Geneva's Best Concept Cars

Wow! This year's Geneva Motor Show was rife with fabulous vehicles, showing — once again — that the auto industry is not only on the mend, but gaining pace. And you all know what that means: more and increasingly ambitious concept cars. Ironically, they all have to compete with an odd little Morgan 3-wheeler, which would be a concept for any other company. But here in Geneva, it's the first showing for a car that will actually be in customers' hands within a few months. So it's not part of this slide show. However, here are our 10 favorite concepts from the show floor. They illustrate both what may be in showrooms within a year or two, and the stylistic extremes that ooze from a car designer's mind.

Nissan Esflow

Nissan Esflow

Now that Nissan's Leaf electric car is in showrooms, its designers wanted a new challenge, one at the opposite end of the performance spectrum; i.e., they wanted to show what they could do with an electric sports car. The result: the Esflow. Its "liquid mercury" lines have quite the wow factor. The long hood, wraparound windshield and stubby coupe tail are both retro and contemporary at the same time. Another sports car triumph for the company's designers? We think so.

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive

The visual impact of this BMW concept is incredible; pictures don't do it justice. Not since the BMW Z1 has such an exciting 2-seater graced a BMW auto show stand. But the Vision is not just about the sci-fi style and design. It's a total technology-fest, too, packed with all sorts of advanced telemetrics, some of which you've never even thought of. This is the brand's interpretation of the fully networked car, one that fully interacts with both occupants and environment. Smart and sexy, too.

MINI Rocketman

MINI Rocketman

Remember when MINIs were small — well, smaller than they are now? The Rocketman is a throwback to that era. It's shorter than a standard MINI, but just as wide. It's also packed with clever features. The doors are double-hinged, so they open really wide. And the cabin is 3+1: two seats in the front are spacious, and the third seat is behind the passenger, as in the Toyota iQ. A tiny fourth "jump seat" lies behind the driver for emergencies.

Toyota FT-86 II/Subaru Boxer Sports Car

Toyota FT-86 II/Subaru Boxer Sports Car

Toyota's FT-86 was featured as a top concept in Geneva a year ago. But this second-generation prototype is not only a closer representation of the production model — both as a Toyota and as a Subaru — but it's just as sweet to look at. If you didn't know, this machine is the result of a collaboration between the two Japanese automakers, with Subaru supplying the power. It's the sports car for those looking for a change from the Nissan 370Z, and what a sports car it is.

Subaru Boxer Sports Car

Subaru Boxer Sports Car

Diesel and hybrid aren't usually two words you'd associate with excitement, but we'll make an exception in the case of the Volvo V60. It promises to be a fast car, with nearly 300 horses under the hood, and it emits only a paltry 49g/km of carbon dioxide. It will supposedly motor up to 32 miles on electric power alone, and when the diesel engine and electric motors work together, it will race from zero to 62 mph in just 6.9 seconds. Not too shabby.

Ford B-Max

Ford B-Max

Aimed squarely at the compact-car buyer who needs more space within the same footprint as a Fiesta, the B-Max offers sliding rear doors in a side with no pillars. It makes entry as easy as pie. The clean lines are attractive, but the whole package is arguably unadventurous for a motor show concept. Vauxhall's Meriva looks far more radical, and that's already in production.

Alfa Romeo 4C GTA Concept

Alfa Romeo 4C GTA Concept

This is definitely one of the top three concepts at the show. The 4C is intended to prove that sports cars can duck out of the horsepower arms race with a bit of intelligent lightweight engineering — sounds like a Lotus, no? More compact than it looks in the pictures, a situation enhanced by its flat burgundy color scheme, the 4C is awesomely desirable, offering a middle ground between a Lotus Elise and a Porsche Boxster. We'd happily junk the fancy interior if Alfa could get this into production at a sensible price.

VW Combi Bulli

VW Combi Bulli

Peace, love and pass the — well, you know. The VW Bulli pulls at the heart strings of baby boomers and patchouli-oil-loving hippies with fond memories of the old VW Microbus. It has been 10 years since the people's carmaker introduced its last Combi concept, and this one looks far more likely to make it to production than that one did. It's more compact than the original, but packaging is still remarkably good, with passengers sitting three abreast on bench seats that will prove perfect at drive-in movies.

Rolls-Royce 102EX

Rolls-Royce 102EX

An electric Rolls-Royce? Bizarre, indeed. The British superluxury-car manufacturer has thrown the V12 engine and transmission out of the Phantom saloon and replaced it with the biggest battery pack in Christendom. The 102 EX's 96-cell lithium-ion battery pack powers two electric motors that can deliver almost 400 horsepower and that can propel this big beastie to 60 mph in less than eight seconds. No one seems quite sure yet how far it will go on a single charge. But then, is a Rolls-Royce really practical?

