CAR-OWNER VIRUS
This week’s Geneva Motor Show has been cancelled over coronavirus — so we take a look at 15 cars that were due to launch
IT’S not just a swanky car show and gallons of free coffee scuppered by coronavirus. Take it from me, the whole industry is shaking in its boots right now. Nearly all car factory supply chains lead back to China, where millions of people are confined in their own homes.
Car plants have already been hit by a shortage of parts and could soon grind to a halt. The cancellation of this week’s Geneva Motor Show — where 90 new cars were due to be unveiled — was another blow. Now many launches, where people like me drive cars to tell you if they are any good or not, are being canned in a further bid to stop Covid-19 spreading. Let’s take five and have a look at what should have been on the stands at Geneva. Here’s my A to Z guide.
ASTON MARTIN V12 SPEEDSTER
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No roof, no windscreen and therefore absolutely no point in rainy Britain but I absolutely love, love, L-O-V-E it.
This beautiful gem of a car is powered by a stonking 5.2-litre V12 sending 700hp to the rears.
Top speed: 186mph. Price: £765,000. Limited to 88 lucky people.
AUDI A3
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Guaranteed to sell quicker than a box of hand sanitiser at Superdrug.
The £24,900 A3 is Britain’s favourite Audi and by some distance.
Top-notch interior crowned by digital instrument cluster in all grades, 10.1in touchscreen and hexagonal air vents nicked off a Lambo. Out May.
BENTLEY BACALAR
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You want one? Sorry, too late.
All 12 sold already at £2million a pop. It’s like sitting inside the jewellery box of Kim Kardashian.
That’s strapped to a missile.
Open top and 200mph. Named after a Mexican lake, apparently.
BMW i4 CONCEPT
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Squint a little and you’re looking at the all-electric i4, on sale 2021.
With 530hp on tap, it’s not far off a BMW V8 and that’s absolutely fine by me.
Battery: 80kWh. Range: 373 miles.
Price: Expensive. It’s going to start with a four.
What are you going to buy, this or a Tesla Model 3?
DACIA SPRING ELECTRIC
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Yes. It’s the first budget EV from Dacia.
No. It’s not sponsored by Ready Brek — but I do like the orange glow.
Price: Under £15k. Range: 120 miles. Out: 2021.
FIAT 500
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Now even more adorable as a pure electric car. Fiat quotes 198 miles from the 42kWh battery.
Lots of nods to the Fifties original, wifi, eco seats using reclaimed sea plastic, bellissimo.
The lush “La Prima” (the first) Edition is a convertible costing £29,000.
Cheaper lower-spec hardtops to follow.
Fiat will also auction three one-off specials designed by Giorgio Armani, Bvlgari and Kartell for the Earth Alliance charity.
HONDA CIVIC TYPE R
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The last hurrah for the British-built Type R is this very yellow — and very rare — Limited Edition.
Just 20 are earmarked for the UK.
Same 320hp engine as before but with a stripped-out interior saving 47kg, modified dampers and sticky tyres. Proper track-day weapon.
Price: £40k-plus.
HYUNDAI PROPHECY
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Mr D. Vader, your new car has arrived.
This sinister electric concept thing has more tech than a TIE fighter, minus twin cannons and a deflector shield generator, obviously.
Much closer to home/reality is the new i20 with 17in alloys and a two-tone roof. Niiiiice.
McLAREN 765LT
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The usual McLaren recipe: Lighter, more powerful, dreamy looks.
Not two but FOUR top-mounted exhausts.
The 765 stands for 765hp, which is enough to catapult you from 0-124mph in 7.2 seconds. Yikes.
Estimated price: £275,000.
MERCEDES E-CLASS
No picture needed. It’s an E-Class after all and the Germans don’t go big on facelifts.
All you need to know is that Merc tech is way ahead of everyone else and it has the plushest cabin this side of Bentley.
Hurry up with the E63, please.
PORSCHE 911 TURBO S
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Nailed it. That’s all I need to say, really. Anything else is just filling space.
The best-looking sports car in the world has more of everything.
More speed (650hp), more width, more wing, more downforce, more luxury.
Raid your 50p and 20p jar for £155,970.
RENAULT MORPHOZ
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This nutty EV concept s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s like a Slinky Dog.
In City mode, it’s 4.4 metres long.
In Travel mode, it extends to 4.8 metres to allow for a bigger battery pack and more luggage.
See the grey area under the wing mirror? That’s what I’m on about. Have a day off, Renault.
SKODA OCTAVIA vRS iV
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The go-faster Octavia is now even faster, as well as being a cheeky tax dodge.
That’s because it’s a plug-in hybrid with 245hp, a pure electric range of 37 miles and just 30g/km CO2.
Interior as black as a coal hole. I like it.
Out September from £34,000.
TOYOTA B-SUV
Toyota was due to unveil a baby SUV based on the Yaris at Geneva. It will now be revealed in the summer.
most read in motors
VOLKSWAGEN ID.4
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Quick recap. ID is the name of VW’s electric car family.
We’ve already seen ID.3, a Golf-sized hatch due in showrooms this summer, and here’s ID.4, which is — yep, you guessed it — an SUV.
VW promises the biggest battery pack will do up to 310 miles. We’ll see.
That’s it. You’re up to speed. Go and wash your hands for 20 seconds.
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