A little fantasy at Geneva

Meet the Megane Coupe Cabriolet concept, the stand-out star from a Geneva Motor Show stacked with designer fantasies and production test beds.

“This show car emphatically showcases the evolution of Renault design,” says Renault senior vice-president, corporate design, Patrick Le Quemont. “Its squatter proportions and powerful, energetic styling talk directly to the driver's senses. The spectacular door-opening kinematics add that little touch of magic.”

Those doors, which open upwards in two stages — first the glass swings up followed by the metal bottom section — are the standout feature but are unlikely to carry through to the expected appearance of the production Megane Coupe at the Paris motor show in September. Renault is not about to confirm any features of future models but does concede the Megane Concept is a taste of a later compact production coupe.

Inside the concept has been styled with a funky future theme featuring ultra-thin seating, acres of red plastic, brushed aluminium and leather with a full suite of electronic gadgetry, including full Bluetooth connectivity, rear-vision cameras and a locking system operated by a mobile phone.

The concept rides on 21-inch wheels, has Brembo brakes and is powered by a conventional 147kW, 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with drive through a six-speed automatic box. One element of the exterior design likely to make production is the front-end treatment.

Hyundai continues its journey to mainstream innovator with the HED-5 i-Mode minivan concept — a six-seat vision of future urban transport.

The i-Mode concept showcases advanced materials and construction with an interior inspired by natural forms and landscapes.

The seating is a unique swivel technology from automotive seating specialists Keiper.

Powered by a 2.2-litre diesel with sequential turbochargers with a total of 158kW and 450Nm, the concept appears to be built off a modified i30 platform. Hyundai's sister company Kia rolled out three versions of its Soul concept, first shown two years ago in Detroit but this time the the boxy young-at-heart hatch is close to production.

As the Soul Diva, the Soul Burner, and the Soul Searcher, the three concepts are exterior studies of the same vehicle but judging from the lack of out-there gadgetry in the interior — and ignoring the fanciful interior trim and colour treatments — the model is very close to a production future.

Honda moved another step closer to its promised hybrid vehicle to sit side-by-side with Civic by the end of next year, unveiling the stylish CR-Z concept. A three-door hatch with attitude to burn, the CR-Z has already been anointed by Honda as a hybrid sportscar of the future.

The CR-Z's sleek look is highlighted by minimalist LED headlights and driving lights, nose-down stance and truncated tail with upright rear glass. The interior echoes the lightweight theme with the emphasis on functional instrumentation and mesh seating.

Suzuki had a pair of concept models, Concept Kizashi and Concept Kizashi 2, characterised not only by their pillarless street-rod looks but by the company's inventive descriptions of the cars.

Suzuki says Kizashi is a concept creating a highway athlete, a station wagon in which a honed physique with no superfluous weight generates a sense of tautness and dynamism.

Kizashi 2 is designed to suggest a marriage of advanced technologies with the dynamic body of a triathlete in a form that combines a passenger car body with Suzuki 4x4 technologies that deliver outstanding off-road capabilities.

Enough said.