Six Weird And Wonderful Cars: Geneva 2012

The second-most-populous in Switzerland each year gives way to star-studded press events and a round-the-clock showcase of the latest new car models to hit the road. There are usually a few experimental concepts which aim to revolutionise the car world, however this year, Geneva 2012 has seen concepts which are works of art, extremely efficient and even models that claim to cure range anxiety. The weird and wonderful await...

Mini Clubvan

Good news for florists, fashion designers, metrosexual joiners (if there are any out there) and those souls who find small Transit vans dull - Mini have made a van just for you! The Clubvan is basically a Clubman with polycarbonate panels down the side instead of windows. The car seats two; yourself and a lucky colleague plus 1,200 litres of space for products or your tools. BMW haven't officially announced that it will go into production but we would be surprised if it doesn't go on sale later this year or early next year.

Tata Megapixel

The name may suggest a car capable of taking crystal clear pictures however the Tata MP is in fact a range extending electric vehicle from the owners of Jaguar. It's based on the Pixel city car and it boasts remarkable economy figures thanks to four electric motors in each wheel with a single-cylinder 30bhp petrol generator to back it up when the batteries are outta juice. Tata claim the car is capable of producing only 22g/km of CO2 and returns up to 282mpg. The electric motors can take the Megapixel a range of 54 miles whilst the generator will take it over 599 miles further. Hold onto your hats, because the MP has an incredible top speed of 68mph. Whoosh!

Touring Superleggera Disco Volante

Hardcore Alfa Romeo fans, listen up! You can get your hands on this modern take of the 1952 C52 Disco Volante. All you have to do is buy an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and then drive it to Carrozzeria Touring in Milan, who will turn it into this iconic car in just six months. The coachbuilder behind the Bentley Continental Flying Star shooting brake will take off the 8C shell, keeping the 444bhp 4.7 V8 powerhouse, and replace it with this gorgeous body made from hand-beaten aluminium and carbon fibre. If you have plenty of spare change then get yourself in the queue as there will be a limited number of Disco Volantes available. Read more about the 2012 Touring Superleggera Disco Volante here.

Toyota FT-Bh

This is tomorrow's today, say Toyota. Your eyes will find it hard to absorb the looks at first but this might be a visual grower as this previews the design of the next generation Yaris Hybrid. Like the Tata Megapixel, the FT-Bh is a range extending vehicle powered by electric motors and a 1.0 two-cylinder petrol generator. Signs that the design of this car was dictated by science include little cameras on the side instead of big wing mirrors that create aerodynamic drag. It's also a very light car knocking 25% off the weight of the current Yaris after spending plenty of time in Toyota's gym.

Hyundai i-oniq

This Hyundai concept shares two different supercar features. It is a shooting brake like the Ferrari FF and it has scissor doors like the McLaren MP4-12C and Lamborghini Murcielago to boot. But does it have a supercar monster under the hood? No. Like the Megapixel and the FT-Bh, this is yet another range extender (and not the last one to be featured either) but this one has a 1.0 three-cylinder petrol generator adding 60bhp to the 100bhp electric motor. The powertrain is the only part of this wacky car which will go into production.

Rinspeed Dock+Go

As you might see in our forthcoming Mitsubishi i-MiEV video review, range anxiety is the common flaw behind plug-in electric cars. The firm behind the Subaru Forester for ladies and the Splash hydrofoil car, Rinspeed, may have the answer to this problem with the Dock+Go concept. Think Smart ForTwo except this car comes with a set of trailers. The trailers - or what they call 'backpacks' - can contain either more batteries, a fuel cell or maybe even a generator. You could even get backpacks to suit business needs and the example that Rinspeed use here is a heated pizza box powered by solar panels on the roof. Rinspeed are even considering making this system available for other cars, not just a Smart. A stroke of genius in my opinion.

So now the Geneva Motor Show is over for another year, what do you think of this year's new models and concepts? Comment below, write on our Facebook wall or tweet us!

Live images courtesy of Autoblog