Volvo XC60, seductive contrasts
“This is a Volvo the way I want it to be. A Volvo all my own, if you will.” Steve Mattin is categorical – according to the designer, the XC60 presented at Geneva just over [...]
Lancia Delta, a question of class
Immediately after the debut of the Delta HPE ‘concept’ during the Venice Film Festival in September 2006 at Venice’s La Fenice theatre, Lancia’s designers vowed to do their utmost to ensure that the car’s style, [...]
Fioravanti Hidra, windscreen wiper goodbye
Fioravanti does not like to be boxed in by the mere term ‘stylist’, and he is universally recognised as a designer in the broadest sense of the word. For many years this engineering graduate has, [...]
C5 sedan&break, Citroën’s gamble
The M2 segment is one that many of the big names in the European market would like to dominate. It is a segment in which a marque must express personality, but without shocking a rather [...]
Aston Martin DBS, from 007 with passion
The transition from “Casino Royale” to reality has not been a short process. The Aston Martin DBS driven by James Bond was only a sketchy shell of Gaydon's current pride and joy, derived from the [...]
Volkswagen Up!, iconic simplicity
The design of future Volkswagens will be simple yet iconic, expressing images of functional, robust and universal products. Witness to this is a trio of small concept cars, which stood apart from the crowd at [...]
Italian coachbuilding, the challenges of today and tomorrow
The difficult and painful Bertone case, for which we hope the best possible solution is found for Nuccio, this historical company and its 1,500 employees, has sparked much discussion on the present situation and destiny [...]
BMW 1 Coupé, the timing of a concept
“This isn’t just an additional model to the 1 Series range, we’ve been planning the Coupé since the start”, begins a straight-talking Chris Bangle at the unveiling of the new sports model at Frankfurt. “This [...]
Audi A4, perfect balances
“It’s so simple, it’s almost difficult to describe” begins Walter de’ Silva, director general for design for the Volkswagen Group, as he introduces the new A4, presented at Frankfurt this September. The A4 is the [...]
Peugeot 308, symbol of transition
A car symbolising progressive, considered evolution. The Peugeot 308 officially debuting at the 2007 edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show – the French marque’s new C segment – perfectly embodies a process of gradual transition [...]