Autoblog UK

Mr Average heaves another sad sigh as he checks his bank balance again and is still in search of that new vehicle to fulfil his everyday motoring requirements. Will he find it this time?

The Asians: The Japanese were pretty much marching in step, Mazda with the world debut of their five-door Mazda3 and Toyota lining up with the new Avensis and the European premieres of the revamped Aygo, Yaris and RAV4. The Koreans were represented by Hyundai whose stall was dominated by eco models such as the Santa Fe Hybrid but also by the large ix55, an SUV with a 3-litre V6 diesel engine. It will be interesting to see what price this comes in at. Also making a strong impact were the Indians and the Chinese: Tata and Mahindra from India together with Katay and Martin Motors (Shuanghuan) from China arrived in Bologna with a selection of compact cars and off-roaders.

Rest of the world: Most prominent amongst the Americans were Cadillac who have extended their CTS series with a station wagon and a new 2.9-litre V6 diesel version. At the Volvo stall, all eyes were on the XC60, while Land Rover presented the Freelander with its automatic stop/start system. Škoda showed off the upgraded Octavia and Seat the Exeo, a 4.6-metre-long aesthetically styled saloon. Dacia also put in an appearance. And DR. Ever heard of them? They are based in Southern Italy where they build a pleasant-enough compact SUV called the DR5 with a choice of engines. However, it has more than a passing resemblance to the Chinese-built Chery Tiggo, which in turn is strongly reminiscent of the old Toyota RAV4. The chassis and the petrol engine are both sourced from Chery, the diesel engine from Fiat. The bargain basement price of 16,000 euros is attracting buyers, but reports are that the Euro NCAP crash tests produced abysmal results. So Mr Average needs to exercise due caution...

Mr Average heaves a weary sigh as he checks his bank balance before setting out to find a new vehicle that will fulfil his everyday motoring requirements. Where is he going to find one?

The Germans: Opel were showing the flag at Bologna with the world premiere of the Zafira 1.6 CNG Turbo. A serious everyday family eco model, it is powered by natural gas, packs a respectable 150 turbocharged horsepower and offers plenty of cabin space. In the Insignia Sports Tourer, Opel had yet another strong contender. The competition at Ford presented the new Ka as the sensible choice with the 300bhp Focus RS for those less inhibited moments in life. VW were the other German marque to lay on a world premiere with the Golf Plus, though sadly, its many fans have nothing to get too excited about this time. On the other hand, the new Golf GTI got a better reception; officially it counts as a concept car, but unofficially we are told that this is exactly how it will look when it appears in the showrooms. As for Mercedes and Audi, attention was focused on their new compact SUVs, the GLK and the Q5. Mr Average won't be able to afford one of those for a while yet.

The Italians: The natives did not appear to be taking this home match very seriously, as they had virtually nothing new on offer. Fiat displayed a few eco variants; Lancia and Alfa Romeo attracted attention with two models rarely seen out and about, the Delta and Mito.

The French: Much better things from this source. Renault charmed with their Mégane Coupé; Peugeot staged the world premiere of the 107 and also presented the affordable and witty 308 CC; Citroën meanwhile paraded the C3 Picasso, a nippy mini MPV. Realistically priced cars that still manage to be fun to drive.

Honda have chosen Bologna to debut the FCX Clarity, the first small family series car equipped with the technology of tomorrow. A quality saloon vehicle with coupé styling and the dimensions of a Honda Accord. The revolutionary aspect of this vehicle is to be found under the bodywork: a fuel cell powertrain. The energy is supplied by hydrogen which reacts with oxygen inside the fuel cell. This in turn generates electricity which, to all intents and purposes, propels the car without any harmful emissions (just water vapour), thus creating minimal environmental impact.

Once again, it is the French who have allowed their imagination to run riot and have come up with two spectacular design studies – the crossover Citroën Hypnos and the Peugeot RC Hybrid 4 sports sedan. Unfortunately, we shouldn't have high expectations of seeing these on our roads at any time. Both may be regarded as pure 'haute couture', the Hypnos as a diesel hybrid, the RC as a petrol hybrid with a 1.6-litre turbo plus electric motor packing 313bhp and emitting a mere 109g CO2/km. The Japanese have once again created a stir with their snazzy compact concepts. For example, Nissan with the sweet, curvaceous, electrically powered Nuvu, and Toyota with the eccentrically designed Fine-T with its fuel cell. The future is a funny place.

