Benjamin M. Monroe Blog: Our Five Favorite Cars from the 2019 Geneva Motor Show

Saturday, March 9, 2019

Our Five Favorite Cars from the 2019 Geneva Motor Show

Now that the 2019 Geneva Motor Show is wrapping up, we can look back on all of the crazy things we saw in Switzerland. And there were a lot of crazy things to see. Unfortunate for BMW fans, the Bavarians were rather quiet this year. Sure, there were some cool BMWs in Geneva, like the 7 Series facelift, the ALPINA B7 and all of the new hybrids, just nothing ground-breaking or jaw dropping. However, there were a ton of other cars there to pick up the slack. So we thought we’d take a look back and list off the five best cars we saw in Geneva, in no particular order.

Koenigsegg Jesko

How can we talk about the Geneva Motor Show and not talk about the Koenigsegg Jesko, a car that could very possibly be the fastest production car ever created, potentially capable of 300 mph. Christian von Koenigsegg is a mad genius and developed a revolutionary hypercar. Mostly made from carbon fiber, with a carbon tub and carbon body panels, the Jesko is extremely light. It also has a 5.0 liter twin-turbocharged flat-plane crank V8 engine that develops a very healthy 1,280 hp on pump gas but can make 1,600 hp on E85. It also has a nine-speed multi-clutch transmissions with a mind-blowing eight total clutches and eight actuators to operate them, developed entirely by Koenigsegg and it weighs about 100 lbs less than the average seven-speed dual-clutch. What a machine.

Pininfarina Battista

While the Jesko is the fastest production car ever made (allegedly), the Pininfarina Battista may be the most powerful production road car ever. And it’s all electric. The Battista is an EV hypercar that looks better than anything to come from Ferrari, Lamborghini or Maserati in decades. It’s stunningly beautiful. Who says electric cars can’t be emotional? Though, did you expect anything different from one of the world’s greatest automotive design firms? Underneath that beautiful skin is a carbon tub that houses 120 kW battery pack powering four electric motors; one at each wheel. Those motors combine for a ridiculous 1,900 hp and 1,696 lb-ft of torque. According to Pininfarina, the Battista is capable of 0-60 mph in less than two seconds. The Tesla Roadster can take a walk. Especially because the Battista is actually real and looks infinitely prettier.

Audi Q4 e-tron Concept

Because BMW was quiet in Geneva, Audi represented Bavaria instead. The four-ringed brand had three upcoming electric cars on display, including the Audi e-tron Sportback, the e-tron GT and the Q4 e-tron Concept. The latter of which is the most interesting though because it’s the one that should be a volume seller for Audi. It’s essentially a small, sporty crossover but one that’s entirely electric. Sure, it’s still a concept but it’s a very production-ready one and even has a full spec sheet. Its 82 kWh battery gives it around 450 km (279 miles) of range, which is best in class. It also has two electric motors that combine to make 301 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque. It also looks really good for a crossover and makes the BMW iNEXT look… unfortunate.

Morgan Plus Six

There were some incredibly futuristic cars on display in Geneva, as it seemed like electricity was the theme of the show. Then there was the Morgan Plus Six, a car so old-school it’s still made mostly from wood. That’s right, wood. That means, instead of worrying about rust, you have to worry about termites… All jokes aside, the Morgan Plus Six is a breath of fresh air because of its stubbornness to change. What’s wild is that the Plus Six is the most modern Morgan ever. With more aluminum in its construction than ever before, a digital screen in its dashboard and even an automatic gearbox. The big news, though, was its engine — a BMW B58 engine making 335 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.

Alfa Romeo Tonale

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the more Alfa Romeos in the world, the better off we all are. The Tonale is the Italian brand’s latest concept car and, according to Alfa, it’s very close to production-ready despite what its looks say. The Tonale (pronounced Toe-Nah-Lay) will be a small, electric crossover that will take on cars like the BMW iX3 and the newly announced Audi Q4 e-tron. No specs were announced but it’s a very pretty car. We hope that it looks similar to this when it reaches production and we’ve heard that it should. Let’s hope, as Alfa’s success is everyone’s success.