Based on the popular Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde (QV) super saloon, it turns this Italian super exec up to eleven, with more horsepower, less weight, and a track-oriented focus that’s spoiling for a punch-up with the Jaguar Project 8.
A faster version of the already ballistic Giulia has long been rumoured. So what does the GTA bring to the table?
In Alfa lore, GTA means exclusivity, racing provenance, and reduced weight. It also means jaw-dropping muscular Italian looks.
ALSO SEE: Great Motoring Disasters – Alfa Romeo 156
The standard car wasn’t exactly timid, but a healthy smothering of arch extensions and carbon aero addenda have upped the snarl.
Those arch extensions have pushed the new 20-inch centre-lock wheels out by 50mm, while re-engineered suspension keeps it rigid in the corners.
Wider would ordinarily mean heavier, but the Giulia GTA uses carbon fibre extensively, for the arches, driveshaft, bonnet, roof and front bumper. The ‘A’ in ‘GTA’ does stand for Allegerita, or ‘lightened’, after all.
It’s not all talk and diet, either. The GTA comes with added muscle, up to 540hp, from its revised Ferrari-derived 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine.
Acoustics also come improved courtesy of a bespoke Akrapovic exhaust system, exiting through the centre of the giant new rear diffuser.
Giulia GTAm – look out, Jaguar Project 8
While we all thought Jaguar was slightly mad in lopping out the rear seats and adding a big wing to its small executive saloon, Alfa was clearly impressed.
So the GTAm is the Italian Project 8, with the rear seats junked in exchange for a roll bar, racing fronts and six-point harnesses to go with.
Out back, there’s a nice chunky wing to go with the diffuser on the GTAm, again taking the fight right to the Project 8. The windows are framed with Lexan polycarbonate to get the weight down even more, for a total weight of (around) 1,520kg for the GTAm.
While it’s down on power compared with the big Jag – there’s no increase compared with the 540hp ‘normal’ GTA – it’s also very much lighter, by over 200kg.
62mph arrives in just 3.6 seconds thanks to the launch control system, though we wonder if it’ll match the QV’s top end of 191mph with all that new aero. We expect that the GTAm might gun for the Jag’s dubious four-door Nurburgring record very soon.
GTA – the ultimate in exclusivity
GTA is the Alfa Romeo equivalent of GTO for Ferrari. It’s an integral part of the brand’s legend and as such, the new car will be very exclusive.
Just 500 will be made, numbered and certified. Each car will come with a personal experience package, including a special Bell helmet in a GTA livery, full race suit loves and shoes, and a Goodwool car cover.
If they so desire, customers can get involved in a driving course with the Alfa Romeo Driving Academy.
Get your orders in quick if you want a slice. With just 500 to be made, it’s more exclusive than the V8-powered 8C supercar of 2007.
As for price, no pound figure has been mentioned yet. But, given the modifications and limited numbers, expect the price to rival the six-figure Project 8, too…
— Jean-Philippe Imparato (@JPImparato) March 2, 2020
“We are convinced the car deserves it… it is a big surprise, and a big pleasure.”
The Peugeot 208 follows the 2019 winner, the Jaguar I-Pace – which scored a narrow win over the Alpine A110 sports car after an unprecedented scores count-back.
“Passion prevailed over reason,” it was said after last year’s event. The judges were clearly mindful of this going into the 2020 competition.
The seven finalists this year (and their final ranking) were:
BMW 1 Series (133 points: 7th)
Ford Puma (209 points: 5th)
Peugeot 208 (281 points: 1st)
Porsche Taycan (222 points: 3rd)
Renault Clio (211 points: 4th)
Tesla Model 3 (242 points: 2nd)
Toyota Corolla (152 points: 6th)
Every finalist featured some form of electrification: two of them, the Porsche and Tesla, are pure electric vehicles, while the 208 offers an all-electric derivative, the e-208.
