New metal battles market pressure in Geneva

AS EUROPE’S middle classes – particularly in Ireland – baulk at the financial pressure brought on by the recession, the motor industry is suffering under its own squeezed middle. The household brands from France and Germany are being hotly pursued by the ever-improving Koreans in terms of value and quality, while the premium brands have decided they want to offer a more democratic spread of products.

From Mercedes with its new A-Class supermini through to Audi with its new A3 and Volvo with its V40, the focus for the premium brands is on breaking down some of the barriers between buyers and luring customers away from the likes of Ford, VW and Toyota.

All the while the industry is complaining about production over-capacity in Europe, with too many under-used plants. Any attempt to close them, however, is being met with stern resistance from national politicians. And having taken the taxpayers’ euro through various assistance packages and scrappage schemes, it’s hard to tell the politicians to stay out of commercial decisions.

On a more positive note, this year’s Geneva motor show has much to offer in terms of new metal. For all the pressures on manufacturers many are still very profitable, courtesy of the seemingly insatiable appetite for new cars in China.

The good news for Irish buyers – and no doubt of interest to the financial mandarins in Merrion Square – is that the focus for car makers remains firmly on reducing emissions. At the show this year 90 is the magic number, with several cars coming to market in the next 12 months with emissions of less than 100g/km.

Speaking on the eve of the show, VW Group chairman Martin Winterkorn said the German firm will achieve an average of 120g/km for the group’s entire fleet by 2015. When you consider that its fleet includes Lamborghini and Bugatti you start to see that many of the models it will launch in the next three years are going to have to be below 100g/km.

It’s much the same message from the rest of the cohort of car makers. As the Opel Ampera (an electric car with a range-extending petrol engine) took the prized title of European car of the year, electric powertrains and hybrids are no longer the talking point at the stands, they are the norm.

As to what the Irish Government should consider when revamping its tax regime, the over-riding response was that it should concentrate on the same focus as the engineers: emissions.

As one senior European executive, who didn’t want to be named in the context of Irish tax policy, said: “Other countries have tried to mix-and-match their taxes with things like a car’s weight or engine size, but the end result has always been a confusing, complex mess. If you stick with emissions at least you can claim to be supporting the drive to cleaner cars and just change the charges to reflect the improvements made by the industry’s engineers.”

MERCEDES A-CLASS

MERCEDES is showcasing its new A-Class, a proper supermini from the premium brand, far more sporty and stylish than its predecessor; enough perhaps to warrant a new name. While it’s based on the B-Class platform, the car is similar in internal space to the likes of the Audi A1. The official line is that it’s a cool rival to the Audi A3, but it seems too small to be a real contender in the family hatchback segment, regardless of the badge up front.

Aimed at the prized 25-plus age group, where Mercedes has little or no customer base, the three-pointed star brand is eager to be perceived as a young and trendy brand once more, and not just the preserve of fortysomething senior managers.

Part of this drive is the increasingly close relationship with Apple. The new A-Class allows you to connect your iPad to the car’s entertainment system and effectively operate all your apps and music catalogue from the cars main screen.

The car will be launched in Ireland with a 1.8-litre diesel with emissions of just 99g/km. However it will not be arriving in Irish showrooms until the start of 2013.

Mercedes has a massive challenge to change perceptions, particularly in mature markets like Ireland, but the A-Class certainly is a step in the right direction to moving the brand towards a cooler contemporary customer base. Pricing however, will be key. No word yet on that.

PEUGEOT 208

PEUGEOT HAS pulled off one of the coups of the Geneva Motor show with the 208.

It was a welcome surprise given the rather frumpy look of Peugeot’s current crop of superminis and hatchbacks.

Thankfully its latest supermini is a far neater package, and harks back to the glory days for the brand, when young petrolheads aspired to own the glorious 205 and or even the slightly softer, but still attractive, 206.

Arriving in Irish showrooms on June 30th, it will be launched with three engines: a 1.4-litre HDi diesel engine with 98g/km emissions; a 1-litre petrol with 99g/km and a 1.2-litre petrol with 104g/km. More good news for fans of the old 205: a GTi version of this new car is in the pipeline.

