Exotic Supercars Will Dominate Geneva, Europe's Most Important Car Show

GENEVA, Switzerland – High-performance, gas-guzzling supercars will dominate the car show which gets underway here next week, suggesting Europe’s car makers are trying for just one more year of money-making indulgence before tougher rules on fuel consumption kick in.

The annual Geneva Car Show is Europe’s most important, not least because it is held on neutral ground and not dominated by local manufacturers like the biennial Paris and Frankfurt shows.



Yet more SUVs will take the stage, as falling oil prices liberate buyers from worries about costs, for a while at least. Electric cars and robot ones will be lurking in the background waiting for their moment, unlikely to arrive until about 2020. Volkswagen, shamed by its self-confessed “dieselgate” cheating in the U.S., will try and keep a low profile. Diesels generally, currently at best on hold in the U.S., will still dominate European cars. If diesels, critical in meeting upcoming fuel consumption laws, are outlawed here most manufacturers would be financially crippled.

This year the show will be dominated by highly profitable not to say unaffordable exotica, led by the 1,482 hp Bugatti Chiron at an expected price of $2.4 million. Aston Martin will unveil its DB 11, powered by a new 5.2 litre-V12 motor. Debutants also include the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso and McLaren 570GT. BMW has a hot new 600 hp 7 series flagship, the M760Li xDrive, flaunting a 6.6 litre V-12 engine. Lamborghini will show its limited edition Centenario.



Source: http://www.forbes.com