Now that the Press days are over and the Geneva Motor Show has opened its doors to visitors, we have seen all there is to see concerning this year’s premieres at the event.
Of course, taste is highly subjective (though we doubt anyone would call Jennifer Lawrence or Bradley Cooper ugly…), but we decided to do a poll between us, Carscoops’ editors, and vote for the best-looking debuts, both in production cars as well as concepts.
The results varied a lot, as there were many different models included in each editor’s list, but apparently, the best-looking model of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show was the Hyundai Le Fil Rouge concept, as it gathered the most votes.
If someone told us just a few years ago that a Hyundai would end up as the best-looking model in an auto show full of premieres from many major manufacturers, we’d probably think they were joking.
This concept, though, is no joke. Sure, the designers were free to create a concept that would impress showgoers instead of previewing an upcoming production car, which gave them much more freedom when it came to its styling.
Hyundai’s design boss, Luc Donckerwolke, claims that the Le Fil Rouge “is a reinterpretation of Hyundai’s design DNA that originated from the brand’s historical Coupe Concept in 1974,” but we’d take that with a grain of salt or three, as the Korean automaker has managed to establish a coherent design language in just the past few years.
We have to admit that the Le Fil Rouge like nothing Hyundai has in its range, what with the long bonnet, short rear decklid and suicide rear doors, not to mention the sci-fi-like interior, but then again, no one could see sister company Kia’s Stinger coming not that long ago, and right now it’s gathering accolades from almost everyone who’s driven it.
Second place was a tie between two concepts, the BMW M8 Gran Coupe and the Subaru Viziv Tourer. The Bimmer previews the upcoming range-topper in the brand’s range and the Japanese concept a possible, and very sharp, estate that might or might not turn out to be the Levorg’s successor.
The Peugeot 508 and Pininfarina HK GT Concept shared the final spot on the podium, and they both deserved it, albeit for different reasons. The all-new 508 is a truly good-looking saloon that might make some buyers think twice before going for an SUV as their family cars, while the GT concept created by the Italian studio for the Hong Kong-based upstart is both aggressive and elegant, with a hint of Merc-AMG GT R up front and large, gullwing doors.
Oh, and everyone agreed that an honorary award should be given to the Jaguar XJ6 restomod ordered by Iron Maiden’s drummer that’s perfect – with a twist of the heavy metal band’s Eddie being incorporated in Jaguar’s logo at the steering wheel.
Having narrowed down the list of candidates, if you had to pick the best-looking of them all, which one would you choose? Cast your vote now!