Car of the Year 2020: live online
Swiss motoring journalist Melanie Freymond led the live presentation. This was held at the Geneva Palexpo exhibition centre, but behind closed doors.
Results from each country were presented alphabetically, juror by juror – in the style of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Peugeot bosses will receive a trophy made in Italy, by a Spanish artist.
Olivier Rihs, GIMS director, helped open the presentation event. Speaking of the Geneva Motor Show’s cancellation, he said: “We had no choice… we had to cancel.” The circumstances were “beyond our control”.
“We will keep going and fight for next year.”
It was the ninth consecutive time European Car of the Year has been held in Geneva. “It is the automobile prize with the longest tradition,” said Mr Rihs.
Frank Janssen, president of Car of the Year jury, said the award is aimed at real world car buyers. “We want to give the best advice.”
The scores of all judges, including their reasoning, are published on the organisation’s website, for full transparency.
New jury members include UK electric car journalist Vicky Parrott. Car of the Year has an age barrier of 65 years, after which, jury members must retire.
New research has revealed that drivers would like to see changes made to the driving test in the wake of heightened demand for electric cars.
Seventy-seven percent think that the driving test needs to be adapted, which rises to 92 percent among electric car drivers.
The research comes from insurance company LV, which is also the first to offer an insurance product tailored specifically for EVs.
It found that 29 percent intend to make an electric car purchase in the next five years. Seventy-eight percent said that they were looking at an EV as their next car purchase.
Eighty-seven percent of drivers have never driven an EV, which means they’re unaware of the differences in how they drive and what they’re like to own.
LV wants today’s learners – tomorrow’s EV buyers – to be clued up on electric cars before they buy them, from the moment they start learning.
There are also misconceptions that need addressing. Operation is one thing, but a change in the test could help familiarise motorists with EVs, and debunk certain myths that could be harming uptake.
Interestingly, a vast majority of current EV drivers took their own steps to initiate themselves prior to buying.
Eighty-four percent of the UK’s 195,000 electric car drivers have taken such measures. These include specifically requesting dealer demonstrations and explainers (47 percent), and taking advanced driving refresher courses (41 percent).
Seventy-two percent of EV drivers believe that taking the test in an EV would have been beneficial.
How to change the driving test for electric cars
Car insurance ‘renewal tax’ costs motorists £674million
So how do you change the driving test? You start by analysing what the differences are between EVs and ICE-powered cars. Electric car drivers have noted the following differences as most prominent:
Getting used to the driving range (49 percent)
Noise difference (46 percent)
Getting used to a fully automated vehicle (41 percent)
Difference in acceleration (41 percent)
Difference in braking speed (28 percent)
As the driving test evolves, it will need to address everything from charging range to the difference in performance in terms of acceleration and braking. Indeed, EVs tend to accelerate more aggressively, while some can even ‘brake’ using regenerative braking, without the driver even touching the brakes. There’s also the issue of plugging in and charging, and how you use the infrastructure.
“As the UK moves towards becoming net-zero, UK drivers need to have a greater understanding of electric cars in order to have the confidence to make the switch,” said Tom Clarke, head of electric vehicle strategy at LV.
“The fact that nearly two-thirds (72 percent) of electric car drivers say taking their driving test in an electric car would have been a benefit to them highlights the reality that the driving test in its current form is no longer relevant for the new wave of ‘green’ drivers.
“It’s clear that more education is needed to encourage drivers to make the switch to electric. The nervousness around these vehicles can be tackled by ensuring prospective drivers are fully equipped to drive an electric car, and current drivers are fully educated on the differences between electric cars and ICE.
“We understand that a driving test overhaul is a big change that cannot happen overnight but making small alterations to the theory test, or ensuring that certain ‘show me, tell me’ questions are adapted for electric car drivers will be a huge step towards encouraging future take-up.”
New research into what drivers are paying for their car insurance has revealed high excess figures are becoming increasingly commonplace.
Excesses that exceed £3,000 are being quoted on older cars, despite the fact the write-off value would be significantly lower.
