This is the Peugeot HX1, a concept car to explore the theme of French luxury. It’s a sleek people carrier with an exquisite cabin, featuring natural oak structures and a slatted roof that casts light and shade across indulgent white leather seats.
The HX1 raises a fascinating question: how did France – home to haute couture fashion and gourmet cuisine – permit the rational, formal Germans to define and monopolise the luxury car? It’s not that France doesn’t periodically try to do premium: the Citroën C6, Renault Avantime and Renault Vel Satis are recent and engaging attempts at Gallic luxury. Which all flopped.
Peugeot HX1: a very Gallic concept car
Peugeot’s Frankfurt show car is reminiscent of the Avantime in particular, that four-seat coupé with a galaxy’s worth of space. The HX1 is the length and width of Mercedes’ R-class MPV, but it stands only marginally higher than Peugeot’s own RCZ coupé. The HX1’s long, low interior volume is optimised for four seats, though a middle row of perches can slide out from behind the front seats to accomodate six people. A daft compromise: the HX1 is all about two rear passengers luxuriating in the same legroom as a Maybach 63 limousine.
Per Selvaag, Peugeot’s head of advanced design, is a thoughtful and opinionated commentator. A Norwegian national of Chinese descent living in France, Selvaag has a clear mission for his latest concept car. ‘I’m trying to tell the world something about Peugeot as a brand. It’s a condensed version of Peugeot’s direction, a signal of our thinking, a marker: design direction, architectures, customer reaction – there are so many things we can gauge.’
Pegueot: up or down?
Peugeot, like all mainstream car companies, is a determined social climber, desperate to boost its brand image and drive up its list prices, euro by euro. The HX1 is a small chip in this game. Selvaag wants the HX1 to capture the attention of Vogue readers as well as CAR readers, so there’s a tie-up with couture shoe designer Pierre Hardy, who commissions Italian artisans to forge his one-off designs. The ex-ballet dancer has created collections for Hermes and Dior, so he epitomises French luxury.
Hardy has designed a ‘concept shoe’ which dovetails with the HX1’s theme of duality and adaptability. The shoe is in two parts: a comfortable slipper perfect for heel and toeing, which slips into a towering edifice for teetering into a Sir Elton John gala night. Similarly the HX1 is adaptable: flaps between the spokes in the 21-inch wheels fold out to smooth air flow, while the rear spoiler can alter its position to reduce drag, increase downforce or act as an air brake.
This duality continues inside. The front seats have a different beige and grey leather colour scheme, and the environment is stripped back and driver-focused – compare that with a Porsche Panamera’s button-strewn definition of luxury. In the white-coloured rear, centre console buttons control lots of gadgets, and there’s a pampering coffee machine and minibar.
Peugeot HX1: very French luxury
‘What does French luxury smell like, feel like?’ asks Selvaag. ‘The French can have pizazz, flamboyance and energy. This project is to show French premium is different to any other premium.’
The use of materials is imaginative. Blocks of oak form part of the door structure, pierced by fibreoptic cables to ooze warm light, and Carrare marble adorns the rear compartment. And with the glass roof now commonplace, Selvaag’s team experimented with a slatted headliner, pouring light and shade into the cabin for a unique ambience.
HX1 is the fourth concept of Peugeot’s new design era, which kicked off with the beautiful SR1 roadster in January 2010. The HX1 features the floating grille, sculpted surfaces and boomerang rear lamps filtering through to Peugeot’s production cars.
‘Our form language will be consistent: you won’t see fish one year, fowl the next,’ says Selvaag. ‘The SR1 was our blueprint, which we are looking to expand. We want to show it applies to other architectures: HR1 or EX1 or SXC. These cars illustrate its flexibility, and ram home the viability of our current design language.’
Peugeot HX1: another hybrid
Peugeot-Citroën’s Hybrid4 drivetrain – exclusive to the French for now – powers the HX1. Up front, a 204bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine turns the front wheels, while a 70kW hang on electric motor spins the back axle. Total output of this four-wheel drive system is 299bhp. The new development is plug-in capability: the lithium-ion battery pack can be charged from the mains for an 18.6-mile electric range. Combined fuel consumption is calculated at 88.2mpg, with 83g/km of CO2.
