Fiat Brazil unveils the Mio FCC III Concept

At the São Paulo Motor Show (27 October – 7 November) Fiat Brazil has unveiled the Mio FCC III Concept, a futuristic compact car developed with an open source approach and the involvement of a large online community.

The Fiat Mio project was previewed back in May 2010 with a set of sketches and videos.

The car was developed with an "open source" approach, which uses Creative Commons licenses and has involved about 17,000 users who posted 10,000 ideas aimed at creating a new compact vehicle for the Latin America region.

The exterior is characterized by a modern – almost futuristic – look, with a single-box layout, flowing clean lines and wheel covers.

The front end has a glossy black panel which visually extends the windshield and integrates the headlights

The main dimensions are a length of 2,500 mm, a width of 1,560 mm ( and a total height of 1,530 mm.

Fiat Mio FCC III Concept - Interior RenderingThe interior features a number of modern technologies including an advanced infotainment system which integrates a HUD display, a touch screen, phone, GPS navigation and media player functions.

The official website includes an extensive gallery of sketches, photos and videos from the development process.

Below we report the Episodes 6-13 of the Making Of (the Episodes 1-5 were included in our previous report).
Fiat Brazil unveils the Mio FCC III Concept
tags: Fiat, Mio FCC III Concept | in: Concept Cars 28 October 2010 | 2,200 views
Fiat Brazil unveils the Mio FCC III Concept

At the São Paulo Motor Show (27 October – 7 November) Fiat Brazil has unveiled the Mio FCC III Concept, a futuristic compact car developed with an open source approach and the involvement of a large online community.

The Fiat Mio project was previewed back in May 2010 with a set of sketches and videos.

The car was developed with an "open source" approach, which uses Creative Commons licenses and has involved about 17,000 users who posted 10,000 ideas aimed at creating a new compact vehicle for the Latin America region.

The exterior is characterized by a modern – almost futuristic – look, with a single-box layout, flowing clean lines and wheel covers.

The front end has a glossy black panel which visually extends the windshield and integrates the headlights

The main dimensions are a length of 2,500 mm, a width of 1,560 mm ( and a total height of 1,530 mm.

Fiat Mio FCC III Concept - Interior RenderingThe interior features a number of modern technologies including an advanced infotainment system which integrates a HUD display, a touch screen, phone, GPS navigation and media player functions.

The official website includes an extensive gallery of sketches, photos and videos from the development process.

Below we report the Episodes 6-13 of the Making Of (the Episodes 1-5 were included in our previous report).
Fiat Mio FCC III Concept – The Making Of

(Source: Fiat Mio via Autoblog.it)

Fiat Uno Way Ecology concept

Following the launch of the new Uno, Fiat Brazil presented the Ecology concept at the Sao Paulo Auto Show. The model shows how the company has approached the subject of sustainability. The car uses some of the technologies Fiat has investigated, which - sooner or later - may be seen on the road.

The ecological credentials of the concepts start with a roof that incorporates solar panels. The Uno Way Ecology is powered by the latest 1L ethanol (E100) engine, which incorporates fuel-saving technologies such as stop-start. The car also uses the sub-products of ethanol production on its body and interior.

The bumpers, door panels and dashboard are made from sugar cane fibers that reduce the weight of these parts by eight percent. More importantly, using fibers that are left over after the production of ethanol and inserting these into a bio-cycle design increases their ecological attributes. Valeria Santos, from the color and trim team at Betim's Centro Stile told CDN that the intention was to show the new material in its raw form, with no added color pigments.

More natural fibers were used to fill the seats. The 7kg of oil-based polyurethane normally used in their construction was substituted with sustainable and renewable coconut and latex material. Moreover, in the manufacturing of the seats, Fiat used workers from a non-profit organization that assists the community of a favela (typical Brazilian slums) in Betim, which makes the creative stitching of the seats even more interesting. The seats and carpets were made of textiles based on recycled PET.

The concept gave a positive impression of Fiat, suggesting the company understands sustainability in a country where the subject has not yet come to dominate the industry, or to prominence in the consumers' mind.

Fiat Mio concept

Fiat has been developing an open source design through the company's www.fiatmio.cc website since August 2009. Since then, more than two million people from 160 countries - but mostly from Brazil - visited the website collaborating with roughly 10,000 ideas for the new Fiat Mio concept. The public had the opportunity to vote for their favorite designs from the earlier sketches, to help define typologies and decide details, such as what kind of doors to adopt.

Speaking to CDN, Peter Fassbender, head the Fiat Centro Stile of Betim, said that main function of the studio on this project was "to give shape to other's dreams". The popular choices included, surprisingly, a two-seater typology, electric powertrain and 'boxy body'.

