Automakers test their niche ideas

The 76th Geneva auto show highlights how automakers increasingly target market niches.

Ford of Europe debuts two new niche cars. One is a Focus-based coupe with a retractable hardtop and the other is a seven-seat minivan called the S-Max.

The S-Max will be sold alongside the seven-seat Galaxy minivan, but it will have a sporty design.

Opel hopes its new GT roadster will become a halo car, repeating the success of the 1960s GT.

Renault's Altica station wagon concept hints at how CEO Carlos Ghosn's new luxury lineup will look.

Volkswagen finally reveals a concept for a new Golf-based SUV that it plans to launch next year.

The Peugeot 207 will be the only volume-selling car launched at Geneva.

Production cars: Spider, 159 Sportwagon

After investing E900 million in the 159, Alfa was counting on the lower-premium car to reverse a three-year sales decline.

But quality problems and an incomplete engine range meant that the 159 sedan got off to a slow sales start following its launch in September.

The Italian carmaker hoped to sell 30,000 159 sedans in 2005 but sold only 14,000.

The Sportwagon station wagon should bring a much-needed sales boost. It goes on sale next month, completing the 159 lineup.

The Spider, a convertible two-seat sports car, goes on sale in May. It's derived from the 2+2 Brera coupe that was unveiled at last year's show. The Brera coupe's launch was delayed by the 159's problems. Just 232 units were built last year instead of the 5,000 planned and the model only came to market last month.

Concept car: Rapide

The Rapide is the dream car of Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez.

Bez developed a four-door, four-seat coupe similar to the Rapide when he was head of product design and development at Porsche.

But the project was killed by the German sports car maker in 1992. Bez left Porsche a year later but never stopped dreaming of building a four-door sports coupe. He secretly began working again on such a car when he joined Aston Martin in 2000.

Bez can make his dream come true now that he has transformed the British brand into a success story. Aston Martin built 4,222 units last year, up from 2,097 in 2004.

The Rapide debuted at the Detroit auto show and is due to launch in August 2007, ahead of the 2010 launch of the rival Porsche Panamera. The sports car was designed and developed in six months by a 12-person team headed by the company's new design chief Marek Reichmann.

The Rapide is powered by the DB9's 450hp, 5.9-liter, V-12 gasoline engine upgraded to 480hp and mated to a six-speed ZF automatic transmission.

Production car: Escalade

General Motors' US luxury brand will start selling its new Escalade SUV in Europe in the third quarter. Prices are expected to start between E65,000 and E70,000, which means it will go head-to-head with Europe's high-end models, including the Mercedes GL and Audi Q7 premium SUVs.

With the Escalade, Cadillac is going upscale. As GM's top-of-the-line SUV, it will offer three rows of seats and a 6.2-liter, all-aluminum V-8 capable of producing 409hp.

Technology: Cadillac said it improved the Escalade's ride and handling by increasing the stiffness of the chassis. The Escalade also has a wider front and rear track than its predecessor in the US and an all-new coil-over-shock front suspension design, rack- and-pinion steering system and five-link rear suspension. A new Robert Bosch four-channel ABS system works with the standard StabiliTrak stability control system's new rollover prevention technology.

The Escalade's V-8 engine is matched with a new six-speed automatic transmission to help performance and economy.

Concept car: Roadjet concept

Audi says its Roadjet concept, first unveiled at Detroit in January, is a new niche model – but what kind of model is it?

Sized between the A4 and A6, the five-door Roadjet could become part of an Audi Sportback family, possibly as an A5 station wagon. Or it could be the smallest member of the new Q-badged SUV lineup, possibly the Q3.

One thing is sure: It will be a production model one day. Audi Chairman Martin Winterkorn confirmed the Roadjet is more than a design exercise.

The Roadjet features a 300hp, 3.2-liter V-6 gasoline engine with a seven-speed version of parent Volkswagen group's dual-clutch transmission as well as a car-to-car communication system.

Production cars: A6 allroad, S6

Audi tested the public's reaction to a new allroad model when it unveiled a high-tech Audi allroad quattro concept at the 2005 Detroit auto show.

Audi will sell the new allroad as a car-like alternative to the automaker's new Q7 SUV. The car will get three engines from the A6: 2.7- and 3.0-liter diesels and a 4.2-liter gasoline V-8. It also will be introduced with a higher ground clearance than the previous model and will be offered only in a station wagon version.

The S6, first shown last month at the Detroit show, continues the horsepower wars among Germany's premium automakers.

The S6 is aimed squarely at BMW's V-10 M5. The A6 offers the same 420hp, 5.2-liter gasoline direct-injection V-10 found in the S8. The BMW M5 has 80hp more than the S6, but will cost at least E5,000 more than the Audi model. The S6 will arrive at dealers this autumn.

Technology: The Roadjet comes packed with technology, including a 1,000-watt, 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system with Bluetooth passenger headphones. The allroad gets Audi's latest version of the carmaker's quattro all-wheel-drive system, which offers better traction control than the old system.

Not shown: Concepts for a new TT premium roadster and a new flagship supercar called the R8 will wait until the Paris auto show in September. The second-generation TT is expected to use a mix of aluminum and steel.

The R8, a mid-engine coupe, will be based on the Gallardo sports car from Audi's Italian unit Lamborghini.

Set to go on sale early next year, the R8 will share its design with the Le Mans Quattro concept shown at the 2003 Frankfurt IAA.

Production cars: BMW Z4 coupe, Z4 M coupe, Z4 roadster face-lift, 320si

BMW shows the production versions of the Z4 coupe and its tuned-up M variant after showing a concept of the coupe at the Frankfurt IAA and Detroit auto show.

Having the coupe and M variants join the 3-year-old roadster should give the Z4 range a sales boost. BMW sold 14,181 Z4 roadsters last year, down from 18,329 in 2004, according to JATO Dynamics.

Powered by the M3's 343hp, 3.2-liter inline six-cylinder engine, the Z4 M coupe could be a serious rival to the 295hp Porsche Cayman S and the 325hp Porsche 911 Carrera.

