2013 Geneva Motor Show: Top 15 cars

Italian automaker Alfa Romeo, part of the Fiat Group, is making its much-heralded return to the U.S. late this year with a sexy little sports car. The 2-seat, rear-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo 4C is like a baby Ferrari 458 Italia, with a midengine layout that puts its 240-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine between the passenger cabin and rear wheels. A structure made of carbon fiber and aluminum, and body panels made of plastic keep weight down to 1,973 pounds. The Alfa Romeo 4C sprints from zero to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds. The Launch Edition is an exclusive initial run of 1,000 units, half of which will go to North America. Alfa Romeo is already taking orders. The starting price is $77,866.

Read:  Alfa shows off the US-bound 4C at Geneva

The most striking part of Aston Martin's redesigned Rapide sedan is the bold, handmade grille that is more than twice as large as before. Though the rest of the car, now called the Rapide S, looks almost identical to its predecessor, the architecture has been updated and the V12 engine improved to produce 550 horsepower, and it gains the adaptive suspension from the DB9 and Vanquish. The Aston Martin Rapide S goes from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and has a top speed of 190 mph. Deliveries will begin in May.

Read Blog:  Aston Martin Rapide S pushes out 550 hp

Bentley has completely redesigned its Flying Spur sedan and made it an entirely separate model line. It looks lower and wider and overall has a more athletic stance. Weight-saving measures such as using aluminum for the hood and front fenders helps the big 4-door shed 110 pounds. But at 5,451 pounds, it's still hefty. The new Flying Spur gets Bentley's latest twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine producing 616 horsepower, an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. U.S. deliveries will begin in June.

View Pictures:  Highlights from the Geneva Motor Show

BMW has created another quasi-crossover along the lines of the larger 5-Series Gran Turismo, this time with the 3-Series. Available in 328i and 335i trims, the 2014 3Series Gran Turismo is longer and taller, and has more rear legroom than a 5-Series sedan and more cargo space than a 3-Series wagon. The rear hatch allows easy access to the trunk, which has a two-piece parcel shelf and storage compartments under the floor. The rear seatback is split into three sections that fold forward to allow a variety of cargo-carrying options. It will go on sale this summer.

Read:  BMW is all business at Geneva

The all-new C7 Corvette was designed from the start to be a convertible, so unlike most drop-tops, its lightweight aluminum structure didn't require additional bracing compared with the coupe. The only structural changes made were to accommodate the folding-top mechanism and reposition the seatbelt mounts. The fabric top opens with the press of a button at speeds of up to 30 mph and can also be lowered remotely using the key fob. The mechanicals are identical to the Stingray coupe. It will arrive in showrooms a few months after its hardtop twin.

Read:  New Stingray goes topless in Geneva

We'll pardon Ferrari for giving its new hybrid hypercar such a silly name, because it's such a stunning ride. The LaFerrari is the long-awaited successor to the Enzo. It has a V12 engine and a battery-powered electric motor that together produce 950 horsepower. Everything about the car is all-new, and much of the technology was developed with the help of Ferrari's Formula One racing team. It will sprint to 60 mph in less than three seconds and achieve a top speed greater than 217 mph. Only 499 will be built, but Ferrari has already received written orders for more than 700.

Read:  Ferrari unveils its fastest car yet in Geneva

The Koenigsegg Hundra is a one-off Agera S created to commemorate the Swedish company's milestone of building 100 of its superexclusive sports cars. (Go ahead, take a crack at guessing what Hundra means in English.) Its carbon-fiber body panels have been embellished with 24-karat gold leaf. It took about 4,000 hours to hand-build the Hundra, which is about 1,000 more than it takes to create a standard Agera S. It is mechanically identical to the regular Agera S, and you'll have to put away your checkbook — only one has been built, and it has already been sold for $2 million.

View Slideshow:  An overview of modern supercars

Lamborghini knows how to celebrate. The Italian automaker built a $4 million hypercar based on the Aventador to commemorate its 50th anniversary. The Veneno has an enhanced version of the Aventador's V12 engine that puts out 739 horsepower. Top speed is 220 mph. Only four will be built — three have already been spoken for and the fourth will remain with Lamborghini.

