February 2012 ~ News Car Design

At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show today, GMC lifted the wraps off its facelifted Acadia crossover that enters the new model year with a retouched exterior, higher quality materials inside and new safety features. The exterior redesign brings a new front end with a more prominent and upright grille with three-bars that was previewed by GMC's recent concept models like the Sierra HD All-Terrain, along with LED running lamps, and new headlamp and bumper designs.

At the back, we find new taillamps, a re-sculptured bumper, a wrap-around rear glass and a new rear spoiler, while GMC also introduced a fresh set of 18-, 19- and 20-inch wheels.
According to GMC, the interior benefits from upgraded soft-touch materials, with French stitching and a red ambient light that flows across the dashboard.
The top-of-the-line Acadia Denali enhances the crossover's updated looks with bespoke exterior and interior parts such as the 20-inch machined wheels, the polished grille, interior wood trims and leather seating.
Another highlight is the introduction of the GMC’s new front center air bag system that deploys from the inboard side of the driver’s seat and positions itself between the driver and front passenger.
"While no restraint technology can address all body regions or all potential injuries, the front center air bag is designed to work with the vehicle’s other air bags and safety belts to collectively deliver an even more comprehensive occupant restraint system," said Gay Kent, GM executive director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness.
Even though the Acadia continues for the 2013MY with the same 288-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 that offers a towing capacity is 5,000 pounds (2268 kg), it gets a new Hydra-Matic 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission with better shift response and improved drivability.
The updated Acadia and Acadia Denali will arrive in showrooms across the U.S. in late 2012.

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Without doubt, the spotlights at this year's edition of the Chicago Auto Show are on the Koreans. Following the presentation of Hyundai's new Elantra GT and Coupe models, its sister company Kia has unveiled an impressive concept model for a sporty, three-door version of the Soul called the Track'ster Of course, if you throw in a pair of round headlights and vertical tail lamps, the Track'ster could very well be a conceptual proposal for high-performance Mini model…

That's not to say the Track'ster hasn't got character but many details like the alloy wheel designs, the blacked out front pillars, the two-tone paint job and the prominent LED driving lights on the lower part of the front bumper do have a certain British flavor.
"The idea was to make the Track'ster tough looking, like a bulldog," said Tom Kearns, chief designer for Kia's Californian design studio, which was responsible for the creation of the Track'ster.
"But the car had to be approachable as well. We wanted to base the car in reality so people instantly knew it was a Soul, but with a lot of attitude. It had to be a bold interpretation that would change people's conceptions of what a sporty Kia could be," Kearns added.
Other notable highlights include the heavily beefed up wheel arches to cover up the 245/40-19-inch front and massive 285/35-19-inch rear Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 high-performance tires, while the concept's wheelbase is stretched to 101.2 inches, almost an inch longer than the production Soul. The car's width stands at 75.5-inch width, which is more than five inches wider than the regular five-door Soul.
Inside, Kia's designers opted for a two-seat layout with a new dashboard design and the usual futuristic trim you find on concept models.
Under the hood, you'll find Hyundai and Kia's 2.0-liter turbocharged four rated at 250-horsepower and linked to a short-throw six-speed manual transmission. Surprisingly, Kia fitted the Soul-based concept with an electronically controlled four-wheel-drive system.
The Track'ster rides on a lowered sports suspension and features 14-inch Brembo vented and cross-drilled disc brakes with by six-piston calipers in front and 13.6-inch discs paired with four-piston calipers at the rear.
Kia says that it has no current plans to produce the Track'ster, but we wouldn't be surprised if the company decides otherwise in the very near future.

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