All the cars, concepts, and wild ideas from the Geneva Motor Show 2018 – The Verge

Tesla’s toughest competition ever was on display in Geneva

2018-03-10T11:30:01-05:00

The all-electric Jaguar I-Pace SUV, which starts shipping later this year. | Photo by Robert Hradil/Getty Images

In the tech industry, the theory goes that Apple doesn't go to trade shows anymore because it dominates the news cycle even when it doesn't show up. The same goes for Tesla, which - despite caving and bringing its shiny new Model 3 to the LA Auto Show last fall - predictably skipped this week's Geneva Motor Show.

The difference with this particular show, more than others past, is that it was filled to the brim with clear, serious competitors to Tesla. And I don't just mean direct comparisons, with cars like the Jaguar I-Pace, which matches up almost spec for spec to something like the entry-level Model X. The show was also dominated by cars …

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The big difference between MWC and the Geneva Motor Show is that Europe still matters in the car industry

2018-03-10T10:30:02-05:00

Volvo V60 | Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge

Over the past 20 years, as the cellphone has transitioned from a buttoned-down soap bar to a world-conquering glass slab, one of the sad changes I've witnessed from up close has been the fading influence of Europe. Where once your choice of phone was among Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens, and others from the old continent, today only one of those brands remains, and it's being operated under license. The truth of the mobile market now is that Europe is the flyover agglomeration of states between China and the US, who are the current industrial and economic superpowers. Three of the world's five biggest phone manufacturers operate primarily in China …

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This Hyundai dune buggy concept also turns into a watercraft

2018-03-09T10:22:32-05:00

There were a lot of awesome and bizarre vehicles at this year's Geneva Motor Show, but I think I found the one I want the most: this concept dune buggy / Jet Ski mashup from Hyundai.

Designed in partnership with the Istituto Europeo di Design, the Hyundai Kite is an all-electric four-wheeler that can also apparently double as a personal watercraft. It's a true design concept, meaning there are no real specs to speak of, but the general idea is there's an electric motor in each wheel powering the all-wheel drive performance on land and a water jet turbine that takes over once you're out on a lake or ocean.

Exactly how the ingress and egress …

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The Pixel 2 XL was my only camera at the Geneva Motor Show

2018-03-09T08:00:17-05:00

I have a fun confession to make: I photographed the entire Geneva Motor Show with my smartphone this year. No DSLR, no high-end mirrorless camera to function as my fallback - I literally flew in to Geneva with a Google Pixel 2 XL, my laptop, and the hope that my high esteem for Google's camera wasn't misguided. After taking more than 2,000 shots, publishing 303 of them (so far), and then collecting compliments rather than complaints about my photos, I can say that this experiment has been a resounding success.

Why try this at all? Three reasons.

One is that I've been claiming for a while now that the Google Pixel 2 camera rivals the image …

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Renault’s EZ-GO robot taxi is the most socially responsible concept in Geneva

2018-03-08T15:05:08-05:00

When you think of concept cars, the inevitable images that come to mind are of exaggerated designs, impractical proportions, and profoundly self-indulgent experiences. Concepts are - usually - intended to titillate our most selfish desires. Except Renault, a company that prides itself on making cars suitable for all tastes and budgets, has come to the Geneva Motor Show with something altogether different: a robot taxi.

The autonomous EZ-GO concept car that Renault has brought to Geneva accommodates six people and is essentially a driverless UberPool vehicle. You invoke one via either a mobile app or a roadside station, and it comes along to …

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The Volkswagen I.D. Vizzion is a furry mess

2018-03-08T09:54:31-05:00

At the Geneva Motor Show, there's a constant temptation for companies to do something extra flamboyant or eye-grabbing. Why have regular wheels when you can envelop them in metal armor instead? And do mirrors and door windows really need frames and bezels? It's a good venue to explore outlandish design ideas and concepts, but Volkswagen's I.D. Vizzion concept car seems to have been caught in the middle between this freewheeling Geneva spirit and the brand's traditional reputation for building highly practical automobiles. That's led to a weird blend of luxurious features and cheap materials.

The all-electric I.D. Vizzion will have a product …

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Rimac’s Concept Two is a soulless speed demon you unlock with your face

2018-03-08T07:15:43-05:00

I came, I saw, and I took pictures of the Rimac Concept Two at the Geneva Motor Show, but I was left somehow unimpressed by this grandiose new hypercar. Unlike Lamborghini's latest Huracán, which plucks heartstrings at first sight, the all-electric Rimac feels anonymous and unexciting. Every undulating curve, every design flourish feels like something I've already seen - the C Two's headlights remind of the Ferrari Superfast and Koenigsegg Regera, while the tail lights seem inspired by the BMW i8. The Rimac goes crazy fast, and I'm sure much of its design is motivated by the exigencies of aerodynamics, but it lacks the visual appeal of the w …

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Hennessey’s Venom F5 could be the first road car to break 300 miles per hour

2018-03-07T16:10:29-05:00

Faster than an F1 car and named after an F5 tornado, the newest Hennessey Venom is the kind of car that unquestionably belongs at the Geneva Motor Show. It is all about raw power and radical design. It's also about as rare as they come, with just 24 being made - half of which the company says have already been bought for a cool $1.6 million each.

Much of what we know about the Venom F5 are the stats that Hennessey Special Vehicles, the small company behind the car, has already shared. Teased for nearly a full year at this point, the Hennessey Venom F5's 1,600 horsepower twin turbo V8 is supposedly capable of pushing the car to 301 miles per …

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Aston Martin’s Lagonda concept car is breathtaking

2018-03-07T09:54:58-05:00

Sometimes mere photos don't do justice to the striking nature of an object, and Aston Martin's Lagonda Vision Concept is one such thing.

This concept car is a throwback to the old times when concept designers didn't have to concern themselves with any measures of practicality or feasibility. It has lush carpets throughout, the seat backs are made of handwoven wool, and Aston Martin recruited Savile Row tailors to make sure everything was cut and shaped with meticulous precision.

Legroom inside the Lagonda is so vast that even pro basketball players will find it comfy and accommodating. Should you wish to stand grandly inside your luxury ve …

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Lamborghini’s convertible Huracán looks stunning in matte blue

2018-03-07T05:00:59-05:00

Every year at the Geneva Motor Show, I fall in love with Lamborghini's Huracán anew. In 2016, the Italian brand that's most closely associated with the color yellow introduced a red Huracán. I swooned. In 2017, the color of choice was orange. I was enchanted. For 2018, Lamborghini is stepping up its cosmetic alterations by also making its latest Huracán convertible. The new Huracán Performante Spyder, painted a gorgeous matte blue, made its debut here in Geneva, and I'm once again delighted by it.

The truth about this car is that its proportions are basically perfect. It's angular, yes, but not so much as to offend the human eye or the laws …

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