With its novel powertrain, a sleek but muscular form and a beautiful cabin, the HX1 is a luxurious one-off. Could it become a production car to give France a successful premium challenger? The C6 and 607 were too unremarkable to crack the German saloon hegemony; a wonderful idea like the Avantime was hamstrung by terrible quality. But their failure doesn’t mean all French premium cars must fail. The Espace, S-Max, Scenic and Touareg have all proven that fresh concepts or high quality, desirable products in unretrenched market segments can succeed.
Imagine reclining in the HX1’s rear seats, sunlight dancing across your face, swept along on a supple French suspension. That experience would eclipse any feeling that the Mercedes R-class and BMW’s 5-series GT can offer. Neither of those Germans are world-beaters. If anyone is going to crack the luxury people carrier niche, it should be Renault, Citroën or Peugeot. Because as Per Selvaag says: ‘Nobody can beat the French at being French.’
Thứ Ba, 28 tháng 2, 2012
Alfa Romeo 4C (2012) more official pictures
Yes, yes - it's only a new paint job on the Alfa Romeo 4C concept car. But the 4C remains one of our favourite show cars in recent years, so we're only too happy to show off its new Fluid Metal colour scheme.
The 4C will be shown again at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show on 13 September. Alfa calls the Fluid Metal paint 'like a sheet of forged metal' and it certainly suits the new compact Cayman rival from Turin.
Alfa Romeo 4C: a refresher course
None of the tech spec of the 4C has changed. It's still very compact, at just 4 metres long and a stubby 2.4m wheelbase (it's only a two-seater), making it closer to a Lotus Elise than an Evora.
Alfa promises the production 4C - which we'll see on sale in late 2012 - will stick with the clever construction seen on this concept car and derived from big brother the 8C. That means carbonfibre and aluminium to keep weight as low as 850kg, the carbon tub coming from composite specialists Dallara.
The 1750 petrol turbo will provide the fireworks, paired to Alfa's TCT twin-clutch gearbox. Alfa Romeo promises 'over 200bhp' and says the mid-mounted four-cylinder engine accounts for a 40:60 front:rear weight distribution.
So the Alfa 4C will be damn fast?
You bet. It's light and powerful enough for a top end over 155mph and 0-62mph in less than 5.0sec, predicts Alfa. Sources at the company have told CAR to expect nearer 165mph/4.5sec.
That lavish material mix will swell the showroom price to around £40,000, but we still predict long queues once production starts in late 2012.
Turin forecasts 1500 sales of the 4C each year, around a fifth destined for the United States - marking the return to the US for a sorely missed brand.
The 4C will be shown again at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show on 13 September. Alfa calls the Fluid Metal paint 'like a sheet of forged metal' and it certainly suits the new compact Cayman rival from Turin.
Alfa Romeo 4C: a refresher course
None of the tech spec of the 4C has changed. It's still very compact, at just 4 metres long and a stubby 2.4m wheelbase (it's only a two-seater), making it closer to a Lotus Elise than an Evora.
Alfa promises the production 4C - which we'll see on sale in late 2012 - will stick with the clever construction seen on this concept car and derived from big brother the 8C. That means carbonfibre and aluminium to keep weight as low as 850kg, the carbon tub coming from composite specialists Dallara.
The 1750 petrol turbo will provide the fireworks, paired to Alfa's TCT twin-clutch gearbox. Alfa Romeo promises 'over 200bhp' and says the mid-mounted four-cylinder engine accounts for a 40:60 front:rear weight distribution.
So the Alfa 4C will be damn fast?
You bet. It's light and powerful enough for a top end over 155mph and 0-62mph in less than 5.0sec, predicts Alfa. Sources at the company have told CAR to expect nearer 165mph/4.5sec.
That lavish material mix will swell the showroom price to around £40,000, but we still predict long queues once production starts in late 2012.
Turin forecasts 1500 sales of the 4C each year, around a fifth destined for the United States - marking the return to the US for a sorely missed brand.
Fiat Panda (2012) first official pictures
This is Fiat’s new 2012 Panda – incredibly, only the third generation of Panda in the range’s 31-year history. Not that buyers seem to mind the glacial rate of progress: Fiat has sold 6.5m Pandas over the past three decades.
The new 2012 Panda squeezes more space into the compact footprint; it’s 3650mm long, 1640mm wide and 1550mm high – enough, says Fiat, for five passengers and the biggest boot in segment.