Saab PhoeniX

Saab PhoeniX

This imposing, bulky coupe is unlike any Saab you've ever seen. Yet the more you stare at it, the more definitive Saab details catch the eye. We love the nod towards Saab's fighter-plane heritage, even if the winglets alongside the rear window ultimately look daft. It's outlandish, as concepts often are, and the rear end has way too many LEDs. But the "aeromotional" design is striking. Hints of the 2012 9-3 are here somewhere, but where?





Source: Editorial

2011 Maybach 62 S

 The Maybach isn't the most expensive car in the world, but it is the highest-price line of autos made by Mercedes-Benz. The 62S model of the Maybach — the automaker's answer to the Rolls-Royce and Bentley — costs 8 million Hong Kong dollars (about US$1 million). And that's without extras.But the biggest reason for its high price is the Hong Kong luxury tax, about 50% in this Chinese territory. In the U.S., the car costs about $459,000. Even so, we found that as luxury cars go, the Maybach doesn't offer much beyond what other cars in this category offer, save for a couple of features.

2011 Maybach 62 S

The Maybach received a facelift last year, and small changes were made to the exterior, including a larger chrome-radiator grille in front, more aerodynamic mirrors, new wheels — with 12-spoke 20-inch alloy hubcaps painted in a sterling silver color for the Maybach 52S and 62S — and daytime LED driving headlights (daytime driving lights are mandatory on cars sold in the European Union; but experts disagree on whether they cut down on the rate of traffic fatalities). Of all the Maybach models available in Hong Kong, the 62S has the most powerful engine. Oh, and the “S” stands for “special.”

The 62S was a popular Christmas gift among Hong Kongers, according to the dealership, and all 60 of its available models sold out in eight months. Now, there is an eight-month waiting list for the car.

At the Maybach dealership in Hong Kong — a decked-out space with a terrace overlooking Repulse Bay and an open bar — senior manager Karin Hoo explains why the car costs seven figures.

More colors: Buyers can choose from 18 different exterior colors, including the newest Maybach “New Bahamas Blue” (a dark sky blue). That’s four more than the standard number offered in Mercedes Benz models. Of course, as with all luxury cars, the Maybach can be painted any color under the rainbow for an extra fee.

2011 Maybach 62 S

Sheepskin interiors: High-grade nappa-leather interiors are standard and each seat is upholstered with a single piece of uncut hide. Buyers choose between two colors: black or white.

Back-seat recliner: Most Maybach owners rarely sit in the front seat of their car; they have chauffeurs. Fashioned after first-class airplane seating, the Maybach back seat reclines to a nearly flat position and comes with a leg rest and tray table on the side “That’s why they call the Maybach a ‘jet on wheels,’” Ms. Hoo says. The back seat has 84.5 centimeters of legroom.

Perfume atomizer: Forget about those paper air fresheners that hang on the rearview mirror. Each Maybach 62S is fitted with a perfume atomizer — built into the air-conditioning vent. That’s guaranteed not to stain the fine leather interior or your (no doubt) bespoke or haute couture clothing, of course. Swiss flavor and scent manufacturer Givaudan custom-blended two scents just for the Maybach: a citrus-y green tea and more-masculine agarwood.

An extra meter: Most Mercedes S-series models are roughly five meters long; the Maybach 62S — as its name denotes — is 6.2 meters. “We name the car in the same way boats are named after their length,” Ms. Hoo says.

A glass roof: With the press of a button, the glass roof changes from opaque to clear to let in more light (it’s made from a liquid-crystal membrane of conductive polymer plastic, and an electric current in the crystals changes the view). Another button triggers a cover to close over the glass roof completely.

Lighting: Turn on the side LED lights, along the edge of the window, for softer interior lighting. “The idea is to have just the right ambience the owner prefers,” Ms. Hoo says.

Engine: With a 12-cylinder, 630-horsepower engine, the Maybach 62S can hit 100 kilometers an hour in just five seconds (that’s a second faster than most luxury sports cars). It can hit a maximum speed of 250 kilometers an hour. The Maybach name, in fact, comes from engineer Wilhelm Maybach, who designed the engines of the first Mercedes.
Entertainment system: Two 9.5-inch flat-screen monitors are installed in the back of the front seats. The monitors can play DVDs or connect to the Internet through the car’s built-in WLAN wireless connection. Sound is surround: 21 speakers, designed by Bose, are strategically placed throughout the car for what Ms. Hoo calls “concert-hall quality.” And everything is controlled via a center console with a remote control in the back and front seats.

Customizable add-ons: “Each Maybach is meant to be bespoke, and personalized to the customer’s own preferences,” Ms. Hoo says. Ask and you shall receive, the dealership says, from adding your family crest to the seats to installing a minibar in the back. But there isn’t a list of “extras” from which to choose — it’s up to the customer to ask. Previous add-ons have included the family crests etched onto the glass, fax machines and cigar humidors.
Read More: Yahoo