2018 Geneva Auto Show Preview: Everybody Takes Aim at Tesla

The first Tesla Model S sedans shipped in 2012. Now with the 2018 Geneva auto show, we’re about to see the luxury carmakers taking Tesla really seriously. Last year, Tesla in both the US and in Europe outsold each of the premium sedans from Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

With no Frankfurt Auto Show on tap in 2018 (odd years only), the 88th Geneva International Motor Show reigns as the supreme auto show of 2018. It’s also the most neutral since Switzerland doesn’t make a whole lot of cars; there are no hometown-favorite companies. Here’s what to watch for in Geneva this week.

The hotly awaited Jaguar i-Pace has an aerodynamic body, a 90-kWh battery pack, front-rear electric motors producing 400 hp, a 0-62 mph time of 4.5 seconds, and a range of almost 300 miles. Jaguar's 432 lithium-ion batteries comprise a slice at the base of the car. Base price, converted from euros, is $87,000.

Giorgetto Giugiaro, the 79-year-old founder of Italdesign, has created a concept car with his new design shop, GFG Style. It's the Giugiaro Sibylla, electrically powered with motors front and rear. In tribute to earlier designs, there are gullwing doors and a front canopy the slides forward to ingress-egress.

Aston Martin will revive the Lagonda brand and reserve it for EVs. This gives Tesla owners with more cash than needed for a Tesla a chance to one-up Elon Musk's Model S. The Lagonda brand hasn't been used since the 1970s.

McLaren, maker of high-performance sports cars, will show an even-higher-performance sports car, the McLaren Senna GTR. A tribute to one of history's greatest drivers, the car is for civilians but can be used only on the track. Price will be on the high side of $1 million.

This low, swoopy teaser image from BMW is most likely the 8 Series Gran Coupe design study. Audi and BMW keep chasing the success of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe, all of them reasonably roomy in back once you've gotten under the low roofline. The 8 Series will eventually replace the 6 Series in 2019.

Toyota and BMW have been working up a joint-project sports car with similar mechanicals underneath and vastly different body styles. For Toyota, it's the new Supra; for BMW, the next Z4. Both automakers see this as a way to keep two-seaters alive. Pictured is the Calty Design done for Toyota dating back several years.

Hyundai will introduce the 2019 Santa Fe. As with other mainstream, midsize SUVs, they're following Mazda's lead with more leather, padding, and nicer trim to close the gap against the Audis, BMWs, and Benzes of the world. Look for it in late fall. There will still be a smaller, two-row Santa Fe Sport.

Is Tesla serious competition? Look at the US sales of Tesla’s full-size sports/luxury vehicle, the Model S. Here are 2017 sales numbers for the US.

The i-Pace is a crossover/SUV, not a sedan. But no matter. Jaguar has produced a serious contender to the Model S. SUVs going forward may well be the more important premium vehicle, not sedans — certainly in the US. Consider that the big-honker Benz crossover, the GLS, outsold the S-Class last year better than 2 to 1: 32,238 to 15,888. BMW’s 7 Series hasn’t been outsold by the X7, but that may only be because BMW hasn’t gotten around to building it yet. The car is in pre-production now, is expected to be introduced in late 2018, and will ship in early 2019. Memo to the White House: Although the X7 is German, it’s being built in the US. That was decided before the current administration took office, but feel free to take credit. In fact, every BMW SUV except the X1-X2 is built in South Carolina.

Mercedes will show an all-electric vehicle at Geneva, but it hasn’t said which one or how large. Bentley will show a hybrid version of its $200,000-plus Bentayga SUV. Audi will unveil an e-tron crossover to compete with the Tesla Model X; reports have Audi offering e-tron ride-and-drives outside on the Palexpo show grounds. There will also be smaller EVs unveiled: Kia will show an electric Nexo that’s a mate to the fuel cell Nexo unveiled at CES 2018.

Press days for the Salon international de l’auto, or Geneva show, at the Palexpo site, the days when the new cars are unveiled, are Tuesday-Wednesday, March 6-7. Public days are Thursday, March 8 to Sunday, March 18. The next major show is the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Friday, March 30 to Sunday, April 8, at the Javits Center.

Check back at week’s end for our top cars of the 2018 Geneva auto show.

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