Paulo Nakamura, design supervisor of the project, pointed out that the open source project was frozen prematurely despite the fact that the process was not yet complete. The Centro Stile then began to create the FCC III (as the project was known internally) and completed the car in time for it's unveiling at the Sao Paulo Auto Show. Special care was given to the graphic value of the light clusters, which harmonically enhance the smooth, fluid lines of the body. The color is quite traditional - following usual Brazilian tastes - but balances out the proportions of the body. The covered wheels can incorporate electric motors at the front and rear, says Nakamura.

The Mio concept features a large glass area at the front that, together with a minimal floating dashboard, creates a spacious feeling interior. Regardless of the fact the intent of the vehicle is to be driven autonomously in some circumstances, the participants considered that it was important to hold a stylish steering wheel.

Aesthetically, the clean shape of the FCC III is very different from the FCC II concept, unveiled at the 2008 Sao Paulo Auto Show, which can only reflect the public's taste, but it may also present new directions for the brand. For Fassbender, the open source project has been an extraordinary experience and the materialization of new design thinking, the design chief said.

Volkswagen RockeT concept

The VW Brazil design center recently developed a new generation of its most important products, renewing the Gol's supermini family. After the debut of the Gol hatchback and the Voyage sedan, the Saveiro pickup was launched in 2009. Both the design and package were developed in Brazil – but the Brazilian studio always keeps part of its team in Wolfsburg to closely follow VW's brand philosophy and design trends.

According to Luis Veiga, director of design at VW Brazil, the design of the Saveiro was therefore realized "as a VW should be". Veiga told CDN that he and his team prepared a concept based on the Saveiro, but enhanced its city car – or even sports car – character. Veiga pointed out that small pickups are used in many unexpected ways in the Latin American market; "Even swimming pools are improvised in the pickups during carnival times," he said.

The Saveiro, which has a sleeker design language than many of its rivals, is very often tuned as a sports car. Veiga cited that there is a lack of two-seaters in the Brazilian market, and the RockeT concept proposes to fill this gap.

The design studio listened to peoples' desires when they set off to create the sportiest version of the pickup. Skirts, spoilers, Golf GTi steering wheel and R32 seats, LED lights and other accessories added more fun to the car but with relative discretion, preserving the successful – and still very new – lines of the Saveiro.

The new concept appears in a moment VW wants to reaffirm its position in the market. Time will tell if it is successful in doing so.

Fiat Uno Cabrio concept

Since becoming Director of Design at the Centro Stile of Betim eight years ago, one of Peter Fassbender most challenging assignments had been to design a new generation of a Giugiaro classic - much loved in Brazil - the Fiat Uno. The new design was developed mainly in Brazil, but also a few months in Italy, closer to the supervision of Lorenzo Ramaciotti, Group Chief of Design at Fiat.

The new generation Uno was launched earlier this year and it has been a hit. Until now the model has only been sold in a four-door configuration. The Cabrio concept, unveiled at the 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show, is the first to adopt the two-door body, and will soon be marketed. According to Fiat, the Cabrio concept demonstrates how versatile the new Uno platform is.

The Uno Cabrio concept features prominent fenders and spoilers, 17-inch wheels, air intakes on the side and other sporting accessories. The engine selected to power the concept was a 1.4L Turbo, with 152bhp.

As with the RockeT from VW, the Cabrio has twin brake lights fitted behind the seats. The clear LED taillights, give an even softer look to the car. CDN learned that their shape might appear in the two-door production model.

According to the Valeria Santos, from the color and trim team in Betim, the interior followed a vintage racing car look. From there came the three-spoke steering-wheel, aluminum details and the sports bucket seats.

Besides giving the Uno the spotlight at the auto show, the Cabrio investigates the acceptance of two rare vehicle typologies in Brazil: a convertible and a two-seater. Convertibles have not been very popular because of security issues, despite the great Brazilian weather. Nevertheless, the Cabrio made a good impact at the show and hopefully will persuade more Brazilians of the joy to be had in from taking their tops off.

Chevrolet Montana

Two years ago, GM Brazil unveiled the Chevrolet GPiX concept, designed locally under the direction of Carlos Barba. The concept defined the DNA of the Viva family, formed by the Agile, which has been sold in Latin America since 2009.

Now, General Motors is launching a new small size pickup truck called the Montana at the 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show. The pickup will battle in a niche market that is not strictly focused on utility, but also caters to users that want a leisure vehicle. Indeed, this versatility has already inspired, initially, the Strada Adventure – produced by rival market-leader Fiat – and more recently the Peugeot Hoggar.


