British Motor Show 2006 Highlights

Opel/Vauxhall Corsa

The new Opel/Vauxhall Corsa is the most significant new design to be launched yesterday at the press day of the newly reintroduced British Motor Show. The Vauxhall brand is used in the UK, while the Opel brand is used in the rest of Europe

The three and the five door versions have similar DLOs to the Astra three and five door versions to give them distinctly different identities to each other, with A-pillars pushed far forward to move the Corsa into a more mono-volume architecture. Influences from the very successful Peugeot 206 are perhaps evident in the lamp graphics and overall 'sporty' image, but the biggest impression is how large this small car is - it's 3999mm long, 1707mm wide and 1488 tall - 150mm longer, and 50mm wider and taller than its predecessor.

Inside the car employs much of the materials and design elements that the Astra established such as a technical grain IP material, although a relatively broad spread of different interior materials are new for Opel.

Despite the size increase, in the flesh the new Corsa appears to successfully tread that fine line between sturdy and sporty, serious and distinctive. But it does not move the class on after last year's Clio, Punto and Yaris.

Related Stories:
Opel Astra - Frankfurt 2003

Land Rover Freelander 2

The Freelander 2 replaces the original model that was launched in 1997 as one of the first 'soft' SUVs on the market in Europe. The body is all-new, with a longer wheelbase, roomier cabin and improved on-road and off-road capability to underpin the essential 'tough/authentic' Land Rover brand image. In essence, the design combines elements from the Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport styles and downscales them into a pleasant, if unremarkable, design that completes Land Rover's current brand identity across the range. All the familiar Land Rover design cues are faithfully reproduced from the castellated clamshell hood and stepped roofline to the large square taillamps and side vents. On the plus side, the car certainly has a clear overall design character and looks more solid with a stronger beltline and more geometric forms but the downside is there's little unexpected edge anywhere to the styling.

On the interior, one is immediately impressed with the low-set IP that offers excellent visibility forwards over the hood and is a vast improvement in quality from before. Rear access to the tip'n'fold rear seats is improved and passengers should avoid getting clothes dirty on entering, due to the way the doors overlap the door sills. New features include the use of matte woods and subtle tactile details on switchgear and vents.

Design Development story coming soon...

Mazda MX-5 Roadster Coupe

Mazda are covering all bases with the world debut in London of the Retractable Hardtop version of the new MX-5 (Miata). Continuing the philosophy of 'Jinba Ittai' - an intimate driver-car relationship that can be likened to the synergy of rider and horse moving as one - the Roadster Coupe avoids the over-complication and compromises of package and chassis stiffness that afflict many other retractable hardtop cabrios, with an additional weight of only 37kg. The three-piece roof retracts into the well behind the seats keeping the weight within the wheelbase and the trunk still free for luggage. The rear tonneau cover motors rearwards and upwards like a wing during the transformation, a movement that's far more elegant than rival retractable hardtops. To accommodate the roof the entire rear fender and trunklid are subtly remodeled - the lid now being around 20mm higher than the roadster model.

The fast roof retraction time of 12 seconds and the fact that the trunk room is unaffected means the new model expands the MX-5 fan base without compromising its essential simplicity and for urban customers it will be the default choice, removing any anxieties of security when parked. In the USA the new model will be known as the Miata Power Retractable Hardtop.

Chrysler Sebring

The UK is the second largest market outside the USA for Chrysler sales, hence the launch in London for the new 2007 Sebring model. Said to be inspired by the 1930s Chrysler Airflyte model, the design takes cues from both the larger 300C and the sporty Crossfire models and successfully combines them into a mid-size sedan that will compete with the VW Passat and Opel Vectra in Europe. Gone is the old cab-forward stance and massive front overhang of the outgoing Sebring model, to be replaced with a more European-looking proportion with a sharply-diving crease down the bodyside and an arched upper cabin. Shame about the black rear cheater panel to fake the DLO graphic though - there are more faithful ways to achieve that without resorting to such crass solutions on this class of car.

The interior reminds one of the successful 300C, with a touch of Mercedes CLS about the upper IP architecture - maybe not a bad mix of DaimlerChrysler parenthood. The combination of aluminium, chrome and tortoiseshell inserts provides a high quality impression, while other neat touches include a heated/cooled cup holder and fold-flat passenger seat function.

Mitsubishi i

We covered the Mitsubishi i at its debut in Tokyo last year, but this is the first time it has been shown in Europe where it will potentially be very influential on future small car design.

Mitsubishi are showing the car to evaluate whether they should introduce the i to the UK market (having been conceived exclusively for the Japanese market there is no possibility of left hand drive production and thus sales in mainland Europe). As we wrote last year - the significance of the i is in its innovative packaging of its small three cylinder engine behind the rear axle under the boot floor. This rear engine configuration was used by Renault, Fiat, Rootes Group and NSU amongst others several decades ago, but was then superseded by front engine front wheel drive powertrains. Now, as powertrains can be packaged smaller and made lighter, and as crash performance demands more of the front end of cars, the Mitsubish i (like the Smart For Two) shows the potential for a new type of modern rear engine small car. As a result of this package it has an exceptionally long wheelbase (the same as the far larger Volkswagen Golf despite being 200mm shorter in length than a Mini) which provides roomy cabin and great visibility.

It's unlikely to be a big seller in the UK - it lacks the high quality interior, it is rather narrow (and thus lacks the sure footed stance of European small cars like the Fiat Panda) and at 9000 Pounds it won't be particularly cheap - but may likely influence the big sellers of the next decade.

Related Stories:
Mitsubishi i - Tokyo 2005
Design Review: Mitsubishi i

Honda View Suspended

We were going to report on the new three door Honda Civic, but the design is very close to the five door launched last year and View Suspended is a more interesting debut shown on the Honda stand.

Honda Lucky Strike Formula One team commissioned contemporary art consultants Artwise who in turn commissioned artist Paul Veroude to create this unusual piece as one of a series under the title 'Tribe Art'.

In essence it is an exploded diagram made real. Hanging down from thin wire cables are the majority of the components of a Honda Lucky Strike Formula One car spread over an area approximately four times that of the footprint of the car when whole. Created to demystify the racing car - to make explicit the emotive ingredients of the car - View Suspended explores the idea also that the car is in some respects less than the sum of its parts - at least for the non-petrol / gear head audience for whom a modern racing car is an impenetrable technical artefact.

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