That means, in the event of the car being a total loss, the driver would receive nothing.
Researchers at the Mail on Sunday searched for car insurance on moneysupermarket.com. The average car on UK roads is eight years old, so the search used one of the most popular used cars, a Ford Fiesta, registered in 2012, for a 40-year-old driver in South London.
The value of such a vehicle should be between £3,440, and £3,775. The write-off figure would be around 50 percent of this.
Six insurers came back with staggering £3,000 compulsory excess figures. These insurers were not even the cheapest, either.
The same surprise might be in store for owners of more expensive cars. An eight-year-old BMW 3 Series with a value of £7,000 to £7,500, generated five quotes with a £3,000 excess for a 40-year-old in Stevenage.
With the average car insurance claim costing £2,600, it pays to keep a close eye on what excesses are on your policy.
The British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) claims one of the reasons insurers offer high excesses is that they’d rather do so than decline insurance altogether. In short, such excesses are a get-around for ‘no-quotes’.
Cars with personal plates are TWICE as likely to be stolen
“Policy excesses are often misunderstood and can provide a nasty shock during a claim – a time when there is already enough stress to deal with,” said Anders Nilsson, from gocompare.com.
“Our research shows excesses could contribute to genuine financial hardship with 37 per cent of drivers admitting they don’t have the means to pay their excess or would have to turn to credit cards or loans.”
What is car insurance excess?
The excess on car insurance is what the driver pays before the insurer begins to contribute, in the case of repairing their own vehicle.
For example, consider a single-car incident and all that’s damaged is the front bumper and the driver’s sidelight. If the excess on their policy is £500, and the total cost of the damage is £800, to get the car back on the road, the insurer will contribute £300 to that.
If the damage is below £500, the insurer won’t contribute anything. The excess is only payable on damage to your own vehicle. Damage to other’s vehicles, and the associated costs, if you are at fault, is on your insurer.
This Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS was delivered to its first owner, ‘Il Duce’ Benito Mussolini, on 13 January 1930. Following a period of intensive research, the Alfa Romeo is about to be restored by Thornley Kelham in the Cotswolds. It headlines our round-up of cars owned or driven by some of the world’s most notorious leaders.
Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS restoration
Simon Thornley, co-founder of Thornley Kelham, said: “We’ve undertaken many challenging restorations, but this Alfa Romeo presents us with perhaps our greatest test to date. Automotive history like this has to be preserved, and we are delighted to be involved in the latest page in its amazing story.”
Supercar super sale
Auction house Bonhams can’t actually take credit for what has to be one of the most incredible sale rosters in history. Its recent hypercar lot was formerly the property of vice president of Equatorial Guinea, Teodorin Obiang Nguemabut. The cars were seized by Swiss authorities on charges of financial wrongdoing. We take a look at Nguemabut’s incredible collection, plus some more dictatorial motors.
Cars confiscated
In order to, in the words of Swiss prosecutors, ‘restore a situation that is in conformity with the law’, the cars crossed the block on September 30 2019. The 1.3-million Swiss franc cost of the case was paid in cash, in exchange for a yacht being returned. However, even a cohort of hypercars couldn’t raise the funds to see off Teodorin Obiang Nguema’s €30 million suspended fine, which he must pay on top of having his cars confiscated.
Fastest and most furious
Think of a hypercar and it’s probably in this collection. Headline heavy-hitters include the Bugatti Veyron, McLaren P1, LaFerrari, Ferrari Enzo, Lamborghini Veneno Roadster, Aston Martin One:77 and Koenigsegg One:1.
Under the hammer
The Veneno Roadster won the day, with a final equivalent of £6.76 million, including the buyer’s premium. The Koenigsegg went for the equivalent of £3.76 million, which some enthusiasts are calling a ‘bargain’. Indeed, it’s still more than Bonhams’ own estimate, which Koenigsegg called ‘harmful’ in a heated statement. The Ferrari Enzo followed the Koenigsegg, with a final sale price of £2.53 million. It even beat its successor, the LaFerrari, which brought in £1.78 million. Selling for between £1 million and £1.6 million were a Bugatti Veyron, Aston Martin One:77, Porsche 918 Spyder and Lamborghini Reventon Roadster.