New Fiat Panda (2012): the new wardrobe
You won't mistake this for anything other than a Panda: that distinctive third side window cuts a dash and those swollen wheelarches are a Panda trademark.
The interior of the new Panda is more versatile than ever, with a sliding rear seat and a front backrest that flops into a table for picnics on the go. There are cubby holes galore, clever thin seat backs to boost knee room and the ability to use the entire length of the cabin to carry lanky items.
The engineering of the new Panda
Underpinning the 2012 Panda is an evolution of Fiat's small car architecture. Up front are MacPherson struts, while the rear axle deploys the familiar torsion beam suspension.
The engines are familiar fare from the Fiat empire: the TwinAir two-cylinder petrol engine will be available in 64bhp 0.9 Aspirated TwinAir form and 84bhp 0.9 TwinAir Turbo guise.
Other four-cylinder choices include the 68bhp 1.2 FIRE petrol and 74bhp 1.3 Multijet diesel. Stop-start and gearchange advisory messages will be available too, as is Fiat's Dualogic robotised manual transmission.
Fiat Panda: gadgets and gizmos
Safety is provided by four airbags, anti-lock, pre-tensioner seatbelts and daytime running lamps, while an auto-brake function that will pull an emergency stop at up to 20mph around town is coming. A giant glass sunroof dubbed Skydome is optional, while all Pandas come with switchable electric power steering that maintains the finger-light City mode if you like to spin the wheel on your little finger.
Production of the new Fiat Panda kicks off in winter 2011. It'll be built at the upgraded Giambattista Vico factory in Naples. Fiat makes great play of the fact that the plant now uses 603 state-of-the-art robots to improve the build quality of the new Panda.
The new 2012 Panda squeezes more space into the compact footprint; it’s 3650mm long, 1640mm wide and 1550mm high – enough, says Fiat, for five passengers and the biggest boot in segment.
New Fiat Panda (2012): the new wardrobe
You won't mistake this for anything other than a Panda: that distinctive third side window cuts a dash and those swollen wheelarches are a Panda trademark.
The interior of the new Panda is more versatile than ever, with a sliding rear seat and a front backrest that flops into a table for picnics on the go. There are cubby holes galore, clever thin seat backs to boost knee room and the ability to use the entire length of the cabin to carry lanky items.
The engineering of the new Panda
Underpinning the 2012 Panda is an evolution of Fiat's small car architecture. Up front are MacPherson struts, while the rear axle deploys the familiar torsion beam suspension.
The engines are familiar fare from the Fiat empire: the TwinAir two-cylinder petrol engine will be available in 64bhp 0.9 Aspirated TwinAir form and 84bhp 0.9 TwinAir Turbo guise.
Other four-cylinder choices include the 68bhp 1.2 FIRE petrol and 74bhp 1.3 Multijet diesel. Stop-start and gearchange advisory messages will be available too, as is Fiat's Dualogic robotised manual transmission.
Fiat Panda: gadgets and gizmos
Safety is provided by four airbags, anti-lock, pre-tensioner seatbelts and daytime running lamps, while an auto-brake function that will pull an emergency stop at up to 20mph around town is coming. A giant glass sunroof dubbed Skydome is optional, while all Pandas come with switchable electric power steering that maintains the finger-light City mode if you like to spin the wheel on your little finger.
Production of the new Fiat Panda kicks off in winter 2011. It'll be built at the upgraded Giambattista Vico factory in Naples. Fiat makes great play of the fact that the plant now uses 603 state-of-the-art robots to improve the build quality of the new Panda.
Audi S6, S7 and S8 (2011) first official pictures
To offset its two tiny Urban concept cars and prove it’s still a sporty, performance-inspired brand, Audi will unveil not one but three hot S models at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September.
The Audi S6, S7 and S8 are all powered by the company’s new 4.0-litre V8, with the most powerful iteration offering up 512bhp.
Are the Audi S6, S7 and S8 all available with 512bhp?
Alas not – only the flagship S8 limo boasts the full-fat 512bhp. The engine in question is Audi’s new 4.0-litre V8, and it’ll also find its way into the Bentley Continental range in the near future.
