We love the Geneva show because, every year, without fail, there are seriously cool cars on display. From concept cars to production vehicles, supercars to useful little people-carriers, everything that bows in Geneva is pretty darn important. And that’s why this specific round of Editors’ Choice proved quite difficult for our staff.
Nevertheless, we managed to pick just five show-stoppers from the list of almost 90 debuts, and we present them, here, for your enjoyment. Tell us if we’re right, wrong, or crazy, in the Comments. And be sure to chime in with your own personal favorites, as well.
5th Place –
ASTON MARTIN VULCAN
SHARON CARTY: I mean, how could you not love this car? It looks like something Elphaba would drive around Oz for kicks.
BRANDON TURKUS: While I’m convinced Bentley won the Geneva Motor Show, the EXP 10 Speed 6 was hardly the best looking car of the show. That distinction goes to the stunning Aston Martin Vulcan, the world’s most beautiful flamethrower.
GREG MIGLIORE: I knew I liked this when I saw a video with flames shooting out of the Vulcan. I mean, it has an 800-horsepower V12, so I guess the flames make sense. Too bad they’re only building 24 copies of it, though it seems reasonable to limit this thing to the track.
4th Place –
KOENIGSEGG REGERA
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: Is this the most ultimate of the current crop of ultimate super-duper-hypercars? Yes, it seems to be exactly that.
NOAH JOSEPH: Sure it’s a hybrid, but it’s a hybrid as only Koenigsegg could do. It’s got 1,500 horsepower and power everything, but no transmission. Plus it’s barely any heavier than the Agera on which it’s based and will run circles around just about anything else on the road.
SEBASTIAN BLANCO: Anything that pushes that old, stuffy idea that EVs are nothing but golf carts out to pasture is a good thing.
3rd Place –
2016 HONDA CIVIC TYPE R
SEYTH MIERSMA: It feels as though Honda has been teasing this new Civic Type R forever, but I for one couldn’t be happier that it’s officially official as of Geneva ’15. Far from “pretty,” I still find the nerdy, tech-forward appearance of the car to be pitch perfect for the über-hatch genre, and the performance speaks for itself. Nürburgring times are slippery points of measure, but note that this Type R is just 30 seconds slower around the North Loop than the Porsche 911 GT3 RS that also debuted Geneva. Here’s to the underdogs.
CHRIS BRUCE: Honda might be getting its performance groove back. With the NSX on the way and an official return to Formula One racing in just one week, the Japanese brand seems to really care about speed again. I think the Civic Type R is actually rather homely on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. In this case, that means a 306-hp turbocharged four-cylinder that allows the car to lap the Nürburging in 7:50. That’s more than enough for me to look past the awkward styling. Besides, if the Type R keeps receiving praise, Honda could, maybe, possibly, bring one to American drivers.
NOAH JOSEPH: A Civic that can lap the Nordschleife in under eight minutes is the kind of Civic we can get behind. Forget all the others – this is the new king of the hot hatches. Let’s just hope whatever version Honda makes for North America is even half this tempting a proposition.
2nd Place –
2016 AUDI R8 E-TRON
GREG MIGLIORE: This is the sleeper of the show. Audi is going to build an R8-based, Tesla-fighting electric supercar. This is really big news! Plus, I think Audi nailed the design with that pronounced front end and those aero-enhanced wheels.
JEREMY KORZENIEWSKI: I’ve been waiting for a real production-spec electric supercar from Audi for years, and it’s finally here. I’m pleased, but I’d have voted it even higher if it had come three years ago…
ADAM MORATH: You don’t mess with perfection. That’s why I was glad to see that Audi only made subtle changes to their beautifully designed R8 supercar. On top of debuting the second generation R8 at Geneva, the four-ring automaker finally unveiled the long-awaited, oft-rumored, R8 E-Tron. Not only am I more excited by the tech under the hood, but the cool blue E-Tron R8 actually looked much better than the orange, spoiler-sporting standard R8 shown in Geneva.
1st Place –
BENTLEY EXP 10 SPEED 6 CONCEPT
BRANDON TURKUS: Did Bentley win the Geneva Motor Show? I’d say yes. We were completely blindsided by the EXP 10 Speed 6, which provides a vision of a more driver-focused Bentley. That’s something we can really get behind.
NOAH JOSEPH: As far as harbingers go, what Bentley brought to Geneva this year is about as promising as they come. Aston Martin has officially put on notice as we forget all about the Rich Man’s Camry and the company’s forthcoming crossover.
SEYTH MIERSMA: There’s no question that the Bentley concept was the biggest surprise of the show for me. The EXP 10 Speed 6 is both a radical departure from the slabby styling that can be found on today’s Bentley range, and very exciting for future models. This car looks as though it’s about to leave the pit lane at Le Mans, and even a toned-down version of this ethos should stand future road cars in good stead.
GREG MIGLIORE: It looks great. That shade of British Racing Green is strikingly beautiful. It wears the history of the brand well yet manages to be a forward-looking concept. Forget the SUV, this is the Bentley I want them to build.
STEVEN EWING: Photos don’t really do this car justice – you have to see it in person to understand how outstanding it is. It’s all Bentley, for sure, with other styling cues that remind me of pretty cars like the Jaguar XK or some Aston Martins. Regardless, this is one gorgeous Bentley, and I want one. Now.
VOTING BREAKDOWN
As we’ve done with our past Editors’ Choice lists, each staffer had 25 points to distribute amongst five cars, with no one car receiving more than 10 points. After everything was tallied, here’s how the Top Five fell.
- Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 – 59 points
- Audi R8 E-Tron – 29 points
- Honda Civic Type R – 25 points
- Koenigsegg Regera – 24 points
- Aston Martin Vulcan – 21 points
HONORABLE MENTIONS
With nearly 90 debuts covered during our time at the Geneva Motor Show, it was really hard for us to just pick five cars. Here’s the extensive list of cars that just barely made the cut.
- Audi R8 – 14 points
- Ford Focus RS – 13 points
- Ferrari 488 GTB – 13 points
- Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE Concept – 12 points
- Audi Prologue Avant Concept – 9 points
- Nissan Sway Concept – 6 points
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque – 6 points
- Touring Superleggera Berlinetta Lusso – 5 points
- Volkswagen Golf GTD Variant – 5 points
- Suzuki iM-4 Concept – 4 points
- Aston Martin Vantage GT3 – 4 points
- Mercedes-Maybach S600 Pullman – 3 points
- Porsche Cayman GT4 – 3 points
- McLaren F1 GT Longtail – 3 points
- EDAG Light Cocoon Concept – 3 points
- Lamborghini Aventador SV – 3 points
- Skoda Octavia RS 320 – 2 points
- Ford GT40 – 2 points
- Pininfarina Sergio – 2 points
- Mercedes-Benz G500 4×4² – 2 points
- Kia Sportspace Concept – 2 points
- Aston Martin DBX Concept – 1 point
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