Tour de force
Looking quite subtle amongst this assortment of hypercars was a Ferrari F12 TdF. Yet not all dictatorial leaders had quite such extravagant tastes when it comes to cars…
Adolf Hitler – Mercedes-Benz W31 Type G4
Perhaps the world’s most famous and infamous dictator, for reasons we don’t need to explain. Adolf Hitler’s chariot of choice was a Mercedes-Benz W31 Type G4. This was a three-axle military off-roader, designed almost exlusively to cater to Nazi leaders. It’s one of just 30 made.
Josef Stalin – ZIS-115
Following the defeat of Hitler and the Nazis in World War Two, Soviet dictator Josef Stalin was sometimes ferried around in the homegrown ZIS-115. This eight-tonne armored monster was produced between 1946 and 1947. The paranoid Stalin wouldn’t use any of the 32 cars made for more than two days.
Emperor Hirohito – Mercedes-Benz ‘Kaiserwagen’
In 1935, Japanese Emperor Hirohito received an armoured Mercedes 770 Grand Pullman Limousine. Given Japan’s alignment during the war, you can probably guess who facilitated the acquisition. The Pullman’s ‘Kaiserwagen’ nickname says it all.
Benito Mussolini – Lancia Astura
Italian dictator Mussolini was more patriotic in his choice of cars. A succession of Lancias is topped by his special-commission Astura models, including cabriolets for parades and a streamlined version for his private collection.
Josip Broz Tito – Mercedes-Benz
Yugoslavian dictator Josip Broz Tito is considered the figurehead for one of the world’s only ‘successful’ communist dictatorships. In his time as the Yugoslav president between 1953 and 1980, Tito frequented the back seat of many specialised Mercedes-Benz limousines. As is becoming apparent, the three-pointed star is a firm favourite of some of the world’s most divisive leaders.
Chairman Mao – Hongqi Red Flag
Chinese dictator Chairman Mao chose a Hongqi Red Flag for his travels. The company that introduced the Red Flag in 1958 is now known as the China FAW Group. It built 1,500 of them in a 24-year production run.
Fidel Castro – ZIL-111
Cuban communist leader Fidel Castro was famously in cahoots with the Soviet Union, leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It also led to Castro becoming the proud owner of a 1963 ZIL-111 cabriolet limousine, as gifted to him by Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev.
Kim Jong-il – Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser
Kim Jong Il, deceased supreme leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea – the self-given name of North Korea – was another Mercedes enthusiast. His patronage supports the popular view that the 600 Grosser was the ultimate dictator’s car.
Robert Mugabe – Rolls-Royce
Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe seemingly wanted to make more impact than even a Mercedes 600 was capable of. In spite of his open criticism of the West, and Britain in particular, he was a sucker for a vintage Rolls-Royce.
Mikael Gorbachev – ZIL-410152
The last leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev stayed loyal to the ZIL marque. The 410152 limousine was on Russian government duty right up until 2007 – 18 years after its 1989 debut. Gorbachev actually disliked the Soviet elite having nice cars to waft around in, claiming they shouldn’t enjoy such privileges over and above the people of the USSR.
Muammar al-Gaddafi – Fiat 500
Gaddafi, tyrant as he was, did at least have the health and happiness of the planet at heart. He was allegedly a big collector of electric cars and other environmentally-friendly vehicles. He even commissioned Italian coachbuilder Castagna Milano to build a one-off electric Fiat 500. Fiat’s own electric 500 is pictured. Imagine it green, with no doors, and you’re almost there…
Sadam Hussain – Bentley S1 Continental
Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain finds less fame than his son Uday for extravagant taste in cars. While Uday collected Ferraris and Porsches, Saddam preferred something more sedate. He confiscated a 1958 Bentley S1 Continental to join his Mercedes-Benz Grosser. Its owner wouldn’t sell it to him, apparently.
