Sure, happy for you to do that.
In regards to photos, unfortunately I left my Camera behind so just took some photos with my phone which are not great at all.

Cheers,

Robert.

I’d love to post this as a proper blog post because it’s a great overview and I think that, as a blog post, it would make this review more accessible.

Let me know if you are happy with this?

And if you happen to have any photos we can use then even better!

Rob

I would agree this year’s show was had a very large “electric car” theme to it, which was to be expected, and was very interesting indeed, however, there is still a very long way to go and the technology is still in its very early days compared to the standard conventional motor car. There were some stunning new cars at the show, I’ll try and mention a few of them that stood out, for me at least. In terms of show stands, BMW most definitely had the most impressive hall, with race tracks running through it, a car “cut walk” etc. It was huge, and if I am not mistake, I think they got the same hall Mercedes used last year.

As always some of the more exclusive manufacturers allowed visiting their stands by invite only, and I was lucky enough to be invited to visit Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Jaguar stands.

I thought the new Rolls Ghost is gorgeous, and the first Rolls that would actually appeal to the younger generation (Not that I could afford one in any way….)
http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/ghost/

I had a nice rest in the back of a phantom, just to see how the other side live…

Loved the new Jaguar XJ!!! What a different animal to the old one which was lovely but very very traditional. The new one is beautiful, though I can see why it wouldn’t be to all tastes, especially the rear. The XF looks stunning as always, and they didn’t bother with any X-Type seems as they are going to stop manufacturing them in the next couple of months anyway, and not a minute too soon. Shame they aren’t replacing it though as if they came out with a “mini” XF to compete in the BMW 3 and Audi A4 category that would be amazing, but no plans right now.
http://static.blogo.it/autoblog/rendernuovaJaguarXj.jpg

Now, back to earth…

The new Astra is a lovely looking car both inside and out, it basically has the Insignia interior which is a very good thing, and a huge step forward from the old model. I did find it a little cramped in the back, and if I were driving there would be no way anyway my highest (6.2) could fit in the back behind me.
http://www.vauxhall.co.uk/vaux/vehicle/vehicleBrandAction.do?method=viewBrand&brandCode=9P#brandTab:atAGlanceTab_subTab:photos

The Citroen DS3 is one of the cutest and coolest little cars I have seen in a long time. They come in 4 different colour combinations, so you choose the roof colour and the body colour, (a trend Mini started, and been adopted by the likes of Skoda with the Fabia, and others) and are really cool cars. I think I would choose this over the Mini (brilliant fun to drive but too common now, or the 500)
http://www.ds3.citroen.com/uk/?campaignid=PPC_NCS&advertiserid=google&bannerid=Citroen_DS3

Talking of Mini, they did bring the new Mini concept Coupe convertible which they have promised they are going to make, really cool and makes a nice change from the standard one…
http://www.gizmag.com/pictures/hero/mini-coupe-concept.jpg

Renault brought the new Fluence to the show. It’s a new family salon originally aims and new developing eastern markets, but I was told then are now considering selling it in Western Europe too. It’s actually a really nice looking car, with the same interior as the Laguna. In fact I was not sure what the point was of offering both cars, and I was told the Fluence was more Megane size then Laguna, possibly but didn’t look that way.
http://www.renault-fluence.com/video.php?lang=en_other?WT.srch=1

Volvo’s new S60 concept car is a stunner, and the production car due next year is likely to look almost identical. It’s got that 4 door coupe theme going (Ala Merc CLS, Passat CC, A5 etc) and you can definitely spot some styling cues from the XC60 which I think is one of the nicer looking SUV’s on the road.
http://autoworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/volvo-s60-concept-img_1.jpg

Saab brought the new 9-5 to the show, which is basically a glorified Vauxhall Insigne. I like the styling especially from the rear, but the inside is too similar to the Insignia (steering wheel is identical) and just doesn’t feel special enough. This is a car that starts at £30k and you would have expected a little more from Saab. A bit disappointing, but I’m still interested to see what they will be like to drive.
http://www.saab.co.uk/gb/en/start#/home/

There were hundreds more cars there of course, from your average families salons to Lamborghinis and Ferraris but I’ve tried to summer up the few that actually got my attention for more than just a couple of minutes…

All in all a great show, looking forward to the next one already!

Robert