The BMW Z4 coupe and Z4 M coupe go on sale in August. The coupe will start at E38,900. The M coupe's base price will be E55,900.

The face-lifted Z4 roadster gets a European premiere after its world debut at the Detroit auto show.

Its air intakes and front bumper were redesigned to make it more striking.

Restyled taillights give the rear end a more angular look.

The 320si is a sporty version of the 320i and is the street-legal version of the 320si race car that will compete in the 2006 FIA World Touring Car Championship. BMW will build 2,600 units of the 320si, which will start at E32,150. The 320si has an engine tweaked to produce 173hp, up from the 320i's 150hp.

Technology: BMW will show its first turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engine, based on the 265hp, 3.0-liter inline six available in BMW's current model lineup.

The engine's marriage of gasoline direct injection and turbocharging means it is smaller but more powerful than an equivalent normally aspirated powerplant, which reduces emissions and fuel consumption.

BMW says the engine weighs 70kg less than a normally aspirated, 4.0-liter V-8 with similar output, and consumes 10 percent less fuel than a V-8 engine.

With gasoline direct injection and two turbochargers each feeding three cylinders, the engine produces 306hp, 15 percent more than the engine it is based on, and 400 newton meters of torque, up 30 percent.

Not shown: At last year's Geneva auto show BMW CEO Helmut Panke announced that the carmaker would add two new models, a 7-series-based minivan-style crossover known internally as the Space Functional Concept and a coupe/SUV crossover, likely to be called the X6.

Both are due in 2008, so it's too early for concepts at this year's show. BMW will launch the coupe version of its new 3 series this summer, but will not show it at Geneva.

Production cars: Captiva, Epica

General Motors has big plans for Chevrolet, its entry brand in Europe below Opel/Vauxhall.

Chevrolet wants to sell 300,000 units here by 2007 – nearly triple its volume compared with 2002. Chevrolet expects that the Captiva medium SUV and Epica large-segment car will help it achieve the ambitious target.

The Captiva and Epica were designed and engineered by GM Daewoo Auto and Technology in Korea. GM Daewoo will build both vehicles.

The Captiva will be the first Chevrolet model to use GM's new Korean-built family of common-rail turbodiesel engines jointly developed by GMDAT, GM Powertrain and VM Motori in Italy.

At its July launch, the Captiva will be available with a 2.0-liter, 150hp common-rail direct-injection turbodiesel as well as 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 3.2-liter V-6 gasoline engines.

The Captiva shares its architecture with the Antara GTC, Opel's new medium SUV, which launches at the end of the year. The Antara GTC will be offered as a five-seater only while the Captiva will have a seven-seat variant, thanks to a longer body and a third row of seats. Entry-level Captivas will come with front-wheel drive and room for five.

Chevrolet plans to sell at least 15,000 Captivas this year and 25,000 a year starting in 2007.

The Epica four-door sedan replaces the Evanda, which sold less than 4,000 units in Europe last year, and suffered from a lack of a diesel or six-cylinder gasoline engine. With the Epica, buyers will initially have a choice of two gasoline engine types, either a 2.0-liter or a 2.5-liter engine. GM Daewoo's new turbodiesel engines will come later.

Chevrolet says the Epica "has grown significantly" compared with the Evanda. However, the Epica is only 35mm longer and 10mm taller than the Evanda. The Epica already is on sale in its Korean home market as the Tosca. Pricing for the Epica and Captiva is expected to be announced at the show.

Technology: Four-wheel-drive versions of the Captiva will feature an active-on-demand system. If driving conditions demand it, the rear axle is instantly employed via an electronically controlled electromagnetic coupling to give maximum traction.

The Captiva also will be the first model in Chevrolet's European range available with stability control. The system also offers brake assist, hill-descent control and active-rollover protection.

Concept car: Imperial

Chrysler will show the Imperial concept that debuted at the Detroit auto show in January.

The luxury four-door sedan has a huge Rolls-Royce-style grille and it could become the US automaker's new flagship model by 2010.

The concept is based on the LX platform shared by the Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum and Dodge Charger, but it is 432mm longer and 152mm taller than the Chrysler 300C.

Concept car: Hornet

The Hornet concept shows a potential entry by the US brand into the European performance hatchback segment.

Powered by a 170hp, four-cylinder 1.6-liter supercharged gasoline engine, the Hornet's wide stance and American styling differentiates it from potential rivals such as the Renault Clio RS, which debuts at the Geneva, show or the Ford Fiesta ST.

European rally cars inspired the Hornet's design, but it keeps Dodge's aggressive looks, said Mark Moushegian, its principal exterior designer.

To boost interior space, the Hornet has a width of 1932mm – almost as wide as a lower-medium car. It also has no B-pillar.

Production cars: Caliber, Caliber SRT4, Nitro

The Caliber lower-medium hatchback and Nitro medium SUV get European debuts. The Caliber premiered at the Detroit show last month and the Nitro debuted at Chicago earlier this month.

The Caliber leads Dodge's plans to boost its European sales to 80,000 units by 2009 from just 275 sales in western Europe in 2004. The hatchback goes on sale in June with prices expected to start at E19,500.

For Europe, the Caliber gets a diesel engine as well as three gasoline engines. Its 140hp, 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine will be supplied by Volkswagen.

The car will be offered with 1.8-, 2.0- and 2.4-liter gasoline engines from the World Engine family developed by the Chrysler group, Hyundai and Mitsubishi.

The SRT4 is a high-performance variant of the Caliber with a 300hp, 2.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. It will compete against cars such as the Ford Focus ST.

The five-seat Nitro goes on sale in early 2007. The SUV is based on the Jeep Cherokee/Liberty platform. The Nitro will have a 180hp, 2.8-liter diesel engine from Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler/Jeep gasoline engines. It will target budget medium SUVs such as the Kia Sorento.

