The ix-Metro, the fifth in the Hyundai Namyang Design (HND) series of concept cars to be created by the Global Design Team in Korea, is an entry-level hybrid CUV which brings a new form to the traditional sub-B segment.

Targeting young European urbanites, the ix-Metro offers all the practicality, robustness and versatility of a CUV in a stylishly sophisticated package.

For thematic inspiration, the design team reached for the stars and during ideation sessions immersed themselves in the rich visual world of space travel — the ultimate aspiration of mobility. “We wanted the ix-Metro to be something out of this world. We took our inspiration from NASA and even sci-fi movies because spacecraft are universally understood symbols of progress and innovation,” explained Rogelio J. Flores, Chief designer on the ix-Metro project.

Following an internal competition, the winning concept was selected for its faithfulness to the design objective.

The ix-Metro is expressly targeted at the urbanite who wants to project a trendy, adventurous and fun-seeking personality. “The ix-Metro caters to the need for creative self-expression. Our cars are more than an extension of ourselves, they’re an expression of our inner selves: Just like the clothes we wear, our cars serve as a second skin,” said Flores.

Exterior

The ix-Metro represents a striking departure from the flowing design language adopted by Hyundai in its recent production and concept cars. It explores a new direction with its use of faceted surfaces and strong triangulating lines along the bonnet, side and rear panels achieving a pleasing dynamic tension. The high beltline gives a protective feeling, while twenty-inch rims framed by flanged wheel arches give the vehicle a purposeful muscular stance.

The triangular motif has also been applied to the front and rear lighting elements for a futuristic effect. Up front, ice-blue LED lighting elements interplay with subtle shades of gold, while the faceted front grille with its integrated fog lamps projects a striking, imposing look. A comparable effect is mirrored by the rear optical group.

B-Pillarless Design

While to outward appearances the lack of a B-pillar may lead one to conclude the HND-5 adopts a conventional suicide door configuration, engineers rejected the rear-hinge in favor of a sliding mechanism for the rear door. The pillarless design not only enlarges the greenhouse to improve all-round visibility, but more importantly allows easier entry and egress into the rear passenger area, facilitated in large part by the novel and practical rear sliding door.

Interior

The idea of a protective capsule served as the guiding principle for the interior designers, who opted for a wraparound effect connecting the dashboard, center console, door panel and front seats for a strongly unified look.

“For thematic inspiration interior designers took a cue from the humble pine cone and its natural, elegant fragmentation of a spherical object.” explained Interior Design Manager Sandy Hartono. Surfaces for the seating, cargo space and other key panels are divided by light-filled gaps. The ice-blue illumination creates a high-tech neo-organic effect.

Interior designers have deliberately avoided the traditional solution of dividing and compartmentalizing heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and infotainment components. Instead, taking inspiration from Hollywood sci-fi movies, they have chosen a white semi-transparent silicon-like material to cover the dashboard area, which conceals the organic electro luminescence (OEL) central display to deliver route guidance information and key control icons. The effect is at once thoroughly modern and unified.

Other high tech accoutrements include digital side view cameras, whose ultra-slim profiles minimize air turbulence and wind noise, yet have maximized outward visibility for safety.

The central gauge cluster replicates the simplicity and functionality of cockpit flight instruments with a 3-D digital display which aims to reduce information to its simplest, most essential components.

Supporting the concept of a small-sized SUV are the foldable rear seats and cargo area, which are connected into one functional loading area. As for the front seats and front exterior illumination, ice-blue lighting is used to divide the cargo area into handy compartments for different purposes.

Safety

As a CUV, the ix-Metro conveys a feeling of safety, an all-important factor in today’s challenging urban environment. And with its greater ground clearance and higher seating position, which promotes improved forward visibility, the ix-Metro driver will simply feel safer. This psychological reassurance is often cited as one of the factors behind the sales success of CUVs. Standard safety equipment on the ix-Metro includes dual front airbags, side curtain airbags, plus ABS with ESP.

Powertrain

The ix-Metro promises to deliver zippy performance while striving to be ecologically-correct with CO2 emissions of just 80g/km thanks to its hybridized powertrain which is capable of 92kW @ 6000rpm. Displacing just 1-litre, the three-cylinder petrol engine incorporates highly sophisticated features to maximize output while minimizing fuel consumption. These include continuously variable valve timing, turbocharging and direct injection. Up to 5kW of torque assistance comes from the starter motor-alternator with power stored in an ultracapacitor (Electric Double Layer) and a 12V battery. The hybrid system delivers 16.0kg.m of peak torque at 1750~4500rpm through a six-speed dual clutch transmission.

