By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(March 9, 2014) Unlike Michigan, which is in the midst of the coldest winter in 36 years and the snowiest in 133 years, Geneva, Switzerland had highs in the upper 40s and less snow than expected. Being the neutral country and banking center that it is, the Geneva Auto Salon was home to a number of world premiers, some of which we covered in the run-up to the show. What follows are the most interesting, strangest and most important of the introductions that took place during press days.

Jeep Renegade

An Italian-American cute ute that’s Trail Rated.

For all those cursing Fiat for building a mini Jeep, stop it. The idea for a diminutive off-roader goes back to the days when AMC (that’s American Motors Corporation for those too young to remember such things) owned the Jeep brand. Most of those designs were done in the Wrangler style, and were built around a front-wheel drive package.

The most interesting version, which either originated with ASHA Corp. or was part of a joint venture with the design/engineering house, mounted a transverse front-drive  powertrain longitudinally up front, and sent an equal split of power to the front and rear axles through modified halfshafts. The torque split was 50:50, and created a cheap yet capable competitor to the Suzuki Samurai and other small sport utilities before they could take over the entry off-roader market, something that — like the Junior Jeep — never happened.

By widening and re-engineering the SCCS platform shared by the Fiat Punto and Opel Corsa (and which dates back to the turn of this century when GM was looking to buy a sizable stake in Fiat), Jeep engineers created the base upon which the Renegade and its Fiat 500X sister will be built. Assembly of these vehicles will take place in Fiat’s Melfi Assembly Plant in Italy plant, making this the first production Jeep to be imported to the U.S. from Italy, and sold around the world.

Of most importance to Jeep aficionados is the Renegade’s off-road ability. For them, if it can’t hack the rough and tumble, it’s not a real Jeep. Buyers will be able to choose from two four-wheel drive systems, Jeep Active Drive, a full-time 4 x 4 system, and Jeep Active Drive Low, a full-time 4 x 4 system with a 20:1 crawl ratio. Both include Jeep’s Selec-Terrain system that feature numerous drive modes (Auto, Snow, Sand, Mud), and can put up to 100% of the engine’s available torque to the ground.

To increase on-road fuel economy, the Renegade features a disconnecting rear axle and power take-off unit. It also has Koni Frequency Selective Damping front and rear struts to keep things in check both on and off road.

The Trailhawk model is Trail Rated and — in addition to the crawl ratio — features:

    Selec-Terrain system with exclusive Rock mode.
    An 0.8 inch higher ride height (8.7 in. total).
    Skid plates, and red front and rear tow hooks.
    Unique bumpers that allow a 30.5 degree approach, 25.7 degree breakover and 34.3 degree departure angle.
    17-inch all-terrain tires.
    Up to 8.1 inches of wheel articulation.
    Hill-descent Control.
    Up to 19 inches of water fording.
    2,000-lb. towing capability with 2.4-litre Tigershark engine, and available tow package. (Non-U.S. models also offer Fiat’s 2.0-liter MultiJet II diesel, which increases towing capacity to 3,300 lb.)

American buyers won’t get the broad choice of powertrains available in other markets, but that’s not as big a problem as it might at first seem. We get to choose from the Fiat 500L’s 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo motor/six-speed combination (automatic or manual) or the 2.4-liter Tigershark mated to either a six-speed manual or a nine-speed automatic transmission. It would be nice to have the brawny, 2.0-liter diesel as well, but the remaining two MultiAir gasoline engines, smaller displacement diesel and flex fuel EtorQ motor would only confuse buyers. Best to keep it simple.

That simplicity doesn’t extend to the tech Jeep is piling onto the Renegade, however. It includes a seven-inch, full-color, reconfigurable gauge cluster; Uconnect touchscreen audio and navigation; Uconnect Access (embedded cellular technology to contact local emergency service dispatchers or summon roadside assistance); lane departure and forward collision warning; blind spot monitoring; rear cross-path detection; a reversing camera; electronic stability control with roll mitigation and seven standard airbags. Sales start in the third quarter of 2014. Pricing will be set closer to the on sale date.

Mazda Hazumi

Making the Mazda2 an object of desire.

We’ll let the styling speak for itself, other than to say this is one handsome B-class car, inside and out. It will be interesting to see how much of its swagger, charm and style will carry over, though Mazda has shown the ability to faithfully transfer its Kodo design language into production. The 18 x 8-inch wheels and tires are a bit over the top, as is the suspended center console, but the rest seems as though it could make it to production, if in slightly less exuberant form.

