Geneva's jewels and junk

Geneva 2019 failed to get the memo that auto shows are dying.

Yes it lost Ford, Opel, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo, but such was the breadth and quality of the launches from those remaining that barely a thought was given to the absentees.

The shift to electrification and the mountainous problem of how to get customers to pay extra for a propulsion system that today creates more problems than it solves inspired automakers to offer other delights, uncorking some wonderful designs.

And after the ninth automaker dodged our questions about the future price of its sleek EV, there was always the Geneva staple to fall back on: supercars and lots of 'em. Automotive News Europe's Nick Gibbs sorts the delectable from the dull and the plain cuckoo.

Technically, the F8 is a face-lift of the 488, which was a face-lift of the 458, but no one seemed to mind at Geneva. The Ferrari wall of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ show corner was mobbed by those craning to see the car in red and blue. Ferrari’s more dramatic approach to engine cooling didn’t stop it from keeping the mantle of most beautiful midengine supercar. Interesting that the 720 hp output (as measured the European way) was exactly the same as that of a key rival, the McLaren 720S. The Brits should be flattered.

Cheerful, techy and diminutive, the Honda e was a pure distillation of Japanese urban cool begging for a plausible use case scenario. The not-quite-but-almost production car stuck close enough to the adored Urban EV Concept of 2017 to maintain its fan base, which is good because it'll require buyers to not think too rationally. Despite a range of just 124 miles, the car is expected to cost the equivalent of $40,000 when it goes on sale this year.

Automakers across the show floor were redefining supercars, SUVs, compacts and minicars for an electric era. Mercedes merely applied its EQ electric grille to the workaday V-class minivan and declared grandly that it was "a first concrete look at the electric future of the multi-purpose vehicle." It will go into production eventually, but this felt more like Merc needing to quickly whip up some electric excitement for its otherwise uneventful stand.

This satisfyingly coherent collection of angles and dangerous edges hints at the next Rogue and Murano. The IMQ's simmering menace almost made up for the fact that, in Europe at least, the brand has not shown a real production car for a long time. When it does come, Nissan's e-Power technology will be included, and the IMQ was said to feature that hybrid drivetrain with its three-cylinder engine permanently charging a battery. The marketing line is electric feel without the plug hassle, a concept that Japan has embraced with gusto. Nissan hopes Europe and eventually the U.S. will too.

We'll get the toenail jokes over quickly, because beyond the name everyone had praise for Alfa's concept, which previews a new compact crossover. Elegant design features such as the triple light clusters recalled not-so-distant Alfas such as the 159 sedan, while the prominent shield grille left no doubt. The plug-in hybrid drivetrain, wittily referenced by redrawing the head of the Alfa serpent as a plug, suggests a link to the Jeep Compass plug-in hybrid revealed at Geneva.

The mystery of Subaru's presence at Geneva continues, given its tiny market reach in Europe. As usual, its showpiece was a Viziv-branded concept, this time a chunky off-road coupe dubbed Adrenaline that may hint at a future Crosstrek. It looked appealing in its bold flat blue, but set among the brand's dreary looking production lineup (all in dull silver) it was another stark reminder that Viziv excitement rarely makes it beyond concept. It also had no interior, and Subaru didn't even bother to make up something about its drivetrain.

The toy panda jammed into the dashboard identified a potential future for the electric Centoventi (Italian for 120, a reference to the brand's age) concept as a replacement for the now iconic minicar. It was also a clever, stylish attempt to make EVs affordable for the less affluent Panda customer by stripping it down to a basic car with a 62-mile range. Then when buyer's remorse kicks in, there are numerous dealer-supplied extras ranging from a second or third battery pack to speakers and a digital dash.

"As close as you can get," Audi CEO Bram Schot said in response to the inevitable question about how close this concept is to the 2020 production version of Audi's entry electric car. Despite the futuristic drivetrain, Audi kept the pen surprisingly still in creating it, preferring "emotional surfaces with a few precise lines," its designer, Marc Lichte, said. It worked well. The 22-inch wheels look to be staying, however. If you think EVs will take off, buy shares in tire makers.

This concept, named for a Swiss ski resort, is a broad hint at what the next-generation Outlander PHEV crossover — the first to be built on a Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance platform — will look like. The more no-nonsense versions of Mitsubishi's off-roaders have always been popular with Britain's gentry in their various outdoor pursuits, but to borrow a phrase from them, the Engelberg's chromed-up front end really would scare the horses. Tone that down (like, ALL the way down) and this squared-off, high-tech seven-seater could be a big hit.