Global Vehicles

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Saab 9X

There is nothing understated about Saab's new 9X concept unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Saab is often technologically innovative—even daring—yet in recent years the styling of most of its cars has been conservative, understated, and modest. So the four-seat 9X concept is a mold breaker in more than one sense. Said to be the first of a series of concept cars from the Swedish automaker, the 9X is described by the company as a sports car although it appears to be more of a sports coupe. Powered by a prototype turbocharged, 3.0-L, 224-kW (300-hp) V6 engine driving all wheels via a six-speed sequential manual gearbox, the 9X's shape—a cross between sports coupe and station wagon—is said by Saab to have been inspired by the Saab J21 fighter of World War II. It has slim A-pillars, each of which contains an airbag. Seats are contoured "like a fighter aircraft" but controls, buttons, and switches are minimal. Instead, like BMW, Saab has opted for a multi-function control system. It uses a mouse-like control on the transmission tunnel that involves a rotating and clicking movement to display menus on a dashboard screen.

Interior lighting is based on a type of electroluminescent foil. It emits a bluish light from the air vents under the dashboard and along the outlines of the doors and side panels. There are no exterior door handles and no keys. The Saab "recognizes" the driver and the doors open, interior lights are illuminated, and a greeting message appears on the instrument panel. The 9X's luggage area has a 60-L (2-ft³) volume, which can accommodate a bicycle.

Saab's 9X concept coupe takes design cues from a 1940s Saab fighter aircraft and offers unusual versatility.

Saab has used aluminum and steel for the car's chassis. The roof comprises two removable, powered glass panels. The car does not have reinforcements to connect its small C-pillars. According to Saab, the structural integrity of the car is ensured by the permanent roof rail, a stressed crossmember connecting the B-pillars. Removing the rearmost glass panel provides a pickup mode. The bottom-hinged tailgate (the top inboard section carries rear lights) can be lowered to provide added carrying capability, and there is an extra 200-mm (7.9-in) luggage platform length available via a telescopically extending floor. It has sidewalls that retract longitudinally into the wheel arches. Curb mass of the 9X is projected to be 1330 kg (2932 lb). Its wheelbase is 2.7 m (8.9 ft), with an overall length of 4.0 m (13.1 ft).

The 9X came out of Saab's Advanced Concept Center, which has no permanent staff but uses specialists from departments within the company.

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Renault Talisman

Renault is majoring on its new frontal image from concepts like the Talisman to productin cars like the Vel Satis.

Patrick le Quément, Renault's Senior Vice President, Corporate Design, takes the business of concept car creation very seriously. He has demonstrated such concepts as the Vel Satis coupe and the luxury Avantime that in whole or in part point the way toward production cars. This year it is particularly the interior of Renault's gullwing-door Talisman that may be an indicator of things to come from the French manufacturer: the aim has been to replace technological complexity with simplicity.

Gullwing doors are featured on the Renault Talisman concept.

"Talisman clearly illustrates an idealized vision of how we imagine tomorrow's car interior should be," said le Quément at the Talisman's unveiling in Frankfurt. "The gullwing door design was chosen for the way it reveals and enhances the interior." Carbon-fiber seats follow the contours of the body. The shape of the dashboard is described as evoking an aircraft wing. The upper section pivots upward to reveal stowage space.

The 4.4-L V8 beneath the hood of the Renault Talisman, its pedal-design concept, and its instrument layout may indicate production thinking.

The car's seats are fixed but the dashboard and pedal box can be electrically adjusted. Four dials positioned on either side of the steering wheel were produced using crystal discs with laser-engraved numerals. The seats combine leather and plastic and incorporate an air pocket that can be inflated or deflated to adjust seat height. The car uses "keyless go" technology, has three rear-facing cameras, and makes extensive use of direct voice input. According to Renault, the Talisman showcases Touch Design, signaling the beginning of a far-reaching philosophy that will characterize the interior of Renault vehicles in the future; le Quément underlines the importance of tactility and the fact that controls must combine ergonomic and aesthetic functions—the aesthetics actually encouraging use.

Externally, the Talisman has a radiator grille that reflects Renault's new marque identity seen on the Vel Satis sedan. The windshield extends into two strips of glass to form the roof panel stretching back to form a V-shaped rear windshield. The Talisman is powered by a 4.4-L V8 engine driving the rear wheels.

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MG X80

The Qvale Mangusta-based MG X80 is more prototype than concept.

The MG X80 coupe is more a prototype than a concept. Unveiled by MG Rover at Frankfurt, the design has emerged from Qvale Automotive, now part of the British company, using the Qvale Mangusta platform. The X80 has an aluminum body mounted on a steel box-section chassis. The car has an independent wishbone suspension and its powertrain is front engine, rear drive. It features a 4.6-L V8 engine in two states of tune—the higher, supercharged version developing around 285 kW (382 hp). A 2+2 seater, the car will be launched next summer. A roadster will follow. The X80—at present just a codename—will be MG Rover's top-of-the-range model. Full details will be released later.

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Nissan Primera for Europe—plus concepts

Nissan's new Primera sedan has a bold look, and the new Primera station wagon gets clean lines. The Primera is aimed at European markets.

Nissan took its new Europe-focused Primera to the Frankfurt Motor Show and flanked it with two new concept cars, the Crossbow 4x4 plus the mm.e, which gives a flavor of the next Micra. In Europe, Nissan's previous Primeras have been widely regarded as worthy and with high build quality, but conservative and evoking little charisma. Now comes a refreshingly new production-ready (the concept was shown at Paris last year) Primera with sharp styling.

Carlos Ghosn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan Motor Co. wants it to become "the most distinctive brand in Europe." Nissan regards the latest Primera, which is European-styled (Stéphane Schwartz, Studio Chief Designer, Nissan Design Europe, was responsible for the exterior) and British built, as having a "futuristic" exterior and interior. Compared with its predecessors, it certainly has.

Nissan's Crossbow concept has angular styling; its interior mixes luxury with utility.

Instruments are centrally placed but angled toward the driver. The car offers intelligent cruise control, a rear-view camera to assist reversing, and Nissan's centrally located control unit that operates major onboard functions. Initially available in sedan and station wagon forms, a five-door hatchback will follow next summer. The design is described as a "monosilhouette" to distinguish it from traditional three-box configurations. The car has a front and rear multilink suspension. Engines span 1.6- to 2.0-L gasoline plus a 2.2-L common-rail direct-injection turbo-diesel. The larger engines drive through a standard six-speed gearbox.

The Crossbow, powered by a V8 engine, has a chunky, angular exterior with straight-edged wheel arches and a practical but luxurious interior that includes gearshift and differential lock selectors that look like airliner throttle controls. The rear doors are hinged at their trailing edges.

The Nissan mm.e with its very small overhangs presages the next Micra.

The mm.e is a three-door, four-seat hatchback optimized for urban use with notably short overhangs. Nissan also showed its latest pickup truck, called, simply, Pickup. Its engine is a 2.5-L turbocharged, intercooled direct-injection diesel that produces 98 kW (131 hp) and 304 N•m (224 lb•ft) at 2000 rpm. It has a four-door double cab.

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