Twin turbos and direct-injection fuel technology help the new unit crank out 479lb ft in S8 guise (all the way from 1700 to 5500rpm), and combined with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, dispatch 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds, hit its 155mph limiter with ease, and achieve 27.7mpg on the combined EU fuel cycle.
New ‘cylinder on demand’ tech – which can deactivate four of the eight cylinders – also contributes towards the improved fuel figures (the old V10-engined S8 averaged 21.4mpg despite boasting 69bhp less), as does stop/start tech. A new Active Noise Cancellation system (ANC) broadcasts 'an antiphase sound through the speakers of the sound system' to cancel out intrusive sound elements, and there are also electronically controlled engine bearings that use 'targeted counterpulses' to cut out low-frequency vibrations.
And for those that are fed up with hearing about fuel economy, a self-locking centre differential and Audi’s rear Sport diff are standard. Plus the air suspension has been tweaked by Quattro GmbH too, 20in wheels (shod with 265/40 tyres) feature all round, while braking is by 400mm discs up front and 365mm discs at the rear.
Carbon-ceramics are an option, and Audi claims each one saves over 5kg. A butcher bodykit and quad exhausts complete the exterior makeover, while sports seats, a sports steering wheel, and many other ‘sports’ items add a, err, sporting touch to the interior.
And the S6 saloon and S7 Sportback?
Don’t forget the A6 Avant either; all three use a 414bhp version of the new twin-turbo V8. Torque is down to a paltry 406lb ft (from 1400 to 5300rpm), with the S6 cracking 62mph in 4.8 seconds, and the S6 Avant and S7 completing the benchmark sprint a tenth slower. Once again fuel consumption is massively improved over the outgoing 5.2-litre V10, but in isolation 29.1mpg (S6 and S7) and 28.8mpg (S6 Avant) don’t sound too impressive.
Stop/start again features, as does Audi’s ‘cylinder on demand’ technology and ANC, and these 'lesser' models mate Quattro drivetrains to seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes.
Quad pipes (a trademark of Audi's S models; RS cars have twin oval exhausts) and more aggressive bumpers toughen up the outside, there are the usual go-faster updates inside, and while 10mm lower air suspension is standard, the rear Sport diff is optional.
The Audi S6, S7 and S8 are all powered by the company’s new 4.0-litre V8, with the most powerful iteration offering up 512bhp.
Are the Audi S6, S7 and S8 all available with 512bhp?
Alas not – only the flagship S8 limo boasts the full-fat 512bhp. The engine in question is Audi’s new 4.0-litre V8, and it’ll also find its way into the Bentley Continental range in the near future.
Twin turbos and direct-injection fuel technology help the new unit crank out 479lb ft in S8 guise (all the way from 1700 to 5500rpm), and combined with four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic, dispatch 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds, hit its 155mph limiter with ease, and achieve 27.7mpg on the combined EU fuel cycle.
New ‘cylinder on demand’ tech – which can deactivate four of the eight cylinders – also contributes towards the improved fuel figures (the old V10-engined S8 averaged 21.4mpg despite boasting 69bhp less), as does stop/start tech. A new Active Noise Cancellation system (ANC) broadcasts 'an antiphase sound through the speakers of the sound system' to cancel out intrusive sound elements, and there are also electronically controlled engine bearings that use 'targeted counterpulses' to cut out low-frequency vibrations.
And for those that are fed up with hearing about fuel economy, a self-locking centre differential and Audi’s rear Sport diff are standard. Plus the air suspension has been tweaked by Quattro GmbH too, 20in wheels (shod with 265/40 tyres) feature all round, while braking is by 400mm discs up front and 365mm discs at the rear.
Carbon-ceramics are an option, and Audi claims each one saves over 5kg. A butcher bodykit and quad exhausts complete the exterior makeover, while sports seats, a sports steering wheel, and many other ‘sports’ items add a, err, sporting touch to the interior.
And the S6 saloon and S7 Sportback?
Don’t forget the A6 Avant either; all three use a 414bhp version of the new twin-turbo V8. Torque is down to a paltry 406lb ft (from 1400 to 5300rpm), with the S6 cracking 62mph in 4.8 seconds, and the S6 Avant and S7 completing the benchmark sprint a tenth slower. Once again fuel consumption is massively improved over the outgoing 5.2-litre V10, but in isolation 29.1mpg (S6 and S7) and 28.8mpg (S6 Avant) don’t sound too impressive.
