Geneva does the green thing

The Geneva Motor Show used to be an auto show with most of its attention focused on big players like Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. Usually, auto makers like Toyota, Honda, GM, Mazda sat in the bleeding nose rows while all the spotlight was on the supercars. But this year the Geneva Motor Show took a different turn. Yes, Lamborghini was there with their new Gallardo Superleggera; yes, the BMW M3 Concept made heads turn more than once. Yes, the Audi A5 and S5 stole the show according to your votes and our polls. But this year auto makers like Toyota, Honda and Mazda received a huge amount bright spotlight with their new hybrid concepts and compact cars.

Auto makers at Geneva focused their attention on a new topic that is widely discussed across the industry now days; carbon emissions. And this year, even though we should hand it to Europeans for their strong environmentally-friendly portfolio, Toyota, Honda, Saab and Mazda received praise for their cars including the Toyota Hybrid X Concept, Honda Small Sports Car Hybrid, Saab 9-5 BioPower and the Mazda2. While Toyota’s Hybrid X and Honda’s Small Hybrid Sports Car were just concepts focused mainly on the future design of hybrids, Saab 9-5 BioPower showed off its pure bioethanol fuel production-based engine and the Mazda2 showed off their compact fuel-efficient car. Even Cadillac debuted their 2.9 liter diesel CTS.

Other than the green talk, even the Dodge Demon Roadster Concept and GM’s Opel GTC concept received some spotlight. Not to mention the Opel GT won “Cabrio of the Year Award,” Green is the new in thing, but most auto enthusiasts are still big fans of speed.

Source: BusinessWeek