Italdesign Guigiaro's Polo-Sized VW Tex Coupe and Go! MPV Concepts

Italdesign Giugiaro celebrates its official Volkswagen property status with the the Tex and Go! concepts, both based on VW's upcoming modular transverse architecture. VW hopes use this architecture to cut down on development costs by having a vehicle system that can house a variety of power trains from the start.

Starting with the sportier of the two "A0" segment concepts, the Tex is Italdesign's take on "tomorrow's sporty Volkswagen". This baby Scirocco - approximately the size of a Polo and named after Italian comic hero Tex Willer - is a front-wheel drive sport hatch powered by a Twin Drive hybrid plug-in system.

Mated to a 7-speed DSG, this allows for up to 35 kilometers of electric travel, a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph), and a sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in "about 6 seconds".

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READ MORE - Italdesign Guigiaro's Polo-Sized VW Tex Coupe and Go! MPV Concepts

U Spy: Italdesign Giugiaro's Geneva-Bound Volkswagen Concept Cars

Carscoop reader Torben tipped us off this morning about the addition of two Volkswagen concept cars penned by the Italdesign Giugiaro studio at the European patent office. Given the recent reports on the world premiere of two new design studies from Italdesign Giugiaro to mark its integration to the VW Group at the Geneva Salon next week, we'd say it's almost certain that these are the cars being readied for the Swiss motor show.

The first concept is a tall and narrow five-door hatchback model with seating for four passengers, while the second model appears to be a sportier looking three-door variant with a lower roofline and more aggressive lines, in the likes of the Scirocco. We can't tell for sure, but it is possible that these two cars are roughly the same size as the Polo.

We'll dig around to see what else we can find on the two concept cars and keep you posted on any updates.

Many thanks to Torben for the tip!

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

READ MORE - U Spy: Italdesign Giugiaro's Geneva-Bound Volkswagen Concept Cars

U Spy: Italdesign Giugiaro's Geneva-Bound Volkswagen Concept Cars

Carscoop reader Torben tipped us off this morning about the addition of two Volkswagen concept cars penned by the Italdesign Giugiaro studio at the European patent office. Given the recent reports on the world premiere of two new design studies from Italdesign Giugiaro to mark its integration to the VW Group at the Geneva Salon next week, we'd say it's almost certain that these are the cars being readied for the Swiss motor show.

The first concept is a tall and narrow five-door hatchback model with seating for four passengers, while the second model appears to be a sportier looking three-door variant with a lower roofline and more aggressive lines, in the likes of the Scirocco. We can't tell for sure, but it is possible that these two cars are roughly the same size as the Polo.

We'll dig around to see what else we can find on the two concept cars and keep you posted on any updates.

Many thanks to Torben for the tip!

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

READ MORE - U Spy: Italdesign Giugiaro's Geneva-Bound Volkswagen Concept Cars

ItalDesign’s Nazca Reborn in Sabino Leerentveld Homage

Ever since the demise of BMW’s M1 in 1981, designers and illustrators alike have speculated on the look of a possible successor to the Bavarian automaker’s only mass produced, mid-engined vehicle. Some – like industry stalwart ItalDesign – have gone so far to build full scale, drivable mock-ups.

One such speculative mock-up was ItalDesign’s Nazca M12 of 1991 featuring a mid-mounted V12 and BMW’s ubiquitous rear wheel drive. The Italian design house also presented a race-spec version of the car called the Nazca C2 at the 1992 Tokyo Motor Show, followed by a Spyder model in 1993.

Now, twenty years later, Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld has resurrected the Nazca C2 in the form of this rather slick homage.

With its sculpted aerodynamic flanks, EfficientDynamics-inspired nose and pillars cleverly secreted behind its massive glasshouse, Leerentveld’s Nazca homage is quite a wonder to behold. In fact, one could also most say it's more production ready than ItalDesign’s 2008 concept. And, dare I say it, slightly less fussy in the styling department.

As always, you shouldn’t take my word for it. Check out our gallery below and deliver your verdict in the comments.

Source: Sabino Leerentveld

READ MORE - ItalDesign’s Nazca Reborn in Sabino Leerentveld Homage

Lotus CEO Says Concept City Car will Enter Production in "October 2013"

It appears that Aston Martin won't be the only British sports car maker to have a controversial small city car in its range. Lotus chief executive Dany Bahar told Car magazine that the Concept City Car, which was previewed at the recent Paris Motor Show alongside five sports car studies, has been approved for production. The comapny's CEO said the car will be manufactured in cooperation with Lotus parent company Proton and an undisclosed third party.

"Our city car has been confirmed and will be launched in October 2013," Mr. Bahar told the British magazine. "We are doing this together with Proton and another OEM [original equipment manufacturer, or car maker]. We will build three versions: one for the Asian market, one for Europe and a sportier one."

The Lotus flavored Concept City Car is based on one of the three Giugiaro-penned Proton EMAS design studies, which were first shown in Geneva earlier this year.

Built on a platform that was designed in-house by Italdesign Giugiaro, the EV concept model features a 45 kW (75kW peak power) electric motor that can be recharged by a 1.2 liter 3-cylinder engine. The hybrid plug-in drive system was developed entirely by Lotus. Unlike the front-wheel drive iQ-Cygnet, British supermini gets a rear-wheel drive setup.

With a total vehicle weight of less than 1400 kg [3,086 lbs] and 240 Nm [177 lb-ft] of torque instantly available, the City Car concept is said to complete the 0 - 50 km/h sprint in 4.5 seconds and the 0 - 100 km/h [62 mph] in 9 seconds, when operating as an EV under battery power. The top speed is pegged at 170 km/h, [105mph] with a charge sustaining top speed of 120 km/h [63 mph].

The pure electric drive range is 50 km or 31 miles, but can be extended to a total of 500 km or 311 miles when the petrol engine kicks. Lotus claims that the drivetrain returns CO2 emissions of 60 g/km.

Mr. Bahar did not say if the production model will keep the concept's extended-range hybrid drivetrain or if Lotus will offer the car with a traditional petrol engine as well.

Lotus City Car Concept Specifications

Layout: 3-door, 4-seater, rear-wheel drive
Drivetrain Series hybrid drivetrain
Range extender engine 35 kW, 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engine
Engine fuel Flex-fuel (methanol, ethanol and petrol)
Battery Capacity 14.8 kWh
Power/Torque 162 kW peak (54 kW continuous)/240 Nm, 0-50 km/h 4.5 seconds, 0-100 km/h 9.0 seconds
Top speed 170km/h
Range 500 km
EV range 60km
CO2 emissions 60g/km on the ECE-R101 cycle
Weight Less than 1400 kg
Transmission Single-speed transmission

READ MORE - Lotus CEO Says Concept City Car will Enter Production in "October 2013"