International Auto Shows

[R-34]

Geneva 2003

March 04, 2003 – The new Birusa concept unveiled today shows Bertone returning to what they do best – a flamboyant showcar giving us a vision of how the high performance GT car (front engine, rear drive, two seats) could evolve stylistically in the near future. Based on a BMW Z8 aluminium chassis lengthened by 300mm, it’s a refreshing piece of exuberance by the Italian company and a celebration of what they achieved in the 1960s and 70s.

The wedge-shaped profile is characterised by a classic Bertone device – a dihedral-shaped side window with an undercut lower glass section, as featured on showcars such as the Boomerang and Carrabo. In the case of the Birusa, a bright highlight spear from the front wheelarch to the top of the rear fender bisects the glass. The simple body sections feature subtle scalloped edges to surfaces, which give an underlying delicacy to the form, which is also characterised by very short overhangs front and rear.

The glass roof and rear window slide back under the rear deck and the doors are elaborate gullwing style. For the Birusa they pivot from the centre of the roof and around one-third of the way into the scuttle. This allows the electrically-powered carbon fibre doors to swing forwards as they open, providing better access than the normal gullwing-type. As an advanced touch they’re voice activated too.

Look closely and you will see how the front face is a new interpretation of BMW’s headlamps and twin kidney grille theme - but not done in such an obvious way. Indeed, a round Bertone badge, rather than the blue and white BMW spinner emblem tops the nose.

The rear also has overtones of past Bertone classics – in this case the 1983 Corvette concept – with the slim horizontal taillamps and graphically-integrated exhaust outlets and diffuser panel. The trunklid drops down from below the lamps to reveal a Segway HT (Human Transporter stored within, the idea being that the Segway acts like the tender of a boat, taking passengers to places inaccessible to the large boat.

Dimensions for the Bertone Birusa: length 4400mm, width 1900mm, wheelbase 2850mm.

carsdesignews.com

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March 04, 2003 – The Nissan Evalia concept car, making its world-wide debut at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show, combines all the practicality expected from a conventional mini MPV with the excitement more usually associated with a compact coupé. The design, from Nissan Design Europe in London, is a study for the next Tino and features double-hinged barn-type doors with no central B-pillar.

The front mask graphic is one of the high points of the exterior. Nissan has been developing this ‘flying wings’ theme since the mid-nineties but this is the best interpretation of it so far. Both front and rear lamps are located in the fenders and follow the vertical design of the 350Z sportscar. The headlamp design, underscored by the bar of neon DI lamps jutting into the trapezoid nostrils, comprises a very strong and memorable front face.

At the rear, the tailgate extends deep into the roof with a wide wraparound rear window. Interestingly, some observers felt there are faint echos of the Renault Koleos about the way the side DLO and roof come together with crossing shutlines and the surf-tail roofline – but then, it’s a sister company of Nissan’s.

Inside, the taste is “Modern and Minimalist” according to Principal Designer Martin Uhlarik. Evalia has four deeply sculpted ‘floating’ seats supported on a central support rail and sports an integrated child seat which lifts out to double as a baby buggy when locked onto a three-wheeler chassis. The dashboard theme is that of a biplane wing with separate storage cartridges contained within it that slot into a combined fridge/microwave unit. These can be filled with personal provisions such as fruit, drinks or baby food enabling parents to feed toddlers en-route. Diffused lighting in white or orange can be changed to suit the driver’s mood, adding another sensory dimension to Evalia. A couple of final touches: the steel blue leather used on the IP and doors uses a new laser-cut technique to create a graduated fan pattern and the trunk features 99 trackballs which electrically retract once the luggage is smoothly rolled in.

If the flavour of this concept can be maintained into the next Tino, Nissan could well be onto a winner.

[R-34]

cool doors

[convitcon]

thanks R-34

[Tuong-Vi]

wow niceeeee.. can't wait

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Unveiled by GM's Bob Lutz and Opel Design chief Martin Smith, the Opel GTC is aconcept car that gives a clear indication of Opel's future design direction.

The car in particular shows what Opel are considering for the forthcoming Astra replacement and features the clearly defined creases and sheer surfaces that are becoming typical of modern Opel design.

The concept has a windscreen that runs into the roof to create seamless view from the inside, and headlights and tailights 'that resemble the polished facets of a jewel'

cardesignnews.com

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March 04, 2003 – This time it‘s Ypsilon, not just “Y“. Inspired by the 1950‘s Ardea model, Lancia have redesigned their successful small car to become more refined and more feminine in a bid to secure its market niche as a “Pocket Flagship” for the brand.

