On Tuesday and Wednesday this week (5-6 March), I will be reporting from the Geneva International Motor Show with the latest offerings from emerging and future mobility, including electric vehicles, connected car tech and a few supercars for good measure. Check in here for pictures, quotes and footage and follow me live on Twitter @elainecatton and Facebook @cattonautomotive.
Image credit: e.GO Mobile AG
Also at its preview event on the eve of the show, Volkswagen announced e.Go Mobile AG as the first external customer for its Modular Electric Platform (MEB). The company based in Aachen, Germany was launched in 2015 by Dr. Günther Schuh, the creator of StreetScooter, the electric LCV company acquired in 2014 by Deutsche Post DHL. Dr Schuh said: “We can contribute e.GO’s agile product development and our strength in building low-volume vehicles based on extruded aluminum spaceframes. And the MEB platform will make us faster, more robust and cost-efficient.” Although small in numbers, the agreement is big on symbolism for VW.
Audi’s teaser for the Q4 e-tron show car which it will unveil at the show tomorrow. I’ll post footage of the real thing if I can get there in time. There press conference is scheduled for 8.00 am (!!!)
Volkswagen has previewed its ID. Buggy concept vehicle on the eve of the Geneva Motor Show. VW Group CEO Herbert Diess said: “We want to make mobility accessible to all.”
The first news to come from the show happened while I was still airborne. The Jaguar I-PACE won the coveted European Car of the Year (ECOTY) award following an unprecedented tiebreak. Among a host of firsts are the FIRST time an electric vehicle has won the award and the FIRST time for Jaguar, too. And the FIRST win for a brand that isn’t actually exhibiting at the show (due to cost cutting). I-PACE designer Ian Callum was in Geneva to collect the trophy. Jaguar CEO Ralf Speth said: “For our first electric vehicle to also be the first Jaguar to win European Car of the Year gives us a huge sense of pride. I-PACE was designed and engineered in the UK from a clean sheet of paper.” The other finalists were: Alpine A110 (tied for first place), Citroen C5 Aircross, Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, MB A-Class and Peugeot 508. The win is a much-needed moral boost for Jaguar following tough times recently. The ECOTY is selected by a jury of 60 motoring journalists from 23 countries.
Feature image provided by the organisers of the Geneva International Motor Show
Elaine Catton 
Hey there terrific website! Does running a blog such as
this take a lot of work? I have virtually no expertise in computer programming however I
had been hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyhow, if you have any ideas or techniques for new blog owners please share.
I understand this is off subject however I simply had to ask.
Thanks!
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Hi Carin, thanks for getting in touch. And sorry for the delayed response.
Following an enthusiastic start last year, work on my blog has slowed down somewhat. However, I’m hoping to get back on the case soon. As far as starting a blog is concerned, you don’t need any expertise in computer programming whatsoever. I have none at all. I used WordPress for my blog, but there are others out there, such as Wix (the website for my main business runs on Wix. http://www.thewhitepine.com). However, I don’t find Wix as user-friendly. WordPress guides you through the process of setting up and designing your blog step-by-step using customizable templates. I used online tutorials when I got stuck, but, on the whole, it was quite straightforward. By far the most challenging aspect is staying on top of it. I wanted to use blogging as a sideline to my main business – a shop window for my work as an independent journalist. Sadly, when I’m busy on client projects it falls by the wayside. The trick is to be consistent; to post regularly at a pace you can sustain – something I have not been doing particularly well.
You really don’t have anything to lose by giving it a try. The most basic packages don’t cost anything at all. But even the Premium package (which I use) is extremely affordable.
If you do decide to start your own blog, please let me know how you get on.
All the best,
Elaine
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