Concept cars: C4 diesel- hybrid, C3 Gaz Naturel, C-Airplay

Citroen concentrates on environmentally friendly technology at Geneva. The carmaker will show a diesel-electric hybrid version of the C4 lower-medium car. Parent PSA/Peugeot-Citroen aims to sell tens of thousands of diesel hybrid cars in Europe starting in 2010. Citroen also will show the C3 Gaz Naturel, which is powered by an engine that runs on gasoline or compressed natural gas. The company also showcases its fuel-saving stop-start system. The C-Airplay may hint at a C2 convertible that could be built at PSA's new plant in Trvana, Slovakia.

Concept car: Logan ZR90

Dacia, Renault's Romanian subsidiary, will show a near-production concept for a Logan station wagon. Code-named ZR90, the wagon goes on sale in central Europe in the autumn. The Logan sedan adds a Renault 1.5-liter diesel engine to its 1.4-liter and a 1.6-liter gasoline engine versions.

Concept car: D-Compact Wagon

With the D-Compact Wagon, Toyota-owned Daihatsu has repackaged for Europe the US-market Scion xB and its Japan-market sister model, the Toyota dB.

The 3800mm-long, four-door D-Compact Wagon has the same boxy looks as the US and Japanese small minivans.

Daihatsu said the concept has a versatile seat arrangement and a spacious interior that should appeal to families. The concept may come to Europe as a production car.

Production cars: Terios, Trevis

The Terios is western Europe's second best-selling small SUV after the Suzuki Jimny.

But its 2004 sales were just 9,560 units, well behind the Jimny's tally of 25,954. Maybe that's because the Terios is 8 years old and, unlike the Jimny, does not offer a diesel engine.

The new model is wider and longer than its predecessor.

It's also little changed from the concept shown at Frankfurt's IAA in September, which featured a short overhang at the front giving the car an aggressive look.

The Terios gets a new 100hp, 1.5-liter gasoline engine but no diesel engine. Sales begin in May with prices starting at E17,990 in Germany.

Daihatsu introduces a new minicar to Europe, the retro-styled Trevis. The 3400mm-long, four-door minicar already is on sale in Japan as the Mira Gino. It's powered by a 58hp, 1.0-liter gasoline engine. European sales start in August.

With its 620hp, 6.0-liter V-12 engine, the 599 GTB Fiorano is Ferrari's most powerful front-engine car to date. The two-seat coupe replaces the 575M Maranello. It is based on a shortened version of the 612 Scaglietti aluminum spaceframe and its launch will complete Ferrari's switch to an all-aluminum product range. The 599 GTB Fiorano goes on sale in the summer priced at E230,000.

Concept cars: Fioravanti Skill, Bertone coupe cabriolet, Oltre

Two Italian design houses will use Geneva to try to win contracts from Fiat to build niche variants of the Grande Punto small car.

Fiat aims to sell 360,000 units annually of the Punto, its top-selling model.

Fioravanti's and Bertone's stands will feature concepts for niche Punto derivatives they believe will help Fiat boost that volume with limited new investment.

Fioravanti's Skill two-door prototype has a retractable hard-top roof and folddown tailgate. It shows how Fiat could add a coupe convertible and a pickup to the Punto range.

Bertone's concept is for a four-seat, aggressively styled coupe cabriolet that features a retractable hard-top.

Bertone developed the system with CTS of Germany, a roof supplier sold recently by Porsche to Magna International.

The Oltre is Fiat's answer to the Hummer H1. It was developed by Fiat from the Light Multirole Vehicle off-roader, which is being built for the British and Italian armies by Iveco, Fiat group's truck subsidiary. The Oltre debuted at the Bologna auto show in December.

Production cars: Sedici, Panda CNG

The Sedici, Fiat's first SUV, is shown outside Italy for the first time. It debuted the Bologna show in December.

The automaker aims to sell 20,000 Sedicis annually. It launches on March 10 in Italy. The rest of Europe follows in April and May. Prices start at E19,000 to E20,000.

Suzuki will build the Sedici for Fiat at the Japanese carmaker's plant in Esztergom, Hungary. Suzuki's version, the SX4, will make its world debut at the Geneva show.

The low-emission Panda CNG is based on the Panda four-wheel- drive version. Its compressed natural gas fuel tanks are located where the 4wd transmission components normally sit in the Panda 4wd. That means it has the same cargo capacity as a normal Panda despite the bulky CNG tanks. Sales start late this year or early 2007.

Technology: Microsoft and Fiat will premier their co-developed Blue&Me telematics system.

Concept car: Focus coupe cabriolet

First shown as the Vignale concept at the Paris auto show in 2004, Ford will unveil a near-production version of its Focus-based convertible with a retractable hardtop.

The niche vehicle is part of Ford's plan to broaden the Focus product line. Ford has been without a medium-sized coupe or cabriolet since sales of the the Escort cabriolet stopped in 1998.

The Focus coupe cabriolet will be built by Pininfarina of Italy and will go on sale shortly after the Paris auto show in September.

Production car: S-Max

Ford thinks it has a segment buster in the five-door S-Max, the first vehicle to use Ford's next-generation Mondeo platform.

The S-Max keeps the styling cues of Ford's Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) concept, unveiled at Geneva a year ago. The S-Max will bear a strong resemblance to the C-Max medium-minivan, but it will be the first production vehicle to show Ford of Europe's new assertive and muscular design language, which it calls "kinetic."

Positioned between the Mondeo and the seven-seat Galaxy large minivan, the S-Max is available with seating for five or seven. In seven-seat configurations, the S-Max will offer Ford's Fold Flat System that allows the third row to collapse into the floor.

Other distinctive cabin features that have been carried over from the show car include an aircraft-style handbrake and a dashboard-mounted gear lever.

After a E715 million investment, the S-Max will be built alongside the Galaxy and the Mondeo at Ford's factory in Genk, Belgium. Prices will be announced around the time the S-Max goes on sale in the summer.

It's likely that four-wheel-drive versions of the S-Max will be offered eventually .

