Geneva 2014: Best Production Debuts

With tons of debuts in Geneva it turned out to be surprisingly easy to cut through the clutter and find the best in the production category. Concepts are another story though. Each of the three features striking design in its own right and certainly promises to back it up with performance and technology.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe

The most recent CL has always been a very well designed car if perhaps slightly simplistic in its execution. In the Mercedes lineup it should theoretically sit at the top as the pinnacle of the brand but instead it got lost in the shuffle. The S-class coupe aims to solve any issues that the CL had with a striking design full of flowing lines of the sedan along with a sportier roofline and some edge at the front and rear. The design works so well that even the simple tail lights that almost look like a last second rush job end up working pretty well. The head lights as well fit so well that the now signature cut out next to the grille doesn't distract the way it does on every other new Mercedes. The S-class coupe looks so good in photos that there is a slight fear that it might be one of few cars that doesn't end up looking better in real life. The expectations are that high.

 Lamborghini Huracan

Remaining completely unapologetic in its design, the Huracan is the latest Lamborghini to be the picture perfect definition of super car. Adding a swoosh like shape to the lines and triangles design philosophy of the Aventador and the Gallardo, the Huracan keeps the wedge shape alive in contrast to more fluidic super cars from Ferrari and McLaren.

Audi TT

The biggest fear about the new TT was that it would be too hard to tell that it is a new generation and not a mid cycle facelift. A quick glance at the earliest press shots almost confirmed those fears for a moment but taking a better look at how the TT looks on the stand it is clear that the confusion should be minimal. If you outline the two you would end up with nearly a carbon copy, but it's what's between the lines that sets the third generation apart and gives it its own identity. The new TT appears to be just fine as if it accepts the fact that it won't shock and wow like the first generation did and every one should understand that. The biggest down side about the new TT is waiting a year before seeing one on the road.

QUANT eSPORTLIMOUSINE: This is how you Concept

The Geneva Motor Show is like ampm, too much good stuff. This year is no exception with significant production debuts and awesome concept cars left and right. The Auto Salon also carries a strong tradition of intriguing concept cars from boutique European brands, design studios, engineering groups and colleges. The best of 2014 in this category is the QUANT eSPORTLIMOUSINE by nanoFLOWCELL. The heart of the concept is the nanoFLOWCELL that promises 920 horsepower from electric motors and over 350 miles of range. How is this all possible? nanoFLOWCELL. While the validity of these claims is yet to be determined there is no denying the awesome design of the QUANT. Imagine a Lotus Evora blown up to fit four adults and still remain proportionally sound, add a full length gullwing door per side and you have the perfect recipe for a concept car. The challenge is of course to stay away from full cartoon car mode and the QUANT does not disappoint as it has a concept car design yet manages to keep a small sense of plausibility. A job well done.

Audi TT: Little bit of new, a little bit of old

As expected, the third generation Audi TT does not throw away the now familiar TT silhouette but rather chisels the edges while bringing back a few elements from its past. Certainly the biggest changes are upfront with a more pronounced hexagonal grille and slim angry head lights inspired by the recent quattro concept that are a departure from either of the previous generations of the TT. From the profile, the more pronounced fender flairs are more MKI while the roofline appears just ever so slightly more upright but is very much MKII. A very sharp character or tornado line in Audi speak is one of many that crisp up the TT. The slight kink at the C pillar is a new, if perhaps superfluous design element. At the back, the regular TT has twin exhaust pipes moved closer together a la the original while the TTS has a more traditional wider stance. The hatch mimics the front with a hexagonal design element for the license plate area while the retractable spoiler juts out just a tiny bit when down as on the A6. This time around the TTS receives wider rocker panels and emphasizes the grille with bright work, setting it farther apart rom its base model. The current TTS is too easily mistaken for its regular brother. Overall, the first impression is remarkably familiar but a closer look reveals an advanced design. How well this translates to the real world is yet to be determined but the first few live shots give the TT more credit than the media shots. The current TT is still an attractive design so it's hard to fault Audi for not messing with the shape but rather working on the details even if you are left with wanting a little more.

