SPACE is no frontier for the auto industry if the display at this year's Geneva Motor Show is anything to go by.

Big is back - and back in a big way with an array of people movers, SUVs and estates breaking cover.

But the special ingredient for the class of 2016 is not just size but also luxury.

Citroen, Peugeot and Toyota set the ball rolling with the world premiere of a joint venture MPV which will be available in a variety of guises seating five, seven or even nine.

Citroen calls in the SpaceTourer, at Toyota it's the Proace Verso and for Peugeot it will be the Traveller and to underline the new model's VIP potential the French pair were also shown as van-sized exec-mobiles decked out to the hilt.

Renault reinforced the trend with an all-new Scenic - the fourth generation of its multi-purpose trailblazer since it first hit the scene 20 years ago - while Volkswagen upped the ante with the all-wheel-drive Panamericana - a go-anywhere take on the Caravelle with Transporter van underpinnings.

New estates appeared at Volvo with the luxurious V90 and Kia was also getting in the load lugging act with its new Optima Sportswagon - its first large estate car but sleek, stylish and very capable.

On the crossover front Toyota showed off its new C-HR - a rival to the Nissan Juke - which will be on the road later in the year while SsangYong was building on the success of its Tivoli hatchback by revealing a long wheelbase version called the ELX.

Subaru also showed it was sticking with the crossover theme and took the wraps off a concept version based on its popular XV.

In typical Geneva fashion Ferrari launched some show stoppers in the shape of the new four-seat, four-wheel-drive GTC4Lusso while it also gave the crowds a shot of its Italian stallion tradition in the form of the 488 GTB.

Aston Martin continued the supercar theme with the new DB11 - the first model to be produced under a new product offensive which includes a £200 million investment plan to open a second factory in Wales and expand its existing production facility at Gaydon in Warwickshire.

With a 200mph top end the DB11 is the most powerful road going Aston Martin to date but for real speed freaks Bugatti had an answer with the Chiron, a successor to the Veyron and with crazy performance statistics of 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds and a maximum ‘restricted' to 260mph. The price for this 8.0-litre indulgence with 1,100 horsepower will be just south of £2 million.

But the real head-turner at the Swiss motoring spectacular - now in its 86th year - came from Mazda with its RX-Vision concept - a remarkably pure design taking the Japanese car firm's recent styling prowess to a new level. Previous Mazda design studies have not been too far away from the real thing - as seen with the Mazda2 and the CX-3 crossover - and that bodes well for the possibility of a new RX sports car.

Equally futuristic was the E-Tense all-electric concept from DS - an exotic GT powered by batteries but with supercar credentials of 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds from a powertrain developing 402bhp yet running emission free with a range of up to 360 miles.

Back on the luxury trail Ford continued its upper class push announcing it was expanding its Vignale grade of premium models - just launched on the Mondeo - with posh versions of the soon-to-arrive Edge SUV, the S-MAX and an upgraded Kuga which will be on the scene early next year.

On the convertible front Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off its new C-Class cabriolet while Volkswagen was following Range Rover's cue of creating a go-anywhere open-top 4x4 with the reveal of the T-Cross Breeze concept - a drop-top take on the latest Tiguan platform - which could be in production in the next few years.

The crossover craze meanwhile found a new home at Audi which unveiled the Q2 - a compact model which pumps up its smaller hatchbacks to make them more macho - and even Maserati joined the space race with its Levante estate-cum-SUV which combines the Italian brand's sports heritage with a degree of practicality.

In many a way Geneva 2016 is a good old fashioned motor show revealing a spread of motors which will be whetting our appetites in the coming months - and all embrace the latest technology.

Smart kit such as onboard radars, Internet connectivity and self-driving aids are no longer exclusive to the big names and while the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce showed off their latest creations fitted out to the nines, so was the new Vauxhall Mokka which comes with the brand's IntelliLink connectivity system, its OnStar emergency assistance service which patches you through to a 24/7 call centre in your own country and a high definition display screen in the centre of the dash.

Every car worth its salt these days has to satisfy the techno-trendies and whatever the budget, whatever the power source and whatever the need, the collection of automobilia assembled at Geneva this year is all A-grade.