The American giant GM will be displaying three world premieres and seven European premieres at the forthcoming Geneva International Motor Show. Their numerous brands will be presented in all their glory, despite recent difficulties in Detroit.

Other than the new three-door Aveo (which was discussed recently on the Italian site), Chevrolet will unveil a new version of the Epica, equipped with a new 6-speed automatic gearbox.

For Opel the cars on display will consist of the Meriva Concept, the new Agila and the freshly restyledZafira, equipped with a new engine line-up. As for Saab, they will be displaying the 9-4X Biopower Concept which was unveiled in Detroit, whilst
Cadillac will present four European debuts: The Provoq Fuel Cell Concept, the CTS Coupé Concept, the CTS-V and the Escalade Hybrid. From Hummer and Corvette there is a new model from each on display: the HX Concept from the former and the excessive ZR1 from the latter.

Finally, the GM HydroGen4 Concept car will be on display, equipped with a fourth generation fuel cell. This vehicle represents an important evolution of its precursors showing off better dynamics, a more durable system, and a superior day-to-day usability. The vehicle is equipped with a fuel stack containing 440 series-connected cells that produces 93 kW of electricity. The performance statistics are remarkable for an electric motor at 100bhp (73 kW) which according to GM can manage 0-100km/h in around 12 seconds. The prototype’s three hydrogen tanks are made of carbon fibre and can be filled to a high pressure of 700 bar. The capacity of 4.2 kg of hydrogen guarantees a driving range of up to 320 km.

Continue reading: Geneve 2008 - the GM lineup

4Car’s impossible challenge on the route taken by Hannibal over the Alps: Fiat Panda 4×4 vs Hummer H2.

The conclusion: “The Fiat Panda 4×4: nice, light and compact, in some ways, surprisingly good off the road, but fitted with an engine that simply falls short for the heavier stuff. The Hummer H2: an excellent off-the-road vehicle that is too big to go everywhere it might want to go.” 4Car’s advice: wait for the diesel version of the Panda (70 hp Multijet), or for the Hummer H3.

Or, who knows, maybe Fiat will produce a direct rival for the Hummer.