Paris Show 2010 Highlights: Citroen Lacoste Concept

It’s a Tonka toy for grown-ups! Citroen’s new off-road concept, designed with the help of fashion label Lacoste, has been stripped back to the essentials to hint at a future economical supermini-sized SUV.

The Lacoste Concept measures 3.45m, making it over 50cm shorter than MINI’s Countryman and Nissan’s Juke. Aiming to steer customers away from these two, any production car based on this concept would form part of a new breed of tiny off-roaders in the mould of the 4x4 Fiesta seen here.

The car’s pared-back ethos evokes Citroen’s Seventies Mini Moke rival – the Mehari. This is evident on the dash, which is cleared of all clutter to leave a two-spoke steering wheel and LED display strip. It would be practical, though – the steering wheel can be moved out of the way to improve access, the rear bench can slide into the boot to carry large items and there is storage in the two benches.

The exterior is an evolution of 2007’s C-Cactus concept and features a high waistline, bulging wheelarches and a wheel at each corner. An innovative soft-top inflates along the centre rail to keep passengers dry. Power comes from a three-cylinder petrol engine, likely to be Citroen’s next-generation 1.2-litre unit, with 100g/km of CO2 emissions. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Paris Show 2010 Highlights: 2011 Chevrolet Captiva

Meet the fourth and final Chevrolet that debuted at the Paris Motor Show. The facelifted Captiva joined the Cruze hatchback, Aveo supermini and Orlando MPV on the firm’s stand, and features a new look inside and out, plus fresh engines aimed at enhancing the car’s appeal.

The most obvious change is the Captiva’s striking new front end, which features a reshaped bonnet, much more prominent split grille and narrower prism-style headlights.

The interior has also received attention with new seat fabrics and trim materials to improve the perceived quality, while the Captiva also gets Chevrolet’s favoured ice blue instrument lighting. Buyers still get the choice of five or seven-seat layouts.

The car also boasts a new audio system, with an Aux input, USB port and Bluetooth connectivity. Touchscreen sat-nav with a rear-view parking camera is now available as an option, too.

Under the bonnet, there are three new engine choices – a 169bhp 2.4-litre petrol and two versions of a 2.2-litre common rail diesel featuring 161bhp or 181bhp. All are connected to a new manual or automatic six-speed transmission, and all models get retuned handling to offer a sportier drive.

The new Captiva is set to go on sale in the UK next spring. For more details click here.
Thanks to: Auto Express