Kim Jong Un – Mercedes-Benz S-Class
While depicted in the 2015 comedy ‘The Dictator’ as a lover of expensive motors, there’s little conclusive evidence of Korean Kim Jong Un’s taste in cars. We expect he’s got a well-stocked garage, but his day-to-day wheels are modern equivalent of a Mercedes Grosser: an S-Class limousine.
A group lawsuit under the Consumer Rights Act of 2015 will be taken on behalf of buyers and businesses who bought a new car between October 2006 and September 2015. Those affected could collectively be owed £150 million due to being overcharged on shipping.
That amounts to around £60 per new car bought or leased. Those affected may include buyers of Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Citroen and Renault cars and commercial vehicles over that period.
So, who is responsible, and what happened? Reportedly, it was a collaborative effort between a number of companies: MOL, “K” Line, NYK, WWL/EUKOR and CSAV. The firms allegedly coordinated manipulation of shipping rates, including reducing capacity and swapping commercially sensitive information.
The European Commission has already ruled the above companies broke EU competition law, imposing fines of more than £340 million. There have also been investigations by other regulators around the world, including Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the USA, Peru, Brazil, South Africa and Chile. Overall, not including the EU’s take, fines have exceeded £590 million.
The claim being brought in the UK’s Competition Action Tribunal is opt-out. That means that those who are owed won’t be lumped with any of the costs, but are automatically included unless they request otherwise. Representing those owed in the UK is Mark McLaren, formerly of Which? (The Consumers’ Association) and currently with the Consumer Panel of the Legal Services Board.
“When UK consumers and businesses purchased or leased a new car, they paid more for the delivery of that car than they should have done, as a result of a long-running cartel by five of the world’s leading maritime shipping companies,” McLaren said.
“I have spent much of my career working in consumer protection and I strongly believe that compensation should be paid when consumers are harmed by such deliberate, unlawful conduct.”
New road signs and street markings will support the 20mph speed limit, and TfL is installing raised pedestrian crossings where large numbers of pedestrians walk.
“By cutting speed limits on TfL’s roads within the Congestion Zone,” said Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, “we are saving lives, while at the same time making our streets more appealing for Londoners to walk and cycle around the capital.”
Transport for London is to promote the new 20mph speed limit with a marketing campaign across radio, print and digital advertising.
The roll-out of the 20mph speed limit on the 8.9km (5.5 miles) of Congestion Zone roads mirrors the lower speed limit already in force on many borough roads in central London.
Part of Druid Street (between Tower Bridge Road and Crucifix Lane)
Crucifix Lane
Part of Bermondsey Street (between Crucifix Lane and Tooley Street)
Part of Queen Elizabeth Street (between Tooley Street and Tower Bridge Road)
Over the next five years, TfL aims to introduce ‘safer speed limits’ on a further 87 miles of its road network.
ALSO SEE: 2021 London ULEZ expansion: drivers are already searching for compliant cars
High-risk sections will be prioritised, along with town centres with a high density of pedestrians, and roads running alongside local speed reduction programmes run by London boroughs.
The aim is to eliminate deaths and serious injuries from the London transport network by 2041, as part of the TfL Vision Zero commitment.
Many car enthusiasts live to seek out the thrills they had behind the wheel of a car when younger.
However, Canadian Derek Spratt took things several steps further in the pursuit of the Volkswagen hot hatch from his youth.
After thousands of hours in effort, and big sums of money, Derek believes he managed to create the ultimate Volkswagen GTI.
Living the dream
Derek’s story began in the early 1980s, as a 21-year-old college student in Ontario. Canadians had been able to buy GTI-branded Volkswagens since 1979, but these were low-powered versions with the same drivetrain as normal Rabbits.