Green is in. Opel led the way in Bologna with the world premiere of their Zafira Turbo ecoM, a shining example of how to reconcile environmental considerations with real-life motoring demands. Its turbo engine is designed to run on natural gas, but it can also run on petrol if necessary, and it guarantees a drive that is not only ecologically sound but, for the very first time, speedy too. Many more vehicles such as the green-powered Terios from Daihatsu, the Nissan Micra RDS and the Škoda Fabia Combi LPG are ready to run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a popular choice in Italy.

An electric shock was provided by the Smart Fortwo ed – a car that runs purely on electricity. Likewise the Indian Tata Indica Electric EV, also making its debut, and showing the appetite of Indian manufacturers for the European market. Closer to everyday life in the automotive world are the ever increasing number of hybrid vehicles. Porsche unveiled their Cayenne Hybrid, due to appear in the showrooms soon. And the crisis-wracked Americans at GM brought along their Cadillac Escalade Hybrid with its 6-litre V8 (!) engine and electric motor. Big is beautiful.

Everyone agrees you can never have too much power under the bonnet, whether in a sports car, a luxury limousine or an SUV. Whilst Mercedes displayed their entire AMG fleet directly alongside their eco-models in Bologna, they relegated the large SUVs to the second row and even the Maybach was found a more discreet home. But this allowed the SLR McLaren 722 GT, produced in limited numbers for the racing circuit, to take the limelight.

Audi followed the same policy as Mercedes, tucking the Q7 V12 TDI away in a corner, but gave the R8 a more prominent position. BMW weren't at the show anyway. But this made Brabus all the more visible with its Rocket 6.3 S Biturbo. Based on the Mercedes CLS and packing a mighty 730 bhp and 1,320 Nm (974 lb-ft of torque), it is absolutely not politically correct. But who cares? The Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed was also there, boasting a far from miserly 610 bhp, and the Americans had brought over the Corvette ZR1 which has 620 super-charged horsepower under the bonnet. Exotic species such as the Pagani Zonda F and the six-wheeled Covini C6W also raised the level of excitement.

As ever, the Bologna motor show is providing sufficient to stimulate the inquisitiveness and pulses of motorsport fans. Both the many cars that are on show in the halls and that run from Formula 1 through to NASCAR monsters, as well as demonstrations of many models that can be driven around the test track on the fairground.

Despite the downturn in the automotive sector, the general atmosphere at the motor show is positive and is also contributed to without doubt by the long-legged doe-eyed beauties, who even succeed now and again in stealing the show from the vehicles being exhibited. It is indeed claimed by some gossips that maybe the odd devoted family father only comes here because of them...

As one could easily imagine, the largest trend at the Bologna Motor Show is of course environmental compatibility. In this respect, almost every manufacturer has an appropriate vehicle on their stand. Even Hummer is exhibiting an H2 with optional bioethanol drive.

In a separate hall bearing the title of "Innovation Cube" which celebrated its debut at the motor show it is possible to gather specific information about topics such as safety and environmental friendliness, as well as gaining insight into new technologies. For this, there are several studies that point into the near and far future.

There is no doubt: green is simply in these days.

As capital city, Bologna nestles among the hills of the Emilia Romagna region; a name that is guaranteed to make the mouths of all automotive cognoscenti water, being the domicile of Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini and Ducati, all of whom are within striking distance.

The hills are well-known for echoing to the rich sounds of V2, V8, V10 and V12 engines when the works drivers take their high performance pets out for a run, filling the impressive landscape with an enthralling concert.

Since these large manufacturers are connected with many smaller and medium sized suppliers and the employment in the region is strongly oriented towards automotive production, it is hardly a surprise that the one motor show particularly important for Italy takes place in Bologna.

Covering 140,000 m² of interior hall space and further space outside, 320 exhibitors from 19 countries take the stage there and the main exhibitors include some 50 vehicle manufacturers. The absence of BMW is noticeable, despite the importance of the Northern Italian market, while competitors Audi and Mercedes are present with very large and correspondingly elaborate stands.