Style-wise it‘s a development of the previous Y, particularly at the rear where the beltline drops down to enclose the ‘capped’ tailgate design. That characteristic falling crease line on the side remains as a design cue but, instead of ‘kissing’ the wheelarches as before and wrapping around at the front and rear, it is now higher up, to provide a more solid look to the car. At the front the new Ypsilon features fingernail-shaped headlamps and the narrow Lancia shield grille as on the larger Thesis model. The rear taillamps likewise follow the style of the Thesis with a vertical theme edged in chrome. Overall the car features a delicate use of brightwork with the grille surround, doorhandles, emblems and rear licence plate plinth all finished in chrome.

The interior also develops the theme of the previous Y. The centre instruments remain, this time ringed in chrome with traditional markings. The colours and materials are typical Lancia too, with extensive use of leather and Alcantara in high-contrast colours, slightly reminiscent of the materials used in luxury boats. There are also extensive opportunities for trim customisation to individual customer tastes and lifestyles.

The Ypsilon offers a set of exclusive options that set it at the top of its category: the new model is available with an extensive Skydome glass roof, dual zone automatic climate control system or Bose® Sound System Hi-Fi, for example. Lancia is also offering the Ypsilon with a new 1.3 Multijet 16v diesel engine combined with a sophisticated Dualmode robotised gearbox: an automated manual transmission that combines all the benefits of a diesel engine with manual or automatic modes to suit driver preferences.

Whether on the streets of Milan, Paris or Tokyo the new Ypsilon will undoubtedly appeal for young trendsetters who want to stand out from the crowd and surround themselves with “La Dolce Vita” - the best of Italian style.

Dimensions for the Lancia Ypsilon: length 3760mm, width 1690mm, wheelbase 2390mm.

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A five door coupe/sedan hybrid that builds on the new Chrysler corporate design identity established by the Crossfire.

Exterior designer Greg Howell and interior designer Simeon Kim worked under senior vice president of design Trevor Creed to create a car about the size of a Mercedes E-class, but with a very strong American flavour.

Based on the forthcoming Chrysler LX platform, the Airflite just might make it through to production if it is as well recieved as other recent Chrysler concepts, such as the Viper and Crossfire.

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Renault Megane Coupe-cabriolet

The Megane Coupe-cabriolet extends the three and five door Megane range. It is the first car in the world to be equipped as standard with a folding glass roof and will compete directly with the Peugeot 307CC.

Only the front face, headlamps and bonnet are carried over from the hatchback on the exterior, with the interior shared completely.

Built by Karmann, the roof opens to transform the four seater coupe into a cabriolet in just over 20 seconds.

carsdesignnews.com

[R-34]

March 04, 2003 – “Smarter Luxury”. That was the theme of Volvo’s surprising showing of the Versatility Concept Car today at the Geneva Salon. The concept was a joint effort between Volvo’s two European design studios - Barcelona in Spain and Göteborg in Sweden - and was introduced by PAG Design Chief Peter Horbury and José Diaz de la Vega, Creative Director Strategic Design at Volvo Cars.

Key themes of the design include a solid, long wheelbase stance with a strong horizontal emphasis to the design. The typical Volvo shoulder is more hard-edged than current models and has a distinctive turn-down at front and rear – a new device for Volvo. The outer vertical lamps front and rear and door handles echo the linear character of the design and are visually connected via the shoulder line. The front end appearance with three slim active lamp units represents an all-new and striking interpretation of the Volvo face, while the large grille with vertical bars revisits motifs from the 1968 Volvo 164 design. Finally, the nose of the car is interesting for having a very slight reverse angle, which gives added tension to the whole design.

The interior, accessed via double-hinge barn-type doors, has a superclean Scandinavian look, emphasised by use of high-contrast chocolate and ivory leathers. The IP is a single curved surface with no visible conventional air vents and interrupted only by a small, arched instrument binnacle. The theme of elegant simplicity is continued with the aluminium centre console, which floats gracefully through the car on top of the high tunnel. A two-centimetre gap divides the slim centre console from the dashboard, creating a feeling of lightness and space.

The tall, unpleated seat panels are reminiscent of those used in the 240-Series in the ‘70’s and are finished in saddle-quality Havana hide. Volvo design is keen to give their safety systems a stronger visual appeal and thus the VCC features an X-frame solar roof with ambient lighting and subtle, illuminated logos for the various WHIPS, SIPS and inflatable curtain systems used in the car.

Finally, the trunk features two underfloor lockers, one heated, one chilled, with the whole compartment hidden under an electrical tonneau cover.

