What's New In Auto Design

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Fiat Ducato Truckster concept





At the Madrid Motor Show, Fiat have presented the Ducato Truckster concept. Created by the Fiat Style Centre in collaboration with several suppliers, this original concept vehicle is generously proportioned at 6480 mm long, 2550 mm high and 2490 mm wide.



The design accentuates sporting performance applied to a commercial vehicle, with features like 28 inch wheels, LED headlights, hydraulically-controlled gullwing doors, smoked glass windows and a massive rear spoiler. Like the Ducato it is also modular, intended as an 'adventure' vehicle for transporting race cars or motorbikes, or even as a runway for fashion shows.







Changhe Ideal II





First introduced in China in 2003, the Changhe-Suzuki Ideal has been revamped as the Ideal II. Designed in Italy by Bertone, the styling is a little more adventurous than the name: the exterior has grown larger headlamps and more volume is given to the body-side, aided by the groove feature. Thick A-posts give further strength to the design, framing the clean window graphic and holding in place the deep roof.







Inside, the symmetrical IP uses a clear twin-hoop theme to graphically define driver and passenger areas, hinting at the potential for right-hand conversions for exports. The second-generation car has grown by 40mm in width and length, now measuring 3.6m, with a 1.4 four-cylinder replacing the 1.1-litre unit.



Opel Corsa





Opel has released pictures of the new Corsa, which will make its debut in July at the British Motor Show. Sharing its platform with the Fiat Grande Punto, styling is closer to the larger Astra with dynamic cab-forward proportions. Aided by the strong chin, an additional pane in the side-glass also enables a more forward-reaching profile -- as chief designer Niels Loeb said "this is just what we wanted the coupe-like three-door Corsa to be."



Inside, the IP neatly evolves themes from the outgoing model, with cues also shared with the new Antara SUV. Yellow lighting behind translucent controls offsets the dominant grey tones, in an interior that otherwise aims to continue the range's reputation for spaciousness and ease-of-use.







The new Corsa will be available with five engines from launch: 1.0, 1.2 and 1.4-liter petrol with 1.3 and 1.7-liter diesel options, the latter producing 125PS. Street-racers will have to wait until January for the 200PS VXR version. Key dimensions: length 3990mm, height 1490mmm, width1710mm.



FAW Hongqi Benteng





First Automobile Works [FAW] has unveiled their new Hongqi Benteng at the Hangzhou Motor Show near Shanghai, China. The Benteng is first of a new generation of Hongqi models, and is based on the Mazda 6, as a result of their partnership with the Japanese brand.







Like the 6, the Benteng is a four-door sedan, masculine styling eschewing the more fluid look of the Mazda, while a large grille and sheer surfaces emphasises its solidity. Inside, the IP is also more conservative in using beige upholstery cropped with black, offset by a wood trim. The Benteng is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 163PS, and will be priced from US $25,000 when it goes on sale in August.



BMW Concept Coupe





BMW unveiled their latest concept in the run up to the contemporary Mille Miglia, a road race for cars that competed during the original event held between 1933 and 1957. The BMW 328 that set the fastest time in 1940, averaging over 100mph, has also provided inspiration for the Coupe Concept, which mixes the older car's silhouette with surfaces closer to the Z4 on which it is based.







Powered by BMW's seminal 343PS engine, the car is wrapped with carbon-fibre reinforced plastic [CFRP], whose form is defined by designers using plaster rather than clay "for a closer emotional experience". The rear combines classical forms with BMW's exploration of asymmetry first seen on the X-Coupe concept of 2001. The interior is crafted from just three materials: thin stainless steel, untreated cowhides and Lycra. 40mm lower than the Z4, the BMW Coupe Concept is also 230mm longer at 4321mm.



Citroen C-Buggy concept





Citroen will show their latest concept in Spain at the Madrid Motor Show next week. Chopping the roof off last year's C-AirPlay brings the concept closer the Smart Crossblade seen in 2001, and proposes a potential direction for a more leisure-orientated supermini.







