Three wackiest cars of the Geneva Motor Show

Motor shows are notorious for the wild and wacky concepts wheeled out to bring attention to the brands. While supercars stole the spotlight at the 2016 Geneva motor show, the following three cars brought the weird and wonderful and maybe even gave us a small glimpse into the future.

MORGAN EV3

Let’s start with the Morgan EV3. A car Australians will actually get a chance to buy – if you’re one of a very select few and willing to spend the suspected $90,000 asking price.

There’s something about the eccentric Morgan designs that takes us back to the time of gauntlet gloves, Marlene Dietrich and the combo jazz band, but with modern technology. It epitomises old meeting new.

The Morgan EV3 takes it a step further than the original Morgan Threewheeler, the bonnet, tonneau cover and sides made from carbon composite, and a liquid-cooled 46kW electric motor with 20kW/h lithium battery. Translation: it’s a light-weight electric version of the original Threewheeler.

There are plans to bring it to Australia in the next 12-18 months, once it’s undergone some minor tweaks to comply with Australian standards.

EDAG SOULMATE

Last year, EDAG released a 3D printed car called the Light Cocoon. At this year’s Geneva show, they teamed with Bosch to create a lightweight 3D printed vehicle called the Soulmate.

The body of the autonomous concept car is printed using a 3D laser printer which allows the vehicle to be built without unnecessary parts weighing it down.

The concept car on display was built using a bionic structure and cloth covering. The exterior can light up and drivers have control over the colour – hazard lights of the future.

But it’s not just the production and design of this car that has our jaws dropping. It also includes some nifty technologies like the seven screen infotainment system. Each one can be personalised for up to 10 different uses, including ‘Smart Home’ which allows you to view real-time footage of your home for security or just to sign for deliveries via screen fingerprinting.

And while the Soulmate concept doesn’t have an engine, the coolest thing about this futuristic design is the incredibly quick production time and cheap costs.

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RINSPEED ETOS

No one likes being stuck in traffic. No matter how much you love your car, traffic is basically the liquorice jelly beans of the driving world. Well, there may be a solution to this problem. Rinspeed, a Swiss automotive innovation company, revealed a car that comes with its own drone.

The concept car is based on the BMW i8 hybrid supercar, and the idea is the drone can be launched from the back of the car up into the sky to see what’s happening ahead, and give you plenty of time to avoid traffic jams.

But this wacky car doesn’t end there. The futuristic concept also includes autonomous driving technology and a fold away steering wheel so you can have plenty of space to, you know, read a book and stuff while the car drives for you.

The Rinspeed Evos might save you from ripping your hair out while stuck in traffic, but at this stage, it’s also likely to get you arrested given flying a drone over a motorway is illegal in Australia, not to mention operating a drone while driving. Still, cool idea for the future when it’s on the right side of the law.

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