Clear the stage for stars in the spotlights – 35. Auto Zurich is unlocked! We start our tour from the A for Aiways: After the electric SUV U5, the Chinese start-up finally really wants to hit the road with the coupe variant U6. Renault’s subsidiary Alpine is also taking off, showing off the current F1 race car A522, in addition to the radical 300-horsepower lightweight sports car A110R. It continues with the BMW X1: the compact SUV is available as a petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle – customers can decide for themselves. Right next to it, the M3 Touring celebrates its premiere: BMW’s mid-range athlete has never been available as a station wagon before, but now offers a decent 510 horsepower. And finally, the Bavarians show the future of electric luxury with the i7.
Celebrating its world premiere in Zurich, the understated roadster Caterham Seven 340 is full of combustion engine fun, not an electric touch. Just opposite, Swiss importer Kumschick made an absolute highlight of the fair: the first Lotus SUV called Eletre with 600 electric horsepower! Citroën also gets electrified with the stylish crossover ë-C4 X and the fun Ami car. Three fair premieres, DS 3 E-Tense, DS 7 E-Tense 360 4×4 and DS 9 E-Tense 360 4×4, are also on display at the stand. With the cool Bigster Concept celebrating its European premiere, Dacia shows off a preview of the SUV design language of the future, while parent company Renault presents the new compact SUV Austral as an E-Tech Hybrid not far from the Bigster.
Kings of the Fair
The two limousines – fundamentally different, but as both European premieres – are on the stands of Honda and Hyundai: On the one hand, the new edition of the spoiler beast Civic Type R, which will delight the fan base with more than 320 pure gasoline hp next year . On the other hand, the aerodynamically sophisticated, all-electric Ioniq 6 has a range of more than 600 kilometers. Ford has the cool Bronco and Jeep classy Grand Cherokee in their trunk at the show, while the Koenigsegg stand is lit up under the roof.
Visiting Zurich for the first time, Swedes celebrate the 20th anniversary of their first production model, the CC8S, with the CC850, which costs millions and produces up to 1385 hp. And as if that wasn’t enough, the royal hypercar brand’s first four-seater is also in Zurich: the 1700 horsepower Gemera is the most powerful and fastest hybrid car of all time!
Fat, fatter, SUVs
It continues with a whole wave of fat SUVs: Land Rover focuses on short and long versions of the rustic Defender, while Lexus focuses on the RX, which plays in the premium league and is also available with a plug-in hybrid drive. The same goes for the Mazda CX-60 PHEV – the most powerful Mazda production of all time with a combined 327 hp! At Mercedes, in addition to the all-electric EQE, the revamped SUV is the focus of the best-selling GLC, the plug-in hybrid crossover ASX announced at Mitsubishi as its European premiere.
An eye-catching Astra Plug-in Hybrid XS Design show car with a special multi-coloured finish on the Opel booth. In addition, Opel is showcasing the company’s first production hydrogen vehicle: the Transporter Vivaro-e Hydrogen. A novelty at the Peugeot booth is the 408 SUV coupé, which is offered as a petrol engine and a plug-in hybrid.
With Tesla world premiere
A new era is beginning for Japanese brands Subaru and Toyota, which presented their first pure electric vehicles with the same Solterra and bZ4X. Toyota also has a new SUV version of the Corolla with the addition of the Cross in Zurich.
Meanwhile, a world premiere will be held on US electric pioneer Tesla and Model Y, with the new exterior color “Quicksilver” applied exclusively at the Gigafactory in Brandenburg (D). The last stop of our tour is the VW stand with the electric Bulli ID. Buzz takes center stage.
Swedish hypercar brand Koenigsegg comes to Auto Zürich