Car expert Joe Harmon tells us what’s hot and what’s not at this year’s Geneva Motor Show

2008's Geneva Motor Show, populated largely by hatches and wagons rather than SUVs and minivans, may look different on the surface from the Detroit show, but the undercurrent of improved fuel economy and emissions is very much the same.

Alternative powertrains are all the rage in Geneva this year as car manufacturers ride the wave of a shift in public interest towards all things green.

Other news from the show includes a new-look Mercedes SL roadster, yet another iteration of Lambo's Gallardo, and a droptop version of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, any of which would be made to feel most comfortable in my garage.

Here, we check out a couple of concept designs that worked – and a couple that didn't.

By Joe Harmon