The fast, fancy, and futuristic cars from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show
Stan Horaczek
at 13:50 PM Mar 13 2018
The fast, fancy, and futuristic cars from the 2018 Geneva Motor Show
McLaren also unveiled a race-track only version of the Senna that’s even faster than the production model.
McLaren
Cars // 

There are lots of new rides to see in Switzerland this week.

 

Geneva, Switzerland hosts the first big European auto show every year, which makes it a great place for carmakers to show off their new vehicles, especially the companies that reside on that content. This year’s show featured an interesting mix of electric cars and old-school combustion engines, some of which are insanely big and powerful.

Here’s a rundown of the cool new rides you may have missed if your boss wouldn’t let you jet off to Switzerland for the week.

McLaren Senna

 

This swoopy supercar gets its name from one of racing’s most famous drivers: Ayrton Senna, who died in 1994 after a crash at the San Marino Grand Prix. It uses a 4-liter, turbocharged V8 motor that pushes 789 horsepower. That’s a lot for a car that weighs roughly 2,700 pounds. All that power puts its acceleration on another level—its 0-60 mph time is a ridiculous 2.8 seconds. It’s a race car that crawls in just under the regulations that make it road legal.

Range Rover SV Coupe

Range Rover SV Coupe

Range Rover SV Coupe

This two-door SUV is limited to 999.

Range Rover

Range Rover will only make 999 of these two-door SUVs, and each one will cost $295,000. All that money gets you a 5-liter, supercharged V8 engine with 557 horsepower. Its body is slung too low to rove many actual ranges, but it’s a unique ride if you have the cash.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo concept

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo concept

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo concept

There’s no combustion engine in this Porsche.

Porsche

 

There’s no gas-powered engine in this Porsche hatchback. With an electric motor at every wheel and more ground clearance than a typical slammed sports car, it’s capable of navigating dirt roads and other terrain outside the shopping district. It promises a range of 300 miles per charge if it comes to market.

Volvo Polestar 1

Polestar 1

Polestar 1

The body of the Polestar gives it an aggressive stance.

Polestar

 

This performance hybrid has a 2 liter, 4-cylinder engine with both a supercharger and a turbocharger. Additionally, it has two rear-axle electric motors that push the total power to 600 horsepower. Volvo is only releasing a limited number of the cars as they roll off the line, and you have to apply to get one if you want in.

Icona Nucleus

 

Any car that markets itself as a “self-driving living room” sounds pretty sweet to me. The concept is a fully-self-driving vehicle with a rotating seat and all the creature comforts to keep you entertained on your ride to wherever. It’s roomy, well-lit, and packed with screens.

Volkswagen ID Vizzion

Volkswagen ID Vizzion

Volkswagen ID Vizzion

The steering wheel tucks away when the car is doing the driving.

VW

 

VW notes that its plug-in electric is just a concept for now, but if it comes to market in 2022, it promises 400 miles on a charge, and enough self-driving tech inside that the steering wheel can retract for hands-off rides.

Toyota GR Supra Racing Concept

Toyota Supra

Toyota Supra

Brian O’Conner would approve.

Toyota

 

The original Fast and Furious movies sparked innumerably car crushes on the original Supra, which went out of production in 2002. It’s coming back in 2019, however, and there’s a race version concept coming with it. This compact two-door whip uses a front engine position and rear wheel drive, just like the original. Its top speed eclipses the 200 mph mark.

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro track

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro track

Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro track

This race car looks like you could drive it on a human-sized Hot Wheels track.

Aston Martin

 

You can probably tell from the photo alone, but Aston’s 1,100 horsepower monster is built specifically for the race track. It has a massive 6.5-liter V12 engine, as well as an energy recover system that stores and reuses energy that would otherwise get lost in braking. The result is a top speed in the neighborhood of 225 mph.

Aston Martin Laguna Vision Concept

Aston Martin Lagonda

Aston Martin Lagonda

No combustion engine, no hood, no problem.

Aston Martin

 

There’s no combustion engine in Aston Martin’s all-electric luxury concept, so the company shaved down the space in the front where it would typically reside. The result is a wedge-shaped ride without a hood—it doesn’t need one. The doors it does have are gull-wing style that open the entire side of the car so you can step into the luxury interior, which looks like a bunch of really nice recliners. Aston says it could get an official production model as soon as 2021.

Audi e-tron electric SUV

Audi e-tron electric SUV

Audi e-tron electric SUV

It looks like it’s in a big toaster here, but it’s probably not.

Audi

 

The new electric Audi showed up in a covert paint job on the floor of the Geneva show, but it’s not really a secret. The crossover-style vehicle promises 310 miles of range on a single charge, as well as a 0-60 mph acceleration time around 4.5 seconds, which is faster than the Range Rover with the monstrous engine mentioned above.

Nissan Formula E Racer

Nissan Formula E Racer

Nissan Formula E Racer

Drivers in Formula E will soon switch out their entire cars during pit stops to make racing more efficient.

Nissan

Nissan is the world’s biggest dealer for mass-market, zero-emissions vehicles and at Geneva, it showed off its car for the upcoming season of Formula E electric racing. As with pretty much all racers at this level, the aerodynamics rule, giving the car a dramatic, swoopy look like a jet or something made out of Vibranium (the fake metal from the Marvel universe).

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