If you’re thinking about going green with a Toyota Prius, hold on a second. Underneath this spectacular spacecraft-like exterior by Italdesign Giugiaro beats the frugal heart of a Prius. Well, almost, because the Quaranta concept car, to be rolled out at the Geneva Motor Show next week, has a bigger 268-horsepower 3.3L V6 engine running on good ol’ gas teamed up with that midships-mounted hybrid Synergy Drive built by Toyota.
That’s where the similarity to a Prius ends, though, because this car is a virtual clinic in forward design. From its swooping solar power-generating roof to its kooky seating with the driver up front and two passengers behind, it’s a car that's a precursor to what’s ahead in auto design. You’ll be happy to know speed isn’t left out of that equation — this highway rocket blasts from 0-62mph in just over 4 seconds. Hard to believe it’ll still get 38 miles per gallon. Check out the gallery below, with lots more pics to see at the Autoblog site.
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Via Autoblog
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By Atlas at 1:27 PM ON 03/01/08
I'd love to see something like this on the road. But is it a tease? Dang Jeana Daaang...
By Begese at 10:44 AM ON 03/02/08
Well, it looks nice but how do you suppose I get to the driver's seat. Do I have to crawl to get in the seat. There's a reason why the drivers seat is position closer to the door. This presents a problem most people will not like. Nice cool futuristic look though.
By jessequentin at 11:08 AM ON 03/03/08
The car looks sweet. I'm not really a mechanical type guy, but I might offer a couple guesses on the design.
From the 3d model of the interior, it doesn't look like the driver's seat will be very adjustable. But it looks like there's a screw thing (worm drive?) behind the center dash. Maybe instead of being able to slide the seat forward/backward, you move the dash/steering wheel/pedals.
I agree it looks like a driver will have to crawl to get into the driver seat. Maybe they can redesign it so that the driver seat will slide in front of one of the passenger seats to be nearer to the door. The driver can then get in, slide the seat to the center and lock it in place. And to get out, the driver would unlock the seat, slide back toward the door, and exit.
But, hey, what do I know, right?
By jessequentin at 11:19 AM ON 03/03/08
Ok, I'm stupid. I should really look at the linked sites before posting comments.
I didn't see anything on the site about how adjustable the driver's seat and/or dash/steering wheel/pedals are, but as for getting to the driver seat, it looks like instead of standard side doors, the whole top lifts off so the driver can step into the car...
Quoted:
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 door is hinged to the hood pillar and is aligned with a second upper rear door, for access to the engine compartment and boot.
By lost in the web at 6:37 PM ON 03/20/08
Great looking car!! Any idea when we may see it,
or how much it might cost?