Power will come from a range of engines borrowed from Ford subsidiary Volvo and the Mondeo, including some turbocharged gasoline and diesel versions.

The S-Max goes on sale at the end of the summer.

Not shown: Ford likely will show a concept for the next Mondeo at the Paris auto show in September. The new Mondeo will take styling cues from the Iosis four-door sedan concept shown at Frankfurt's IAA last September.

Concept cars: Civic Type R, Civic 3-door

The Civic Type R adopts the bold styling of the eighth-generation Civic lower-medium hatchback that debuted at the IAA in Frankfurt in September in its five-door guise.

Powered by a 200hp, 2.0-liter gasoline engine, the Civic Type R is based on the three-door Civic that debuts as a near-production concept at Geneva.

It goes on sale early next year and will be built alongside the Civic at Honda's factory in Swindon, central England.

The Civic three-door goes on sale in Europe in December. Sales of the five-door hatchback started last month.

Production car: Legend

The Legend, Honda's flagship sedan, goes on sale in Europe from September.

The Legend will challenge the Mercedes E class, BMW 5 series and Audi A6 in the executive sedan market.

It has an array of new features including Honda's Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD), a pop-up hood, and adaptive cruise control combined with collision mitigation brake system.

The Legend is powered by a 290hp, 3.5-liter V6 aluminum gasoline engine.

European prices will be announced in June/July.

Concept car: Genus

The Genus crossover concept shows Hyundai's thinking for a successor in the upper-medium segment, a spot currently held by the slow-selling Elantra.

Hyundai says the Genus combines coupe looks with the versatility of a station wagon.

A crossover vehicle is part of Hyundai's plans to increase its model lineup in Europe.

Expect a production version within three years.

Production cars: Accent, Sante Fe

To grow in Europe, Hyundai needs to do better in the lower-medium segment.

But the new Accent will not be the model that achieves a breakthrough.

While the sedan sells well in the US and Korea, its western European sales were 23,012 units last year.

The segment's 2005 top seller in western Europe was the Volkswagen Golf with sales of 469,248 units.

Hyundai intends to build a new lower-medium car, which will be positioned above the Accent, at its planned 300,000-unit capacity plant in the Czech Republic starting in 2008. That model, code-named FD, will share its underpinnings with a lower-medium car, which Hyundai subsidiary Kia will build at its new plant in Zilina, Slovakia, starting in December.

The third-generation Accent grows 20mm in length, 15mm in width, 75mm in height and gains 60mm in wheelbase.

When sales start in the spring, it will be offered with two gasoline engines and a 110hp, 1.5-liter common-rail turbodiesel.

The second-generation Sante Fe large SUV has a European debut after its world unveiling in Detroit last month.

In Europe, Hyundai will offer a 190hp, 2.7-liter, V-6 gasoline engine and a new 150hp, 2.2-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel.

The Santa Fe will have as five- or seven-seat configurations with a fold-flat third row and two- or four-wheel drive. It is 175mm longer, 45mm wider, and 65mm taller than its predecessor with the wheelbase extended by 80mm.

European Sante Fe models will come from Korea. Sales begin here in April, nearly six months ahead of its US launch.

Technology: The Santa Fe's chassis was extensively revised to attain a more refined sedan-like ride.

The predecessor's double-wishbone rear suspension was dropped in favor of a multi-link setup resulting in reduced noise and vibration.

Production car: Compass

Jeep boosts its lineup in Europe with the Compass, a car-based lower-medium hatchback. The Compass will launch toward the end of 2006. It will share a front-wheel -drive platform with the Dodge Caliber hatchback, which goes on sale in Europe starting in April. The Compass will have a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine from Volkswagen and a 2.4-liter gasoline engine.

Concept car: Haizea

The Haizea is a vision for a sporty future flagship for the brand created by students at the European Institute of Design (IED) in Turin. The concept is for a mid-engine, one-box sports car. It is unlikely to be built.

To mark the brand's 100th anniversary this November, Lancia will show centenary editions of its current models.

Concept car: Cee'd

The Cee'd concept will reveal the look of the new lower-medium car that Kia plans to build at its new E1.1 billion plant in Zilina, Slovakia, starting in December.

The concept is a teaser that is a "starting point for a new design DNA for Kia," the carmaker says. It has styling cues from the Sorento medium SUV and Picanto minicar.

The name Cee'd (pronounced seed) represents the car's "seed" for future growth in Europe, a Kia press statement said.

The five-door hatchback concept is powered by a four-cylinder, 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline engine.

It was styled at Hyundai/Kia's design center in Rüsselsheim.

Production cars: Carnival/Sedona, Sorento face-lift

The short-body version of Kia's new Carnival large minivan makes its world premier.

To catch up with European rivals, the new Carnival now offers power sliding rear doors and a power tailgate. It is taller and wider, but shorter than its predecessor.

The new model adds more cabin space and has seating for seven. The seats in the back row can be individually moved, reclined, folded or removed. There is also a choice of two 185hp gasoline or diesel engines.

Kia expects sales of 24,000 units in Europe during 2006. The Carnival goes on sale in April. The long-body Carnival was unveiled at the 2005 Chicago auto show.

Kia is increasing the horsepower in the Sorento medium SUV, its second-best seller in western Europe last year.

The face-lifted Sorento will offer customers the choice of a 170hp diesel – a power increase of 21 percent – or a new 3.3-liter, V-6 gasoline engine capable of 235hp.

Concept car: Miura

A modern version of the 1966 P400 Miura, the Miura concept makes its European debut in Geneva following its premier in Detroit.

Audi brand group design chief Walter de' Silva created it. The concept is based on the Gallardo platform. If reaction is favorable, Lamborghini could launch the vehicle in 2008 or 2009 with a 6.5-liter, 700hp version of the Murcielago's V-12 engine. That would position the Miura head-to-head against Ferrari's successor to its Enzo supercar.

