Photos of the Girls at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

Shiny new cars and delightful young ladies go hand-in-hand at auto shows and thankfully, there were plenty of both on the floors of this week's 81st Geneva International Motor Show. So, if you've had enough of new cars and concept studies, then all you have to do is follow the break to enjoy a photo gallery and a video of the...other models of the show.



See the 2011 Geneva motor show


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Mansory Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Mansory put up quite a show in Geneva this week as the tuning house unveiled no less than three world premieres. Aside from the Mercedes SLS AMG Cormeum and the Ferrari 458 Italia Siracusa, that we've already told you about, the tuner's Swiss subsidiary also revealed a new program for the latest generation of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUV.
The tune includes an excessive aero treatment with a wide-body kit that extends the vehicle by 60 mm at the front and 80 mm at the back and also comes with numerous carbon fiber parts such as the bonnet, side skirts and rear diffuser. New daytime running lights and a set of 22-inch black alloy wheels shod in massive 295/30 tires further differentiate the SUV's looks from its factory sibling.
Under the bonnet, Mansory Switzerland upgrades the Cayenne Turbo's 4.8-liter V8 with larger turbo chargers, a custom exhaust system, reprogrammed ECU and other mods resulting to an output of 690HP and 800Nm of peak torque at 4,800 rpm for a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 300km/h (186 mph).
Mansory said buyers can also opt for a variety of interior enhancements and an electronic module for the air suspension to lower the SUV's ride height by 45mm.


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Novitec Rosso Supercharges the Ferrari 599 GTO to 888 Ponies

Ferrari's most exclusive and powerful series production model, the 599 GTO, doesn't seem fast enough for the aftermarket specialists at Novitec Rosso. This is why the tuning house brought to Geneva Motor Show the 599 GTO Bi-Kompressor, their own version of the Prancing Horse's fastest car.
As the name suggests, Novitec Rosso engineers fitted the naturally-aspirated V12 engine with two superchargers, raising the maximum output from 670 to 888 horsepower. The impressive increase in power can only be rivaled by that of the maximum torque, which goes up from 620 Nm/6,500 rpm (457 lb-ft) to 860 Nm/6,600 (636 lb-ft).
However, the boost in performance is not mind-blowing (compared to the regular model, that is) : the 0 to 100 km/h sprint is 0.15 seconds faster at 3,2 seconds, while top speed is slightly higher at 340 km/h (211 mph). The Novitec Rosso Bi-Kompressor also sprints from 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) in a 9.1 seconds.
Other technical changes include the fitting of sports springs (however silly that may sound on a 599 GTO) and superlight forged wheels, which are among the lightest of their kind in the world, according to Novitec. The 21-inch front wheels are 22.9 lbs each (10 kg), while each of the rear 22-inch rims weighs 30.4 lbs (13.8 kg). A useful feature devised by Novitec for buyers who like to use their GTO's around town is the front-axle lift function that raises the front of the car by 40 mm to avoid hitting speed-bumps.
As for the exterior, the car shown in Geneva wears a special silver paint with yellow cross stripe on the bonnet and white patches on the doors, as a tribute to the Ferrari 250 GTO that won the Tour de France in 1964. Other changes include yellow brake calipers and blacked out taillights, third brake light, rear fog lamp and side markers.

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Hyundai’s Model Naming Conventions: From 0 to Fubar in 4 Years

Hyundai is one of the world’s biggest automakers, and the most visible of South Korea’s business and industrial acumen. So you would think a company that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Toyota and pre-bailout GM would be pretty consistent with its model naming conventions, right?

Well, not exactly. When Hyundai first launched the i30 hatchback in Europe, Australia and other markets, it seemed that familiar nameplates such as Elantra and Sonata would soon be dead and buried. Not so. In fact, the i30 CW (basically, the station wagon version of the i30), is still sold in the U.S. as the Elantra Touring.
And there's another thing. When the “i” and “ix” naming convention was introduced by Hyundai, it seemed to me that the “i” names would be for cars and the “ix” for the brand’s SUVs. This too was not to be. In Australia, the Hyundai Sonata is sold as the i45 and the upcoming ix20 is a B-segment MPV, not a mini SUV.
So what gives, Hyundai? Why can’t you keep the names internally consisted? Audi never had this problem. A’s for cars and Q’s for SUVs. Oh, I forgot about the TT and R8. Damn it, guys! It can’t be that difficult to stay consistent. It irks me, as I’m a pedant and a stickler for uniformity.
So that’s my two cents. We now return you to your regular scheduled blog.
 

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