The new cars announced by Toyota should be a truly important addition to the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show. On display will be the IQ urban car and the brand new model, the Urban Cruiser. The IQ was first seen in concept form in Frankfurt in September 2007 and time-wise in terms of development it has beaten the Volskwagen UP!, which was displayed only a few stands away at the same show.

Three passenger spaces have been confirmed, despite the length being less than three metres. Also confirmed is the shape of the prototype, with large wheels and a smoother drive. Even though the glimpses we have had of the IQ seem to be similar in concept to the Smart For Two, Toyota insists that the technology, the security and the design research represent an automotive revolution. As of yet, the specification details and performance stats, as well as the pricing have not been released, but we do know that the car will not be available on the market before the end of 2008. As for the engine, on
the Italian site we recently covered a possible collaboration with Yamaha.

Continue reading: Geneva 2008: Toyota IQ and Urban Cruiser

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