Production car: Murcielago

The Murcielago gets a face-lift. Its design is more extreme and the Murcielago's 580hp, 6.2-liter, V-12 engine will be upgraded to a 600hp 6.5-liter. Only the Murcielago coupe will be changed. The roadster will stay with its current design for the immediate future. Eventually the roadster will get the same changes.

Production cars: L460, GS450h, RX350

The new LS is the car that will lead Toyota's luxury marque's push to become a more global luxury brand.

Lexus is the No. 1 premium brand in the US, but in Europe its sales lag well behind rivals Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi.

Maybe it's time the German luxury carmakers got worried.

On the technology front the LS460, Lexus' new flagship, is bidding to outshine its upper-premium German rivals, the Mercedes S class and BMW 7 series.

Here's what the LS460 offers:

• The world's first eight-speed automatic transmission in a production car mated to a new 380hp, 4.6-liter, V-8 gasoline engine

• A self-parking system that will enable the car to pull itself into a parking space

• Reclining rear seats with foot rests and massage systems

The LS460 continues Lexus' new L-finesse design language already seen in the GS and IS sedans. The design is meant to balance simplicity and elegance.

There will be a long-wheelbase LS for the first time, measuring 5151mm, 122mm longer than the standard car.

The LS460 goes on sale in Europe in the autumn.

Lexus promises to reveal more details of the car's safety technology at the Geneva show.

Lexus also will reveal more details of the GS450h, its hybrid version of the GS medium-premium sedan.

The GS450h has a 340hp, 3.5-liter, V-6 gasoline engine coupled with an electric motor.

Lexus says the engine performs like a 4.5-liter V-8 gasoline engine but has the fuel consumption of a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine. It can accelerate from 0-100kph in under six seconds. The car has CO2 emissions of just 186g/km. It launches in European markets in early summer.

The RX350 premium SUV makes its European debut. The RX 350's 3.5-liter, V-6 gasoline engine is upgraded to 272hp from the 204hp offered in its predecessor, the RX300.

Concept car: APX

The four-door APX concept is designed to showcase two new Lotus technologies: a flexible platform concept and a V-6 engine.

A coupe-styled, station wagon crossover, the APX is the first use on a complete car of Lotus's Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) developed by the British sports car maker and engineering specialist.

Lotus hopes to sell its VVA to global automakers looking to market new niche products with minimum investment.

The APX – Aluminum Performance Crossover – is powered by Lotus' new 3.0-liter V-6 engine that uses low-pressure supercharging to produce 300hp.

Production cars: Europa S, Exige S

With the Europa S mid-engine 2+2 coupe, Lotus adds a more mainstream model to its lineup. Lotus currently makes the Elise and Exige extreme sports cars.

The Europa S is the first Lotus to come with carpets, airbags and a leather interior as standard.

The Europa S is being built to broaden Lotus' customer base by capturing Audi TT, Porsche Boxster or Nissan 350Z buyers. Production starts in July and the car comes to market shortly. It will be priced at E49,000.

Lotus says its Exige S is its fastest production car to date.

Powered by a supercharged 218hp, 1.8-liter, four-cylinder Toyota-derived gasoline engine, the 935kg sports car accelerates from 0-100kph in 4.3 seconds. Its top speed is 238kph.

Priced at E44,147, the Exige S goes on sale starting in March.

Concept cars: Kabura, Mazda5 Hydrogen RE hybrid

Mazda shows the Kabura 3+1 sports car. The lightweight, rear-whee- drive sports coupe hints at a potential Mazda's future design strategy. which aims to attract more young buyers.

The Mazda5 Hydrogen RE hybrid is powered by a hydrogen- or gasoline-fueled engine combined with an electric motor. Its engine and motor unit is cleverly packaged transversely under the hood.

Production cars: Mazda3 MPS, Mazda3 face-lift

Powered by a 250hp, 2.3-liter, turbocharged gasoline engine, the Mazda3 MPS will be the second model in the Mazda Performance Series. The first was the the Mazda6 MPS, launched last month.

The Mazda3 MPS will be called the Mazdaspeed3 in North America and the Mazdaspeed Axela in Japan.

Mazda's top-selling car in Europe, the Mazda3 lower-medium car, will be shown with a minor face-lift.

Production cars: GL (European version), S65 AMG, R63 AMG, CLS63 AMG, CLK63 AMG, SL65 AMG face-lift, SL face-lift

The seven-seat GL class, Mercedes-Benz's third SUV, has its European debut in Geneva after a world premier in Detroit last month. Like Audi with its Q7, Mercedes is targeting the US market for large luxury SUVs with the GL.

Audi and Mercedes expect 60 percent to 70 percent of Q7 and GL sales to be in North America.

The GL goes on sale in Europe in September, four months after US sales begin.

European prices will be about E10,000 above corresponding M class models, putting the GL between the M class and the G class. The ML320 CDI costs E48,662 in Germany.

The GL is built alongside the M- and R-class models at Mercedes' US plant in Vance, Alabama.

Magna Steyr of Austria will continue building the 26-year-old G class premium SUV.

In Europe, the GL will be offered with 3.2-liter V-6 and 4.0-liter V-8 diesel engines, and 4.6-liter and 5.5-liter V-8 gasoline engines.

The European GL will be a more capable all-terrain vehicle than in the US because it comes with Mercedes' Offroad package as standard. In the US version, the package optional.

AMG, Mercedes' in-house tuning division, is staging a big effort to boost sales in 2006. As part of the push, new and face-lifted AMG models will be shown.

The S65 AMG, the tuned version of the new S class, and the R63 AMG, a tuned version of Mercedes' new R-class minivan/SUV crossover, have their European debuts.

The CLS63 AMG replaces the CLS55 AMG and the CLK63 AMG is the successor to the CLK55 AMG.

All these models get AMG's new naturally aspirated, 6.2-liter, V-8 engine that debuted last summer. The powerplant is the first engine developed by AMG that is not based on any Mercedes engine.

The SL55 AMG will be shown with a more powerful 5.5-liter engine offering 517hp, up from 500hp. The face-lifted SL65 AMG makes its world debut in Geneva.