However, Spratt was one of the first to buy a North American Rabbit GTI, fitted with a 90 horsepower 1.8-liter engine. Although still down on power compared to European models, it at least gave the compact GTI some extra performance.
The car would allow Derek and his wife, Cheryl, to create some amazing memories touring North America. One notable trip saw the Spratts take the GTI on a road trip from Vancouver to San Francisco, following Highway 1.
Creating the ultimate GTI
Derek would eventually sell the GTI, but turning 50 made him want to find another one. Incredibly, Derek was able to find a GTI with the same build date as his original, giving him a great base to work on.
Rather than just reliving his youth, Derek wanted the car to “feel and drive like an original Mk1 but with modern capabilities.” He wanted it to “show that you can take an old car to the point where it operates like a supercar—without taking away the fun factor.”
Derek’s project would see him spend more than $140,000, with the it taking more than 12,000 hours. A 220 horsepower naturally aspirated engine, touchscreen digital dashboard, and heated seats were just some of the special features fitted.
Sharing the passion
After documenting the build in a series of online videos, the GTI was finally completed in 2018. Derek took his 85-year-old father for the first drive in the finished ride. He also recreated his journey from 34 years earlier, cruising Highway 1 with his eldest son.
Attendances at car shows and track days brought Derek’s GTI to a wide audience of fans. Enthusiasts from across the globe had helped source parts and offer encouragement during the construction of the car.
Then, after years of work and huge expense, Derek decided to give back to the Volkswagen community. He sold the finished GTI to a young couple from Vancouver for a fraction of the build cost, allowing them to enjoy the thrills he had decades earlier.
According to Derek, it was important “to sell it to someone who would allow me to stay connected to the car”, as the couple will still allow him to take it out for a drive.
Derek is now working on converting a 1961 Volkswagen to run on electric power.
An impressive 6.5 percent of all UK public charge points are now located at supermarkets.
This is according to data released by Zap-Map and the RAC.
The figures show there were 1,115 supermarket charging points at the end of December 2019. That’s more than double the number at the end of October 2017 (542 charge points).
In total, there are 608 UK supermarkets with charging facilities – around five percent of all supermarkets.
Charging at a supermarket makes sense. Customers spend 45 minutes in store, which is enough time to top up an electric car, especially using a rapid charger.
Supermarket charging table
Supermarket
Charging points (Dec 2019)
1. Tesco
281
2. Asda
228
3. Morrisons
143
4. Co-op
88
5. Lidl
76
6. Aldi
72
7. Sainsbury’s
27
This table shows only half the story, because while Tesco has added 258 charging points since October 2017, Asda has installed just eight. This puts Asda on the back foot, especially considering Morrisons has added 83, Co-op 68, Lidl 48 and Aldi 40.
As for rapid charging points, Morrisons has 84, which accounts for 59 percent of its total number. Conversely, Asda and Tesco have just one and two rapid chargers respectively.
‘Graze energy while doing an everyday task’
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-Map, said: “It is very encouraging to see supermarkets increasingly embracing electric vehicle charging at their stores with a dramatic shift in the number of chargers being installed over the course of the last two years.
“Our research shows that while the majority of charging is done at home, most EV drivers use the public network more than once a month. While a robust rapid infrastructure across the country is essential for longer journeys, having charge points in supermarkets provides EV drivers an excellent way to ‘graze‘ energy while doing an everyday task.
“With 89 percent of EV drivers taking the availability of charge points into account when selecting their parking, providing charging can be a real differentiator locally in the competitive supermarket sector. This seems to be recognised by some supermarkets, notably Tesco and Sainsbury’s, providing EV charging for free.”
Supermarkets dominate fuel retailing
RAC spokesman Simon Williams added: “It is extremely positive to see the supermarkets making it easy for drivers to go electric. Having more chargers that are readily available will help to speed up the transition from petrol and diesel cars to electric ones.
