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The jewel in the crown of European motor shows opens its doors next week. From the mild to the wild, all kinds of new cars will be launched at the Geneva-Palexpo.

 

We'll be reporting live from the show, but in the mean time, Stuart Milne has pulled together news of all the big launches.

 

 

Bertone

No Geneva motor show would be complete without a wild concept from Italian styling house, Bertone.

 

The show car has been built to celebrate Bertone's 95th anniversary and is heavily based on the new Panda 100hp warm hatch.

 

Insiders say it was inspired by a re-bodied 1947 Fiat 500 which founder Nuccio Bertone drove at weekends.

 

 

Citroen

In a break with Citroen's naming convention of a C followed by a number, the C-Crosser is the French company's first attempt at blending an SUV with an MPV.

 

The C-Crosser has been developed in co-operation with Peugeot and Mitsubishi and promises seven seats (although the 5+2 phrase suggests the two rear-most seats will be suitable for kids or small adults only).

 

It will be powered by a punchy 2.2-litre diesel engine, which produces 158bhp and 280lb/ft of pulling power. Citroen also say it is capable of running on 30 per cent biodiesel.

 

 

Dodge

Dodge says its Demon roadster concept is a nimble "roadster with an attitude" and has the Mazda MX-5 firmly in its sights.

 

Although officially a concept, Dodge say the Demon "gives a taste for a potential future roadster", so read into that what you will. We'd be surprised if Dodge didn't make an announcement on a production version soon.

 

The Demon has been designed from the ground up, and is powered by a 2.4-litre engine, developing 172bhp. It looks like a mini Viper too, which means it should find favour with image-conscious roadster fans who might also consider the Honda S2000 or Audi TT.

 

 

Fiat

There will be a welcome return for Fiat's performance arm, Abarth at the Geneva Motor Show, with the world premiere of the Grande Punto Abarth hot hatch.

 

The Abarth is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, which develops an impressive 150bhp – and the factory-affiliated tuner is working on a kit which will hike the tiny engine to 180bhp.

 

Fiat will also pull the wraps off a rally version of its Grande Punto Abarth – the S2000. Producing 270bhp, the rally car will compete in the Italian Rally Championship.

 

 

Ford

Two launches for Ford at Geneva – one is its most important of the year; the other will keep a popular model ticking over for a while yet.

 

Ford hopes the curvy, new Mondeo will help tickle up sales in a part of the market which is falling out of favour. With shades of Volvo, Audi and a number of other prestige cars in its styling, the new large family saloon certainly looks the part. No wonder it was the car of choice for James Bond.

 

Elsewhere on the stand will be a facelifted C-Max. The redesigned front brings it in line with the bigger S-Max and Galaxy people movers and has a host of new equipment inside.

 

 

Honda

Japanese giant, Honda will be covering all the bases with its Geneva launches: a sportscar concept, a driveable fuel cell car and its 2007 F1 race car.

 

The Small Hybrid Concept is Honda's take on future hybrids, with "fun to drive sports car characteristics", and if it appears like the early sketches pictured here, it'll look fantastic.

 

Honda's FCX Concept fuel cell car will make its first appearance in Europe. Debuting at last year's LA Auto Show, the sleek four-door coupe is capable of 100mph, and has an impressive range of more than 340 miles.

 

Oh, and the Honda Racing F1 Team's latest car, the RA107 will be on display for the first time.

 

 

Hyundai

Keen not to lose ground to sister company Kia, Hyundai will unveil its first ever Focus-sized hatchback specifically designed for Europe.

 

The concept is codenamed 'FD' and Hyundai claims it has "focussed on combining cultivated dynamics with sleek, sophisticated styling, generous equipment levels and an up-to-the-minute safety package." The FD will go on sale in the summer.

 

Hyundai will also announce a new naming strategy for its future models.

 

 

Kia

The new Cee'd range will rapidly expand at Geneva, with the launch of an estate model, and a sexy coupe-convertible concept.

 

Kia's Cee'd Wagon will feature Kia's industry-leading seven year warranty and boasts a fancy tailgate which reduces the amount of space needed to open the boot – useful in cramped car parks or garages.

 

The drop-top ex_cee'd (see what it's done there) has been produced by Kia's new chief design officer, and will give hints to the future design direction from the Korean car maker.

 

Finally, the Kia stand will have a hybrid version of its Rio supermini; 4,000 of which will be supplied to Korea's Ministry of the Environment to test in a 'real-world' environment.

 

 

Lexus

The Geneva show will give the first opportunity for Europeans to see Lexus' new 'F' marque. The hot IS-F is powered by a 5-litre V8 engine, producing more than 400bhp, which makes it good for a limited top speed of 168mph.

 

Its LF-A will also make its first visit to the continent. Widely tipped to be the successor to the Toyota Supra, the LF-A has a racing-inspired 5-litre V10 and a top speed approaching 200mph.

