2014 Geneva Motor Show In Photos and Video

Press days have ended in the Swiss city best known for hosting fine timepieces and one of the most exotic auto shows on the continent. The 2014 Geneva Motor Show marked the introduction of an entirely new concept in propulsion for a certain storied Italian automaker, introduced the concept of an Italian Jeep, and saw the name of one of the highly vaunted Maserati brothers attached to a gorgeous concept car.

Given all the news from Italia, maybe it should have been the Roman Auto Show, but there was  considerable amount of news from other quarters as well. Mercedes-Benz introduced a beautiful new coupe, Infiniti revealed its most powerful engine offering ever, and Audi showed the next generation of one of its sports cars. Bentley has a new open model, and going back to Italy, we got our first official look at the new “baby” Lamborghini.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

Weighing but 132 pounds more than the closed version of the small Alfa sports car, the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider is powered by a 240-horsepower 1.75-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine producing 258 ft-lbs of torque, just like its closed counterpart. A six-speed dual clutch transmission will port the engine’s output to the rear wheels, just as God and Enzo Ferrari intended. Zero to sixty is quoted at 4.5 seconds, top speed is coyly estimated to be in excess of 155 miles per hour. The mid-engine sports car is reported to have a 40/60-front/rear-weight distribution. We’re told the 4C Spider, along with its coupe sibling, will eventually grace showrooms here in the United States.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: Audi TT

The third generation of Audi’s TT coupe was revealed with an evolutionary design of the current iteration of the car. So evolutionary, you almost have to see the two cars side-by-side to get the changes. This is in sharp contrast to the differences in appearance between the first generation of the car and the second. We expect to see the new Audi TT offered with three engine choices at launch; a 184-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder diesel capable of generating 280 ft-lbs and a reported 56 miles per gallon; a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline fired powerplant producing 230 horsepower and 272 ft-lbs of torque, and a deep breathing version of the 2.0T cranking out 310 horsepower and 280 ft-lbs for the new Audi TTS. Naturally all-wheel drive will be offered, and in all probability a front-drive only version as well, with the lower powered 2.0T and perhaps the diesel.

(Be apprised, the audio accompanying the video below is in German…)

2014 Geneva Motor Show: Bentley Continental GT Speed

Bentley showed the new Continental GT Speed, the fastest ever production Bentley offered to date. The Continental GT’s highly vaunted 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged 12 cylinder engine has been tweaked to generate 626 horsepower, 604 ft-lbs of torque, and run the car to 60 miles per hour in four seconds. Its top speed is 206 miles per hour. In addition to the performance enhancements, Bentley has reworked the look of the car to include body color for the front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser, giving the GT Speed more of a monochromatic look for the first time ever. The interior treatment has been addressed as well, with contrasting accent stripes on the doors, rear panels and dash. A “Speed” badge has been added to the dash, and hand stitching in the contrasting color is applied where appropriate.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: Bentley Flying Spur V8

Bentley continues its V8 initiative by installing them in its four-door Flying Spur sedans, based on the Continental Coupe. The 4.0-liter V8 is capable of generating 500 horsepower and 487 ft-lbs of torque. In other words, the new entry-level Bentley sedan is anything but sedate. The Flying Spur V8 is said to accelerate from zero to 60 in 4.9 seconds and is capable of attaining a top speed of 183 miles per hour. Like all the Continental-based Bentley models, the all-wheel drive powertrain employs an eight-speed automatic transmission. Air is the medium of choice for the suspension system. Like other Bentley models, if plush isn’t enough, you can go palatial with the Mulliner Driving Specification trim package. This will net diamond quilting for the leather seats, power adjustable rear seats, a leather headliner, and a mean looking set of 20-inch wheels.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé