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Made for Mars built by Renult, France

The Hoggar is a twin enginned beach buggy concept car that seats two. With no roof, and doors that leave exposed the lower halves of the occupants, the compact Hoggar would offer basic and fun transport. The two engines are Peugeots's latest turbo diesels which give the car a total power of 360 bhp.

The Hoggars purpose at Geneva is to attract the show visitors attention with a novel and racy design. Like other previous Peugeot show cars it is unlikely to have any effect on future Peugeot designs, does not relate to any existing Peugeot model and adds little to the automotive design world in general.

[R-34]

yes this car is build to race in Europe, not sure but race it in, but it start with "Cup"

The C2 Sports Concept Car is the forthcoming Citroen C2 partially disguised with an extreme sports body and interior typical of a WRC, a sport in which Citroen has become a major player.

The C2 is based on a shortened C3 platform with three doors instead of the C3's five. The car will be the new entry level Citroen and replaces the Saxo.

Bold design features such as the front face and broken/stepped side DLO give the car a unique and interesting design idenity.

[R-34]

both Mercury Monterey and Ford Freestar are twin

Mercury Monterey and Ford Freestar
by Gary S. Vasilash

Binary star systems consist of two stars that rotate around a common mass. And this seems to be the situation with two forthcoming minivans from Ford Motor Company's Mercury and Ford divisions, the 2004 Monterey and Freestar. Briefly, the minivan that Mercury had offered, the Villager, was a shared platform with the Nissan Quest. The Villager is no more. But Ford Motor Company – insists James O'Connor, group vice president, North American Sales and Marketing – is making sure that Mercury is not going to go the way of some other vehicle manufacturers' marques (think of Oldsmobile and Plymouth). Mercury, he says, is back. Back in the fold (with all of its people moving from southern California to Dearborn), back with new product.

O'Connor insists that he's a pragmatic man (he's also a former president of Lincoln Mercury). And as he puts it, "If a brand doesn't have product flowing to it," then it is a brand that doesn't matter. But there's the Monterey. (And will be the Montego sedan for '05, as well as another midsize sedan and a small SUV coming). As the Villager shared with the Quest, the platform for the Monterey is shared with the Ford Freestar. The Ford Freestar is what was once the Ford Windstar.

And no matter how you look at it, the Monterey and Freestar are based on a common mass. And the genesis of that mass is certainly the current-generation Windstar. And just as when you look through a telescope at binary stars there can sometimes be a blurring of the two into one, the designs of the Monterey and Freestar are remarkably similar. Whereas the lines and surfaces on the Honda Odyssey and the forthcoming Toyota Sienna are sharper, these two minivans retain the Windstar's softer, more rounded approach to the sheet metal and polymer.

The primary differences in style between the two seven-passenger vehicles are discrete on the outside and more visible on the inside. Outside it is primarily cues. The Monterey's exterior cues are drawn from the Mountaineer SUV, where there is a certain upscale/industrial look. As Darrell Behmer, chief designer, Mercury vehicles, observed, "From its signature waterfall grille to the satin tail lamp bezels, the new Monterey heralds 'Mercury'. Our vehicles are evolving and adopting distinct Mercury 'DNA'. What you see on the Monterey is just the start." This DNA seems to be based largely on the satin aluminum elements, such as on the door and lift-gate handles, fog-lamp bezels, roof rack, and tail lamps. In the case of the Freestar, the vertical lines of the Monterey grille give way to a horizontal and vertical cross-hatching that's chromed on the two up-trim levels and body-colored on the two lower models. And while there is a piece of chromed trim at the top of the fascia, the garnishes are minimal on the Freestar. This is evidentially the more functional of the two.

Dimensionally, both vehicles are exactly the same: wheelbase 120.8 inches, length 201 inches, width 76.6 inches, height 68.7 inches.

So onto the inside of the vehicles, both of which have three rows of seats. One of the first things to note about both is that the third row folds flat into the floor with a rather simple counterbalance mechanism. Another similarity of the third row that is clever is that it can be flipped so that the back of the seat is parallel to the floor and the seat bottom is perpendicular to the floor: with the hatch open, people can sit in this seat with their legs dangling out. Moving to the front seats, the Mercury is being offered with heated and cooled, Imola leather-trimmed seats, which is exclusive to its class. The Freestar is more pragmatic in its approach to transport, with its interior emphasis more on things like cup holders, compass, and a conversation mirror. Inside the Freestar you can image hauling a football team. The Monterey will transport couples to the symphony.

The vehicles may visibly resemble one another, they may both be built at the same factory in Canada, but these are two divergent in their intended markets.

