| |
Motorshows homepage -> 2008 British International Motor Show
2008 British International Motor Show - Shane O' Donoghue
The 2008 British International Motor Show is housed in the swanky ExCeL venue in London's Docklands. The London show may not have the clout of the established major exhibitions, but it's gaining recognition and the number of new car launches at the 2008 event illustrates this point, despite the no-show of BMW, Volkswagen and Audi. We were there of course and here's a summary of what was on display.
Alfa Romeo
 |
|
Alfa gave the sporty new MiTo super-mini its first public outing in London. Sharing styling cues with the 8C Competizione supercar, Alfa hopes its new baby will capture the imagination of buyers like its Alfasud first did. Opinion seems split on the MiTo's looks, though we like it. If you don't, the Alfa Romeo stand also hosts the UK debuts of the achingly gorgeous 8C Competizione and the open-topped 8C Spider version. |
Bentley
 |
|
With an updated Continental Flying Spur range, including a high-performance Speed model, Bentley has plenty to shout about at the London show. |
Chevrolet
 |
|
Along with Chevrolet's run of the mill models, such as the Matiz, Captiva and new Aveo, British show goers will get their first opportunity to see the Beat and Chevrolet Camaro Convertible concepts up close. |
Citroen
 |
|
With the company saving its new material for the Paris Show later this year, the London event has to make do with a customised version of the C-Crosser called the C-Surf. However, it is also a chance to check out the new Berlingo Multispace. |
Ford
 |
|
Ford's stand should be awash with visitors for the duration of the show. Not only is the stylish new Fiesta being shown for the first time on UK soil, but Ford is also displaying the new Fiesta ECOnectic, not to mention the lurid green Focus RS. |
Honda
 |
|
Honda gave its OSM concept car its world debut in London and there are murmurings that it could influence an open-topped hybrid sportscar. |
Hyundai
 |
|
Don't expect anything groundbreaking from Hyundai at the London show, but potential buyers will have the chance to try out the massive i800 and the rather smaller i10 for size, as well as the frugal new i30 i-Blue and an unusual i10-based ice-cream 'van'. |
Isuzu
 |
|
Isuzu's pick-up trucks are an increasingly common sight in Britain, and the company is using the British show to launch a new 3.0-litre common rail turbodiesel version of the Rodeo Denver Max Le featuring an automatic gearbox. Also on display is a new entry-level version of the Rodeo. |
Jaguar
 |
|
Unfortunately, the forthcoming XF-R didn't show itself in London. Instead, the XK takes centre-stage, in limited edition XKR-S and XK60 flavours. |
Kia
 |
|
Kia is saving the premiere of its new Soul MPV for Paris, but the striking concept versions are in London, alongside the Kee coupé concept and the ex_cee'd convertible. |
Land Rover
 |
|
A facelifted Land Rover Discovery and a revised Range Rover line-up to include a new Autobiography model make up the news on Land Rover's stand this year, though the cool LRX concept is on hand too. |
Lexus
 |
|
Lexus's stand focuses on its three luxury hybrid models in London, which makes the LF-A supercar seem a little incongruous. Pity it's still only in concept format. |
Lotus
 |
|
Finally 'Project Eagle' was revealed at the British Motor Show, a 2+2 sportscar from Lotus that is designed to be as good at crossing continents as it is at lapping the Nurburgring. It's called the Evora. Lotus is also displaying its neat Eco Elise in the Greener Driving Pavilion. |
Mazda
 |
|
Mazda won't be showing any new concepts at the London show, but it will be the first chance for many British car nuts to see one of the company's coolest show cars in the Furai concept, along with the full Mazda line-up of course. Outside the main show, visitors can take to the wheel of a MX-5 in a time trial competition. |
Mercedes-Benz
 |
|
No doubt Mercedes will be maximising Hamilton fever on its stand, though alongside the F1 stuff the company says there'll be everything from Smart to SLR McLaren to view. They're not all in one place I might add. |
MINI
 |
|
The British Show will be the first UK outing for the new John Cooper Works MINI and Clubman, though expect a funky stand and DJs to attract the crowds as well. |
Morgan
 |
|
Morgan is trying desperately to update its image and the LifeCar concept aims to prove that the archetypically British brand has a place in the modern automotive landscape. Alongside the LifeCar is the limited edition Aeromax and an updated Aero 8. |
NICE
 |
|
The cleverly named No Internal Combustion Engine company has seen a notable increase in sales in London thanks to the congestion charge and increasingly draconian parking measures to push cars out of the city. The Mega City and 'Super Light Electric Sports Car' are on display at the show, as are another two new electric models. |
Nissan
 |
|
Petrolheads will make a beeline for the Nissan stand to ogle the incredible new GT-R, but family car buyers will be more interested in the all-new seven-seat Nissan Qashqai+2 and the equally new Murano. Nissan is also exhibiting special versions of the regular Qashqai, Note and Micra. |
Peugeot
 |
|
When Peugeot says it is bringing the 308 RCZ Coupe to the London show, it means the concept version, though it has been announced that the distinctive TT-chasing coupe will go into production. In London, Peugeot will also reveal a new scissor-doored concept based on the 207. |
Renault
 |
|
The British just love Renaultsport hot hatches, so Renault is treating visitors to the London show to the world debut of a new, hard-riding and track-focused version of the Mégane Renaultsport called the R26.R. Its Twingo Renaultsport cousin isn't quite as hard, but just as cool - it makes its UK debut at the show. |
Saab
 |
|
Dreamers will love the pair of concepts on the Saab stand, with the 9-4X BioPower and 9-X BioHybrid making their British debuts. Alongside, the range of Saabs you can actually buy include the limited edition 9-3 Turbo X and Aero Turbo editions of the 9-5. |
SEAT
 |
|
The British Motorshow may be the first time most buyers see the stylish new five-door Ibiza, but the new SportCoupé three-door version is actually making its first public appearance in London as well. Ecomotive versions of the Leon and Alhambra are on display too. |
Subaru
 |
|
Enthusiasts should make a beeline to the Subaru stand to check out a pair of hot new versions of the Impreza. The WRX-S has been confirmed for production, while the WRX STI 380S is still branded a 'concept'. |
Suzuki
 |
|
Suzuki's current range is on display, though casual observers will be more interested in the cool Kizashi and A-Star concepts making their first appearance in the United Kingdom. |
Toyota
 |
|
The diminutive iQ city car made an appearance at the London show. However, it may be missed next to the outrageous, rear-engined Aygo Crazy concept also on the Toyota stand. |
Vauxhall/Opel
 |
|
One of the undisputed show stars should was the new Vauxhall Insignia, making its world debut in London - in both hatchback and saloon formats - and promising a new age in the company's history for the D-segment, with the Ford Mondeo and BMW 3 Series firmly in its sights. On press day, the Vauxhall stand held nothing but Insignias, which actually made a dramatic debut the day before by being dropped from a crane near Tower Bridge in London. |
|
|
|