The 4-year-old SL premium roadster is face-lifted. The car's front bumper, alloy wheels and taillights are the major exterior changes, while the interior is upgraded with new colors and materials.

The SL gets new V-6 and V-8 engine options. Mercedes says the 272hp V-6 is more economical than its predecessor but offers 11 percent more power. The 388hp V-8 has the same fuel consumption as the engine it replaces but 26 percent more power.

Technology: Mercedes is re-introducing direct-injection gasoline engine technology in its cars.

The automaker dropped its only direct-injection gasoline engine in the CLK200 CGI in 2004 because it didn't think that the fuel savings offered by the technology at the time was worthwhile.

But the technology has advanced and rivals BMW and Volkswagen group also now offer direct injection gasoline injection engines.

BMW shows its first turbocharged direct-injection gasoline engine at Geneva. Audi and Volkswagen models already offer direct injection gasoline engines.

Not shown: The face-lifted E class will be introduced in June. It gets new bumpers, taillights and a tweaked chassis, but its failure-prone by-wire braking system is replaced by a mechanical braking system.

Concept car: Mini Traveller

The latest concept for a future Mini station wagon is the fourth Traveller concept after similar design studies were shown at the 2005 IAA in Frankfurt and the 2005 Tokyo and 2006 Detroit auto shows. This concept will have a Swiss theme.

Talking point: The second-generation Mini likely will debut at the Paris auto show in September. Its exterior looks will change little from the current iconic styling, but the Traveller concept shows how its front end will look.

The next Mini will have new gasoline and diesel engines. BMW and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen have jointly developed a 1.6-liter gasoline engine family that will go into the Mini and PSA's small and medium-sized cars. The Mini also gets a PSA diesel engine to replace the Mini's current Toyota-sourced 1.4-liter diesel.

Concept car: Concept-EZ, Concept-X

The EZ electric car from Mitsubishi Design Europe showcases the Japanese carmaker's latest technologies.

Each of the EZ's 20-inch wheels houses a 27hp in-hub motor powered by a lithium-ion battery positioned beneath the car's floor.

In the Concept-EZ, Mitsubishi engineers and designers have created what Mitsubishi calls an "urban capsule" vehicle.

The internal space has been enhanced by the use of a retractable steering wheel, drive-by-wire technology and power folding seats.

The Concept-X four-door sedan is one of two design studies that preview a striking new look for the next-generation Lancer lower-medium car. It was shown at the 2005 Tokyo auto show and is similar to the Concept Sportback hatchback shown at the 2005 IAA in Frankfurt. Both have a large, aggressive-looking grille.

The Concept-X has a further-developed all-wheel drivetrain and a six-cog clutchless transmission.

It is based on a new platform co-developed with DaimlerChrysler that also underpins the Dodge Caliber.

Production car: CZC convertible

Mitsubishi will broaden the lineup of its Colt small car with the Colt CZC, a coupe cabriolet developed and built by Pininfarina of Italy.

Based on the Colt hatchback platform, the CZC will be equipped with a retractable hardtop.

The CZC is powered by the same 147hp, 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine that is used in the Colt CZT. A 1.5-liter gasoline engine is also available. Production of the CZC at Pininfarina's Bairo, Italy, plant is scheduled to start in April. The CZC's base price expected to be near E16,000.

Concept cars: Terranaut, Pivo

The Terranaut is a three-seat SUV for explorers and scientists designed to cross ice, deserts and other remote hostile environments with its 19-inch puncture-proof Goodyear tires.

The concept has no B-pillar and only one seat in the back to make room for a laboratory-style space with a computer console.

The Terranaut is purely a design study, created at Nissan's 3-year-old European design studio in London.

Designed for crowded cities, the three-seat Pivo has an egg-shaped body that can turn 360 degrees.

The Pivo debuted at the 2005 Tokyo show.

Production car: Note

Nissan shows the Note small minivan, which is based on the same platform as the Renault Modus. The Note already debuted at the 2005 IAA in Frankfurt.

Not shown: The P32L lower-medium crossover based on the Quashqai concept shown at Geneva in 2004. The car likely will premier at the Paris auto show in September.

Concept cars: Opel GT

Opel has a new halo car in its lineup.

The GT returns after a 33-year absence with a two-seat roadster that debuts in Geneva as a near-production vehicle.

Opel built 100,000 units of the original GT between 1968 and 1973. The GT's US muscle car styling was a novelty in Europe at the time so the car became a cult hit.

The new GT is not a retro recreation of that model. It's effectively a rebadged version of the Sky roadster, which is sold in the US by Opel's sister brand Saturn.

The GT will be built in the US at Opel parent General Motors' Wilmington, Delaware, plant on GM's rear-wheel-drive Kappa architecture alongside the Sky and Pontiac Solstice.

The GT's design was inspired by the VX Lightning concept car, which was created by the GM Advanced Design Studio in Birmingham, England, in May 2003.

Scheduled to launch in spring 2007, the GT's price is expected to start slightly under E30,000, positioning the car between the BMW Z4 and Mazda MX-5.

The GT replaces the Speedster, a mid-engine roadster that was discontinued last year after sluggish sales. The Speedster was sold as the Vauxhall VX220 in the UK.

Production cars: Meriva OPC, Meriva face-lift, Signum Sport

Opel extends its performance lineup into the minivan segment with the Meriva OPC.

The model has a 180hp, 1.6-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine and goes on sale next month, priced at E23,000.

The Meriva small minivan receives a minor face-lift and a new engine: a 75hp, 1.3-liter common-rail turbodiesel engine. It goes on sale next month with a starting price of E16,235.

The Signum Sport extends its range with a 250hp, 2.8-liter, V-6 turbocharged gasoline engine capable of 250hp.

Technology: The GT will have GM's most powerful Ecotec production engine: a

2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo with gasoline direct injection. It is capable of producing an estimated 260hp and features GM's four-channel electronic stability control system.