 

 

Maserati

Sure to be the sexiest new car in Geneva, the muscular Maserati GranTurismo will spawn a series of brothers, including a spyder and hardtop convertible.

 

The four seat GT is powered by a Ferrari-derived 4.2-litre V8, operated via a paddle shift gearbox, with the choice of a manual for the more committed driver.

 

 

Mazda

Mazda has chosen Geneva to launch its stylish replacement for the aging Mazda 2 supermini.

 

Not much information has surfaced on the new 2, apart from its engine choices: a 1.3-litre developing 85bhp or a 100bhp 1.5.

 

The Japanese manufacturer will also reveal its latest concept; the Hakaze – a 'unique compact crossover coupe'.

 

 

Peugeot

There will be a hat-trick of 207-related world premieres on the Peugeot stand, plus some concepts for good measure.

 

The 207 GTi will feature the same 1.6-litre turbocharged engine as the new Mini Cooper S, while visitors will be able to get a first glimpse of the 207CC just in time for summer. The 207 SW Outdoor Concept is a pumped-up version of the forthcoming SW quasi-estate, which will appeal to those loving the butch looks of the VW Polo Dune, Volvo XC70 and Audi Allroad.

 

Peugeot's version of the Citroen C-Crosser will be in price of place, sitting on a set of huge 20-inch wheels for the show.

 

 

Rinspeed

Rinspeed, the tiny tuning and styling company from Zurich, will take a bonkers see-through, moon buggy-like car to Geneva.

 

The eXasis roadster's body is made from a plastic called Makrolon and is said to evoke images of bullet-shaped race cars from the 1960s. Strangely it is powered by a 750cc, turbocharged two-cylinder engine (unlike most cars which have a four, five, six or eight cylinders), and is capable of running on environmentally-friendly bioethanol.

 

 

Saab

Still banging the drum for bioethanol, Saab will pull the covers off its latest green car.

 

The 2-litre BioPower engine in its 9-5 estate produces a staggering 300bhp when run on pure ethanol, which the company predicts will set the benchmark for engine 'rightsizing' - using small, powerful engines which also deliver energy savings.

 

The new BioPower 100 Concept also has some styling tweaks, from the team which developed Saab's futuristic Aero X.

 

 

Smart

Brabus will be the big pull over on the Smart stand. The factory-approved tuning and styling outfit have got their hands on the ForTwo and given it a thorough working over.

 

As well as a bodykit to give the cute Smart some extra aggression, Brabus have also breathed on the engine to coax out some extra power. At 98bhp, the tuned Smarts aren't going to set the world ablaze, but it brings the 0-60mph time to under ten seconds.

 

 

Subaru

It's not a car that'll make waves over at Subaru's stand; it’s the Japanese company's first in-house diesel engine.

 

Subaru has long been fans of the horizontally-opposed 'boxer' engine – which has its pistons firing towards each other, like two boxers punching each other – and has built the world's first diesel boxer.

 

Boffins at Subaru claim boxer engines are more compact that conventional engines, which have their pistons firing up and down, and allows vehicles to have a lower centre of gravity.

 

 

Suzuki

The centrepiece of Suzuki's stand will be a saloon version of its crossover SUV-like supermini.

 

It sounds like a strange mish-mash, but it is likely to look better in the metal. Saloon versions of hatchbacks rarely sell in strong numbers in the UK, but it could well be a hit on the continent.

 

Also appearing will be Suzuki's latest World Rally car, its crazy Splash concept and an all-new MPV which the Japanese marque will be using to gauge interest.

 

 

Toyota

Hybrid is the buzzword on the Toyota stand, where it will debut the Hybrid X – a car which could well become the next Prius – and the FT-HS supercar, first seen in Detroit.

 

There's not much information on the Hybrid X, other than it is a "concept car that proposes a new design language for Toyota hybrid models, while also serving as a showcase for future hybrid technology."

 

Geneva will also be the first time the three-door Auris will be seen in Europe.

 

 

Volkswagen

More green goings-on at Volkswagen, but unlike Toyota, VW have been trying to make the most from existing technology.

 

It will bring a new Polo and Passat to the show, powered by its BlueMotion green running gear. The Polo's 1.4-litre diesel engine will cover over 72mpg, thanks to a combination of emission-reducing particulate filters, improved aerodynamics and gearing and a serious weight reduction.

 

There's a similar story with the Passat, which can manage more than 55mpg while emitting just 136g/km of CO2.

 

VW will also be showing an updated Phaeton, a Caddy concept and the new Golf estate.

 

 

Volvo

Three new launches for Volvo, with an all-new V70 and XC70 and XC60 concept on the stand.

 

Volvo says the new V70 promises more luxury and refinement, sharper handling and better versatility. Very few details have been released on the XC70, other than it will feature four-wheel drive and more ground clearance.

 

The production version of the XC60 will go on sale in 2009, but until then the concept version will have to make do for fans of crossover vehicles.

 

 

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