PAST MODE, THE LITTLE CABRIOLET WILL BE ABSENT FROM GENEVA GRAND SALON
by Gilles Guillaume
PARIS / GENEVA (Reuters) – Those who like roll the hair in the wind will be for their expenses 85th Geneva Motor automobile because it will spend almost disappearance of small coupé cabriolet, victims mode changes and the commercial and industrial rationalization of supply builders.
Many of these cars, which made the beautiful days of the appointment of the Swiss profession, should indeed know no offspring.
Peugeot (PSA ), the precursor of the segment with the 206 CC revealed in the late 1990s in Geneva, arrested in February the production of its 207 CC and 308 CC. Volkswagen has made a similar decision with its Eos, with Renault Wind, sold 14,000 copies during the four years of his short life, and with his Mini coupe. And Mazda will no longer offer its MX-5 with a soft top, not with a retractable hard roof.
“This is the end of bling 2000s, today fashion is reassuring either the family car, or something more adventurer type crossover, “said François Roudier, spokesman of the French Automobile Manufacturers (CCFA).
Even spectacle of a roof that electrically folds in seconds in the trunk of the vehicle impresses no one, or almost. Fashion is rather the vast panoramic roofs or large sunroofs, which have the advantage of not changing the structure of the car at a time when the vehicles are derived from a limited number of common platforms.
“Since its peak in 2007, production convertibles and roadsters fell by 59% and touched a low of just over 340,000 units in 2014,” observes Mario Franjicevic, auto analyst at IHS.
He noted that the decline in demand for these models, particularly popular in Britain and the United States, mainly affected general versions of the range, while luxury and premium versions have their best shot pin the game.
Qajar AND Bentayga
The planet CC effect into account even the Ferrari California and the BMW Series 4, and according to IHS, the market has not yet fully told her last word, especially in China. As for the BMW Z4, it is unclear whether it will retain a version with retractable roof, or if it is satisfied with a soft top.
The small convertible coupes have experienced a change in trend, but a still uncertain European economy despite its recent stabilization. The Geneva Motor Show will open in a market environment where visibility is reduced and priority to new models, the most cost-effective.
Renault is considering a market growth of at least 2% in 2015 while PSA Peugeot Citroen expects a deal “very slightly upward trend.”
crossovers, of the marriage between a sedan and a 4X4, still held the spotlight in Geneva with the public revelation Renault Qajar, cousin of the Nissan Qashqai, the presentation of their competitor Hyundai, which renamed its Tucson ix35, or of the DS5 restyled, the first car of the premium brand of PSA marketed in Europe without any reference to the rafters Citroën brand it is nevertheless issue.
Among the other attractions of the exhibition, Aston Martin will unveil its mysterious Vulcan, Ferrari 488 GTB its highly anticipated 670 horsepower, Lotus Evora its new 400, Bentley’s first SUV called Bentayga, as will the Jaguar with its F-Pace, and the Alfa Romeo Spider version of the 4C with canvas roof.
The 85th Geneva Motor Show will open its doors to the public from March 5 to 15, after two days reserved for the press on 3 and 4 March.
(With Laurence Frost and Edward Taylor, edited by Dominique Rodriguez)
© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.
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