceived concept is that Hyundai’s designers are really rethinking traditional limitations. For instance, different “lighting architectures” help signal vehicle and driver intent; in autonomous mode, lights embedded in the seam of the door crease turn on, and the headlights trade brightness with elements buried in the front grille. This is because the conceptual Level 4 autonomous driving system doesn’t necessarily need visible light spectrum to see the road ahead. When the driver takes over, the headlights go back to helpful, human brightness levels and light strips around the windows of the greenhouse turn on, signaling that a human is in control. And speaking of controls, the interior is subtly wild. Hyundai’s Korean studio removed yards of what you’d expect to find inside the vehicle—center console, dashboards, door panels, pillars—and layered channels of reclaimed wood, tubes of composite and metal, and arcing buttresses and supports covered with fine furniture textiles and nickel accents. It’s gorgeous yet functional—the tubes and open channels throughout the car delivery warming or cooling air from the HVAC system. Well done, Hyundai. —Ed Loh
The BMW M3 and M4 make sense. So does the M5. I get the X5 M but have struggled with the M6 (whoa, heavy). And although it looks the part (kinda) and does hustle, I can’t get behind the concept of the X6 M. Same goes for whenever anyone ever talked about an M version of the 7 Series. Just too damn big (but hot damn, an Alpina B7 executive torque missile makes all the sense in the world). BMW knocked it out of the park with the M8 Gran Coupe concept. Seems like everyone is doing big ol’ coupes (with two and four doors), but BMW nailed the proportions and stance with this M8. It looks sinister. Its vibe is menacing. It delivers chills the way an M car should. Now will BMW make it drive the way an M should? —Ed Loh
The most significant production car of the 2018 Geneva show? Possibly. While the Germans showed concepts of the cool premium, high-performance EVs they’ll soon be building, Jaguar showed one you can actually buy. About $70,000 gets you a 394-hp, all-wheel-drive electric powertrain that delivers a 0–60-mph acceleration time of 4.5 seconds and a 240-mile range, wrapped in a swoopy aluminum body styled like a four-door supercar. And height-adjustable air suspension means this crossover will safely wade through water 20 inches deep. Inside is a high-tech, high-quality interior and room to carry all your stuff. Jaguar has delivered the first real challenger to Tesla’s premium electric vehicle hegemony. The future just got real. —Angus MacKenzie
2019 Volvo V60
I own an XC70, so I have a soft spot for wagons. But this ain’t your ordinary wagon. Sleek, svelte, sexy, and oh so low, the V60 is the wagon for people who can’t abide buying yet another boxy SUV. The V60 will offer two hybrid powertrains, and a huge panoramic sunroof highlights the acres of space and storage in this midsize package—especially in overcoming the scrunched second-row seating of the old model with an astonishing amount of second-row legroom. And it rides on the SPA platform, so you know the driving dynamics will be great. Best part: available plaid seats! —Mark Rechtin
Porsche revealed a pure electric wagon, and yes, we will get it in North America. This is a concept, but it was developed alongside the production model, which will go on sale in late 2019. Design chief Michael Mauer has done a good job of keeping Porsche cues such as the tapered roof (flyline) and haunches while ensuring anyone following the Cross Turismo in traffic will immediately know this is part of the new Mission E electric family. One clever detail is the glass name badge in a light bar across the back, with the E flashing to show state of charge. Another nice touch is the diamond pattern painted into the glass roof and woven into the door panel and cargo area. And with more than 600 hp through two electric motors, and an 800-volt system to charge the batteries, the Cross Turismo puts Tesla on notice. —Alisa Priddle
Don’t think of it as an electric SUV. Think of it as Porsche’s take on a silent, super-quick Audi A4 Allroad. Freed from the need to package a bulky internal combustion engine under the sheetmetal, Mauer has accentuated signature Porsche design elements, in particular the low hood and broad hips. With chunky tires, a jacked-up ride height, and black fender flares, the Cross Turismo looks ready to tackle your favorite rally stage. No one’s saying anything officially, but insiders have hinted the Cross Turismo will be the second Porsche built on the all-electric J1 architecture, launching some time after the road-oriented Mission E sedan makes its debut in 2019. —Angus MacKenzie
Why does this deserve a place on a Geneva best-of-show list? Because it certainly looked right at home amid the wings and fins and spoilers and diffusers from likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. And we learned so much from our conversations with chief engineer Tetsuya Tada. We are one significant step closer to this two-seat turbocharged inline-six-powered legend coming back, and so far, so good. —Ed Loh
Why should only two people get all the fun? Adding a back seat makes this the family vehicle that everyone will want to climb into. AMG took the chassis from the E-Class wagon and engineered it to a higher level of dynamics. The car was shown in a matte brilliant blue, and it also has the latest user interface with a slick configurable digital display—even some of the features on the steering wheel can be customized. Rear passengers get a touchpad, as well, to adjust ambient lighting, volume, and HVAC controls or access vehicle data. Available wireless charging for both rows of passengers is also available. —Alisa Priddle
With quick and powerful electric vehicles—either real or in concept form—everywhere at Geneva this year, it’s tempting to view the Ferrari 488 Pista as a yestertech supercar. It’s not. Ferrari has drawn on its Formula 1 racing experience to redesign the bodywork to improve aerodynamic efficiency and downforce. Carbon fiber is used everywhere to help cut weight by almost 200 pounds compared with a regular 488 GTB. It might have an old-school internal combustion engine, but lordy what an engine! Developing 711 hp at a dizzying 8,000 rpm, it is the most powerful V-8 Ferrari has ever built. And that, right there, is all you need to know to understand why the 488 Pista is destined to be one of Maranello’s all-time greats. —Angus MacKenzie
Be the first to comment