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This year’s Geneva Motor Show is under way with over 120 new cars making their world and European debuts from the Bugatti Chiron, Maserati Levante and Aston Martin DB11 to the Volvo V90, Alfa Romeo Giulia and Audi Q2.
The scale of the show is immense with over 650,000 visitors expected to attend over the course of the next two weeks. Motor Trader was amongst the 10,000 strong media contingent visiting the show’s press days and highlights here some of the key models heading for UK showrooms over the coming months.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Alfa Romeo revealed its Giulia saloon range, a model it hopes will challenge the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 in the premium executive sector. Its UK launch date and specification are yet to be confirmed but prices are expected to start from around £29,000. Four all-new aluminium engines – two petrol, two diesel – will power the Giulia with outputs ranging from 150PS to 510PS with the previously seen Quadrifoglio acting as the high performance halo car.
Audi Q2
The all-new Audi Q2 will give dealers an opportunity to sell into the compact SUV sector for the first time when order books open in July. The Q2 is the fourth member of Audi’s successful Q series and is designed to appeal to younger buyers. It will be available with a choice of five engines including a 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol unit. The car will also be available with a choice of quatrro or front wheel drivetrains.
Maserati Levante
Maserati joins the SUV sector with the Levante, one of the most popular global unveilings at the Geneva Motor Show. Maserati said the addition of the new model, which will go head to head against the Jaguar F-Pace, fulfils its ambition to have a model in every luxury automotive sector. The Levante will be available with a 3-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol engine (350PS and 430PS) and a 275PS 3 litre V6 turbo diesel. UK sales will start this summer with prices likely to start from around £54,000.
Volvo V90
Volvo’s range rejuvenation steps up a gear with the arrival of the V90, the estate version of the S90 saloon and a direct replacement for the V70. The new model, will sit alongside the XC90 and S90 at the top of the brand’s expanding model line-up and will see it reaffirm its position in the large estate sector. A UK launch date has yet to be confirmed but prices are expected to start from around £33,000.
Bugatti Chiron
The most eagerly anticipated debut at this year’s show was the Bugatti Chiron. The Veyron successor is destined to be the fastest production car with a top speed of 261mph, which is electronically limited mainly to ensure that the tyres remain durable enough to cope with the Chiron’s pace. It will also be one of the most expensive with a £1.9m price tag which will require a €200,000 customer deposit. Powering the Chiron is a heavily developed version of the Veyron’s 8-litre W16 engine.
Seat Ateca
Seat’s all-new Ateca marks the brand’s long awaited debut into the B-segment SUV sector. The brand expects the car to be its best seller after the Ibiza and Leon after UK sales start in time for the September plate-change. The car will be available in both 2WD and 4WD with a choice of petrol and diesel engines. “The essential role of this car will be to help the brand take a further step forward in terms of image” said Luca de Meo, Seat’s chairman.