Specifications

Body- Monocoque 5-door

Length- 3925mm

Width- 1760mm

Height- 1576mm

Wheelbase- 2513mm

Ground Clearance- 207 mm

Seating- 2 + 2

Engine- 3-cylinder 1-litre Turbocharged GDI 12-valve DOHC with Dual CVVT

Transmission- 6-speed Dual Clutch Type

CO2 emissions- 80g/km

Fuel consumption- 3.3l/100km

Electric motor- 5kW integrated starter/alternator

Battery- 12V augmented by Electric Double Layer Capacitor

Gross Vehicle Weight- 950kg

Tires- 245/40 R

The epithet “Evo” identifies a level of car design that is capable of satisfying even the most demanding customers in terms of technology, driving pleasure and respect for the environment.

The Punto Evo expresses its technical excellence first and foremost through a wide choice of Euro 5 engines, including a 1.3 second generation Multijet diesel and a 1.4 petrol engine with the revolutionary MultiAir technology developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies and eventually to be incorporated in all Fiat Group engines. Fiat’s innovative and conventional powerplants are also joined by dual-fuel methane and petrol units to create the most complete and ecological range of engines in the segment. With reduced consumption and emissions in mind, the new Punto Evo also offers Start&Stop, the system that switches off and restarts the engine in stop-and-go traffic. Start&Stop is being introduced as standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines. Another system making its first appearance on the Punto Evo is “Blue&Me-TomTom”, the new portable satellite navigation unit that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information functions on a practical colour touch-screen.

In the area of safety, the Punto Evo sets new standards thanks to 7 airbags, including a driver knee airbag. The Punto Evo is one of very few cars in its segment with a driver knee airbag fitted as standard on all versions. Other innovative safety systems are also available, including Hill-Holder to help with hill starts, adaptive ‘cornering’ front fog lights that switch on automatically with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering, and Fiat’s tried and tested ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems.

Finally, the new Punto Evo is even more attractive thanks to the work of Fiat’s Centro Stile. The interiors (fascia, seats and instrumentation) have been completely renewed to become even more prestigious and elegant, and the outside has been given a thoroughly restyled look too.

The Fiat Punto Evo goes on sale in the second half of October with the precise objective of consolidating its role as one of Europe’s market leaders in the highly important compact segment.

Technical innovation

The Punto Evo expresses its technical excellence first and foremost through a wide choice of engines Euro 5, including petrol units equipped with the revolutionary MultiAir system and second generation Multijet diesels.

Developed and patented by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies – MultiAir technology will gradually be adopted by all engines fitted to Fiat Group cars. The heart of MultiAir is a new electrohydraulic valve management system that reduces fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves (without using the throttle). MultiAir reduces emissions (thanks to improved combustion control) and also improves performance by boosting both power and torque.

Similar results have been achieved in diesel versions thanks to the adoption of second generation Multijet units across the range. These engines incorporate new common rail injectors that, thanks to a balanced hydraulic servo-valve, control the quantity of fuel injected into the combustion chamber with improved precision, and in a faster and more flexible sequence than in the past.

The choice of engines available for the Punto Evo is the most complete and ecological in this market segment, and even includes two alternative fuel engines, a methane and an LPG unit.

The new Punto Evo is even equipped with the latest version of the Blue&Me system. “Blue&Me-TomTom” is a fully integrated infotainment system that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information functions on a practical colour touch-screen. The system is the result of a partnership between Fiat Group Automobiles and TomTom, European leader in portable navigation systems, and integrates with the car’s other systems thanks to the Blue&Me system developed in conjunction with Magneti Marelli. The new system also incorporates “eco:Drive Info” for real time information on your driving style and useful suggestions for reducing environmental impact and optimising consumption by changing gear and using the accelerator to suit the nature of the route.

Respect for the environment

At Fiat, innovation means greater respect for the environment too. In fact, the environment is one of the main issues driving product development, and ensures that the Fiat range is the greenest in Europe. The Punto Evo is no exception to this rule.

The new MultiAir engines prove the point. Compared to a conventional petrol engine of the same size, a MultiAir engine develops more power (up to 10%) and torque (up to 15%), while consuming significantly less (up to 10%) and emitting less CO2 (up to 10%), less particulates (up to 40%) and less NOx (up to 60%).

In the same way the second generation of Multijet diesel engines also offers more accurate combustion, with benefits for consumption, emissions, NVH and drivability. This has been achieved through a new common rail injector that modulates fuel injection into the combustion chamber and gives, for the Euro 5 engines, an improvement of around 2% in consumption and CO2 emissions on the homologation cycle, and a reduction in NOx emissions of up to 30%.

Still with reduced consumption and emissions in mind, the new Punto Evo will also offer Start&Stop, the system that switches off the engine when you stop and restarts it for you to move off again (at traffic lights for example). Start&Stop will be standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines.

The methane-fuelled engine is not only the most ecological dual fuel engine in segment B, producing only 115 g/km of CO2, but is also the most economical thanks to record running costs of under 4 Euros per 100 km. Among other advantages, methane-fuelled engines benefit from the highest government incentives in Italy: 5,000 Euros if combined with a contribution for scrapping your old car.

Then there is the LPG-fuelled version, developed using Fiat’s longstanding experience in alternative fuels to respond to the extraordinary growth seen in this market. The Punto Evo GPL boasts record autonomy of 1,500 km in the extra-urban cycle, and running costs up to 50% lower than a petrol equivalent.

