Geneva Salon 2006 was held under the banner of the use of alternative energy sources for automotive drives. The pioneers of the industry - Japanese manufacturers - presented a full range of vehicles equipped with hybrid systems - a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor or a diesel engine and an electric motor. The principle of operation of such a system is relatively simple: during braking, energy is stored in the battery, an electric motor is used at low speeds, and during intensive acceleration a traditional internal-combustion engine is used. Another promising direction in the automotive industry is the development of fuel cell drives - in which hydrogen from a car tank enters a controlled chemical reaction with oxygen from the air, producing electricity, heat and water, and the resulting energy is subsequently sent to an electric motor. Cars using fuel cells are being actively developed by Japanese HONDA, which showed the world the pre-production sample FCX Concept.

European manufacturers have chosen a different way to reduce gasoline consumption - this is the use of a mixture of gasoline and ethyl alcohol derived from plant crops as fuel. The production of engines operating on a mixture of gasoline and alcohol or diesel fuel and alcohol, today has become a priority for the automotive industry of the Old World. It's funny, but the SAAB AeroX sports coupe, which so astonished the participants of the salon with its “aviation” design, works on 100% ethanol.

A particularly important innovation that will be appreciated by residents of large cities is the Intelligent Parking Assistance System (IPA), which is installed as an option in the TOYOTA Prius. She independently estimates the distance between standing cars and maneuvers the car. A person just needs to choose the place he likes from the options that the system displays on the monitor.

The SUV of the future was called the concept NISSAN Terranaut. A powerful car of impressive size is equipped with an observant and telecommunications center, completely occupying all the space behind the driver and navigator. The creators of the VOLVO model line, made in the style of Scandinavian Luxury, have taken another step in their favorite job of improving safety: the cars received a new, super-compact 3.2 I6 engine, which allows them to create an additional damping zone in the engine compartment.