Kia Thinks Big with Track'ster Concept that Could Spawn a 3-Door

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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De Tomaso Mangusta Legacy Design Study Inspired by the 1965 Original

The revival of the De Tomaso brand at this year's Geneva Salon with the Deauville showcar inspired design graduate and digital artist Maxime de Keiser to craft a modern interpretation of the original Mangusta from the late 1960s (De Tomaso had revived the name with the production version of the Bigua concept in the early 2000s). Introduced in 1967, the first Mangusta was designed by the famed Giorgetto Giugiaro, who at the time worked for Turin-based coachbuilder Ghia, and was offered with a choice of Ford-sourced V8 engines. It was replaced by the cheaper to produce Pantera in 1971.
Keiser's design proposal blends several characteristic styling cues of the original Mangusta such as the low-placed headlamps with a more angular shaped body that features a pair of scissor doors.
“Like the original, it had to be spectacular and communicate an impression of wild ferocity and power while recalling the serenity of a feline at rest, and the elegance of the animal that doesn’t need to fear anything," says Keiser.
Story References: CarBodyDesign

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De Tomaso Lives! Italian Brand to Re-Launch in Geneva with a Premium Crossover Concept

Just like Pagani, De Tomaso is another Italy-based sports car manufacturer founded by an Argentinean, more exactly by former racing driver Alejandro De Tomaso. Known for its quirky models of the 1960s and 1970s like the Pantera, the company eventually went under the radar and ended up filing for bankruptcy in 2004.
Fortunately, it was bought five years later by ex-Fiat marketing executive and Lancia CEO Gian Mario Rossignolo, who decided to revive the iconic brand. Now, it seems that the Italian businessman’s efforts have come to fruition, as the revitalized automaker is planning to unveil a Pininfarina-designed premium crossover concept at the Geneva Motor Show.

Codenamed SLC (Sport Luxury Car), the design study is said to rival the likes of the BMW 5-Series GT and Lexus RX-450h.
According to reports, the SLC will have an aluminum body, four-wheel drive and three engine choices: 550HP V8 and 300HP V6 gasoline engines, plus a 250-horsepower diesel unit.
De Tomaso plans to build some 3,000 units of the crossover annually, and if everything goes according to plan, it will be followed by a luxury sedan and a coupe, also built from aluminum. Projected sales for these two models are 3,000 and 2,000 units respectively.
The Italians are going to invest €116 million (US $172 million) into the project, with the cars being manufactured at a former Pininfarina plant, using an innovative technology called Univis said to considerably simplify the manufacturing process.

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Renault Captur: Juke-Sized Crossover Convertible Concept Demonstrates New Design Language

Remember the Renault DeZir sports coupe concept from the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show? If you don't, you can refresh your memory here, but in short, the two-seater study herald the French firm's new and more curvalicious design strategy on a sports car. Fast forward to today, and Renault has unveiled a new concept model called the Captur, which applies the DeZir's design philosophy on a three-door small crossover with a removable hardtop.The Captur will receive its world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Salon.


“It takes as its basis the fundamental design language introduced on the DeZir concept car but adds a more technical dimension – more functional but still highly sensuous," said Renault's director of concept cars, Axel Breun,
The French firm said that for the exterior designer, the main sources of inspiration were athletes and radical sports with styling references to equipment such as helmets, gloves and other protective gear.
The Captur, which is close in size to alliance partner Nissan’s Juke, is crafted from carbon fiber and features a removable hardtop that allows it to transform from a coupe to a convertible crossover. Other highlights include the butterfly doors and extra-large tires fitted to 22-inch black and white rims.
The colorful and futuristic-looking interior that can seat four passengers features fluorescent highlights picked out by a constant stream of light. "My main sources of inspiration were the human body, outdoor sports and urban styling," explains the colour and trim designer, Kana Watanabe. "I wanted Captur to radiate warmth and dynamism."
Power for the Captur comes from a 1.6-liter twin-turbocharged diesel engine concept with 160HP, developed from the new Energy dCi 130HP that will eventually replace the firm's current 1.9 dCi unit. The oil-burner is paired to a dual clutch EDC gearbox, and according to Renault, it emits less than 99g of CO2 per kilometer.
The Captur also comes with numerous technological advancements including a new RX2 mechanical self-locking differential and the Visio-System with a forward-facing camera mounted at the top of the windscreen providing driver-assistance functions.

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Lotus Joins Forces with Mansory to Tune the Evora

Mastering the fine art of tuning is a complicated process and, judging by the sheer number of overkills one can see on the web every day, it’s clear that only a few have what it takes to do a good job. For Lotus that special someone is Swiss tuning firm Mansory, which is responsible for the creation of an Evora concept that will be presented at the Geneva show in the beginning of March.

The automaker released two pictures of the special version 2+2 sports coupe, while also stating this:
“Let’s be clear on this: contrary to media reports, what you’ll see in Geneva is NOT an Evora facelift. It’s a taste of the future of Lotus product customisation. Merely the first toe in the water and a showcase of the potential future.”
From what we can tell, the modified Evora features a new front bumper with bigger air intakes and inserts, which appear to be made out of carbon fiber. The same lightweight composite material seems to have been used for the side vents, mirror housings, side skirts, greenhouse, rear spoiler and oversized diffuser. The 10-spoke alloys with a glossy black finish are also new.
While we can’t say that the Evora is our favorite Lotus, overall the bodykit looks nice and it seems that the Brits are really on to something good here.

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BMW's Geneva Show Vision ConnectedDrive Roadster Concept Signals the Return of the Shark Nose

Truth to be said, we miss a lot of things from the BMW cars of the pre-Bangle era, but if we had to single one out, it would most likely be the characteristic and aggressive shark-nose of the old-school bimmers. However, BMW's new concept roadster model that was revealed today ahead of its world premiere at the Geneva Salon in March, may very well signal the return of one of the German firm's most characteristic styling traits.
The concept study is called the Vision ConnectedDrive, and with its reveal, BMW is launching a new design language and an array of intelligent driver information technologies that will find their way in future production models.
The two-seat roadster model was penned under the supervision of BMW's new head of design, Adrian von Hooydonk. Aside from the pointier front end with the shark-nose grille, you should also pay attention to the cleaner overall design, the blending of taut and multi-layered surfacing treatments and the shape of tail lights.

The interior is far more futuristic but the minimalistic design philosophy may be applied in a more production kind of way in the next generations of the BMW models.
As mentioned previously, the Vision ConnectedDrive also showcases numerous technologies including a fully programmable instrument cluster with , three-dimensional displays plus a separate HUD (Head-Up Display) unit, and various driver assistance systems.
BMW did not mention anything in the press announcement about the roadster concept's powertrain hardware, which could mean that the Vision CD is a static study with nothing under the hood.

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