Just as open-cars are philosophically opposed to closed ones, Citroen has carried this equation through to the trim as well: the gray exterior of the C-Buggy contrasts with the white of the C-AirPlay, while the green interior inverts its forbear"s rouge. The two will appear side-by-side at the Spanish show, which runs until 4 June.



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Citroen C-AirPlay



Aston Martin DBS





Aston Martin has shown pictures of the next Bond car, the DBS. Based on the DB9, the DBS is more muscular and sits menacingly on polished 20" wheels. Additional inlets on the sill, hood and bumper also connect the car with the DBR9 racing car, their depth more powerfully planting the car on the road. The exterior is painted in unique "Casino Ice", with details including nickel-finished headlamps as previously executed on the Rapide concept in Detroit.







Inside, seats are trimmed with quilted suede and contrast stitching, the same material mixed with carbon-fibre on the steering wheel. Sitting 25mm lower than the DB9, the DBS also weighs 300kg less with power pushed to over 500PS. It will make its screen debut in the remake of Casino Royale in November. Naturally, the car's serial number is 007.



Opel Antara





Opel unveiled their new SUV at the opening of the new design center in Germany last week. Taking cues from the Antara GTC concept shown in Frankfurt last year, the production version shares its platform with the Chevrolet Captiva. More premium-feeling than the Captiva, the Antara combines the concept's "stylish-body-on-rugged-base" theme with shorter overhangs than the Chevrolet, though the roofline rises to accommodate the two additional doors. Unlike most recent Opel models, the side character-line does not extend the entire length of the body, but wraps around the fender air vents, allowing more sculptural front wheelarches.







The Antara will be available with three engines from launch: a 2.4l four-cylinder petrol, a 2.0l 150PS diesel, and the range-topping 3.2l V6 that produces 224PS. The Opel Antara will make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in September.



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Opel Antara GTC concept



Ferrari 575GT Zagato





Zagato recently unveiled their bespoke Ferrari 575GTZ at Villa d'Este Concours d'Elegance in Italy. Zagato, based in nearby Milan, was commissioned by Japanese collector Yoshiyuki Hayashi to create a new body for his 575M in the style of the 250GTZ Berlinetta.







Despite the same underpinnings as the 575M the whole car has been remodelled, striking a balance between its Fifties forebear and more contemporary Ferraris. Marking the 50th anniversary of the 250GTZ, the 575GTZ uses similar two-tone paintwork over a more voluminous form, the flanks now wrapping under the rocker with enlarged rear haunches and slim side-vents, as on the 250GTZ, while the front also bears graphic resemblance to the 599 GTB and 612 Scaglietti.



The Ferrari 575GTZ will join Hayashi's extensive private collection, which includes a 250 Spider California, two Daytonas and a 166MM.



Faralli and Mazzanti Antas V8





Farralli and Mazzanti, an Italian classic car restoration company, has created their first touring car, the Antas V8. Exhibited the other side of the border from Villa d'Este at the Top Marques exhibition in Monaco, the Antas V8 is also the first car created entirely in-house by Farralli and Mazzanti.







Powered by a Maserati V8 -- with carburettors -- the Antas V8 is inspired both philosophically and materially by past "special series". To this end, it is entirely built by hand using aluminium, whose form is most distinctive at the rear where the screen is split by a prominent fin. The profile is characterised by voluptuous haunches.



Buyers of the Farralli and Mazzanti Antas V8 will also be presented with a case containing photographs and DVD documenting the car's manufacture.



Russo-Baltique Impression





One hundred years since its conception, the Russo-Baltique brand has been resurrected for a show car at Villa d'Este Concours d"Elegance. Once the maker of cars for Russia's Royal Court, the country's Revolution suspended Russo-Baltique's activities after the First World War, only restored in 2003 when work on the new Impression began.







The car aims to demonstrate a high level of quality, using materials such as Zebrano, an African wood, to trim the interior. The four-seat cabin is accessed via two large reverse-opening doors that sit halfway along a 5.2m profile. While the exterior owes much to the Thirties, under the hood is a more contemporary bi-turbo V12 producing 555PS borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.



The Russo-Baltique Impression will cost around $1.8million, and with production not exceeding three units each year, exclusivity is guaranteed. Construction will take place in Munich, Germany.