Considering luxury at the Geneva Motor Show 2024

This year’s Geneva International Motor Show had a certain yin/yang quality to it, as (mostly) new cars were placed downstairs in Hall 4 and classic cars were placed upstairs in Hall 2. Walking the halls certainly gave one an appreciation for the assembled classics, and to reflect upon the nature of automotive luxury itself. It’s a many-faceted thing, but one question we asked all day was, “Does luxury project the future, reflect the moment, or recall the past? Or some combination thereof?”

Up in Hall 2, the classic Bugatti Royale 41.11 Roadster and Coupé de Ville, along with the Maybach Zeppelin represent unparalleled glamour with prominent faces- large headlights, bold radiator and fender design and plenty of chrome. The wheels on each are larger than normal cars and their overall size of the cars is massive. But in many ways, they amplified trends of the time- they just happened to be larger, more extravagant, and of course much more exclusive- all were limited addition or bespoke creations. Impressing others and maybe a little intimidation were in the fundamentals of their brief.

Nearby the delightfully odd Avions Voisin Aerodyne might represent one view of the future, one heavily influenced by Gabriel Voisin’s aircraft design years. Voisin was obsessed with lightness, and so aluminum and light alloys were used wherever possible. Innovative body construction, engines, and quirky design made his vision both very personal, and in its way, very futuristic.

Down in Hall 4, the American luxury brand Lucid introduced its lineup to the European market.

A pair of powerful sedans and a new SUV awaited showgoers, with the Sapphire being the most luxurious of the three. Its simplified, modern design speaks to some serious packaging analysis and superior design by Derek Jenkins and his team.

The Lucid Sapphire is actually more closely related to a classic car that, alas, was not at the show. That car would be the Cord 810*, an American streamlined classic from the late 1930s. With its hidden lights, streamlined, aerodynamic design and innovative powertrain, Lucid looks (and sounds) like future, just as the Cord did in its time.

The Sapphire also has a distant ‘spiritual’ relationship to the Citroën SM, the sleek grand touring coupé on display up in Hall 2. The fastest and one of the most aerodynamic front-wheel drive coupés of its time, it employed Citroën’s innovative hydropneumatic suspension and a Maserati engine.

As noted above, many luxury cars amplify trends of the time, and do not feel an obligation to predict the future. Yes, many technologies find their way into luxury cars (cruise control, airbags, anti-lock brakes, etc.) before trickling down to more affordable cars. But many of these cars at the show were not interested in trickle down. They were establishing a higher standard of automobile, one not easily touched by any other marque.

So is luxury obligated to predict the future? Is it less of a luxury car if it is a more glamourous and high-end version of contemporary cars? If it embraces and updates a classic design does that make it inherently ‘retro’? A lot to ponder as one walked the halls in Geneva.

It is an individual choice and a brand choice as well. We hope there will be more to ponder in future Geneva shows, provided the show doesn’t become an “indoor Villa D’Este”. The classics are great, but we still want to see the future and have a vigorous debate about luxury.