The phrase on everyone’s lips at Geneva
Geneva 2007 was the show that will be remembered for two letters and a number, the invisible gas that we all breathe out and remember from test-tube experiments at school: CO2. The phrase was mentioned at every press conference I attended, and by every executive I interviewed. By the end of the day, I felt almost asphyxiated by the damn stuff.
Of course, the environmental question is hardly new to the motor industry, but if proof were needed that we’ve reached the tipping point, this week’s Swiss show is it. BMW sales and marketing boss Michael Ganal summed up the crisis by referring to the ‘hysterical debate’ sweeping the industry. Each manufacturer has a different take on the problems of emissions and I wonder how much damage this will inflict on the world’s car makers. It’s not so much a bipolar debate like VHS versus Betamax, as a multi-spoked roundabout with numerous dead ends down which unwary manufacturers may yet be trapped.
Most volume European makers insist that clean diesels are the way forward, especially when their exhaust gases are treated to remove particulate nasties, but the Japanese manufacturers, in particular, prefer the hybrid petrol-electric solution. A fascinating eco-war broke out on the streets of Geneva, as rival firms promoted their solutions; VW had a fleet of 102 heavily-stickered Polo Bluemotions to highlight the new baby VW’s 102g/km CO2 emissions. Yes, that’s right – not a battery pack in sight, and it’s cleaner than a Prius. Mercedes preferred a fleet of diesels, Saab chose to drive guests around in bio-powered cars, while Smart trumped them all with more than 100 of its new 88g/km ForTwo circulating the city.
It was telling that there were no new Porsches or Ferraris unveiled at Geneva this year. We could be in the twilight years of excessive cars – and it’s surely only a matter of time before we see the environmentally friendly supercar.