Geneva Motor Show offers glimpse into future
The 2019 Geneva Motor Show, which ended on Sunday, has been praised for having the best concept cars on show to date.
Predictably there was a strong emphasis on electric and smart vehicles, with Volkswagen, Volvo, Fiat and Audi all displaying new prototypes. However, it is the quirkiness of the cars on offer that stood out according to Nunben Dixon, head of operations at Gumtree Auto.
“Automakers are thinking outside the box. They’re preparing for the millennial car market, who don’t see car ownership as a necessity.”
The Fiat Concept Centoventi is one of the few more affordable concept EVs to debut in recent years.
“It will potentially be sold as a basic shell with accessories sold separately – even paint would not come standard as the car can be overlaid with printed wraps year to year,” Dixon said.
He also highlights the Aston Martin’s Lagonda which claims to be the world’s first zero emission luxury brand and comes with front seats that swivel to face the passengers.
The Citroën Ami One was the Instagram star of the show as a car that was not designed for regular drivers.
Citroën’s Jean-Arther Madelaine-Advenier said it was “less like a car and more like a connected object. The aesthetic is for a younger audience”.
The Ami One is over 2.5 metres long, with two seats, and can’t go over 50km/h.
Dixon said: “It’s launched as a smart ride-share vehicle that can be hailed and rented for minutes, days or months, similar to Smart bikes and scooters that are accessed via apps in major cities.”
Dixon says the Geneva 2019 concepts offer a great glimpse into the future of motoring which has to be affordable, electric and in tune with the shifts in how cars will be used.