TurboNines Staff

Every March, the eyes of the auto industry turn to Switzerland, where the self-described land of neutrality puts on one of the most radical of industry auto shows. The Geneva Motor Show, the first major European show of the year, is always a more fashion-forward event than most others, with its spirited mix of mainstream car manufacturers, specialty builders, independent (and often Italian) design houses, and prominent European tuning firms all sharing the same floor space. In a market where legendary marques are either in jeopardy of fire-sale liquidation or wholesale extinction, this year’s rendition of the oft-exotic Geneva Motor Show served as both a beacon of the future and a warning of present market dangers.

Ahead of the event, Geneva’s organizers touted no less than 85 world premieres throughout the Geneva Palexpo’s seven exhibition halls during March 2 and 3 press days. Following this, the show opened to the public from March 5-15.
 

 
Like this year’s Detroit show, whose organizers did their best to disguise vacant exhibit space as a green technology showcase, Geneva took advantage of its often underutilized Hall 3 and built it out as its “Green Pavillion” – an area specifically for the display of new green-tech and the companies and schools that are touting it.

For those whose automotive passions are focused on motorsports, Hall 71 was a mandatory stop. In addition to simulators, racing film screenings and such, there was also an electric kart track where visitors could square off against times put down by visiting racers like Yvan Muller, Romain Grosjean and Alain Menu. Nearby in Hall 1, there was also a special exhibition of F1 racecars from the last 20 seasons to help round out the sporting display.

Saab enthusiasts of course were looking to the Geneva for confirmation that their favorite marque still had a pulse. For Saab at this point in its history, the name of the game is quite simply survival. The hot topic at the stand was all about the Swedish underdog going independent from GM, as the parent company hemorrhages greenbacks by the billions. There was a spirit of optimism in the air, however, as Saab was at least showing off new product.
 

 
After the launch of the Aero X last year, the unveiling of Saab’s newest (and much anticipated) model, the 9-3X SportCombi, is no surprise, The idea is simple: Take the 9-3 XWD SportCombi, give it some additional ground clearance and dress it in off-road cladding. So-called sport utility wagons from competitors like Subaru and Volvo already play well in the market as sensible alternatives to conventional SUVs, so an off-road take on the XWD SportCombi is only natural. In reality, there probably couldn’t be a product better suited to the type of buyer who usually finds Saab the right choice.

Elsewhere in the Saab stand, Trollhattan showed off the 9-X Air concept (again) and the recently-introduced 9-5 Griffin. The mix wasn’t the largest showing of new products by a manufacturer, but it was encouraging to see the ailing Swedish marque plodding ahead despite tumultuous times. Assuming the company survives the next several months, the Frankfurt show in September should be even more significant, with the launch of an entirely new 9-5 model range.