This month’s Geneva Motor Show (3-13 March) will feature yet another ‘eco-pavilion’, this time taking centre stage rather than hugging the Palexpo’s perimeter. Nevertheless, the gesture rings as hollow as it has in previous years. Sure, there are some segment-busting cars in the pipeline. Audi has been flaunting its sexy e-tron electric supercar; Mercedes has an SLS E-cell in the works; and Renault and Nissan have extraordinary ambitions in the form of the Leaf, the Fluence and a raft of other e-vehicles. But with the exception of the Leaf, which hits European roads this month, none of the above will be on the school run any time before mid-2012.

This is mainly down to the gloom engulfing the American and western European economies – although IHS Automotive’s analysts forecast that sales of new vehicles in Europe’s most important market, Germany, may shoot up by 7.6% to 3.1 million units after a disastrous 2010. Having started from an artificially high base in 2009, when the government ran a highly successful scrappage scheme, five brands have seen sales plummet by more than 30%.

If you’re not holding on for the latest word in e-motoring, in one sense this spring is a good time to be a consumer, especially if you can go haggling cash-in- hand. The bad news is that 2010 looks like being another year of rising petrol prices. Unsurprisingly, then, the seasonal sizzle surrounds small city cars. Those, and the ostentatious supercars designated for China’s newest crop of billionaires.

Starting at the silly end, the Ferrari’s 612 Scaglietti estate-car concept is as striking as it is unexpected – mocked by some as the world’s most expensive bread van. Sources at Ferrari have said that the brand will never produce an SUV, but that more ‘versatile’ products might still be on the cards. Showgoers are also hoping Ferrari will unveil the two-door coupé replacement for the 612 Scaglietti.

Staying on planet show-off, the biggest event of the year is the debut of the McLaren MP4-12C, the only road-going supercar to be entirely conceived and built by a Formula 1 supplier. Other glittering stars of Geneva will include Porsche’s new 911 and Lamborghini’s new Murciélago.

At the other extreme, Renault will showcase the bubble-shaped Twizy, an insect of a car powered by a pint-sized 20hp electric motor. There is a slim chance that the vehicle will hit the roads before the end of the year.

The VW Up!, due to go on sale in September, is possibly this year’s biggest launch. Leaving aside the daft name (the exclamation mark will stay, we’re told), it remains to be seen whether this is a revolutionary breakthrough or just another small car.

Style is the biggest driver in 2011 as companies clamber towards the centre ground of the so-called ‘cross-over’ vehicle blending 4x4 height with car handling. The two biggest stories to break so far have been Mini’s Paceman, shown in Detroit in January, and Range Rover’s Evoque, on sale from September. Weirdly, these cars are set to go head-to-head, demonstrating how much Range Rover has downsized and Mini has upscaled.

That leaves oddities and unsung heroes on show at Geneva. First there is the all- new Fiat Panda, the first redesign of this frugal classic since its debut seven years ago. Then there’s the Dacia Duster, Renault’s dirt-cheap, sister brand 4x4. This is a gem for the price and is just going on sale in some European markets. Elsewhere, the Korean enclosure offers the Ssangyong Korando and the remarkably Audi-like Hyundai ix35. Not only is Korea the new Japan, its products are suddenly better looking.

Finally, the ultimate improbable mash- up comes in the form of the Aston Martin Cygnet. This feathers-ruffling baby is actually a Toyota iQ worked over with Alcantara and leather galore and trebling in price to €35,000. Although by some measures an insane proposition car, it is a novel idea with possibly a big future. It combines city-car dimensions, frugality and reduced emissions with the kind of cachet that’s so unassailable, even Simon Cowell will want one.