Geneva Motor Show opens to the public

Former governor of Californa Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first guests at this year's Geneva Motor Show as it opened to the public for the first time March 8.

Schwarzenegger, well-known for supporting green vehicles, will no doubt have been pleased with what he found at the Swiss event, which has given over yet more room to eco-friendly vehicles and been rewarded with a surge in electric and hybrid launches.

Regarded as neutral ground by the fiercely competitive car companies, Geneva is an interesting bellwether for the global auto industry, free of the politicking of similar shows in France and Germany and the overt nationalism of those in the US and Japan.

So what did we see?

Well, Europe isn't out of the economic doldrums, and a lot of the models here reflected that -- debuts and concepts such as the Bentley EXP 9F and the new Rolls-Royce Phantom II may as well just be shipped straight to China, it's so clear that they've been designed for the market.

Italian supercar manufacturers, bereft of their own major auto show at which to launch products, pulled out a whole new range of luxury vehicles that go faster but use less fuel, evidently certain that limited supply means that they have a strong enough demand for products, as long as they're seen to be taking at least a bit of notice of the environment.

At the other end of the scale, there was a lot of innovation when it came to small cars, such as Nissan's new Invitation concept, the new Fiat 500L, the new Volvo V40, leaving only the middle market (those luxury executive cars) not particularly noticeable.

Disproportionately represented were the new models from the likes of Hyundai/Kia and Nissan, a warning to Europe's established names such as Peugeot, Renault and Opel that letting up on innovation would be a dangerous move, lest a spanking new model such as the Kia C'eed steal your customers.

Renault, for its part, clearly has no intention of doing that, with its new Zoe electric car one of the most interesting and innovative vehicles at the show, winning admiration for a low purchase price and further-than-expected range which will help it fare well against competitors such as the Nissan Leaf.

Overall, Geneva this year is, as ever, an imposing event, with plenty of eye candy from an automotive industry that is clearly embracing its future -- even if it's not entirely sure in which markets that future will be.

If you're planning to stroll the floors yourself, the show runs through March 18 in Geneva, Switzerland.