The Geneva Motor Show has been rolling along, and the mass majority of what’s going on over there is either too expensive for 95% of Americans or isn’t coming here at all. But that doesn’t make it any less interesting, since Geneva was the launching point for numerous concept cars. In the spirit of the drinking game of “Would You Rather?”, take your pick between these two lovelies. They aren’t complete crapboxes, but there’s hits and misses with both of them. They’re both all-electric and the GEA is meant to be more autonomous. Joy…at least they look pretty, right?
1. Aston Martin DBX
Well, now…it seems Mr. Bond has quit screwing around and has decided to opt for an SUV. No, that’s not a joke…while the DBX concept appears to be a sports car with a decidedly Subaru-like stance, it’s actually AM’s second shot at an SUV, and a much more pleasant one than the visually offensive Lagonda SUV attempt from a couple of years back. The design is all-electric and all-wheel drive. A pleasant thought, but this thing with a snotty Aston V8 or V12? Yes, please.
2. Italdesign DEA
It’s another all-electric ride, but unlike the Aston, the Volkswagen-owned Italdesign GEA isn’t a driver’s car…it’s meant to be more in-tune with the autonomous movement, capable of 155mph from a combined effort of 746hp. We don’t give a rat’s ass about the autonomous part at all…frankly, if it weren’t for it’s looks, the GEA would be nothing more than a dream. But dear god, those looks! Suicide doors and no B-pillar. The turbine wheels, sixty spokes each. It looks fairly compact but this thing is bigger than the Mercedes S-class long wheelbase version. A few details here and there, a drivetrain cribbed from an Audi R8 and this would be the nightmare of Mercedes-Benz executives.
Neither ! Both being ridiculous and ludicrous travesties ,, with the Aston being the worst of the two . As if the BMW X6 in \” The World Is Not Enough \”! Now we need an Aston Martin version .. with the pretense of being an EV to boot …. brilliant .. or not … lets go with … not .
Fact is .. the only thing even remotely interesting at the Geneva show this year … albeit it being over the top and excessive … was the Koenigsegg Regera .
Not for the wretched excess amount of power … not for the insane performance … No … its interesting FOR .. the fact that it does completely away with the transmission ,
Thats right my fine \’ 7 speeds Is Not Enough\’ wingnut site mates ..
No transmission ! Zero ! Nada ! Nunca ! …..1500 hp … 1400 + lbs of torque … with an ICE being the major part of the equation … and no tranny to get in the way … rob power from the drivetrain .. add extra weight .. add one more thing to repair down the road … etc
The ONLY car at Geneva going on more than ten years now that actually came to the party with genuine … actual .. and functioning engineering ingenuity . That can by the way be translated from Hyper/Super/Mega/What Ever Cars … to the cars you and I drive on the street .
Now … if CvK\’d only get that outrageous Turbo Three [ thats in his SAAB 9-3 wagon daily driver ] ready fro prime time .. then we\’d see what forward thinking and the advancement of the automobile is REALLY all about
Seriously … CvK and his crew are starting to make the combined talents of GM – Ford -FCA- Toyota- Honda- Nissan/Renault – VW-Audi .. and especially TESLA …
.. look like a bunch of little girls trying to figure out a LEGO set .. 😉
Ok, what lunatic put 746 hp in an autonomous car? Would they actually program it to use all of that on public roads, or is the idea to use it on track days as an expensive roller coaster?