All small, but not all perfectly formed

Green times provoke what some may call, desperate green measures. The 2009 Salon International de l'Automobile Geneve was no exception, with the greenest offerings spread across established brands and some up-and-comers.

Sure, Tesla was on hand to straddle the green car and performance car fence, but most of the green cars were aimed at more mundane urban transportation -- so-called city cars.

Indeed, the more important micro and city cars to catch our attention were more than ever built by a range of companies from a mix of heritages -- from the upmarket presence of a limited edition Smart mild hybrid on the brand's 10th anniversary, to GM's spunky Daewoo designed and built Chevrolet Spark, and the MDI AIRpod three-wheeler.

Smart showed more than ever that it has moved beyond novelty value -- last year selling more than 134,000 cars globally. That sort of volume puts them ahead of brands like Jaguar, Volvo and Saab.

At Geneva, the PR focus was on the company's continued drive to launch a production version of its Smart Electric Drive (ED). Says Smart, from the end of 2009, it will build on an existing 100-car UK trial to place "a four-figure number" of Smart EDs on trial in cities including Berlin, Rome and Milan via the e-mobility Berlin and e-mobility Italy projects.

Says Smart boss Anders Sundt Jensen, Australia could be inline to be one of the first markets to get production EDs, but not until 2012. Mind you, he teased the Aussie contingent with the qualifier: "But we have 2010 and 2011 to work with too -- I need to talk to [Mercedes-Benz Australia boss] Wolfgang Schrempp..."

The Spark will beat the ED to Oz. But despite its name, there's no electric drive version.

It is simply a new conventional sub-Barina offering that GM will look to leverage across the globe when it goes on sale in 2010. Officially, Holden says it's considering the car for Australia, but mark our words -- if the price is right it’s coming.

Based on the Beat show car that debuted in the USA in 2007, Geneva was the car's world premier in production form. Powered by a "frugal" 1.0 or 1.2-litre petrol engine that delivers "sub-120g CO2 emissions", the five-door hatch is claimed to have class-leading cabin space and edgy styling that conveys "energy and spirit because this is a mini-car that's as fun to drive as it is economical to own". And this from the company that brought you the Suburban!

Boasting zero emissions (at least while operating) the French-developed MDI AIRpod three-wheeler runs on compressed air... In effect, a fancy scuba bottle with air compressed to 350 bar gives the vehicle (it’s hard to call it a car) a theoretical range of 100km in town and half that on arterial roads.

Believe it or not, the MDI is in the running for Paris' upcoming Autolib project. Like the Velib system which uses electrically-assisted bicycles, Autolib would provide short-term 'rental' of car-like vehicles within the French capital. MDI says it is set to go into production of the AIRpod and other air-heads later this year.

Indian brand Tata also had a substantial presence at Geneva -- and we're not talking via its Jaguar and Land Rover ownership. In its own right the Tata brand showed off its range of cars and light commercials including the handsome Pininfarina-designed Pr1ma "luxury" small car concept and an electric-powered version of the Indica hatch.

The Tata that had tongues wagging, however, was a new version of the Nano, dubbed the Europa.

Restyled, stretched, riding on a wider track and specced-up to appeal to more demanding European clientele, Tata says the production Europa will feature redesigned interiors, a new fuel-injected three-cylinder petrol engine, electric power steering and a five-speed automatic transmission. A CO2 output of under 100g/km is the target.

Tata says the Nano Europa meets all safety regulations, featuring an "energy absorbing" body design, "advanced" restraint systems, antilock brakes and stability control.

The original Indian Nano will be launched on March 23 into Tata domestic dealers, but the Europa is still a work in progress. But with owner (Rolls Royce advisory board appointee, Fiat board member and one of the world's richest industrialists), Ratan Tata, on hand to launch the micro car, there was much talk on the Geneva show floor about the potential impact of the Nano Europe and company -- even on projects like the Volkswagen Up! city car.