OK, so now they got everybody thinking even numbers for two doors (435i) and odd numbers for four doors (335i) here comes the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé with—yeah—four doors. WTF y’all, seriously? Basically following the same concept as the 6 Series Gran Coupé, the styling of the 4 Series has been stretched to accommodate an extra pair of doors, with the flowing Coupé roofline everyone finds so sexy these days. Powertrains carry over from the 4 Series models, meaning there will be a 428i Gran Coupé and a 435i Gran Coupé as well.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: BMW X3

The US will finally get a diesel version of the BMW X3. The SAV will be powered by the same 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder turbodiesel currently motivating the BMW 328d. Output for this application will be 180 horsepower and 280 ft-lbs of torque. According to BMW representatives this should be sufficient to accelerate the diesel-powered X3 to 60 miles per hour in right around eight seconds. Pricing has been announced as well, starting at $42,825 plus $925 in destination charges for a total of $43,750. Fuel economy numbers have yet to be announced. In other X3 news, for the first time, the model will be offered in sDrive as well—at a lower price point; $39,325. However the rear drive models get the gasoline fired 240-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter. For those of you unfamiliar with BMW-speak, sDrive means a rear-drive X3 will be coming to market with the 2015 version of BMW’s mid-size SAV. Completing the package is a styling update, which, is most readily discernable in the front-end of the new X3.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: BMW X4

Boldly going where but one BMW has gone before, the BMW X4 is essentially a shrunken version of the company’s X6 Sport Activity Vehicle. Now, given the X6 has been lampooned in many a journal as the answer to a question nobody asked, we have to wonder how well received the X4 is going to be. Two engine choices will be offered, both feeding all-wheel drive powertrains incorporating BMW’s eight-speed automatic transmission. The xDrive28i version of the new crossover will feature BMW’s 240 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while the xDrive35i will carry the 300-horsepower turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six. Pricing has been announced as well, the xDrive28i will start at $45,565, while the xDrive35i will open at $48,925.

2014 Geneva Motor Show: Ferrari California T

For the first time ever, a turbocharged engine finds its way into the engine compartment of a roadgoing Ferrari. The new Ferrari California T will feature a 3.9-liter turbocharged V8 producing 560 horsepower and 557 ft-lbs of torque. The Ferrari’s zero to 60 time is quoted at 3.6 seconds. Ferrari officials insist the turbo will be all but transparent, they claim drivers will experience virtually no turbo lag and further the engine note will be just as quintessentially Ferrari as any emanating from one of Enzo’s progeny has ever possessed. In addition to the new engine, the California’s styling has been updated with a new front end and the top has been reworked to open or close in fourteen seconds. Further, the steering box has been changed to improve accuracy. Also, the magnetic suspension system and traction control systems have been recalibrated for more responsive behavior.

2014 Geneva Motor Show In Photos and Video: Ford Focus ST

Hard to believe it, but the current Focus is one of the oldest cars in Ford’s lineup (save the Taurus). With all the other models flaunting some version of the new Aston-esque face of Ford, it was about time the Focus got a nip and tuck too. Which is precisely what Ford showed at the Geneva show—just as we predicted it would in our Geneva Motor Show preview. A new headlight treatment accompanies the new grille, giving the Focus an even “faster” look—as well as a set of super bright bi-xenons. The updated version of Ford’s Sync telematics system uses a new smart voice interface to have the car find directions to a restaurant if you simply say “I’m hungry.”

2014 Geneva Motor Show In Photos and Video: Honda Civic Type R Concept

Hot Honda hatches have considerable appeal, and if they bring one that looks anything like this to the U.S. market, Honda’s going to have a huge hit on its hands too. The gloriously flowing bodywork hides a 276-horsepower version of Honda’s new direct injected turbocharged inline four displacing 2.0-liters. In addition to the outré avant gardé rear spoiler, grilles, and vents, a set of 20-inch wheels is tucked under those humongous fender flares. This Civic looks ready to seriously throw down. We can only pray the production version looks nearly as good. We got deeper into the details on the car in our Geneva Show preview.