The Hazumi premiered Mazda’s new 1.5-liter diesel engine, a derivative of the larger (and yet to arrive in the U.S.) 2.2-liter Skyactiv diesel found in the Mazda6. Mazda says it meets Euro6 emission standards without need for after treatment, but will not say whether or not that engine will find its way to the U.S.

Porsche 919

The goal: winning Le Mans on as little energy as possible.

LMP1 has gone through a massive change that has seen hybrid prototypes rated by their energy efficiency. The amount of fuel allocated has been cut by 30% from last year, while the amount of energy the hybrid systems put out has been dramatically increased. This chase for ultimate efficiency makes this the most complex Porsche ever, and necessitated a true clean-sheet approach.

The 919’s powertrain is based around a 2.0-liter direct injected, turbocharged V4 gasoline engine with a maximum speed of 9,000 rpm that drives the rear wheels. This load-bearing engine is both compact and light, and its shallow V-angle helps guide the maximum undisturbed air to the rear wing. It is supplemented by two distinct energy recovery systems. The most unique is the thermal recovery system that uses an electric generator powered by the spent gasses in the exhaust stream. The second system recovers kinetic braking energy, and stores this in water-cooled lithium-ion battery packs. When the driver needs more power, this energy is used to operate the front generator as an electric motor to drive the front wheels, giving the 919 temporary all-wheel drive.

The driver can choose from one of several automated drive modes based on weather conditions, course layout and traffic, and fuel consumption depends directly on the amount of electrical energy available per lap. Porsche has developed the 919 to run in the premier 8 megajoule class, which requires high-performance energy recovery and storage systems. To ensure that competitors use the hybrid system to full effect, a flow meter limits the amount of fuel that can be used per lap. At Le Mans, this has been limited to just 1.23 gallons per lap.

To help out, organizers have reduced minimum vehicle weight by 66 lb to 1,918 lb; an ambitious target. Not surprisingly, the monocoque chassis is made of a carbon fiber sandwich construction, and vehicle dimensions can’t exceed a length of 183 inches and height of 41.3 in. Width must lie between 70.9 and 74.8 inches. The width of the Michelin rear tires has been reduced two inches to 14 inches to reduce aerodynamic and parasitic drag, though the reduction in vehicle weight and increase in aerodynamic performance should keep cornering speeds high.

The blunt nose, which contains four LED lighting units per side, directs air up and over the body, where it is smoothed and channeled to the rear wing. This not only increases the air flowing over and under the wing, making it possible to run a lower drag design with little or nor penalty in downforce lost, it increases the amount of air that is pulled from underneath the car and through the rear diffuser at speed. Porsche claims the 919 spent more than 2,000 in the wind tunnel. Though scheduled to run the full World Endurance Championship, the 919’s main focus is to wrest the Le Mans 24 Hours laurels from its VW Group cousin, Audi.

Mini Clubman Concept

Bigger, roomier, less weird.

The Mini has gone through many changes in its life with BMW, but none as radical as this time around. Built on the same chassis as BMW’s new 2 Series Active Tourer (itself a radical move), and sharing the same 1.5-liter three-cylinder and 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines mated to six-speed (automatic and manual) transmissions, the new Mini is — except in looks — truly new.

Unfortunately, to some, the Mini name is now more brand identifier than a description of the car carrying the badge. It has grown in almost all dimensions, but has gained broader acceptance with the general public as it has grown. With the introduction of the Mini Clubman Concept, BMW is previewing three new Mini models, each aimed at increasing sales.

Though the production version will be a bit different, you can expect that car to be approximately the same size as the Clubman Concept. This means an overall length of 166 .3 inches, a width of 72.6 in., and a height of 57. 1 in. This makes the new car 10.3-in. longer, 6.3-in. wider and 1.0-in. taller than the current Clubman. It’s also 5.0-in. longer and 2.2-in. wider than the off-road Countryman. The new Clubman retains the split rear door of the current car, but eliminates the contrasting plastic trim around the doors that was so polarizing. It also ditches the single rear-hinged half door in favor of two conventional rear doors. This should make entry and exit easier for those in the back seat, and allows Mini to share the rear door structure with the coming Mini four-door hatchback and new Countryman.

VW T-ROC

It makes more sense than an off-road Beetle. A lot more.

