This is an important new car for Lancia, as the brand has been limping for several years now with a odd range comprising of the small Ypsilon and Musa and the larger Thesis sedan and Phedra MPV. Based very closely on the Fiat Bravo launched last year, and previewed by the near identical show car at the Paris Motor Show in 2006, the Delta is a new lower-medium hatchback.

The first impression of the car is that it is large and, specifically, long. This is in part because it is indeed slightly longer than other cars of the class, but also because of the dark gray rockers and cant rail, the floating black roof and the six-light DLO. All of these elements visually lengthen the car. Voluminous surfaces - and the ‘up-scale' classic Lancia grille and lights - further this impression. Two other interesting exterior details are the car's beak-like nose and the way that the C-pillar doesn't quite connect with the roof.

Like the outside of the car, the inside aesthetic is new but not avant-garde: perfectly judged for the brand perhaps. The compact center stack that drops down just below the bottom lip of the upper IP, the typology of the instrumentation and the quality feel of the leather on the high specification models are all notable.

Overall this is a handsome, if conservative, design that successfully differentiates the Delta from the Fiat upon which it is based, despite sharing many components. But the next new Lancia needs to find a rather more progressive direction for the future.

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Lancia Delta HPE concept - Paris 2006

Bocanegra - the name given to this show car from Seat - means 'black mouth' in Spanish, referring to the blacked-out front of the car. This is essentially a large 'mono-graphic' encompassing the upper grille, the lamps and the broad lower grille. Within this black area, the lights and bumper beam are covered with one clear plastic mask, giving a unique and rather menacing appearance.

Previewing a forthcoming production design, the car's new face also joins the new interpretation of Seat's prominent side feature lines. Starting as the shut line between headlamp and hood, the front line sweeps backwards to the lower part of the rear fender ahead of the rear wheel in a single, very dynamic sweep. Where in previous Seats this has arced rearwards, now it slashes backwards with far less curvature. The way this is controlled in plan and elevation so that the slight curve accelerates backwards evenly from every angle it is viewed, is impressive. Another curve picks up just behind the door handle - a little abruptly - and arcs around into the rear tailgate, not into the top of the light as does the front feature line.

For some reason Seat was granting limited access to the interior, which is a shame as it appears to have had a lot of effort lavished on it. Looking in from outside the car, we could see non-geometric asymmetric air vent apertures covered in a metallic mesh - also used for the forward edge of the IP - a lot of high gloss black, exquisitely detailed instrumentation and a seemingly high level of quality.

The Bocanegra previews the replacement for the small Ibiza that is based on the Volkswagen Polo platform. And it also shows us how Seat are set to deliver a little more convincingly on their "auto emoción" brand statement with a more dynamic and expressive design. 

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Seat Tribu concept - Frankfurt 2007

Remember the Steyr Pinzgauer of the late 1960s? The Mila Alpin is a reinterpretation of that simple 4x4 vehicle and takes the idea for its styling and color scheme from the mountain rock and ice of the Alps. The car is split into two halves: the lower part is hard-edged and geometric and finished in rock gray. A low center of gravity was achieved by positioning the three-cylinder, 1000cc engine beneath one of the rear seats, hence the 3+1 seating arrangement. A CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) hybrid power system is used, whereby the 20KW electric motor provides additional torque to the 62KW engine.

Speaking with CDN, chief designer Andreas Wolfsgruber explained: "The hybrid system is evident in the external appearance of the Alpin, with a CNG display on one side of the car, and a Lithium Ion display on the other. This layout also results in a short hood which, combined with the high ‘command' seating position, gives the car the character of a true off-roader, with excellent forward visibility".

By contrast, the upper body is finished in ice white, with faceted surfaces and a slightly softer form language. Big gullwing doors are opened by nudging a contact slot with an elbow - useful when wearing a thick ski jacket. At the top of the roof there are blue spotlamps and fresh air scoops, as on a rally car. Further rearwards is a pair of snorkels for engine air intakes, mounted high up to allow wading through water up to half a meter. Although only finished as a hard exterior model, the Mia Alpin concept has a raft of nice ideas that would be good to see taken into a full running car - hopefully the next step, according to Wolfsgruber.