Concept car: 207 RCup, 307 CC Hybrid

The RCup shows the 207 in a potential racing guise. It's powered by a 280hp, 2.0-liter gasoline engine mated to a six-speed sequential transmission.

The 307 CC Hybrid showcases parent PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's diesel-electric hybrid technology.

Production car: 207

The 207 small car has a lot to live up to. Its predecessor, the 206, is Peugeot's best selling car to date with 5.35 million units sold since its launch in 1998.

Despite being 7 years old, the 206 was western Europe's fourth best-selling car last year with a volume of 397,568.

How could Peugeot replace such a successful car? It won't.

The 206 will continue to be sold indefinitely alongside the 207. The 206 is the entry-level model. The 207, which launches in April, will be aimed at buyers who want added comfort and more safety features than the 206 offers.

Peugeot expects to sell 500,000 units a year of the 207. Global sales of the 206 peaked at 800,000 but the 207 enters a more crowded segment with 80 small-segment rivals, compared with 44 competitors when the 206 was introduced and only 15 when the 205 debuted.

The 207 is bigger and heavier than the 206 due to added safety features such as six airbags, two seat belt pretensioners and a stronger structure that makes it more resilient in side-impact crashes.

At 4030mm, the car is 200mm longer than the 206, 3mm longer than the new Renault Clio and the same size as the Fiat Grande Punto, the current largest small-segment car.

PSA invested E1 billion in the new model. It will be built in PSA's plants in Poissy near Paris; Villaverde near Madrid and at PSA/Peugeot-Citroen's new Trnava, Slovakia, site, which opens this summer.

The 207 goes on sale in April. Prices have not been announced.

Besides the three- and five-door versions available this spring, Peugeot plans at least two other 207 body styles: a coupe cabriolet and a station wagon to replace the 206 CC and 206 SW.

Technology: The 207 will be the first PSA model powered by a new 1.6-liter gasoline engine family developed by PSA and BMW. By year-end, the 207 will be equipped with new PSA/BMW 150hp turbocharged and 115hp naturally aspirated direct-injection gasoline engines. The carmakers plan to build 1 million engines annually at a new E330 million engine factory in Douvrin, near Paris.

Peugeot also hints that the 207 will get the fuel-saving stop-start technology offered in the Citroen C2 and C3.

Production car: 911 turbo, 911 GT3

Porsche says the 911 turbo sports car is its most powerful production 911 to date.

The sixth-generation of the range-topping 911 model accelerates from 0-100kph in 3.9 seconds. Its 480hp, 3.6-liter boxer engine has 60hp more than its predecessor. The car goes on sale in Europe on June 24 priced at E115,000.

US sales start on July 8. The US price is $122,900.

At Geneva, Porsche also will release details of its latest 911 GT3, which it calls is a "race car for the road." The GT3 gets the styling and cockpit of the latest 911.

Rolls-Royce says it will show something "interesting," but would not reveal details before the Geneva show.

The British brand could debut a production version of a four-seat Phantom convertible. A concept called the 100EX was shown at the Geneva show in 2004.

Spy shots show the production car is almost identical to the concept, even retaining the rear hinged doors.

Production car: B9 Tribeca

Subaru brings its US-built B9 Tribeca SUV/minivan crossover to Europe.

Powered by a 245hp, 3.0-liter gasoline engine with five- or seven-seat options, the Tribeca will compete against vehicles such as the Nissan Murano medium SUV. Sales will start in September at about E45,000. The Tribeca went on sale in the US last summer. It was unveiled at the 2005 Detroit auto show.

Concept car: Altica

With its long hood and aerodynamic body, the Altica station wagon looks like a sports car.

Renault says it designed the Altica to show that a wagon could look sporty.

But the Altica's front end could show the potential styling for the next Laguna upper-medium car, which is due next year. It has design cues for a new range of Renault luxury vehicles.

CEO Carlos Ghosn aims to double Renault's luxury- vehicle sales and launch five new premium cars priced above E27,000 as part of his Renault Commitment 2009 three-year growth plan.

Code-named Z19, the Altica is 4270mm long and 1830mm wide. With the rear seats folded, its trunk capacity is 1,300 liters.

Production car: Clio RS, Espace face-lift

The Clio RS is the high- performance version of Renault's third-generation Clio small-segment car that went on sale last September.

The RS was previewed by the Clio Renault Sport shown at the IAA in Frankfurt last September.

Renault gives the 4-year-old Espace large minivan a minor face-lift.

Technology: The Altica is powered by a new 2.0-liter diesel engine developed by Renault and alliance partner Nissan. It's mated to Renault's new PK4 six-speed manual transmission.

The engine highlights Renault's policy of downsizing its engines. It is offered with 150hp and 175hp – the same power ratings as the 2.2-liter engine it is replaces.

It also has CO2 emissions ranging from 144g/km to 159g/km, compared with the 2.2-liter engine's emissions of 200g/km or more.

The engine was launched in the Laguna in December and it will go in the face-lifted Espace.

Production car: Roomster

Skoda expands its model lineup with the quirky looking Roomster small minivan.

The Czech automaker's fourth model will compete against Renault's equally quirky looking Modus, as well as more traditionally styled minivans such as the Opel Meriva and car-derived vans such as the Renault Kangoo.

The Roomster keeps the large windows and tall boxy shape of the design study that was shown at the 2003 IAA in Frankfurt.

It will be marketed as an activity vehicle that will offer the option of a panoramic roof and a system for mounting a bicycle inside the vehicle.

Skoda aims to sell 15,000 Roomsters this year. Production is scheduled to begin next month at Skoda's Kvasiny factory in the Czech Republic where the carmaker recently invested E105 million to expand production to 700 units a day from 150.

The Roomster will be offered with three gasoline and three diesel engines, and it will have Skoda's new Varioflex fold-flat rear seating system.

The vehicle goes on sale in European markets starting in the summer. Prices begin at E12,158 in the Czech Republic.