The Viva family presented a major change in direction for GM's Brazilian branch, which used the Chevrolet
nameplate to sell heavy duty vehicles for four decades before starting to produce passenger cars. From that point on GM Brazil based its portfolio on Opel cars. Following new GM policies, this profile is now changing. According to Carlos Barba, the most important reference for his design center currently is the North American Chevrolet Malibu, from which designers took inspiration for the front-end of the Agile and Montana.

At 4510mm long, the small Montana pickup truck is the largest offering in its category. Its bodyside is intentionally sectioned in two, using vertical lines that suggest a side step trunk, but without a wider rear axle. The overall language intends to demonstrate strength and a heavy duty vocation – a counterpoint to the rival from VW also unveiled at the show – that Barba sees more as a 'city car'.

Rossin-Bertin Vorax

The first Brazilian-designed limited-edition sports car in many years was revealed at 2010 Sao Paulo Auto Show.

Not since the mid-80s Hoffstetter, a wedge bodied turbocharged sports car with gull-wing doors, has the limited series niche been filled. It disappeared almost entirely when the Brazilian market was re-opened to imports, breaking the tradition of locally-design sports cars. The reflection of these former vehicles can be seen in the Rossin-Bertin Vorax, making its debut appearance at the 26th recurrence of the largest Latin American auto show.

The Vorax concept is designed and built by a company that has a former GM design director, Fahrys Rossin, as one major partner, and also imports Zondas and Spykers to Brazil. The car is based on a BMW M6 powertrain, mounted on a aluminum space frame.

The proportions of the body are well balanced, with clear influence of Aston Martin designs. The design language, however, seems to be overworked in the carved details that adorn the bodyside. The extremely small front and rear light clusters make the wide body appear too heavy, an impression that was made worse by the poor color choice for the launch model, and while the car features some interesting ideas in the glass roof, the DLO is poorly resolved and too shallow, especially when viewed in profile.

The expectation of Rossin-Bertin is to sell 50 models annually at the price level comperable to that of a Porsche 911 Turbo. There is a convertible model as well, which has different graphics in the grille. The two prototypes presented in the show are going to start tests and may be on Brazilian streets in two years time.

Judging by the positive feedback at the show, the new Brazilian sports car's adventure has already begun.

Mazda MX-0 Concept

Mazda's entry for the 2010 LA Design Challenge is the MX-0 (Zero) Concept, a two-seater futuristic sportscar focused on extreme weight savings, achieved through the use of new materials and fewer integrated parts.

Conceived by Mazda Design Americas as a virtual successor of the MX-5 Miata, the MX-0 is a futuristic evolution of the roadster which brings to the extremes the "lightweight" design approach.

The car is the result of a systematic process of reduction and consolidation of components, combined with the adoption of new advanced materials like sustainable, inexpensive composites. The powertrain features electric motors.
"Aimed at the global market of 2020, and with projected volume of 500,000 units annually, the MX-0 would have positive effects on the world's environment and economy by way of less energy consumption and minimized use of raw materials."

Design Team:

* Derek Jenkins
* Tim Brown
* Minyong Lee
* Carlos Salaff
* Jacques Flynn
* Greg Lee
* Paul Muzio
* Dave Coleman
* Julien Montousse

(Source: LA Auto Show)

Maybach DRS Concept

At the 2010 LA Design Challenge Maybach has presented the DRS Concept, a futuristic electric version of the traditional human powered rickshaw. The two-wheeler vehicle has large wheels with self-balancing system and an organic structure.

The Maybach DRS "Den-Riki-Sha" (electric powered rickshaw) is inspired by thetraditional values of the classic "Jin-Riki-Sha" (human powered rickshaw), which originated in 1870 in Tokyo.

The concept was developed by Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Center in Japan and presented at the Design Challenge at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show.

In the designers' vision the car is produced from a coded DNA-cocoon, in a complex organic metamorphosis, hence the name NMV (Naturally Manufactured Vehicle).

The Maybach DRS is powered by a self balancing electric drive unit and controlled by an onboard computer that is plugged into the city's transport infrastructure.

To extend its range, this human-electric hybrid allows pedaling power to be supplemented by the driver.
Design team:

* Holger Hutzenlaub
* Hiroshi Yajimar
* Hideki Takahashi
* Yong Won Lee
* Toru Nakano
* Teck-Koun Kim
* Masahide Yamada
* Daniel Schlapp

(Source: LA Auto Show)

Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg

Both the Porsche Cayenne and Volkswagen Touareg made their public debuts at Geneva, the two vehicles once again part of joint cooperation between what are now one and the same company.

