Geneva: Swiss Misses and Hits
God love the Swiss: they have tons of money, the best chocolate and cheese in the world and one of the best car shows, too. That's despite the cubic tons of exhaust puffed out by Euro journalists who seem to smoke not only with both hands but telepathically, too. Even the grey dinge hanging over the Palexpo center next to the Geneva airport couldn't dull a raft of new concepts and production cars emanating from the world's automakers, though. And we managed to put down the fondue (and the oxygen tank) long enough to take some pictures, get some quotes and to say hello to the lovely ladies gracing the stands on your behalf. (They say ciao!) The best from Geneva-aside from said women-is right here:
And Finally...
The Amphicar of Our Dreams
What makes our collective pulse rise quicker than a VTEC valvetrain is a truly wacky concept car that's amphibious. No, that doesn't mean it can write with both hands; it means the Rinspeed Splash is one weird-ass concept, from its open-wheel race body to its catamaran-style, fold-out water gear. Tuner firm Rinspeed puts out strange concepts every year, but the Splash-a combination of amphicar, hydrofoil and a roadgoing roadster-is easily their least sane vehicle thus far. A hydraulic mechanism converts the road car into an amphibious vehicle, while an integrated hydrofoil system enables the "Splash" to cruise about two feet above the water. As a powerboat, the Splash can hit 45 knots. On the road, Rinspeed says the automotive platypus can shoot to about 60 mph in under six second on its way to a top speed of about 120 mph.
More Bottlenecks To Keep You Waiting, Sir
Traffic is getting worse, and not just because of what passes for FM radio. A new report from the American Highway Users Alliance (AHUA) says that "bottlenecks"-traffic jams where 700,000 or more hours are wasted each year by drivers-are growing in number. In the past five years the number of bottlenecks has gone up 40 percent, from 167 to 233. Surprise: Los Angeles holds four of the bottlenecks on the AHUA's list of top 20 jams, while Atlanta has three and Washington, D.C., has two. The worst of all is the intersection of Highway 101 and Interstate 405 in Los Angeles; five years ago the same intersection ranked fifth.
Chicks Dig Practicality-in Cars
Keep that pocket protector in the desk drawer, Dilbert. A new survey by R.L. Polk says women like their cars, not their guys, more practical. Guys, the Polk team found, tend to prefer high-maintenance machinery that's fast and sexy. Here's the data: based on at least 1000 new vehicle registrations per model surveyed, the top five vehicles based on having the highest percentage of male owners are Dodge Viper (93.7 percent), BMW M5 (92.6 percent), Porsche 911 (88.8 percent), Audi A8 (87.6 percent) and GMC Sierra (87.4 percent). Running the numbers in the opposite gendral direction gives you the Toyota RAV4 as the most popular vehicle among women owners (57.4 percent are chick cars), Saturn SC (56.1 percent), Saturn SL (54.5 percent), Saturn ION (53.9 percent) and Kia Sportage (53.6 percent). Polk says Saturn came out on top with women because women like the division's no-haggle pricing and soft-sell atmosphere.