The Best Auto Show Stands in Switzerland [2014 Geneva Auto Show]

When you come to Car and Driver for our auto show coverage, you see each and every new car relevant to U.S. enthusiasts sparkling under the dazzling lights of the automaker’s stand. What you don’t see, though, are the stands themselves. And as we found ourselves ogling Euro-market minicars on bright, colorful stands not seen at our international shows in L.A., Detroit, or New York, we felt it our duty to share with you what we think are the best—or at the very least, most interesting—auto show stands of the 2014 Geneva motor show.

Hyundai

So, Hyundai’s stand may not have the sex appeal of many other manufacturers in Geneva, but what it lacks in supercar sizzle, it makes up for in . . . well, white, amorphous, three-dimensional flying blobs of light. The blobs do serve a practical use, at least in our eyes, as their reflections on the windshields and hoods underneath give us an idea of what Hyundai’s wares might look like should an albatross unload on them.

Citroën

Have we mentioned that we love French manufacturers? Who else tells visitors to feel good and then names their new offering after a plant covered in sharp, painful needles. Besides, we captured this gentleman with a scarf posing for us without even asking—bonus points are awarded for such a feat throughout Europe.

Bentley

Not only are Bentley’s cars luxurious, its stand is, too. In speaking with the brand’s CEO, Dr. Wolfgang Schreiber, he told us that his mobile showroom/bar/boardroom is comprised of the materials most associated with the luxury-car maker. Throughout the lounge and boardrooms, tables are crafted from fine wood and furniture upholstered in leather, much like you’d find in the interior of today’s Mulsanne; while a polished-metallic diamond-quilted pattern—representing the brand’s alloy finishes, if not sheer power—overlays enormous semi-opaque screens that are backlit by constantly changing colors.

Renault

A wall of LEDs is continuously altering hues at the backstop of the Renault stand. Row after row of glowing orbs—also lit by what we presume to be LEDs—follow suit in a complementary fashion, and do so while hypnotically rising and falling from the sky in a ballet of color. To witness this while awash in a sea of French compacts is dream-like for those of us with U.S. passports.

Volvo

No manufacturer has a more direct link between the styling of its cars and the styling of its show stand than Volvo. Not only is the stand composed of rich wood, clean lines, and a clearly Scandinavian influence—we must’ve missed this furniture set during our last expedition to Ikea—but it features the brand’s previous two knock-out concepts: the Concept Coupe and the Concept XC Coupe, both of which themselves are fresh, modern takes on the most classic of the Swedish manufacturer’s styling heritage. Keep doing what you’re doing, Thomas Ingenlath.