Going back to the future

Amid the usual sea of hybrid, advanced diesel and fuel-cell technology that competed for attention under the looming threat of stringent carbon-dioxide limitation legislation there was a healthy swag of new production models to prove life goes on in the real world.

A good deal of what was on show is Australia-bound in the next 12 months, much of it within months of going on sale in the European markets. Honda rolled out the second generation of its hugely successful Accord Euro, Ford put its baby Fiesta out for scrutiny and VW highlighted the stunning Scirocco Coupe.

Skoda showed the new generation of the Superb (which has a date with Australia early next year), Peugeot unveiled the new 308 station wagon — seen first in Melbourne last week, Renault confirmed the Koleos compact SUV as a production vehicle, BMW took the covers off a pair of convertible heroes — the brutal M3 and its baby cousin the 1-Series — and Maybach stepped back in time with a nod to traditional open-top motoring in the Landaulet.

Mazda took a pair of doors out of its Mazda2 to produce the stylish 3-door hatch, Mercedes-Benz unveiled its next generation of SL super sports and Dodge again thumbed its nose at sensitivity with the big and bold Journey. Honda should be the first cab off the rank with the new models, launching the Accord Euro in June into a market where the previous model was a watershed.

“The original Euro was a real image builder — a hero car — for us,” Honda Australia's Mark Higgins says. “This new car is more of an evolution than a revolution, but when you have a car as definitive as the Euro, there is no real need to make major changes.”

The 2008 Euro will arrive with a single 2.4-litre i-VTEC four-cylinder engine coupled with a five-speed automatic to compete head-to-head with the recently launched Mazda6 and Subaru's Liberty, as well as models such as the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. Higgins says there are no plans to add the hi-tech 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine to the line-up.

“We would love to have that engine but it is not available with an automatic and for our market that is a problem,” Higgins says.

The story is much the same for the Tourer (station wagon) version. That is despite it being the most stylish of the range.

Ford, desperate for a serious contender in the light-car market, has definite plans for the cute Fiesta but will not rush it to market.

“I am not going to be specific about when the Fiesta will arrive but it will be within the next 12 months,” Ford Australia spokeswoman Sinead McAlary says.

Ford Australia has also shown some interest in the Kuga crossover, but McAlary says a business plan for that car is still a work in progress.

Also not confirmed but high on the desire list is VW's re-invention of the classic Scirocco sports coupe. VW Group Australia managing director Jutta Dierks says the Scirocco could be the car to give the brand in Australia the next big boost.

“I love it,” Dierks said in Geneva. “It is exciting, it is practical and it will add so much to the brand. We are currently in negotiations with head office about the car.”

Mercedes-Benz went at the high end of the market with the unveiling of the next generation of SL Roadsters and a stunning rendition of the old style of open-top motoring with its Landaulet.

“It's amazing, but we are already getting inquires about that car,” Mercedes-Benz Australia's Peter Fedeyev says. The Landaulet is a convertible for the chauffeur-driven set, with only the rear-seat passenger segment of the roof folding away for the open air experience. But the SL Roadster is one for the driver and will top the Mercedes sportscar line here.

At the other end of the cost scale, the Mazda2 3-door joins its 5-door sibling within months to provide an extra string to Mazda's light-car bow.

Skoda's Superb allows the fledgling franchise in Australia a chance to compete on price against the Honda Accord Euro and the top end of the Mazda6 range.