                 

Observations from a non major autoshow

LA, Detroit, Chicago and New York comprise the major auto show circuit in the US that gets the coverage, but you can find an auto show in any major convention center. KWF set out to find out what kind of an automotive experience one can have at these other shows and see what we can observe. No world debuts to catch, no concept cars to see, is this even worthy of being called an auto show? While lacking all the flash and glamour of the big shows you still get an opportunity to see almost every make and model on the market today.  What follows are random observations after numerous hours of looking up and down from all angles, sitting in every back seat and stroking every dash.

Geneva Preview: Audi TT MKIII

Toughest job in the automotive design? A tossup between creating the next generation of a retro inspired model and creating the next generation of a style icon. In both cases you have to make progress, give your creation a fresh new look but you are limited with how far you can push the boundry. Go too far and you break the lineage and upset some people, do too little and you are guilty of being lazy and unimaginative. Surely a sought out challenge for many designers, but the reality is that aside from the Beetle, Mustang and 911 there are few other examples of sucess with multiple generations of a unique design. The Audi TT faces the same dillemma, the first generation had as big of an impact on automotive design as any. The second generation brought a modern design that was undoubtedly stylish yet didn't capture the hearts in the same way. Sportier dimensions were offset by a look that made the TT blend in a bit more with the rest of the Audi lineup. In just a couple of days we'll find out what Audi brings for round three, from first glance the shape is very much second generation but the previously released sketches hint at some first generation influence. It certainly doesn't look like the newest TT will betray its namesake but will it advance its game enough to satisfy the critical?

 

Geneva Preview: Future? Shape of Volvo

Imagine the shape of a Volvo, the commercial asks. Curvy and swoopy is what comes to mind even if you are supposed to think boxy as you remember the last Volvo you saw. When was the last time you even saw a Volvo? Volvo has been making pretty curvy cars for a generation now even if its legend has been built on boxier shapes. The updated S60 and XC60 are curvier still as the commercial shows, and the V60 is pretty far away from the traditional Volvo wagon shape as you can get. It can masquerade as any other brand easily. Yet, just as the public finally imagines a curvy Volvo and forgets all about straight edge Volvos for good, the company is unveiling concept after concept that brings back edges. The latest estate concept from Volvo looks closer to what Volvos did last decade and it would not be a stretch to say that it certainly fits better in my dream of how a Volvo should look. It's evident that Volvo realizes that perhaps it went too far from its roots in its most recent cars and is now looking for a sharper design more coherent with its past image. And it's not a bad thing at all as the last few concepts have been interesting.  Perhaps the long overdue XC90 will be more chiseled than curvy regardless of what the latest commercial sells us.

 

Geneva Preview: Mini Fixes Its Biggest Mistake

Guess who's back? Back again. After a lengthy hiatus Kill It With Fire is back to blogging about cars. Going forward the goal will be to cover the day's most interesting automotive story. Occasionally, longer features will deviate from the plan from time to time.

Mini, as a brand has enjoyed a unique trifecta of almost unanimous praise from the media, respect from auto enthusiasts and appreciation from the general consumer. A brand that started with one core product and developed more variations than one can keep separate has made few mistakes. If one had to pick its weakest product, the easy choice would be the Clubman. A Mini that just never quite looked right as if someone forgot to check the "constraint proportions" box when enlarging. Looking a bit too long and narrow for its own good (Ford Flex syndrome) the Clubman clearly showed that Mini was too cautious in expanding its lineup in fear of critics claiming that "it's no longer Mini". The half-hearted Clubman effort was lukewarm critically or sales wise and Mini has done much better with the better proportioned yet "roots forgetting" Countryman. The Paceman follow-up was even better and for the second generation Clubman, Mini ditches the stretched look for a proportional Paceman inspired design. No longer is the Clubman an afterthought to fill a niche but rather a product with its own identity and direction from the start. In all honesty I would have not been surprised if the Clubman never made it to the next generation as it seemed redundant after the Countryman but apparently there is space in-between and this time around it won't be so awkward.