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05 March 2003: GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 'Between Passion and Reason' is how one of the local newspapers here headlined the 73rd International Motor Show at Geneva. Which quite sums up much of what was on display, and perhaps also hints at what the motor car actually means to most of us.

Because there is something more than just the need for transport that underlies our choices and our dreams in the machine that has probably done more than any to change the way the inhabitants of our planet behave.

So at a show like this, they try to give us our dreams as well as our choices. The dreams, as are the concept cars, can range from flights of fancy to heavy-metal nightmares.

In between are moments of reality.

And because of that last thought, both of us, and many of our colleagues, gave our personal collective vote as star of the show to the Opel GTC Geneve. If, as we are led to believe, this is the face of Opel's design future, and pretty well the next Opel Astra, it is going to fundamentally change the public perception of the marque in that most important segment, the small family car.

The Mazda MX Sportif is another in the class, hinting very close to what the 323 replacement, the Mazda3, will be like, and given the marque's refound flair as exemplified with the 6 and the 2, it is also going to boost the image of real road cars for ordinary people.

And on the Citroen stand, the C2 Sport gave us a close look at a variation of the 3-door supermini coming soon to replace the Saxo. We're not too sure if the Diahatsu YRV-like 'double wedge' style will take.

But lets move to some extremes. The Peugeot Hoggar, for instance. Wild in the 60s beach buggy format, but as you've not seen it before, and with two engines that between them pump out 360bhp. A bit much for Dollymount Strand, perhaps.

Then there was the Hyundai OLV, a compact SUV concept which showed some innovative ideas in how to extend the cargo deck for occasional difficult loads and yet have a short vehicle for normal use. Given that brand's relentless drive to become one of the global Big Six makers, we will see parts of this actually appear.

Staying on the Pacific Rim, Mitsubishi's Tarmac Spyder is something else that might well drive into the showrooms of the not-distant future, perhaps not much diluted from what we saw. Running gear is a realistic 2-litre engine mated to a 5-speed automatic sequential gearbox.

Ford was all square, in its current styling theme a la Fusion and Connect, with the Model U (for 'universal?) 4-seater that shows the blue oval's thoughts on a future in hydrogen-powered hybrid propulsion - in this concept using a 120bhp 4-cylinder engine with an extra 33bhp on tap from a supplementary electric motor.

No supplementary power needed for the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron, with its very doable design and a whopping 16 cylinders under the vast hood.

Nissan had its Evalia, a mid-range family car concept, which clearly drew much on the current styling ideas used by its partner Renault. Not sure how a Primera/Megane mix works, though.

We also got the chance to see the original concept for Fiat's Geneva-revealed BMPV, on the Italdesign stand. We can see that the final version lost the intriguing curved bars in the side windows.

And on the Fiat stand itself, the MarraKesh concept compact SUV/Roadster points the way to some upcoming fun cars from the Italian brand.

Not too far away, the small design house of Edag Engineering had its own look at the future, their oddly-named Cinema 7D, which they tell us is based inside on the 'sensation of space in a cinema hall', very minimalistic but seating seven people.

Volvo's Versatility Concept Car (VCC) showed various technologies which are likely to make it into production cars in the company's near future. These include an ambient air clean for the interior, roof-mounted solar cells to power the ventilation system when the car is parked, and a 'V-pulse' key that tells the owner you the status of the car at all times.

It wasn't all futuristic in concept cars, because GM gave us a re-look at the 1958 Firebird concept (above), all Buck Rogers and looking ready to fly. It didn't. Perhaps, though, Giugiaro's Moray (below) from Geneva this year might.

Concepts all, some closer to a future reality than others, but they really can kindle the passion.

	March 2003 - by Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan
Merging passion and reason 05 March 2003: GENEVA MOTOR SHOW 'Between Passion and Reason' is how one of the local newspapers here headlined the 73rd International Motor Show at Geneva. Which quite sums up much of what was on display, and perhaps also hints at what the motor car actually means to most of us. Because there is something more than just the need for transport that underlies our choices and our dreams in the machine that has probably done more than any to change the way the inhabitants of our planet behave. So at a show like this, they try to give us our dreams as well as our choices. The dreams, as are the concept cars, can range from flights of fancy to heavy-metal nightmares. In between are moments of reality. And because of that last thought, both of us, and many of our colleagues, gave our personal collective vote as star of the show to the Opel GTC Geneve. If, as we are led to believe, this is the face of Opel's design future, and pretty well the next Opel Astra, it is going to fundamentally change the public perception of the marque in that most important segment, the small family car. The Mazda MX Sportif is another in the class, hinting very close to what the 323 replacement, the Mazda3, will be like, and given the marque's refound flair as exemplified with the 6 and the 2, it is also going to boost the image of real road cars for ordinary people. And on the Citroen stand, the C2 Sport gave us a close look at a variation of the 3-door supermini coming soon to replace the Saxo. We're not too sure if the Diahatsu YRV-like 'double wedge' style will take. But lets move to some extremes. The Peugeot Hoggar, for instance. Wild in the 60s beach buggy format, but as you've not seen it before, and with two engines that between them pump out 360bhp. A bit much for Dollymount Strand, perhaps. Then there was the Hyundai OLV, a compact SUV concept which showed some innovative ideas in how to extend the cargo deck for occasional difficult loads and yet have a short vehicle for normal use. Given that brand's relentless drive to become one of the global Big Six makers, we will see parts of this actually appear. Staying on the Pacific Rim, Mitsubishi's Tarmac Spyder is something else that might well drive into the showrooms of the not-distant future, perhaps not much diluted from what we saw. Running gear is a realistic 2-litre engine mated to a 5-speed automatic sequential gearbox. Ford was all square, in its current styling theme a la Fusion and Connect, with the Model U (for 'universal?) 4-seater that shows the blue oval's thoughts on a future in hydrogen-powered hybrid propulsion - in this concept using a 120bhp 4-cylinder engine with an extra 33bhp on tap from a supplementary electric motor. No supplementary power needed for the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron, with its very doable design and a whopping 16 cylinders under the vast hood. Nissan had its Evalia, a mid-range family car concept, which clearly drew much on the current styling ideas used by its partner Renault. Not sure how a Primera/Megane mix works, though. We also got the chance to see the original concept for Fiat's Geneva-revealed BMPV, on the Italdesign stand. We can see that the final version lost the intriguing curved bars in the side windows. And on the Fiat stand itself, the MarraKesh concept compact SUV/Roadster points the way to some upcoming fun cars from the Italian brand. Not too far away, the small design house of Edag Engineering had its own look at the future, their oddly-named Cinema 7D, which they tell us is based inside on the 'sensation of space in a cinema hall', very minimalistic but seating seven people. Volvo's Versatility Concept Car (VCC) showed various technologies which are likely to make it into production cars in the company's near future. These include an ambient air clean for the interior, roof-mounted solar cells to power the ventilation system when the car is parked, and a 'V-pulse' key that tells the owner you the status of the car at all times. It wasn't all futuristic in concept cars, because GM gave us a re-look at the 1958 Firebird concept (above), all Buck Rogers and looking ready to fly. It didn't. Perhaps, though, Giugiaro's Moray (below) from Geneva this year might. Concepts all, some closer to a future reality than others, but they really can kindle the passion.
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