Future Cars: Other Makes

More of TCC's Future Cars

 

 

FERRARI

Ferrari's forthcoming replacement for the 575M Maranello will be dubbed the 600 Imola and is expected to debut in 2006. The new car will be a V-12 front-engine coupe with seating for two, but is expected to become a considerably larger car (gaining especially in length) with roomier cabin and luggage compartments. Power will be delivered by a new 6.0-liter engine adopted from the Enzo and 612 Scaglietti models. Technically, the 600 will draw heavily on the 612's body-panel-on-aluminium-space-frame technology and mechanical underpinnings, including engine, transaxle transmissions, and front and rear suspension corner modules. Consequently, the 600 will not be considerably lighter than the 4056-lb 612 Scaglietti. But specially tweaked suspension geometries, damper and spring settings as well as shorter gear ratios will provide for a much sportier driving experience. The 6.0-liter engine, rated at 540 hp in the 612 Scaglietti and 660 hp in the Enzo, is expected to be tuned for around 580 to 600 hp in the Imola.

COMING: An open-top "Barchetta" spyder version of the Imola is rumoured to debut in 2007 or 2008, i.e. one to two years into the F600 Imola's series production.

 

LOTUS

It means "demanding," in French, and Group Lotus is counting on some of the most picky U.S. buyers to plunk their money down for the new Exige Coupe . The pint-sized hardtop shares its platform and most of its mechanicals with roadster Lotus launched last year, the Elise. That includes the Toyota-derived, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine making 190 hp and 138 lb-ft of torque. With a stiff suspension based on Elise's performance package, the Exige is being aimed at potential buyers likely to want to do some serious racing, or at least log occasional track time. Every body panel, but for the doors, is new on Exige. The roof can be removed, though not easily, since it's designed to improve aerodynamics. So is the new front fascia, as well as the big rear wing. Add it all up, says product executive Simon Croft, "and it's like having a baby rhino sitting on your roof at 100 mph." Yet while the coupe's top speed dips 2 percent, to "just" 147 mph, the Exige's 0-60 times match the top-performing version of Elise, at 4.7 seconds.

A Europa coupe has been shown but no U.S. plans are confirmed by Lotus.

 

 

MASERATI

 

 

 

MITSUBISHI

 The Mitsu Eclipse coupe is being joined by a convertible version set to show up at the Detroit auto show in four weeks. Mitsubishi confirmed the appearance by issuing this sketch of the new ragtop, which it will sell as a 2007 model. The convertible will offer 2+2 seating and a choice of GS or GT trim levels; four- and six-cylinder engines are expected, and a 650-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system will be an option.

The Outlander gets restyled and re-engineered for 2007. The new Outlander, Mitsu says, gets its power from a 2.4-liter 16-valve four coupled to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The five-seat Outlander - with seats for two more in a pinch, according to a release - has a refined new body style and a refined all-wheel-drive system with integrated stability control. A 250-hp V-6 is expected to be among the options for the new vehicle, which goes on sale in Japan next month and in the U.S., in 2006.

 

 

Mitsubishi's stand at the recent Tokyo Motor Show showed the Concept X, a thinly disguised version of the next Lancer/Evo. The Concept-X, Mitsu says, carries over the Evo's "ruthlessly mechanical road machine image" while pointing directly at the future of the next Lancer/Evo. The concept sports a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manumatic transmission and Super All-Wheel Control, Mitsu's version of all-wheel drive. Aluminum roof and hood panels lighten its load on the road.

 

 

 

PORSCHE

Will the company get a true four-door? Porsche has recently registered the name Panamera, and it's expected to be the name of a new concept to be shown next fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It could also be the name of a similar production vehicle expected for the 2008 calendar year. The Panamera will be built at the Leipzig factory alongside the Cayenne, and sources are estimating an annual production of nearly 20,000 units. The sleek rear-wheel-drive four-seater will be powered by Porsche's 4.5-liter V-8 - either the 340-horsepower version, or the optional 450-horsepower turbocharged engine. A hot 500-horsepower version may eventually follow. The new chassis may be shared with Volkswagen in an arrangement similar to the one that spawned the Cayenne.

 

SUBARU

New versions of the Impreza/WRX are next up in the lineup, likely in the 2007 model year. The Impreza will likely get a new name, while the WRX may switch to a hatchback bodystyle.

 

SUZUKI

The new compact Suzuki SUV headed for these shores will be dubbed the SX4. Suzuki says its new global ute will be adapted to be sold in the U.S. alongside Suzuki's existing Grand Vitara. The new ute will offer a five-door body style with all-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, as well as a choice of either a five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. While European versions of the vehicle will be built in Eastern Europe, the U.S. version likely will be built in Asia. Dimensions include a wheelbase of 98.4 inches and an overall length of 162.8 inches. The 2007 model-year vehicle will be shown in Geneva and at the New York Auto Show next April.