News Analysis: Green, connectivity, rivalry seen at 2015 Geneva Motor Show

The 85th Geneva International Motor Show, one of the most important and attractive automobile showcases in the world, opened to the public Thursday, presenting classic car models while highlighting the emerging trends in speed and technology.

Nearly 220 exhibitors are presenting some 900 vehicles at this year's show on from March 5 to 15, among which some 130 new models and concept cars are on display for more than 700,000 visitors.

GREEN

Placing more emphasis on green technology and energy efficiency, the show organizers have partnered with SuisseEnergie, the Swiss federal energy department, to highlight models which produce no more than 95 grams of CO2/km, a proposed EU emission norm to be introduced in 2020.

Apart from Tesla Motors, the leading player in electric cars, major brands including Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Volvo, Volkswagen, and even sports car maker Porsche followed the green wave, featuring their hybrid-powered, natural-gas-driven, or electrically-powered vehicles.

The increasing proportion of the models with alternative or additional energy sources this year signals where the future of cars is headed.

The environmental statement was clearly made with the Tucson Fuel Cell by Hyundai, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle which is currently available for lease in southern California.

The car has quite a prominent performance compared to either of the gas-driven or electric cars. According to Hyundai, it takes less than 10 minutes to fully fill the hydrogen fuel cell, in contrast with current electric cars that require at least three hours with a 240V charge, and its driving range is up to 426 km, similar to many fuel-powered cars on the road at the moment, but with zero CO2 emissions.

CONNECTIVITY

Car makers see growing business opportunities from the increasingly fancy and handy information and communication technology systems that have the potential to be integrated into the dashboards of cars.

Apple's multimedia CarPlay system debuted in Mercedes, Ferrari and Volvo models last year in the display held in the Swiss city. The CarPlay-enabled-vehicles allow iPhone users to make calls, use Maps, listen to music, and access messages with touch-screen commands or activate virtual assistant Siri while driving.

Meanwhle, Audi, Volkswagen and other manufacturers are extending the offer to use Google's Android Auto in their car brands.

Qoros, a Chinese-Israeli manufacturer exhibiting for the third consecutive year in Geneva, showed off its upgraded version of the Qoros Qloud, an app available for download from a mobile phone and which can be linked up with the Qoros car.

Among the most preferable functions provided by the app, including playing music and tracking driving habits, is that the driver can plan their route before going out and the system will alert the driver of traffic disruptions and reroute automatically.

Hyundai also went a step beyond this year, showing its Connectivity Cockpit Concept vision for driving in the future with an on site driving simulator, a big draw for lots of audience members who wanted to experience the new advanced technology.

The concept features wearable devices paired with the in-car system which monitors the driver's heart rate, and alerts about blind-spots or appropriate following distance, the so-called life-log of daily driving activities to rank driver preferences, the rear seat child care function to monitor passengers and children via a mini-camera, and 3D gesture detection controls. The concept provides a future vision for human and machine interface wherein the driver's hand commands, without touching the screen, would be recognized through infrared and camera sensors.

RIVALITY

Though partnering with high-tech companies like Apple and Google, auto manufacturers are in a race to the finish as the formers' automotive ambitions have been hinted at or announced.

Apple, in spite of saying it did not plan on going into the car-making field, was reportedly investing resources into working on an electric vehicle.

Google, in a more pronounced position, unveiled its fully functional self-driving car last year, and reportedly said it would have the driverless vehicle on the road within five years.

The two potential new entrants into the auto industry raised a red flag among traditional automakers over worries over losing their market share.

The CEO of BMW, Norbert Reithofer, said during an event at this year's motor show that the two Silicon Valley firms could pose competitive threats to the established brands, quoting Tesla Motors whose luxury electric sedans has shaken up the e-car sector as an argument to back his stance.

Daimler and Mercedes-Benz chief Dieter Zetsche welcomed the positive momentum injected by digital techs into the auto sector, but also noted its destructive quality.

Fiat-Chrysler's boss Sergio Marchionne made similar remarks, saying it was good to have new players entering the auto domain, but the feelings about possible ensuing disruption for the established ones would not be good.

But he noted that traditional carmakers' ability to respond and adapt to emerging challenges and competition should not be underestimated.

On the other hand, some brands thought the convergence of the two domains was promising.

Volkswagen, as well as Fiat itself, expressed their interests in the two high-tech companies' advanced technologies and were confident about the cooperation between the digital and auto sectors. Endit