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This was the biggest surprise of the show. Ken Okuyama, one of the industry's more prolific designers having held senior positions at GM, Porsche, Pininfarina and Art Center College of Design, announced a new car company producing his new sports car: the K.O7.
Taking inspiration from the Lotus Super Seven, the minimalist K.O7 is conceptually closest to the Ariel Atom and the KTM X-Bow; with its transverse mid-mounted four-cylinder engine, ‘cycle wing' fenders separate to the main car body and no windshield. The sister K.O8 coupe shown adjacent to the K.O7 differs in having integral fenders to the body a windshield and a detachable single-panel roof. Series production in Japan will begin later this year at a rate of about 100 per year at a price of approximately quarter of a million US dollars. This is a lot for such a minimalist car, but the K.O7 is dense with high-value design details.
Made of carbon fiber, with polished aluminum used for some core surfaces and structural parts - such as the roll over hoops and exposed door beams which double as door pulls - the car weighs just 750kg. The collaboration with Tag Heuer is evident inside the cabin, with the instrument dials having been influenced by the Swiss watchmaker's timepieces. There is a Spyker feel to the pleated red leather seats and the exposed polished aluminum toggle switches, handbrake and gear lever - all exquisitely detailed, and a long way from the crude execution typical for low-volume minimalist sports cars.
Wearing Ken Okuyama spectacles and sitting in a Ken Okuyama chair, Ken told us how he originally gave himself 20 years working for other people before he planned to set up on his own. And now, 22 years after he started at GM, he has his own brand producing his own designs, joining an elite few who are CEOs as well as chief designer at their own car company.
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Who's Where: Ken Okuyama parts company with Pininfarina
This is a concept car preview of the forthcoming production Meriva, which, like its predecessor, is based on a mix of Corsa and Astra underpinnings. As a compact MPV, the Meriva will fit into the Opel range below the seven-seat Zafira. But it has grown approximately 200mm over its predecessor to compete with the five-seat junior MPVs in Europe, such as the Ford C-Max and the Citroen C4 Picasso.
Beyond the more substantial proportions of the car, one of the most significant design features is the ‘suicide' (or ‘Flex-Door' in GM speak) rear doors - only the Mazda RX8 and Rolls-Royce cars have anything like this in production. Also evident at the side of the car is the stepped base line of the C4 Picasso-like DLO that will aid vision out of the car particularly for the junior rear seat occupants that this car is likely to have much of the time.
Another notable aspect to this design is its use of a side feature 'blade' line that dives forward and then hooks down and back on itself just behind the front wheel - a feature that was first seen in the GTC concept shown last year. The solution of the rear glazing that rolls down low over the lights to form the number plate surround is also innovative.
Inside, the IP has two levels and effectively comprises an IP sitting on top of another IP. A tan-colored shallow IP runs from the door inners over the top of a deep lower IP surface finished in a lighter color .
As well as having several distinct innovations, this Meriva is also a very well resolved design. We expect it to do well.
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Opel GTC concept - Geneva 2007
Although launched late last year, this was the first Motor Show debut for Citroën's new mid-size model that competes against the Renault Laguna, Ford Mondeo and VW Passat in Europe's important D-Segment market. Based on the same platform as the Peugeot 407, the new design is a vast improvement over the previous C5, with its random collection of disjointed lines and lazy surfaces.
Walking around the car with chief designer Alexandre Malval, he explained how the team wanted to express something new in the segment "Therefore we decided to make it a sedan not a hatchback, and the design represents a new design language for us that expresses fluidity in a more contemporary way". He pointed out the combination of elements from other recent Citroën models including the sharp DLO shape, low bodyside protector (here in chrome), boomerang-shaped headlamps and rear lamps from the C4, concave rear window as on the C6 and the necessary stance of short rear overhang that is an inherent part of Citroën DNA.
The rear window concavity is quite subtle here compared to the C6, but still allows a usefully-large trunk opening. The estate version - dubbed ‘Tourer' - appears more compact and sporty than its predecessor, although actual luggage volume is said to be class-leading. With a longer wheelbase than the 407, the cabin is a pleasant experience, particularly with the optional glass panorama sunroof. Notable features include the fixed-hub steering wheel, electric park brake and a beautifully fluid door panel insert that loops back on itself. The IP is a large slush-molding that greatly overhangs the glovebox area, in order to increase the impression of floating above the console, according to Malval. Top versions of the C5 have an impressive quality feeling, with the IP, doors and console hand-trimmed in smooth Nappa leather, a suede-like roof lining and soft-touch inserts on the door panels.
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Design Review: Citroen C6
Citroen C5 Airscape concept - Frankfurt 2007
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