Saab Aero X concept

In many ways the Aero X is a classic superficial concept car; a sleek sports coupe with little relevance to any forthcoming Saab production car. But it is also a great signifier that this beleaguered brand is still on the map and a luscious design in its own right.

Exterior designer Alex Daniels told Car Design News how the A-pillarless windshield that wraps around to form the side glazing is the largest piece of Plexiglass in an automotive application. This glazing arcs, with the roof, forwards and upwards, doors rolling up and out over this canopy, to allow for easy access to the cockpit and giving the car a genuine 'wow factor'. In elevation this uncharacteristically long-nosed Saab has a DLO that drops down into the door in a way reminiscent of the Vector supercar from the 80s. At the rear the dramatic single blade-like rear lamp runs across a black rear section and into the body side, echoed below in a broad exhaust outlet.

The interior is more reserved but is notable for its use of layered green acrylic for its instrumentation. Without doubt, the Saab Aero X is the concept car of the show.

Renault Altica

Although lacking the ultimate impact and beauty of the Saab Aero X Concept, the Altica is a deeply impressive concept car, packed full of innovative and interesting design features and executed to an exceptionally high standard. It is in the details that the car is most remarkable; the DLO runs into fragmented small elements towards the rearmost pillar, the mirrors are held in place by wrap around slim arms, the rear lamps visually extrude back from the wheel arch and are set within a delicate translucent red covers, and behind the front wheel a metal element houses the side indicator repeater and then runs into the door as a recessed surface.

But it is the interior of this four seat estate coupe car that shines strongest. Accessed through butterfly doors, one is immediately struck by the sense of space provided by the lack of IP. The most interesting features are; the compact square section clear acrylic instrument binnacle, the steering column attached to the bulkhead by two stanchions, and the load bay that can be extended flush up to the rounded front seat backs with a fold out floor elements that are stored in a compartment under the floor under the front seats.

Nissan Terranaut concept

Speaking at the show with Satoru Tai, Vice President of Nissan Design Europe, he explained how the Terranaut aims to be less aggressive than most SUVs and features ?Cartier-like? jewel type lamps at the front a rear ? not dissimilar perhaps to the Nissan Foria concept shown at Tokyo. These lights are set off by a remarkably simple surface that runs cleanly around the sides of the car and wraps across the front and at the rear into the D-pillars. At the front a raised center element is a logical counterpoint to the castellated hood of the Range Rover that perhaps the Terranaut shows Nissan will soon be competing with.

Other interesting elements of the car include door handles accessed through large perforations in slightly swollen area of the door sides, one door on the right and two on the left side, an interior grab handle in the side of the IP hidden when the door is closed, drop down running boards, and a very sturdy interior form language.

The Terranaut is the fifth Nissan SUV-like concept car at successive Geneva Motor Shows (2005 Zaroot, 2004 Quashqui, 2003 Evalia, 2002 Yanya) perhaps this time is a harbinger of a production Nissan SUV to follow soon?

Skoda Roomster

This is the international debut of the production Roomster, a car that stems from the Roomster concept shown at Frankfurt in 2003 and the legacy of recently departed head of design Thomas Ingenlath (now head of advanced design at Volkswagen).

Concept cars always lose something in their translation to production and the Roomster is no exception. The surfaces have less tension, the creases are less sharp, the wheels are smaller, the grille less deep, and the interior far more conventional, but these are relatively minor points ? only the old fashioned execution of the tailgate jars relative to the concept's radical glass hatch. And a lot of the original has been preserved; the windshield that wraps around the A-pillar into a DLO that sweeps up into the body color B-pillar, the separate rear element of the DLO that bulges up towards the roof, the tall rear lamps, the front lamp shapes, the hidden rear door handles and many other elements. The Roomster successfully uptakes the utility MPV class of car in Europe defined by the 1997 Renault Kangoo. We think that this is going to be a hit.

Volkswagen Concept A

The Concept A is Volkswagen's teaser for a forthcoming Golf crossover, containing elements of sports coupe and SUV, in some ways not unlike the Renault Egeus concept shown at Frankfurt last year. Interestingly, there's also a hint of the 1989 Porsche Panamerica concept about it, with that sloping cabin profile, 'capped' fabric roof and wraparound screen. The front is an interesting development of the new VW face, with the shiny metal surround neatly connected visually to the skidplate underneath and the side grilles under the headlamps linking the whole Down-Road-Graphic together. It's a powerful and distinctive new face.

Barn-style doors give access to an interior with a high-up IP, with a large single meter set in a wide grille mesh that replaces conventional air-vents. Power is provided by a CNG-powered 1.4liter developing 150ps, using only 5kg of natural gas every 100km. Overall, this is a new format of crossover that makes a lot of sense and 'adds up' for a lot of customers out there in future.

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano

Up close, the Rosso Monza red example on the stand looks more modern and with crisper edges than it appears in photos. For instance, there's a subtle horizontal core line to the center of the bodyside, slight creases in the fender tops, rocker panels and wheelarch lips that all help to control the lightlines far more precisely than on, say, the 612 Scaglietti. The most interesting area is the totally separate composite rear buttress that allows the cabin glass to flow underneath in a neat teardrop shape, channeling air to the rear spoiler and providing more downforce. The front end develops themes seen on the 612 but develops them with stronger conviction: the wave-form plan shape is stronger, the vertical headlamps have a more unique shape and stronger expression than the 612 and there's a pronounced power bulge in the hood.

The interior features seats with traditional horizontal perforated pleats, as on the Daytona, together with bespoke fitted luggage on the rear shelf behind. Overall, this has all the ingredients of a classic front-engined Ferrari, with lovely proportions, innovative aerodynamic elements and expressive shutlines.