VW and AUDI

VOLKSWAGEN USED the Geneva motor show to unveil its new Golf GTi cabrio. The smart-looking convertible is the final hurrah of the current Golf model, ahead of the launch of a brand new Golf at the Paris motor show this autumn. The brand also showcased its new Cross Coupé concept to Europe, a strikingly good-looking crossover that would seriously challenge the likes of the Nissan Qashqai were it to go into production. All expectations are that it will indeed make its way onto our forecourts in the future.

Not to be outdone, its sister brands Audi, Seat and Skoda also showcased new offerings. Audi has the new A3 (pictured), which will come to Ireland later this year. Slightly wider than the current model, it’s more of an evolution in terms of looks, while retaining the brand’s reputation for quality interior fit and finish. It is based on VW Group’s new mid-size platform that will underpin the next-generation Golf and weighs in 80kgs lighter than the current model. The big news for Irish buyers is that the 1.6-litre diesel version will come with emissions of just 99g/km and fuel economy of 3.8L/100km. In 2014 a plug-in hybrid version will be added to the range.

Meanwhile, Seat introduced its new Toledo family saloon, alongside its own version of the VW Up!, called the Mii. The latter is a stylish take on the VW city car and fitting for what is supposedly a youth-orientated brand, but the Toledo leans more towards practicality than stylish appeal. It’s functional, if a little mundane.

BENTLEY

Amid a myriad of kooky concepts Bentley created the most talked-about car on the Geneva show floor with its first impression of what the brand’s upcoming SUV will look like.

Due in 2015 and based on a reworked version of Audi’s Q7 platform, European visitors baulked at the bling and excess of the car, not to mention its downright ugliness. However, in a clear demonstration of the differing tastes of European and Asian markets, Chinese car fans seemed to love it. And there’s no doubt that Premiership footballers will be queuing up to buy.

Kitted out with its own cutlery and delph for those picnic days at the Epsom Derby, it’s for buyers really eager to flaunt their wealth. An early contender for the ugliest car of the decade.

OPEL AMPERA CAR OF THE YEAR 2012

WHILE ELECTRIC CARS are now the norm on nearly every stand, Opel’s new Ampera garnered a lot of attention after winning the coveted European car of the year 2012 title.

The award was announced on the eve of the press day. The Ampera runs solely on electric power for up to 80kms and thereafter on electricity generated from an on-board 1.4-litre petrol engine. It goes on sale in Ireland this autumn.

There has been some debate over whether the car is a fully-electric model or an advanced hybrid, but the format is designed to overcome the problem of “range anxiety” that has stymied sales of electric cars so far.

Prices for the new Ampera are expected to be relatively high in Ireland – €40,000 or more – and while it’s not expected to sell in large volumes, it will overcome the fears of some potential electric car buyers of being left stranded once the charge runs out.

FORD BMAX

FORD HAS unveiled its new B-Max, a five-seater rival to the Opel Meriva, only with a sliding rear door rather than the Opel’s reverse opening one.

A smart-looking car based on the current Fiesta platform, it measures in at 31cm longer than the regular supermini so there is significantly more interior space. It will arrive in Ireland in September with a 1.4-litre diesel or the remarkably powerful but frugal 1-litre EcoBoost petrol engine that Ford has developed. On the Focus this engine manages either 95bhp or 125bhp, with emissions of just 109g/km or 119g/km respectively. Yet from behind the wheel it feels like it has the power of a 1.6-litre or 1.8-litre petrol.

Prices are still not confirmed for the B-Max, but expect them to start around €19,000. The blue oval brand also unveiled its new Kuga, based largely on the smart-looking Escape model launched earlier this year in the US. It’s an evolution on the current car but this time boasts the various safety equipment options you find on the new Focus.

The main seller in Ireland will be the 2-litre diesel currently offered in the Focus range, but don’t expect it to hit Irish showrooms until the start of 2013, when the new Focus ST and Fiesta ST will also make their Irish debuts.

Read more on the show and see more of the new car launches on our Motors Blog at

[ irishtimes.com/motors ]