1.3.2006
Geneva 2006: Product Initiative for Fun and Efficiency
With four world and three European premieres General Motors (GM) ushers in the new automotive spring season at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show (March 2 to 12). The futuristic Saab Aero X concept, the new Opel GT and the new Chevrolet Epica and Captiva models are unveiled for the first time. The GT will reach the market in spring 2007, the two new Chevrolets during the first half of 2006.
Also presented on the General Motors stand are three European premieres: the new Cadillac Escalade, the Chevrolet Tahoe with two-mode full hybrid system and the 310-hp Saab 9-5 Aero BioPower Concept, which can be run on pro-environmental, sustainable bio-ethanol (E85) fuel.
GM Europe President, Carl-Peter Forster: “This impressive product initiative clearly shows that our powers of innovation are not affected by current economic challenges. On the contrary, intensive global development cooperation within GM is yielding more and more tangible results. Our position in Europe is stronger than it has been for a long time.”
Saab Aero X, a futuristic sports coupé study
This futuristic concept, inspired by Scandinavian design and aircraft construction principles, is the star exhibit on the Saab stand this year. The Saab Aero X is the latest in a regular series of exciting concept cars from Saab, such as the 9-X (debut at the 2001 Frankfurt ‘IAA’ Motor Show), the 9-3X Crossover Coupé (Detroit, 2002) and the 9-3 SportHatch (2003 ‘IAA’).
This unusual two-seat sports coupé has an opening glass canopy that makes doors and roof pillars unnecessary and provides the driver with a uniquely unobstructed 180-degree view. The car has a 400-hp Bio-Power twin-turbocharged engine that is as environmentally compatible as it is powerful, and uses 100% bio-ethanol (E100) as its source of energy.
A weight-saving carbon fiber body, electric suspension control and all-wheel drive are among the technical highlights; its headlamps and all other lamps feature light-emitting diodes (LED). Inside the car, striking details include three-dimensional displays on acrylic panels that take the place of conventional instrument dials, a central control element resembling a PC mouse and the starter button.
Open Air Feeling on the Opel Stand
The new GT is the star on the Opel stand. It will reach the market in spring 2007. Featuring classic rear-wheel drive and a potent four-cylinder engine, this two-seat sports car with its dramatic styling echoes the concept of the original Opel GT, which was built from 1968 to 1973. The new Opel GT is fun to drive thanks to its front engine and rear-wheel drive, which together ensure a balanced weight distribution, and its 260-hp 2.0-liter ECOTEC turbo engine with gasoline direct injection.
Another fun factor is the fabric roof, which folds down to provide open-air enjoyment denied to the owners of the first GT. The roof disappears completely beneath a cover, further underlining the GT’s sporty silhouette with short overhangs and widely spaced 18-inch wheels.
In addition to the exciting GT, the dynamically styled Astra TwinTop will be presented on the Opel stand . Just on time to end the winter season, the full four-seater will reach dealers in spring.
Chevrolet: World premieres for Captiva and Epica
Chevrolet is continuing its European product offensive by presenting the Captiva and Epica: two world premieres of models that are about to reach the market. The Captiva compact SUV is notable for its expressive styling and its spacious, well-equipped interior trimmed in high-grade fabrics and other materials. The Captiva measures 4639 x 1849 x 1726 mm (length x width x height) and has a 2707 mm wheelbase. Five- and seven-seat versions will be available.
There is an initial choice of three engines, including a brand-new 2.0-liter diesel with common rail fuel injection and four valves per cylinder. It develops 150 hp at 4000 rpm and has a maximum torque of 310 Nm at 2000 rpm. The entry-level engine is a 2.4-liter inline four, with an output of 142 hp; the top Captiva model is powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine rated at 225 hp. Customers can also choose between models with front-wheel drive or automatically engaged all-wheel drive. The Captiva compact SUV, which will start to reach dealers’ showrooms throughout Europe in June, is Chevrolet’s first European model with ESP stability control.