Despite the best efforts of the eco-mentally challenged everywhere, SUVs are hot and getting hotter. The command seating position, promise of all-road capability, go anywhere/do anything shape, and flexible interior have made them favorites of families and fun lovers. It almost seems as though you can’t have too many SUVs and crossovers in your lineup.

Volkswagen apparently agrees. It has the compact Tiguan and full-size Touareg, is close to announcing the production version of the US-only CrossBlue, and has shown concepts like the CrossBlue Coupe and Taigun.

Now comes the T-ROC, a vehicle that potentially is a competitor for the Nissan Juke. Built around VW’s highly flexible MQB architecture, the T-ROC sits on a 102.2-in. wheelbase, is 72 in. wide, 59.1 in. tall, and 164.5 in. long. That makes it nearly 10 in. shorter and 7.9 in. lower than the already diminutive Tiguan. The compact Tiguan is scheduled to be replaced next year by a new, MQB-based four-door, and would undoubtedly share many pieces with the production T-ROC, which could launch as early as 2016, and be joined by the TT-like Allroad Sportback.

Under the hood of the concept is a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine producing 181 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. This mates to a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and 4Motion all-wheel drive system. It sends the power to the front wheels in Street mode, and splits it 50:50 in Off-road and Snow modes. With that power and a weight of 3,130 lb., the T-ROC should be capable of 0-62 mph in 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 131 mph. And while the 19-in. wheels and 245/45-R19 tires might make production, the T-ROC could trade its two-door styling for a more user friendly four-door look.

Quant nanoFlowcell

Traveling that no man’s land between dreams and reality.

It’s possible that the folks from Quant took a page out of Elon Musk’s playbook, and decided that the best way to erase preconceived notions about alternative powerplants was to build a vehicle that makes the most of the technology. Quant claims that its flow cell battery can drive a vehicle five times further than a vehicle using lithium-ion batteries, and recharging is quick. The spent electrolyte is exchanged for new, charged fluid that can be recharged outside of the vehicle. Charging takes about 20 minutes.

Only this isn’t the first time the La Vecchia brothers, the power behind the Quant car and nanoFlowcell battery technology, have been to Geneva. In 2009, then again in 2010, the brothers showed concepts created with the help of Koenigsegg that never lived up to the promises made for them. This time the La Vecchia’s have created a sport car without the help of Koenigsegg that boasts full-length gull wing doors, a carbon fiber monocoque, and seating for four in a 207-in. long package spread over a 126 in. wheelbase. It even has proprietary touch sensors embedded in thin wood surfaces throughout the interior that replace conventional switches.

The car is handsome and imposing, but — with the La Vecchia’s track record — sounds too good to be true. Flow cell batteries are immensely complex, on the steep part of the power density learning curve, and currently do not work well in mobile environments like automobiles. Especially all-wheel drive sporting vehicles utilizing four three-phase induction motors with torque distribution, and capable of 0-60 mph in just 2.8 seconds. We could be wrong. The La Vecchia’s may have a breakthrough that will change electrified vehicles for generations. However, given their past performance, perhaps it’s best to wait until there are production vehicles ready to test before passing judgment.

Jaguar XE

Stealing the show without even being present.

Jaguar used the Geneva Auto Salon to announce its new small sports sedan, the XE. Sharing the aluminum structure showcased by the C-X17 concept SUV last year, the all-aluminum XE is aimed at the BMW 3 Series/4 Series Gran Coupe and Mercedes C-Class.

Power will be supplied by Jaguar’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ingenium engine family, which will be available in both gasoline and diesel versions. The motor produces 240 hp, and should be capable, Jaguar claims, of pushing the XE to a top speed of more than 186 mph.

The XE will be available with either rear- or all-wheel drive, and will offer just one transmission, an eight-speed automatic. The rendering released at the Geneva shows the familiar new Jaguar face, while pictures of the aluminum structure suggest a very sleek design with short front and rear overhangs. A distinct wedge runs from the nose to the tail, which ends with the near-fastback roof landing on the short rear deck. It’s all very aerodynamic and dynamic looking, but the lack of trunk lid depth means it could be difficult loading large items into the otherwise spacious trunk.

Jaguar will release further technical details later this year, and launch the XE midway through 2015. It will spawn a range of compact performance cars, including a production of the C-X17 SUV. There may even be a small sports car, though it you can rest assured it won’t be called the E-Type.

The Virtual Driver