Biggest stories of the 2018 Geneva motor show

2 - Toyota Auris

Another British-built car narrowly missed out on the top spot among Autocar readers - the Toyota Auris. In fact, it outperformed Toyota’s ‘other’ Geneva car, the GR Supra Racing concept. 

Whether it’s the Auris’s striking new look or its ditching of diesel powertrains, it managed to court attention like few others could away from the show, despite being one of the most sensible models on display.

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3 - Mercedes-AMG GT 4dr Coupé

Affalterbach’s rival to the Porsche Panamera was predictably popular among Autocar readers and, with a 630bhp 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet in mid-range form (a hybrid with more than 800bhp comes later), it’s hardly a surprise. 

Pricing is tipped to start at £85,000, so the deeper-pocketed among you who weren’t questioning the car’s similarity with the CLS might want to start saving.

Take a look at the rivals: 

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BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe previews new DB11 rival

671bhp Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Turbo S E-Hybrid launched

4 - Volkswagen Beetle won’t be replaced

In fourth place is a car that was neither at the show, nor announced there - quite the opposite, in fact, since Volkswagen brand boss Herbert Diess confirmed that the Volkswagen Beetle will not enter a third generation.

It’ll instead be indirectly replaced by the ID Buzz, which is due in 2022 and revives the long-awaited Microbus bodystyle, at the expense of VW’s current heritage model. Aww. 

Perhaps some more? 

Volkswagen to put Microbus-inspired ID Buzz electric car into production

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5 - Audi E-tron

Audi didn’t reveal the E-Tron at Geneva, but it did everything in its power to steal the Jaguar I-Pace’s thunder. A car was on its stand, yes, but the brand lifted the cover off for a minute at a time at sporadic points during the day, revealing a car covered in camouflage underneath. 

So Audi may have won the popularity contest at Geneva - the I-Pace is two places down - but Jaguar's car arrives in showrooms in the summer, months before the E-tron’s early 2019 sales date. That’s 1-1 for now, then. Our drives will find a winner.

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6 - Mercedes-Benz A-Class pricing

The A-Class was revealed long before Geneva, but Mercedes chose the eve of the show to reveal pricing for its crucial new hatch - £25,800, to be precise.

As the fifth best-selling car in the UK this year so far, it’s little surprise that a story about the pricing of the new model did so well, even if that figure does put the A-Class above key rivals. 

On that topic: 

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7 - Jaguar I-Pace driven

As one of the most hotly anticipated cars of the Geneva motor show this year, our short drive in the Jaguar I-Pace was expected to be one of the most-read stories. 

To us, the I-Pace feels like a Jaguar, capable of both urban and cross-continental travel. It rides well, handles promisingly and feels largely uncompromised compared with electric derivatives of other cars. 

More I-Pace content:

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8 - Ford Mustang Bullitt

Another less conventional show star, this story was merely the announcement that the Bullitt would go on sale in Europe and the UK. The actual car was revealed at the Detroit motor show months ago. 

Clearly, this strategy worked - the Bullitt announcement whipped up a storm the night before doors opened and continued to be a strong favourite as the show progressed. 

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9 - Mercedes-AMG C43 facelift

The best-selling saloon in the UK just got a facelift, as did its warm variant, the C43. The C43 now gets 385bhp from its 3.0-litre V6 engine, along with subtly refreshed styling and some less subtle exhausts.

The 0-62mph sprint remains at 4.7sec for the saloon and 4.8sec for the estate, with both having electronically limited 155mph top speeds.

C43-related stories:

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10 - BMW M8 Gran Coupé

Another ratings battle that had a clear winner - Mercedes-AMG’s GT 4dr Coupé won this one. However, the M8 Gran Coupé is, for the moment, just a concept. 

The production car is due in the second half of 2019, with rivals ranging from that new AMG car to the Bentley Continental GT. 

Read more about the M8:

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BMW 8 Series: official development car pictures and video released

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