2. Sunday 7am doesn't exist –
hypothesis confirmed by the view.
It's early March, so I must be
dreaming.
2
3. Wide awake by the time I get to
see motors. Fascinating. They
could enhance the experience
around these.
3
4. Motors are just "exposed". It
would be even more awesome if
we could see them really at work,
somehow. I know, difficult
because of the required
gasoline... but there should be a
way to show equivalent power.
4
5. First big stop, Mercedes-Benz.
They do showcase quite a lot
around intelligent / electric
driving. Mostly in blue (mental
note).
5
6. I see these glasses everywhere,
in use. One gets thirsty after
walking for hours in abandon - a
simple way to stay present during
the entire day.
6
7. The red AMG is the pièce de la
resistence of the Mercedes
stand...
7
9. There is some "connected drive"
showcasing at BMW – with blue
hues -, but I have a feeling the
car is still the center of gravity.
When asking a hostess about
"intelligent drive kind of stuff",
she excuses herself, but doesn't
know. Better training
recommended.
9
17. ...but I am drawn like a magnet
towards a better angle. "I'm going
to take the shot just to document
a protest", I'm telling myself. I
don't know if she can read
my mind; I don't do it with pride.
17
18. How much pride can you have
shooting a lioness in a cage?
18
23. Speaking of fascination – Rolls-
Royce plays exclusivity through
and through. Gaffers stay at bay,
safe distance, only potential
customers are allowed to admire
the beauties from close-by.
23
25. A breath of fresh air. Entering the
Volvo space, I instantly caught
myself thinking – "hmm, this is a
world I could buy into". The only
ones playing on lifestyle with
more than words.
25
26. Volvo plays the "Made by
Sweden" lifestyle card, and plays
it well. Shaping up another key
territory for the brand, beyond
"safety". If they stay on course it
may prove essential in the years
to come.
26
27. Give people some space, and
they will gladly take and use it.
And thus spend more time at
your stand, looking at what you
have to offer, instead of others.
Ford gave people stairs, they
occupied them. A good place for
a panorama too, if the phone
would work better in low light.
27
28. I'm starting to see a pattern –
almost every stand has an
"awesome car" on display, but
quite little in terms of
experiences. The easy route.
28
33. I like the bare-bones showcase
and I am enlightened by the
funky back seats, but Tesla,
what's with the ugly car? I'm
sorry, but this is not even ugly
enough to be cool.
33
37. The first brand not afraid to break
the strict corporate identity of its
logo. Dacia could do much more
on the irreverent, tongue-in-
cheek, mocking-silly-social-
conventions side. A market
where everyone takes itself waay
too seriously, almost begs for a
no-nonsense party-crasher.
There is cult potential, Dacia, you
should dream bigger.
37
38. After so many products, finally
someone promising an
experience. Will they deliver?
Alas, I won't make it to the
Subaru stand, being distracted by
38
42. Hyundai! Mainstream brands
continue to play with premium-
feel experiences, and the electric
disruption opens up a field where
they may have a surprisingly
large room to maneuver, until the
big boys catch up.
42
43. But of course. Everybody lives in
the future these days.
43
45. The first "audio" action around
the autos – she explains how
Chevy stands to its American
heritage of roaring engines. She
doesn't roar, though, and neither
does the engine. How do you get
that feeling indoors? More
creativity needed.
45
46. Seeing this scene I thought to
myself – "all you need to do is
put a crazy sports car out there
and people will flock to it". But
then I immediately recalled
stands with crazy sports cars,
emtpy. So I guess it does make a
difference if you are an awesome
car and are called "Lamborghini".
46
50. ...with an electric twist.
I remember not more than two-
three years ago we were looking
at sports car brands
condescendingly for being "fuel
burners without a conscience".
Suddenly everybody has
something electric going on.
"It's gonna take a long time", we
say now. Hmm. See you
@Geneva2018.
50
54. Bentley bets on the SUV, and
apparently the first batch is
already sold out.
I wonder – will their "first mover"
gig be an advantage, or will Rolls
come from behind, learn from
what they see and nail it?
54
55. Even Audi, notoriously quiet on
sustainability messaging till
recently, has jumped on the
bandwagon.
55
56. I wonder how come no one has
trademarked this tag till now?
Good move, Audi.
56
60. Look at that. Ambitious brand
association, but hey – shoot for
the sun, and you may land on the
moon.
60
61. I do understand the Bohemian
Crystal metaphor in the
argumentation, but for me this
"crystalline" design with sharp
edges conflicts with the Skoda
logo roundness. Then again, who
am I to judge.
61
62. Volkswagen seems to have
replaced "Think Blue" with "Think
New". Just to be sure, though,
they colored everything in blue.
62
63. But make no mistake, the VW
stand seems the most
spectacular so far. Up + beats is
upbeat,
63
64. ...and the new e-van Budd-e
screams "cult potential!" Not only
because of looks, but also
because of what it can do.
Crucially though – will it perform
once it hits real roads, like his old
Budd-y?
64
66. I need a breather and feeder, and
just outside I stumble upon the
probably most multisensorial
experience on site: the Formula 1
simulator, in action. Yep, that
starts to look like what I'm
talking about.
66
67. All in all, the 2016 Geneva Motor
Show didn't make me feel the
"mobility revolution" everyone
talks about, but I found it
interesting nevertheless.
What do I go home with?
Electric transformation seems
imminent, autonomous driving
not so much (but I'm not trusting
the signs, it may be ready sooner
than we think). Experience
branding - quite thin.
Honorable mention –
Volkswagen (surprisingly), for
size, layout, progressiveness.
They pulled off a good show
without being over-eager, quite a
feat in their situation.
And the winner is – Volvo, by
quite a margin. The only space
breathing a lifestyle I instantly
resonated with.
67
68. A good while later, what better
hour to wrap up the day than –
The Blue Hour.
Bonne nuit.
68
