The first Lamborghini vehicle penned by new design chief Walter de'Silva will be a revived Miura concept introduced last night at the Los Angeles auto show. The first Miura bowed 40 years ago at the 1966 Geneva Show; the new concept stays faithful to its lines in the same way Ford's GT concept honors the GT40 before it. No details of the mechanicals have been released, but it's conceivable that a production version of the new Miura could use the Murcielago V-12. More information will accompany the concept, which will be on display at the Detroit show.
It's not the sort of car you'd drive in Detroit on a cold winter day, but Volkswagen's global brand boss, Wolfgang Bernhard, is betting the GX3 concept will resonate with California consumers. Any resemblance to the Tomahawk superbike the German executive unveiled in Detroit several years ago, while working at the Chrysler Group, is anything but coincidental. Since jumping to VW, Bernhard has been stressing the need to revive the automaker's reputation for unusual, fun-to-drive and affordable vehicles. The GX3 is a three-wheel two-seater specifically designed for the Los Angeles market, Bernhard explained, during VW's auto show news conference.
It rides on two wheels up front and a single, motorcycle-derived rear wheel. The chassis is a chrome-moly spaceframe, and under its composite body panels, the GX3 is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine making 125 horsepower. That's more than enough to launch the 1300-pound running prototype from 0-60 in just 5.7 seconds and for it to hit a top speed of 125 mph. For the fuel-conscious, it will also deliver about 46 miles per gallon. This is "so friggin' crazy," Bernhard bluntly declared, adding that the goal was to "think beyond the basic" needs for transportation. "It's not about the metal," Bernhard stressed. "It's about the emotions. Lest one think the GX3 is just a fantasy, like the Tomahawk, Bernhard told TheCarConnection.com that Volkswagen is seriously considering limited production of the GX3 and has even "lined up partners." Sources tell TCC that Lotus would assist in suspension development of a production vehicle, which "would be built in the United States," according to Bernhard, and if given the go, would reach West Coast dealers by the 2007 calendar year.
2007 Volkswagen Eos |
GTI and Eos Share the VW Stand
"Volkswagen was most successful when we weren't mainstream," said global brand director Wolfgang Bernhard, though compared with the GX3 concept, the new Eos and GTI are pretty much aimed at the heart of the market. First unveiled in Frankfurt last autumn, the Eos is VW's new hardtop convertible - or more accurately, a coupe-sunroof-cabriolet. Its five-section foldaway top can be partially retracted in a more conventional sunroof mode, as well as a full convertible. It will be offered, starting later this year, with an array of engines, including a 2.0-liter turbo.
2007 Volkswagen GTI |
The fifth-generation GTI, meanwhile, is designed to return to the nameplate's affordable roots. It features a torquey 200-hp turbo 2.0-liter engine mated to either VW's DSG electronically-shifted manual gearbox or a more conventional six-speed stick.
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