The Shifting Landscape of SUVs

This year's Geneva Motor Show featured a wide array of SUVs, from B-segment to high-end models. Including world premieres, additional models, upcoming concepts, and European premieres, over 20 new SUVs were announced.

Incidentally, Geneva is also where the European Car of the Year is announced. The fact that the Peugeot 3008" was the first SUV to win the award is symbolic. The decision by automotive journalism, which tends to be conservative and favor low-slung sports cars, underscores how the SUV genre has become a mainstream choice.

Audi Q8 Sport concept

Nissan Qashqai

However, there's a shift occurring in the typical size of SUVs. While E-segment models were generally around 4.9 meters long, D-segment around 4.65 meters, and C-segment around 4.45 meters, new SUVs are tending to be on the larger side.

Within the SUV category, differentiation from existing models is necessary. Yet, many new models are not venturing into daring designs but rather aiming to be bigger and more imposing. They are also seeking advantages in interior quality and trunk capacity, mirroring the path once taken by sedans.

Maturing C and D Segments

The D-segment, in particular, saw a lineup of new models. While the Audi SQ5" measures 4.64 meters, the Alfa Romeo "Stelvio" is 4.66 meters, and the Volvo "XC60" reaches 4.69 meters, concentrating around 4.7 meters in length as if by design. They inherit ADAS features related to semi-autonomous driving from higher-end models, while offering driving dynamics comparable to their sedan siblings – this has become the standard.

Conversely, the "DS7 Crossback" uses the EMP2 platform shared with the "308" and the upcoming "508," but measures 4.57 meters in length, positioning it between the D and C segments. Its width of 1.89 meters, however, places it firmly in the D-segment SUV realm. Consequently, the interior is infused with the essence of French luxury, offering an alternative proposal beyond just being large and imposing as a premium SUV.

Alfa Romeo Stelvio

DS7 Crossback

A similar trend is seen in a slightly larger size with the Range Rover "Velar". At 4.8 meters long, it sits between D and E segments, but its 1.93-meter width clearly corresponds to the E segment. It's a size that, like the "Evoque", could potentially be offered in a 3-door variant. For reference, the best-selling SUV in Europe, the recently facelifted Nissan "Qashqai," is 4.38 meters long.

In the C-segment, Volkswagen has added the "Allspace," a 7-seater model measuring 4.61 meters long, to the "Tiguan" lineup. In Europe, models like the Peugeot "5008" and Skoda "Kodiaq" already exist in this class as 7-seater SUVs, indicating a market shift from MPVs to SUVs.

Range Rover Velar

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

The same trend is extending to the B-segment. Citroën has unveiled the "C3 Picasso", a study for the next generation of the "C-Aircross". While compact, it maintains its focus on expressing functionality. Furthermore, Renault's "Captur" has added the premium "Initiale Paris" grade, extending the luxury trend in SUVs down to the B-segment.

Is the Quiet Rise of High-End Wagons a Sign of the SUV Peak?

On the other hand, disregarding the size conventions for mainstream vehicles, Mercedes-Maybach's "G 650 Landaulet" and Bentley's "Bentayga Mulliner" push the boundaries of SUVs towards the extreme in terms of sportiness and luxury, respectively. The former, equipped with a V12 twin-turbo, is a limited edition of 99 units and will be sold for 765,000 euros. The latter, while featuring one-off specifications like a two-tone exterior and a rear console capable of holding champagne bottles and glasses, is available for order.

Considering the trends above, it's hard not to see SUVs entering a decadent, almost baroque phase. Manufacturers are indeed developing exit strategies for the SUV trend. While the acronym SUV stands for "Sport Utility Vehicle," the "sport" in this context doesn't refer to the "low, fast, and spartan" nature of sports cars, but rather a modified code for outdoor sports adapted for urban use. Therefore, marketing parameters appear to be shifting towards enhancing keywords like "driving pleasure" while maintaining utility such as carrying capacity and passenger space.

Bentley Bentayga Mulliner

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo

Perhaps the most intriguing segment is that of high-end station wagons. Porsche has introduced a wagon derivative for the Panamera called the "Sport Turismo". It's clearly a fusion of SUV-like sportiness and driving pleasure, but Porsche's discerning choice not to call it a "shooting brake" is characteristic.

Meanwhile, Mercedes displayed the Mercedes-AMG "E 63 S 4MATIC Estate" added in February, and across from it, the BMW "5 Series Touring" was making its world premiere. Additionally, Volvo already offers the "V90" Cross Country in its lineup, and a full model change for the Audi "A6," specifically the "A6 allroad," is anticipated this year.

Mercedes AMG E 63 S 4matic Break

BMW 5 Series Touring

In the C-segment and below, Peugeot's concept car "Instinct" is a station wagon, presumably hinting at the next "508 SW." It offers insights into the pursuit of efficiency and the relationship with autonomous driving. While aerodynamic improvements like a flat bottom and diffuser are now commonplace, this concept utilizes extendable front louvers and aerodynamic tunnels that pass through the doors to achieve an unusually sleek exterior, serving as an antithesis to the current trend of cluttered designs.

Furthermore, in autonomous driving mode, the steering column retracts to maximize driver comfort. It also applies principles from jogging apps, optimizing powertrain and drive modes based on cloud data such as the driver's physical condition and travel logs. This proposes a new way of controlling automobiles.

The movement towards post-SUV vehicles is not just about accumulating inherited features and the latest ADAS; it's a competition to create new automotive codes.

Peugeot Instinct

Analysis Part 1: Supercar Edition