Visit automotive interiors for the profile of the journalist always tedious: a huge area, countless exhibits, continuous presentation of new products — a huge amount of kilometers and gigabytes of information that you need to digest and outputs a clear and accessible material guide for its readers. And as always, but not at this time.
In this sense, the Moscow International Automobile Salon went to the counter to similar events: three small rooms and only 11 automakers, that's all that offers this year Crocus Expo.
It's a shame? In fact, yes. Even taking into account the overall situation in the automotive market — the reduction of sales, a decrease in the number of players, the stagnation in the overall interest in the customer's capabilities, we are aware that Russia remains the largest market, although its nature and changing. What happened? It's simple: politics mixed up with the economy, but it is the economy played a major role. Many companies refused to participate in the MIAS, referred to the unfavorable economic participation in the Moscow Motor Show: the cost of rental space was such that for a large part of car manufacturers it would be an irreparable loss. Well, after the first had refused stretched and others, and mainly concerned the Europeans: Who of the top brands exhibit interesting for big money next to the companies Economy segment?
The only exception was Mercedes Benz, which is brought to the MIAS virtually its entire lineup, but Mercedes did beautifully. The company just to dot the «I», chartering its products under a separate room. «We and we alone» — was apparent in their message to visitors. All the rest — to the heap. Well, in the other two rooms and indeed there was no one who by his elitism and love of luxury could compete with them.
Mercedes showed the main novelty — GLC, has rolled out all of the latest models added to them some of the most vibrant and sophisticated versions of AMG, including a couple Gelendvagenov of Crazy Colors Collection, honored viewers presence show the engine from AMG with name plate of the master and he added to it some bright kids Smart-Brabus from the updated lineup.
To be honest, the 12th room, which housed the company from Stuttgart, was the same place at the Motor Show, where to be not only useful, but also pleasant, and where want to go back in order to swallow the correct air exhibition. Two other halls were more like a patchwork quilt, which is different exhibitors were trying to win over.
Of the Europeans still presented the Volvo — next door to the Mercedes, 13-m hall — but it is not an executive booth, and only the dealer. And yet.
Just a couple of days before the Moscow Motor Show held in Moscow Volvo presented its new flagship sedan Volvo S90 (we wrote about it), which is particularly emphasized the fact that the company's policy is not intended to participate in most international motor show, with a few exceptions such as the Geneva Motor Show. This is due to the fact that the Swedish company is not ready to compete with their marketing budgets to the European monsters and refers to himself as a prospect of individual measures, which may attract more attention than a small stand in the vast exhibition.
Nevertheless, they still granted «Obukhov,» the only copy of the S90, which is available in Moscow, which was shown in the above presentation.
In the same hall of the 13th and located two tuners — Company Larte Design and Top Car. Larte Design offered visitors two Mercedes (V-class and GLS) in the individual styling Black Crystal. GLS has received the order of 50 additional pieces which are very accurately and at the same time are quite changed it a new look, as for a minivan, it is another business jet project, which is famous for the company.
Top Car also showed two Mercedes — GLE Coupe Inferno and GLE Wagon Inferno, its main bestsellers 2016, as well as novelty Stinger GTR, built on the basis of a Porsche 911 Turbo S.
In Europe this is over, and then was nearly always presented Asia, but the Chinese did not come all. For example, Haval, Chery and Lifan has not honored us with their attention, but here it is as they say — the master-master. Separate islands among all aziatschiny held AvtoVAZ, and by and large he was the protagonist of the exhibition.
Premiere 6 concepts, from which a portion has not yet gone into production, and some obviously never will, options off-road vehicles and mandatory bright yellow Lada Vesta as an example of motorsport present, including brought to Moscow live Gabriele Tarquini — that's what awaits MIAS visitors to Lada booth. Should I look? Yes. For many it may be quite a real future, but what readers DT is, rather, a purely anthropological interest, as well as most of the exhibits salon.
What a pleasure to see, because this is the direction of representatives of auto-racing. They are not much, but still there. Mercedes again put in the center of the room a champion formular car about Lada Vesta I have already mentioned, Total Race demonstrates its beauties, including famous Saleen.
Well SMP Racing is rightly proud of the first Russian prototype race category LMP2 — BR01, set up by BR Engineering, where Vitaly Petrov, Kirill Ladygin and Viktor Shaitar won bronze medals daily marathon «24 hours of Le Mans» in June 2016.
Another honored exhibit — Ferrarri F458 Italia, where SMP Racing Team crew of Alexey Basov, Viktor Shaitar and Andrea Bertolini was the winner in 2015 season for endurance racing in the class LMPGTE, and for the first time in history won the legendary marathon «24 hours of Le Mans „. On the same machine, the Russian crews SMP Racing program won the European Le Mans Series in 2013 and 2014.
The third car on the stand SMP Racing — Formula Renault 2.0, one of the most popular classes definable machines, which is involved in many youth championships.
This weekend at the SMP racing stand will be an autograph session of the Russian pilots. September 3 from 13:00 to 14:00 there will be attended by Alexey Basov, Anton Ladigin and Denis Bulatov, and on September 4 at the same time, Alexei Basov Anton Ladigin and Egor Orujov.
There are two cars in which I would like a very brief stay. This project we called «Shuttle» — an unmanned electric module with a maximum speed of 25 km / h and a cruising range of 250 km, which represents a perspective taxis. It is an interesting development of the home, which is utilitarian carries no promise, but can be viewed simply as a conceptual use of technology. The second project is a much more viable, though no less exclusive.
It is a four-terrain vehicle «Shaman», which is already in the production of unit shipments over the past couple of years, and which has already produced about 20 copies. SUV with 8x8 base can move not only on land but also in the swamps, and even swim (when equipped with a propeller) at a rate of up to 5 km / h. But impressed not only his property, but also more than a menacing look and a comfortable interior, which, by the way, it can make to order.
Separately exhibited on the stands restored ZIL, a reduced number of military vehicles and a small amount retromobiles, but if within the tuning show or gallery Sorokin these instances would have looked more than appropriate, here they become yet another motley flap on small and uneven blanket MIAS. A sort of foul last resort to lose, unfortunately, the stage in 2016...