[R-34]

Does Ford have plenty of money or something? They build two of their model are exact the same, both out side and inside. At least they change something in the interior of Mecury since it a little bit expensive but no. :confused::confused:

[R-34]

Suzuki 2004 Verona and Forenza
by Gary S. Vasilash

Although Suzuki is actually a player in both the Japanese and European markets with regard to sales, when it comes to the U.S. market – although it is selling more products of late – its objectives are to greatly increase its sales ( to 200,000 by 2007, triple where it is right now). And so it is coming out with a mid-size sedan, the Verona, and a compact sedan, the Forenza. These are the first of nine new vehicles it plans to roll out in the next five years. Both of these vehicles will be built in Korea thanks to Suzuki’s participation in the General Motors-led GMDAT operation. This will help account for a comparatively low price-point for these vehicles, around $12,000 to $15,000 for the Forenza and $16-19K for the Verona.

So, you may be thinking: A Japanese brand, cars being built in Korea... and Italian names? That’s because the Forenza was penned by Pininfarina and the Verona’s exterior was executed by Italdesign. So the cars come by their names honestly.

The Verona has a look that is certainly more European than Japanese mid-sized vehicles have tended to be... but then the Accord changed that. The Forenza is a variant of the Nubira, late of Daewoo, so this small sedan has much more of an Asian look, its pedigree notwithstanding. One uncharacteristic departure on the Verona is on the roof, where there are roof-rack grooves stamped in in case someone is looking for a little more utility than is offered by the 15.4-cubic foot trunk.

Inside the Verona there’s an array of storage devices for everything from containers to PDAs. This is becoming seemingly de rigueur for passenger vehicles of all types. Power windows, doors, and mirrors. CD and cassette. Remote keyless entry and trunk release. And just lots of small touches that it hopes will help differentiate the vehicle, as well as a standard 2.5-liter DOHC in-line six that provides 155 hp at 5,800 rpm – an engine engineered with Porsche, no less.

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Verona

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Toyota Avensis

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Renault Kangoo

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Hyundai XG 350 V6

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Citroën C3 Pluriel

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Porsche Carrera GT

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Mercedes Vaneo 1.9 Line Imagination

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Rolls Royce Phantom

[convitcon]

Originally posted by R-34
Porsche Carrera GT


I'll die for her !!! darn !!!!!!!!!!

[dinhdong]

xe Porsche ddo' nhi`n dde.p te, ddo^. tha^'p te` te`, ddi wa bump la` tho^i luo^n, looks very nice though...ddi cho*? ga'i la` qua' dda~

[R-34]

Toronto Autoshow

Police car from Honda

[lowlife4ever]

Originally posted by R-34
Toronto Autoshow

Police car from Honda

if police are going to use this car, I don't how many times in a year that car in body shop:p :p :p :p :D :D

[R-34]

Originally posted by lowlife4ever
if police are going to use this car, I don't how many times in a year that car in body shop:p :p :p :p :D :D

true but you have the benefits from it, save alot of fuel plus the police got less time chase people down

[MuonChoi]

they will never use as police car. Where the dignity at. Using Japanese car for chasing crook. I still think they will use American car for that.

[R-34]

it is true that police from US sue the Ford company for their crown victoria. for their fuel tank exploded when another incoming traffic hit it from that rear?

[ntmt]

Originally posted by R-34
it is true that police from US sue the Ford company for their crown victoria. for their fuel tank exploded when another incoming traffic hit it from that rear?

Yes, It is true.

[R-34]

Originally posted by ntmt
Yes, It is true.

so what is going on now? i mean is the suit settle yet or they still in court?

[R-34]

Geneva

PEUGEOT 307 Coupé/Cabriolet,
origin: FRANCE

[MuonChoi]

no I think they are settle and they still using Ford Crown car. It power and body strength is far better than Japanese and/or European car. I think they will still using it.

[R-34]

Originally posted by MuonChoi
no I think they are settle and they still using Ford Crown car. It power and body strength is far better than Japanese and/or European car. I think they will still using it.

the better change way that they put the gas tank or more lives will be lost for something that they can prevent

[R-34]

Audi A8 L probably coming to US soon
origin: Germany

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pininfarina
origin: Italy

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Fiat Idea
origin: Austria i think

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Kia Opirus
origin: Korea

what does it look to you?

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Kia Opirus

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Renault Trafic
origin: FRANCE

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FRONT LOOK

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Toyota Avensis Sportswagon
origin: Toyota city, Japan

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Daewoo Kalos 1200 S
origin: Korea