Designs on Geneva

Design chic, design blending, and design promise were all present in the halls of the Geneva Palexpo exhibition center for the city's International Motor Show, which this year celebrated the centenary of its beginning.

Design chic, design blending, and design promise were all present in the halls of the Geneva Palexpo exhibition center for the city's International Motor Show, which this year celebrated the centenary of its beginning. Geneva has always been a strange venue for such a distinctive event because Switzerland has no motor manufacturers of its own. And yet, year after year, the Geneva show manages to attract companies from across the world to create a highly distinctive event that never disappoints.

Design chic was represented by the Honda Civic concept, Alfa Romeo Brera, and the Citroën C6 among many other examples. Design blending was demonstrated by the Citroën C1, Peugeot 107, and Toyota Aygo, sharing more than 90% commonality, built at the same plant at Kolin, Czech Republic, and, despite different detail styling, looking like near-identical triplets. Design promise was, as ever, down to concepts, which ranged from the Renault Zoe to the Lamborghini Concept S by way of Ford's crossover SAV.