Barcelona Motor Show 2009: First Impressions

Today the 90th edition kicked off, marked by a confirmed crisis in the sector that was already under way last year but has been ratified this year. April’s registration figures confirm it: compared with last year, private vehicle registrations have dropped by nearly 50%.

There have not been many world premieres: Opel presented the Insignia OPC; Seat the sportier range of the Ibiza and Leon with the Ibiza FR and Leon Cupra 2009; and finally Fiat presented its Fiat Barbie 500 model.

It has not been a show rich in novelties when it comes to the models themselves, but it will be the one that marks a before and after for low-consumption models, since almost all brands now offer an engine with very low emissions or even some hybrid with an electric motor and petrol engine, such as the Honda Insight.

Besides the four world premieres mentioned above, we were able to boast at European level of having eight more premieres: prototype of the Audi Q3, Dacia Sandero Stepway, Nissan NV200, Land Rover Range Rover 2010 and Sport 2010, Mercedes Class S Hybrid and the Tata Nano and the electric ACE.

But almost all of the brand directors have stressed the task of continuing to advance in technology, innovating in fuels and making cars smarter, safer and cheaper. We will see whether they deliver.