Italdesign Giugiaro is celebrating four decades of car design tradition with its Quaranta concept study, demonstrating that a futuristic sports car design can be combined with clean-drive technology. ( dpa )
Finally unveiled at the recent Geneva Motor Show, Italdesign Giugiaro had stirred lively interest in the Quaranta with teaser images prior to the presentation.
Italdesign Giugiaro described its design as an "extreme" concept of the future with a continuous bodyline stretching from the nose to the rear.
Access to the cabin is "step-in" via an upper door incorporating the side ones. At the touch of an electric on/off button, the door opens upward in a downwind direction, regulated by proximity sensors.
The roof is lined with solar panels, generating power of up to 250 W, sufficient for the functioning of the cockpit air conditioning system and for recharging the electric battery, according to the manufacturer.
The chassis, bodywork and layout of the Quaranta prototype have been designed by the Engineering Division of Italdesign Giugiaro, while the mechanics and electronics are from Toyota.
The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive system consists of a V6 3.3 litre petrol engine and two electric motors that operate in synergy, delivering a power output, comparable to that of an 8-cylinder motor, but with fuel consumption and emissions lower than those of a four- cylinder engine, according to the manufacturer.
Performance is comparable to most other sports cars in its class with an output of 268 hp and acceleration from zero to 100 km/h in 4.05 seconds. The top speed is listed at 250 kilometres an hour.