Stop/start again features, as does Audi’s ‘cylinder on demand’ technology and ANC, and these 'lesser' models mate Quattro drivetrains to seven-speed dual-clutch gearboxes.
Quad pipes (a trademark of Audi's S models; RS cars have twin oval exhausts) and more aggressive bumpers toughen up the outside, there are the usual go-faster updates inside, and while 10mm lower air suspension is standard, the rear Sport diff is optional.
Ford Evos concept car (2011) news and pictures
Ford launched its new Evos concept as no less than its new global design direction at a pre-Frankfurt show event in Berlin yesterday.
Pay attention to the new Evos - it sets a blueprint for life after the Kinetic design language that has shaped Fords for the past few years.
All its design big guns were in attendance to reinforce the Evos’s worldwide significance from overall design chief J Mays to his two regional executive design directors, Martin Smith and Moray Callum. Mays declared: 'The Evos gives a clear message about where Ford design is heading – shaping vehicles that are fun to drive, have a strong premium visual appeal and are stunningly beautiful.'
So how has Ford’s face changed with the new Evos concept car?
The big, inverted trapezoidal front grille already seen on the Fiesta and Focus has moved higher up the car and replaced the extra moustache-like slim grille above. The Blue Oval is smaller, less dome-like and now tucked on the bonnet. Much slimmer and more angular front lights complete the look and, Mays boldly said, will make the cut on future production cars with scant change.
The side of the Evos looks pretty special too...
The fastback, four-door proportions of the Ford Evos feature two straight and taut side feature lines and a pumped-up rear wheelarch akin to the best-looking coupes but Mays reassured that these details along with the raked-back window graphic will be scalable up or down across Ford’s whole range – from sedans to crossovers.
Isn’t there more than a hint of Aston Martin about the design cues on the Evos though?
Head of the exterior team Stefan Lamm begs to differ.
He told CAR: 'It’s a compliment to be compared to such premium brands but the inverted trapezoidal grille is definitely part of Ford’s DNA.'
The quadruple gull-wing doors look great too but won’t make production. Remind me of the point of the Evos again?
Martin Smith told CAR GAMES that the Evos is 'a deliberately ambiguous format about the length of a Focus Estate with the track of a Mondeo,' and purely designed to show a new design direction.
A more pre-production concept set to debut at Detroit in January 2012 and heralding the next Mondeo/Fusion will reveal more.
Pay attention to the new Evos - it sets a blueprint for life after the Kinetic design language that has shaped Fords for the past few years.
All its design big guns were in attendance to reinforce the Evos’s worldwide significance from overall design chief J Mays to his two regional executive design directors, Martin Smith and Moray Callum. Mays declared: 'The Evos gives a clear message about where Ford design is heading – shaping vehicles that are fun to drive, have a strong premium visual appeal and are stunningly beautiful.'
So how has Ford’s face changed with the new Evos concept car?
The big, inverted trapezoidal front grille already seen on the Fiesta and Focus has moved higher up the car and replaced the extra moustache-like slim grille above. The Blue Oval is smaller, less dome-like and now tucked on the bonnet. Much slimmer and more angular front lights complete the look and, Mays boldly said, will make the cut on future production cars with scant change.
The side of the Evos looks pretty special too...
The fastback, four-door proportions of the Ford Evos feature two straight and taut side feature lines and a pumped-up rear wheelarch akin to the best-looking coupes but Mays reassured that these details along with the raked-back window graphic will be scalable up or down across Ford’s whole range – from sedans to crossovers.
Isn’t there more than a hint of Aston Martin about the design cues on the Evos though?
Head of the exterior team Stefan Lamm begs to differ.
He told CAR: 'It’s a compliment to be compared to such premium brands but the inverted trapezoidal grille is definitely part of Ford’s DNA.'
The quadruple gull-wing doors look great too but won’t make production. Remind me of the point of the Evos again?
Martin Smith told CAR GAMES that the Evos is 'a deliberately ambiguous format about the length of a Focus Estate with the track of a Mondeo,' and purely designed to show a new design direction.
A more pre-production concept set to debut at Detroit in January 2012 and heralding the next Mondeo/Fusion will reveal more.
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