“We have always said that it makes sense for people to be able to charge at supermarkets because anyone doing a full shop will inevitably spend 45 minutes in store. The UK’s big four supermarkets currently dominate fuel retailing, so it will be very interesting to see if a similar battle will develop in EV charging.
“At the moment the emphasis seems to be very much on installing any form of charge point. It is our belief that as the EV market matures there will be less need for slower chargers and a greater need for higher-power ones.
“The introduction of more rapid chargers at supermarkets may even stimulate take-up now as it would make EVs viable for those who cannot charge at home because of where they live.
“Very positively, new car sales figures reveal that three times as many BEVs were registered in January 2020 as were in January 2019.”
A ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars could be brought forward to 2035. The government has launched a consultation on the plans, which will remain open until the end of May 2020.
The ban is effective until “at least 15 March”, effectively making hosting the annual Geneva Motor Show impossible.
Organisers have also clarified that it is a true cancellation, rather than a postponement. “The show cannot be postponed,” they said during an emergency press conference. “It’s too big. In September, October? It’s not feasible.”
In a statement, Geneva Motor Show officials insisted they “regret this decision, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitors’ top priority”.
Refunds of tickets for show visitors will now take place in the coming days.
Earlier decision reversed
Earlier this week, the organisers of the show had confirmed that the show would go ahead as planned, between the 5th and 15th of March 2020.
A review followed concerns over the spread of coronavirus, as the first case has been confirmed in Switzerland.
This followed the official Geneva 2020 press conference last week, held as construction of the stands was almost complete.
A week ago, say officials, there was “nothing to suggest that such a measure [cancellation] was necessary.
“The situation changed with the appearance of the first confirmed coronavirus diseases in Switzerland and the injunction of the Federal Council on 28 February.
“The event is cancelled due to this decision.”
For context, the International Exhibition of Inventions, also planned for the Palexpo facility in Geneva, has already been cancelled. It was due to take place on March 25.
Many brands had already cancelled their show attendance.
Chinese mobility company Aiways said it would not be debuting its U6ion electric crossover concept at the show as previously planned. The model will be revealed to the media at Geneva ‘via alternative means’.
CEOs from Ferrari and Brembo will not attend, although the marques themselves should be present. Brembo CEO Daniele Schillaci has elected to stay away, given the escalating severity of the disease in Italy. “We believe that protecting people’s health is a priority in the current fast-changing environment,” a spokesman said. So far, there have been 374 confirmed cases in Italy.
Ferrari’s CEO Louis Camilleri is said to not be going due to the fact that Ferrari isn’t expected to have any debuts at the show, and therefore his presence isn’t warranted. Its three chiefs of marketing, design and technology will, however, be going.
Harman, an automotive technology supplier, has pulled out of exhibiting in response to the disease, to protect the safety and wellbeing of its employees.
Some attendees and exhibitors could simply be deterred from attending because of the furore around the virus. The risk of quarantine and being detained is very real, alongside the risk of contracting the disease.
While the show is to go ahead, some strict advice has been given out to those planning to attend. Those who have showed symptoms within 14 days of the date they plan to go have been asked to stay at home.
Show managing director Olivier Rihs has confirmed that the decision to close the show could be taken at any point up to, and during, its opening.
“The advice from the authorities here in Geneva is that the show can continue – and they are the only ones who can say yes or no to the show going ahead,” he said.
‘Caught on the horns of a dilemma’
Commenting on the ongoing situation, automotive editor at GlobalData, David Leggett, said that “The organisers of the Geneva International Motor Show are caught on the horns of a dilemma. Issuing health advice for exhibitors and attendees is undoubtedly the responsible thing to do, but it draws attention to the rising level of risk as the crisis spreads in Europe.
“The public health crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has hit home this week with whole towns quarantined in northern Italy and the first case confirmed in Switzerland.
“This public health crisis is fast-moving and the authorities in Switzerland could yet decide that the risks are too great in allowing such a large show, with many international exhibitors and attendees, to take place.”
