Geneva Motor Show

Each year the Geneva motor show provides a testing ground of new ideas and concepts for everyone from established manufacturers to design consultancies and dream-weaving hypercar builders. Sadly some of the very best concepts miss their chance at production, be it due to their outright outlandishness, or perhaps because the brands proudly displaying them simply couldn’t get the sums to add up on some of the more courageous design choices.

McLaren won't be trying to cash in on the SUV boom, seeing no way to deliver such a vehicle without compromising its promise of lightweight performance. Porsche broke the mould many years ago with the Cayenne, and now the likes of Lamborghini, Aston Martin and even Ferrari have followed suit with SUVs to feed voracious market demand. McLaren remains adamant it won't be lured by promise of profit from crossovers, though.

The World Car Awards countdown continues at the 2019 Geneva motor show, with the top three finalists in each category announced this week. A jury of 86 journalists narrowed down a pool of 40 new models to 10 finalists last month, now down to three, with the winner to be announced at the New York motor show in April. In addition to the overall World Car of the Year award, several other categories have also been narrowed down to three candidates.

Fiat has revealed the Concept Centoventi at the Geneva motor show, a modular electric vehicle designed to shake up the way we buy and specify cars. Built under the 'ABC' formula of car design – that's Affordable But Cool, apparently – the Centoventi is something of a blank canvas waiting to be customised. Pictured here in subtle white-on-grey, theoretical buyers are able to choose between four roof, bumper, wheel and wrap designs to create their own vehicle.

The just-unveiled Mazda CX-30 is unlikely to be offered with a true base or entry model when it arrives in Australian showrooms in 2020. The company’s new model structure follows on from revamped pricing of the latest Mazda 3, which also no longer offers a stripped-back entry-level model.