However, it was the car from Stuttgart that garnered the most interest. Porsche's aims for this project where to increase the social and environmental awareness of this model, as well as improving on-road performance, and the styling reflects that crusade. The new car is longer and wider yet lower, and the much more steeply raked frontage and generally more curvaceous body strike a definite contrast to the previous bluff-faced model that did nothing to hide its bulky off-road pretensions; this is an SUV that isn't going to look quite so intimidating in the rear-view mirror of a supermini. Nevertheless, the new Cayenne is another Porsche that follows the established book of 911-sourced design cues, and intentionally - headlamps, grille and detailing are all familiar.

It's inside though that Porsche has made perhaps the biggest gain. Borrowing heavily from the Panamera, the Cayenne features the same high-set centre console and myriad of switchgear, but with a wide range of materials and trim choices all finished to a very high quality standard. Rear legroom has been improved, with the rear seats moving backward or forward depending on the priority of luggage space or accommodation. All together, it's a tremendous step forward from the old model that was really beginning to feel its age inside.

The Touareg is a logical continuation of the previous car, albeit with the new Cayenne/Touareg technology under the skin. The exterior is strongly reminiscent of the old model, but with the much more angular grille and headlamp treatment that can be found on the current Golf and Polo models. Inside, it's a typically high quality interior from Volkswagen, but it lacks the individuality and verve of the Porsche treatment.

Renault Wind

Laguna Coupe aside, the new Renault Wind is arguably the French brand's best-designed production car for many years.

The perky two-seater coupe/roadster based on the Clio platform is only 3.83 meters long and features a clever retractable roof system that pivots at its B-pillar by almost 180 degrees to fold into the boot when the metal rear hatch is raised in readiness. The whole process only takes 12 seconds and remarkably top up or top down, the boot space remains constant at 270 liters.

The front end is Clio-esque but the side profile is unique, partly due to how the unusual roof mechanism affects its stepped roofline silhouette and partly because of the very pronounced triangular B-pillar that leads all the way back to the rear lights. Elsewhere its soft rising feature line, concave rocker line and recessed door handle keep the side clean and simple while its double-bubble metal rear hatch section adds drama and recalls endless sophisticated racing cars and more specifically and recently, the Porsche Spyder. The large B-pillar and wheels pushed out towards the edge of the vehicle all create a chunky feel for such a small car.

The wide and bold B-pillar also helps make the interior feel more cocoon-like. This coziness is supported by a trio of driver dials clustered around the driver with a black lacquer cowling that contrasts nicely with the grey IP. More sporty design cues come from the way the side air vents project outward as if on cylindrical stalks and the contrast stitching is exposed on the seating.

The aim for the Wind is to take on the likes of the Vauxhall/Opel Tigra and also the Fiat 500C and Mini Cabriolet from late summer 2010 and target more women.

Proton Emas Hybrid concept by Giugiaro

Proton and Giugiaro jointly revealed the concept version for a new city car that will become the Malaysian national car-maker's first hybrid model at the Geneva motor show this week. Three models were displayed, two hard-milled models and a single 5D prototype with full interior, although promotional material also showed a shorter Toyota iQ-like Emas 3 model was being developed too.

Points to note on the exterior include the neat DLO graphic with a 'tooth' on the C-Pillar, tail lamps sitting within the smoked glass tailgate, as on the VW Up! concept and a monographic front grille and headlamps incorporating 12 LEDs. The orange SUV/crossover version dubbed 'Country' seems more successful, not least for the bolder graphics on the car, including radial ribs on the dark wheelarches and a skeletal roof rail with aerofoil-type crossbars finished in dark grey. There's a different front bumper treatment too, with a separated slim grille below the smoked glass headlamps and circular fog lamp housings to add to the more rugged look.

The series hybrid drive system was developed by Proton's British subsidiary, Lotus Engineering, and includes a 1.2 liter Lotus Range Extender three-cylinder engine that can run on petrol, ethanol or methanol. The engine serves exclusively to recharge the lithium-ion batteries and provide electrical power for the drive motors in a similar arrangement to GM's Volt.

It's interesting to note how we're witnessing a new format of monovolume A-Segment car emerging, such as the Mitsubishi i, Tata Nano and Pininfarina B0 Bluecar that, coincidently, was displayed opposite, also in a white body color. Seen next to the Bluecar, the Emas appears very dated, suffering from flat surfaces and planes, with little finesse to the design and, as a showcar, it wasn't clear what this concept means for the future design direction of Proton. Ultimately, it seems a wasted opportunity that the excellent designers at Proton's own in-house subsidiary - Lotus - weren't asked to contribute to it.