Concept cars: Urban Cruiser, Yaris T Sport, Fine-T, i-swing

The Urban Cruiser signals that Toyota will not abandon the entry-level SUV segment now that its new, third-generation RAV4 is bigger and more expensive than its predecessor.

Designed at Toyota's ED2 studio near Nice, southern France, the Urban Cruiser is a three-door small SUV.

Toyota says the concept's interior styling was inspired by trendy furniture but no details of the inside were available before the show.

The Urban Cruiser is a design exercise but Andrea Formica, Toyota Europe's vice president of marketing and sales, has told Automotive News Europe that the carmaker believes there is room in its lineup for a small SUV.

Just two months after Toyota started sales of the second-generation Yaris small car, its European best seller, the automaker unveils a high-performance version called the T Sport.

The concept has the Corolla's 1.8-liter gasoline engine. The current T Sport has a 1.5-liter engine. Toyota has not yet disclosed the T Sport's most critical statistic – its power output. In the Corolla, the 1.8-liter engine goes up to 187hp. Although it's a concept, insiders say it is likely to be produced.

Toyota's Fine-T fuel cell hybrid concept is powered by a new downsized fuel cell stack.

The i-swing is an upright scooter that can transport one person around busy city streets. It can operate on two or three wheels.

Production car: Prius face-lift

The refreshed Prius features Intelligent Park Assist, Toyota's self-parking system that steers the car into a parking spot. The driver selects the spot and controls the speed while the car steers itself.

Production car: SX4

The SX4 is an SUV-style crossover that will be an important part of Suzuki aims to boost its sales to 350,000 units in Europe by 2010. Sales were 240,000 units last year.

The SX4 is the carmaker's third important introduction within 12 months after the launch of the new Swift small car last March and the Grand Vitara medium SUV a few months later.

The SX4 is built alongside Fiat's new Sedici SUV at Suzuki's plant in Esztergom, Hungary, which also builds the Suzuki Swift and Ignis and Subaru Justy.

The carmaker invested E200 million in upgrading the factory last year. Suzuki developed the SX4 and Sedici after the two carmakers signed an industrial cooperation in April 2003.

About 40,000 SX4s and 20,000 Sedicis will be built annually. SX4 sales start in the summer.

Fiat launches the Sedici next month at prices starting at E18,970. Suzuki will announce SX4 prices at Geneva.

Technology: The SX4 comes in two variants, the Urban Line with front-wheel drive only aimed at city dwellers and the Outdoor Line.

The Outdoor Line has a switchable three-mode, four-wheel-drive system that offers two-wheel, four-wheel and four-wheel lock driving modes.

There's a choice of three engines: 1.5- and 1.6-liter gasoline units and a Fiat-derived 1.9-liter common-rail turbodiesel.

Concept car: Concept A

The Concept A shows how the long-awaited Golf SUV will look when it goes on sale next year, although the production version will not keep the design study's low coupe-style roof line.

Dubbed the "Touareg's baby brother" by the German press, the medium SUV will compete against the Toyota RAV4 and BMW X3.

It is expected to offer a version of VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system and share as many engines and modules as possible with the Golf hatchback and the Golf Plus.

VW says the SUV is on schedule for launch next summer. Prices are expected to start at about E24,000.

The SUV will be based on the Golf platform, but will be built more cheaply than the Golf at VW's biggest plant in Wolfsburg, in northern Germany.

VW brand Chairman Wolfgang Bernhard threatened to have the SUV built in VW's Autoeuropa plant in Setubal, Portugal, unless Wolfsburg workers agreed to build it at a lower cost within the terms of VW's Auto 5000 employment model.

Auto 5000 employees already build the Touran medium minivan in Wolfsburg. They are not employed under VW's standard wage agreement for its western German factories that pays workers the highest wages in the country's auto industry.

Production car: Polo Blue Motion

The Polo Blue Motion will be the first car produced under a new

VW strategy to offer more fuel-efficient vehicles.

It has a 1.4-liter diesel engine that consumes just 4 liters per 100km. Other VW models with alternative fuel engines, such as compressed natural gas, also are planned for the future. The Polo Blue Motion is expected to go on sale later this year.

Concept car: C30

The C30 two-door hatchback is close to the production version that will premier at the Paris auto show in September.

The 4240mm-long C30 will be the smallest model in the Volvo range. It will be built on a shortened version of parent Ford Motors' C1 architecture, which also underpins the Ford Focus and Mazda3 lower-medium cars, and Volvo's S40/V50 medium-premium models.

The C30 will go on sale toward the end of the year, competing against the entry-premium Audi A3 and BMW 1 series.

Production car: S80

Volvo upgrades its flagship medium-premium sedan to compete better with rivals such as the Saab 9-5, Mercedes E class, BMW 5 series and Audi A6.

The second-generation S80 adds two new gasoline engines including its first V-8. Borrowed from the XC90, the 4.4-liter, V-8 will be capable of 315hp.

Volvo also will add a compact in-line six-cylinder engine, which joins Volvo's five-cylinder 2.5T and two turbodiesels.

Volvo says it expects 70 percent of the S80's forecast 50,000 annual sales to be bought by people who do not drive a Volvo. The Swedish carmaker built 27,124 S80s last year, according to J.D. Power-LMC.

As expected from Volvo, the S80 also features a number of active safety innovations plus new personal security and convenience features.

Collision Warning alerts the driver via an audible buzzer and display on the windshield if the gap to the car in front closes so fast that a collision is likely, while a new Brake Support system boosts the braking force to ensure maximum braking.

The S80 will be launched in June. Pricing will be announced at the Geneva show.

Technology: Volvo adds its optional Personal Car Communicator (PCC) to the S80. With the PCC, even before the driver gets to the car, he or she can check its security level.

For example, the PCC unit can tell if the car is locked or whether the alarm has been activated, while a heartbeat sensor warns if someone is hiding inside the car.

Contributing are reporters: Jason Stein, Jens Meiners, Luca Ciferri, Paulo Soares de Oliveira, Tony Lewin, Wim Oude Weernink and Sylviane de Saint-Seine