Read:  Lamborghini Veneno debuts in Geneva

Maserati has updated the sportiest version of its GranTurismo coupe. It gains a rear seat like the rest of the GranTurismo line. The model it replaces eschewed the two back seats to save weight. The new Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale also receives subtle styling enhancements, including unique wheels, a new carbon-fiber hood and a rear diffuser. The interior is updated with different materials, too. The powertrain remains the same: a 454-horsepower V8.

Read:  Maserati GranTurismo MC review

McLaren's latest dream machine is a hybrid supercar that uses an electric motor and an enhanced version of the twin-turbo V8 engine from the McLaren MP4-12C. Combined, they crank out 727 horses. The McLaren P1 will accelerate from zero to 62 mph in less than three seconds and will achieve a top speed of more than 217 mph — figures uncannily identical to those quoted by Ferrari for its LaFerrari hybrid supercar, also unveiled in Geneva. But the P1 outdoes the Ferrari with an electric mode that allows the car to be driven 12 miles or less at speeds of up to 30 mph without using the gas engine. Only 375 will be built. Each one costs $1.3 million.

Read:  McLaren readies for battle at Geneva

Although Mercedes-Benz already revealed its new front-drive 4-door coupe at a party before the Detroit Auto Show in January, the Geneva Motor Show is technically the first time it appears on a stage. This is Mercedes' new entry-level offering in the United States; it will go on sale in September with a starting price just under $30,000. The CLA250 will have a turbo 4-cylinder engine and will offer optional all-wheel drive. Another car shown for the first time in Geneva, the A45 AMG is based on a hatchback version of the CLA that won't be sold in the U.S. But its performance enhancements, including a more potent 360-horsepower engine, are identical to what will be offered on the CLA45 AMG coming to the U.S. later this year.

Read:  New Mercedes AMG heads to Geneva

The Porsche 911 GT3 is one of the most extreme versions of the 911. For 2014, it gets updated to the company's new 991 platform and benefits from more power. Its 3.8-liter 6-cylinder engine makes 475 horsepower and propels this Porsche from zero to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. It also gets rear-wheel steering, which changes the angle of the rear wheels very slightly when turning to improve stability. The 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 comes only with a 7-speed, dual-clutch transmission. A manual transmission will no longer be available. It will hit showrooms later this year with a starting price of $131,350.

Read:  New Porsche 911 GT3 bows at Geneva

The Wraith is a 2-door version of Rolls-Royce's Ghost sedan. It has a rakish "fastback," which gives it a sexy profile, and the company's signature rear-hinged doors, which open in the opposite direction of normal car doors. The Wraith is motivated by the same V12 engine found in the Ghost, but making 624 horsepower versus 563. The 8-speed transmission not only adjusts shift patterns according to driving style, it uses new GPS data technology to read the terrain ahead and automatically select the best gear. European pricing for the 2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith starts at 245,000 euros — about $318,000 — but official U.S. pricing will be announced later. Deliveries will start in the fourth quarter.

Read:  Rolls gets sporty with Wraith coupe

For 2014, the Volkswagen GTI gets updated to the latest Golf platform, which, coincidentally, just won 2013 European Car of the Year. The new GTI will offer a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine good for 220 horsepower. An available performance upgrade for the European model that goes on sale in May boosts output to 230 horsepower. A 6-speed manual transmission is standard. A 6-speed dual-clutch transmission is optional. Start-stop technology, which shuts down the engine during temporary stops, is among the enhancements to the new GTI that help improve fuel economy by 18 percent over the previous model.

Read:  VW GTI revealed ahead of Geneva

Volvo is freshening all but the XC90 sport utility for 2014 with updated styling and added features. As seen on the midsize S60 sedan, shown here, the front and rear have been subtly changed for a lower, wider look. A new touch-screen interface is among interior upgrades. Volvo also announced an enhanced City Safety system that now detects cyclists in addition to pedestrians and automatically applies the brakes to avoid a collision.

View Slideshow:  The safest 2013 model-year cars

Matthew de Paula wanted to be an automotive journalist ever since reading his first car magazine in grade school. After a brief stint writing about finance, he helped launch ForbesAutos.com and became the site's editor in 2006. Matthew now freelances for various outlets.