Citroen C4 Picasso

This is Citroen's main debut at Paris Show. The new C4 Picasso is a new 7-seat MPV based on the C4 platform which uses Citroen's new form language and themes previewed in the recent SportLounge and AirLounge concepts. Although it will sit between the existing Xsara Picasso and C8 in Citroen's MPV line-up, it's also clearly targeted to straddle the gap between Renault's Grand Scenic and Espace in terms of both size and features.

A bigger change of style from the globular and, to many eyes, incredible ugly Xsara Picasso is hard to imagine. There's a strong design character here, in contrast to many compact MPV rivals, together with an overall solidity and confidence to the design that's immediately appealing. With its extensive glass area, big modular cabin and notably slim A-pillars, Citroen are dubbing this a 'visiospace' concept. Highlights include the vast panoramic windscreen that extends over the driver's head and has neat sliding sun visors to move the header point forwards if required. If that's not enough glass, there's always the glass panorama sunroof option too.

First impressions of the interior are very positive, with a wealth of innovative new features to appeal to families and a high quality of fit and finish. The IP features instruments mounted in a central screen with a customised color scheme and data display, plus air conditioning controls at each outer end. There's a fixed hub steering wheel, clever folding rear seats, a scented air freshener with a choice of fragrances, a lane departure warning system and a newly-developed parking space gap sensor. Overall, there's a desirability here that the old Xsara Picasso could never achieve and, depending on price, it looks like the new C4 Picasso is likely to be a huge success for Citroen. A shorter 5-seat version will appear next year.

Dimensions: Length 4590mm, width 1830mm, height 1660 mm, wheelbase 2728mm

Related stories:
Citroen C-Sportlounge - Frankfurt Motor Show 2005
Design Review: Citroen C4

Volkswagen Iroc concept

Short for Scirocco, the Iroc introduces a new trapezoid front grille that VW plan to use for forthcoming sports models. The exterior design was led by Robert Lesnik, who worked for Jens Manske, now head of Skoda design (who designed the sister Joyster concept, below). "You can't just apply the new VW Wappengrille for all models in VW's line-up, especially for a sports model. This is a single mouth, mounted very low down with a powerful 'down road graphic'. That's what a sports car needs", he explained to Car Design News. Direct references to the original Giugiaro-designed Scirocco are few but they are still there, albeit quite subtle. They include the kick up in the lower DLO and the use of that distinctive bright 'Viper Green' metallic that was the Scirocco launch colour in 1974. More critically, it also keeps the relationship with its sister Golf: here, the basic Golf 5 theme appears squashed in the Z-axis, the key shutlines are maintained but with a more aggressive nose and more expressive tail added to the car - the same basic formula as 1974.

The Iroc displays some beautiful surface modeling, for example the way the concave shoulder develops seamlessly into a convex rear tailgate surface or the way the rocker has a top surface eating into the bodyside, with the lower door flicking out over it, thus slimming the down the bodyside and visually adding a solid beam at the base of the car.

On the other hand, some designers we talked to mentioned the uncanny similarity of the design to the 1992 Honda Civic 3-door in terms of the proportions, DLO and rear end.

Related Stories:
First Sight: Volkswagen Iroc concept

Skoda Joyster concept

The Joyster concept is the first designed under the leadership of Skoda Auto's new Chief of Design, Jens Manske, who replaced Thomas Ingenlath in January this year. Like the Roomster, we again see a vehicle on the Fabia platform, in this case a Fabia vehicle that may yet represent an all-new Fabia Coupe. Skoda again uses a monolithic body structure that features trademark styling elements such as the traditional front grille in a chrome-plated frame with a logo top centre and high-mounted taillights with red contours.

The most obvious exterior element is the visor-like wraparound screen that dominates the exterior styling and makes for a dynamic, fast looking car. Other notable exterior elements are the wave-like form across the bonnet, the rear tail lamp graphic that sweeps across the rear and the all-glass roof. Clean surfaces ensure that what little jewellery and graphics there are are used to best effect. Details include the Joyster graphic in the headlamp inner, not dissimilar to that seen on the production Audi R8.

Conventional doors open to reveal a simple and clean interior with some neat touches. A touchscreen tablet PC - brought from an outside supplier, snaps onto the dash and operates with snap in speakers. The interface here operates vehicle controls that include entertainment and personalisation functions such as the LED lighting - in the doors and within the shelf, just under the dash - which is in three colors. "The lifecycle of electronics is so much shorter than cars, we think that customers bringing the hardware from the outside, into the vehicle is a future trend," says Manske.

Seats feature a nice use of neoprene in yellow and black with a removable backpack on the rear of the front seats, which in the show car houses energy drinks and a flask for coffee! The picnic bench seat in the tail gate was perhaps an unnecessary nod to conventional Skoda buyers but the fact remains that Skoda Design's output, once one of the least innovative in design terms, is now fast emerging as the most interesting of the VW Group's brands. It's easy to forget that this is only Skoda's third concept, so accomplished are the concepts.

Related Stories:
Design Review: Skoda Roomster
Design Development: Skoda Roomster concept