The auto highlights of the 34th Auto Zürich from A for Abarth to K for Kia
“Finally another auto show!” We hear this sentence not only once when we stroll through the exhibition halls in Zurich-Oerlikon at the opening of the 34th Auto Zurich. But what we see above all: Lots of vehicles that have been polished to a high gloss – and that from every segment! For example, while the collector’s item 695 Esseesse, which has only been built 1390 times, is waiting for the visitors at the Abarth stand, right next to it is the QV GTAm marked top model of the Alfa Giulia, which not only looks huge with lots of spoilers, but also has a decent performance with 540 hp the sleek bonnet.
Speaking of performance: there is plenty of that at the booth of BMW tuner Alpina. The highlight is the XB7 based on the SUV flagship X7, which gets 621 hp out of the V8 biturbo engine. It’s no less intense at Aston Martin: The British present the Vantage Roadster and the SUV DBX as highlights. Everything becomes electric at Audi with the compact SUV Q4 E-Tron Sportback and the elegant RS E-Tron GT. The new RS 3 Sportback, which relies entirely on petrol and gets 400 hp out of the legendary five-cylinder, celebrates its Swiss premiere. For the first time in the Zurich exhibition halls, the Chinese start-up Aiways is exhibiting the recently available electric SUV U5. The 4.70 meter long crossover is powered by a 204 hp electric motor on the front axle and can travel over 400 kilometers with its 63 kWh battery.
Auto Zurich 2021 – you need to know that
Date / opening times: November 4 to 7, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Sat / Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Location: Zurich Exhibition Center
Entrance fees: Adults 19 francs; AHV / IV recipients 12 francs; Schoolchildren / students / apprentices 10 francs; Evening tickets (Thursday / Friday from 6 p.m.) 12 francs; Family tickets (2 adults, 1–4 kids up to 16 years of age) 39 francs; Season ticket 30 francs
Info: auto-zuerich.ch
Note: Please show a valid Covid certificate and official ID at the entrance.
Date / opening times: November 4 to 7, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Sat / Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
Location: Zurich Exhibition Center
Entrance fees: Adults 19 francs; AHV / IV recipients 12 francs; Schoolchildren / students / apprentices 10 francs; Evening tickets (Thursday / Friday from 6 p.m.) 12 francs; Family tickets (2 adults, 1–4 kids up to 16 years of age) 39 francs; Season ticket 30 francs
Info: auto-zuerich.ch
Note: Please show a valid Covid certificate and official ID at the entrance.
From super potent to super economical
No less than 659 hp slumber under the mighty hood of the Continental GT Speed, which is waiting for visitors at the Bentley stand. With the luxury SUV Bentayga as a plug-in hybrid, which is said to consume only 3.4 l / 100 km despite 449 hp, the English also master understatement when it comes to consumption. BMW is even more economical with the new iX technology flagship, which generates up to 523 hp and, depending on the battery, can achieve a range of up to 630 kilometers. Another highlight at the stand: the i4 electric coupé, which will be available from February 2022. Citroën surprises in Zurich with the C5 X – a large crossover station wagon in SUV style. Right next to it, the cute electric car greets Ami. The highlight of the Citroën luxury subsidiary DS is rolling the Swiss premiere, the compact SUV DS4, which, as a top-of-the-range plug-in hybrid model, generates 225 hp and, thanks to its 55-kilometer electric range, should consume just 1.2 l / 100 km.
Seat sports subsidiary Cupra, who presents the brand’s first Stromer with the crisp Born, can also celebrate. And one size smaller, but also purely electric, is the cool city runabout Fiat 500e, which as a 3 + 1 version offers an additional back door for easy entry on the right-hand side. The highlight at the stand of Fiat’s sports brand Ferrari, on the other hand, comes with only two doors, but without a roof and all the more power: the elegant coupé-convertible Portofino M with its 620 hp shoots to 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds!
New models, new brands
We encounter a real firework of innovations at Ford: In addition to the refreshed small car Fiesta and the also thoroughly polished compact Focus, the bright orange electric SUV Mustang Mach-E as the top model GT catches the eye. With its 487 hp and 860 Nm torque, it is even more powerful than Ford’s super sports car GT! Not to forget: the Tourneo Connect Active compact van celebrating its world premiere. On the other hand, Hy andai’s new luxury brand Genesis, which opened its flagship store on Zurich’s Bahnhofstrasse this summer, is not celebrating a world premiere, but a trade fair premiere. In Oerlikon, Genesis is showing the compact G70 sedan and the equally large GV70 SUV as well as the two luxury class models G80 and GV80. A very special highlight at the outdoor stand is the Kombi G70 Shooting Brake, which has been specially developed for Europe and is being shown at a trade fair for the first time.
We continue to Honda and the new generation of the crossover HR-V, which will be rolling out in Switzerland as a 131 PS hybrid version e: HEV at the beginning of 2022. For families, it is worth taking a look at the Hyundai stand, where the new VW T7 opponent Staria and the electric crossover Ioniq 5 are in the spotlight. But fans of sporty models will also find plenty on offer here – such as the new sport version N of the Kona compact SUV. Diagonally across the street at Kia, many should be curious about the just launched EV6, which will come in the top GT version next year with up to 584 electric horsepower. The Sportage SUV is also a Swiss premiere at Kia. The British premium brand Jaguar is showing the freshly redesigned luxury SUV F-Pace, the off-road specialists at Jeep are showing the plug-in hybrid version of the Wrangler.
Read the second part of the auto highlights at Auto Zürich at this point tomorrow: from L for Lamborghini to V for VW.