The second Chevrolet world premiere in Geneva is the Epica midsize sedan. With its sporty but at the same time elegant outlines and spacious body (length/width/height 4805/ 1810/ 1450 mm), it aims to appeal to the current tastes and preferences of European drivers. For this newcomer, which will be available in the early summer, Chevrolet Europe is offering transverse-installed inline six-cylinder engines for the first time in Europe, with displacements of either 2.0 or 2.5 liters and outputs of 142 or 150 hp. The Chevrolet Epica will be available with a diesel engine by the end of the year.
Cadillac: European debut for new Escalade
Eight cylinders, seven seats, a 6.2-liter engine, five meters in overall length, four driven wheels, three interior climate zones and a width of two meters: these are the superlatives that sum up the new Cadillac Escalade. Its 6.2-liter V8 engine delivers 301 kW (403 hp) to the six-speed automatic transmission. In its styling, the new Escalade adopts the unmistakable idiom of the current Cadillac model program, but also points the way to future developments in brand design.
Cadillac is also exhibiting the new BLS in Geneva, sales of which are due to start in Europe on April 8. This four-door sedan (length/width/height: 4679/1753/1433 mm) with its sharp, clearly defined contours, bold wedge-shaped profile and elegant interior is renewed evidence of Cadillac’s characteristic design language. In technical terms, this Cadillac is a landmark in the brand’s history, since it is the first model to be available with a turbocharged diesel engine. Its 150-hp power output, like the 175-, 210- and 255-hp gasoline engines, positions it at the upper end of the power scale, with dynamic performance figures typical of this brand.
GM Forum: Design competency and alternative propulsion concepts
At the GM Forum, which is part of its stand in Geneva, the world’s largest automaker provides an overview of its designers’ creative work and its pro-environmental alternative propulsion technologies. The designers’ skills can be studied in a “Live Design Studio” including sketches, computer-aided renderings and clay models. Among GM’s wide range of environmentally compatible propulsion concepts, the focus in Geneva this year is on the two-mode full hybrid system and BioPower technology.
On display for the first time in Europe is the production version of the two-mode hybrid system in the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. The Vortec V-8 powered Tahoe Two-mode Hybrid is expected to deliver a composite fuel efficiency improvement of 25 percent when combined with Active Fuel Management™ cylinder deactivation technology.
GM has applied its two-mode hybrid system for the first time to transit buses. More than 380 of them, featuring this pro-environmental, fuel-saving GM hybrid propulsion, are currently operating in a total of 29 US cities and in Yosemite National Park. In Washington D.C. the first of 50 hybrid-powered buses is getting into service. In 2006, deliveries of a total of 216 GM hybrid-powered buses in six US cities are planned.
Next year, the GM transmission plant in White Marsh, Maryland (USA) will start production of the world’s first transmission for rear-wheel-driven vehicles incorporating the two-mode hybrid system. It will be seen first on GM’s Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrid SUVs, which will reach the US market in 2007.
GM, BMW and DaimlerChrysler are co-developing the two-mode full hybrid system, a patented hybrid technology with two modes, optimized for city and highway driving. The first mode operates at low speeds and loads. The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds and provides full engine power when conditions demand this, such as when passing, pulling a trailer or climbing a steep grade. The second mode integrates sophisticated electronic controls, such as Active Fuel Management™ and cam phasing allowing even more efficient engine operation.
European debut of the Saab 9-5 BioPower concept
Another exhibit in the GM Forum and further example for pro-environmental propulsion technology was first seen at the Los Angeles Motorshow in January and is having its European premiere in Geneva: the Saab 9-5 Aero BioPower concept. It is powered by a 310 hp, 2.3-liter turbocharged engine that runs on sustainable, pro-environmental bio-ethanol (E85) fuel. The concept car’s engine develops almost 20 percent more power output (310 instead of 260 hp) and 25 percent higher maximum torque (440 instead of 350 Nm) than the equivalent gasoline unit, while providing higher levels of environmental compatibility thanks to reduced CO 2 emissions.