Safety

The Punto Evo is designed and built to achieve the highest levels of safety. The model boasts a large number of safety systems (standard or optional depending on market and version) starting from those dedicated to passive safety: 2 front airbags, 2 front side airbags, 2 window bags and a driver knee airbag (the Punto Evo is one of the few cars in this segment on which this device is standard on all versions).

The Punto Evo is also one of the few cars in its class equipped with adaptive ‘cornering’ front fog lights that switch on automatically with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering. And don’t forget that the new Punto Evo also guarantees constant and reliable road holding thanks to electronic dynamic control systems for braking and steering. The ABS system that is available across the complete engine range incorporates EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and Hill-holder to help with hill-starts.

Style and comfort

The Punto Evo is more stunning than ever thanks to the work of Fiat’s Centro Stile. In particular, the interiors of the new model have been completely redesigned to represent the most evolved expression of Italian style, with top quality materials and superb attention to detail. The result is a bright and elegant cabin with completely renewed fascia, seats, storage compartments and instrumentation.

On the outside, both the front and the rear have been thoroughly restyled, as shown by the attractive lines of the new bumpers and the incorporation of innovative and original headlights and taillights. The latest design has also “stretched” the car to a total length of 406 centimetres, so that its winning characteristics of driver and passenger comfort remain unchanged. The other external dimensions remain the same, with a width of 169 cm, a height of 149 cm and a wheelbase of 251 cm.

World debut at Frankfurt motor show

KEY POINTS

* All-new Land Cruiser builds on six decades of worldwide success
* Advanced, user friendly technology increases off-road capability and driver assistance
* More refined on-road performance
* Improved equipment specifications
* UK range to feature single powertrain:3.0-Litre D-4D diesel engine with five-speed automatic transmission
* Five-door model with five or seven seats
* On sale in UK from 1 December 2009

With a heritage reaching back almost 60 years and with five million customers in 176 countries around the world, the Toyota Land Cruiser has become an icon of the 4WD market, its name synonymous with Toyota’s core values of quality, durability and reliability.

That peerless pedigree provides the platform for the debut of a new generation Land Cruiser at the Frankfurt motor show, a model that goes further than ever before to deliver true go-anywhere toughness and on-road driving poise.

Land Cruiser’s reputation has been built on its ability to meet owners’ demands for a vehicle that is utterly reliable in even the harshest off-road conditions, yet offering performance and refinement appropriate for day-to-day driving.

With its new model Toyota has extended Land Cruiser’s off-road capabilities with a higher level of on-board guidance and technical support for the driver. New, user-friendly functions have been introduced that can help make tricky routes passable, over terrain on which even accomplished off-road drivers might feel challenged.

The quality and scope of these new features help make the all-new Land Cruiser one of the most technically advanced but enjoyable and easy to drive off-road vehicles in the world.

Style and comfort are important to 4WD customers, too, hence Land Cruiser combines it off-road toughness with pleasing on-road driving characteristics and higher standards of quality and comfort.

Bodystyle and powertrain

In the UK new Land Cruiser will be offered exclusively as a five-door model with seven seats (LC3 model has five seats with optional third row), powered by a revised 171bhp 3.0-litre D-4D diesel engine with five-speed automatic transmission. A three-door model and a 4.0-litre V6 Dual VVT-i petrol engine will be available in other European markets, but there are no plans for these to be offered in the UK. Combined cycle fuel economy is a best-in-class 34.9mpg and CO2 emissions are 214g/km, improvements of 5.1 and 4.5 per cent respectively on current Land Cruiser performance.

Suspension, ride and handling

The rigidity of the body-on-frame construction has been increased by 11 per cent and insulating frame-to-body mounts have been added to absorb engine, drivetrain and road noise, and to improve ride comfort.

The front independent double wishbone and rear four-link lateral rod suspension systems have been revised for extra comfort and steering feel. LC4 and LC5 models grade models are equipped with a new electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars for optimised on and off-road performance.

The flagship LC5 version benefits from Toyota’s Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system with Roll Posture Control, which lets the driver tune the ride characteristics with a choice of three damper settings. An electronically controlled rear air suspension system works with the AVS, providing an auto-levelling function and switchable height control. The air suspension is also effective in absorbing high frequency vibrations and reducing road-generated NVH.

Off-road technology

A new feature launched by Toyota in the new-generation Land Cruiser is Multi-terrain Select, which automatically controls power and braking to optimise performance for different types of off-road surfaces. At the same time, the Multi-terrain Monitor feeds real time images from around the vehicle from a network of four cameras to provide the driver with more information about the immediate surroundings. The new Steering Angle Display shows the position of the vehicle’s wheels and its predicted path, further helping the driver plot a safe route.

The Crawl Control feature lets the driver choose from five different setting to optimise vehicle set-up to tackle even extreme conditions with precision and control, without having to use the throttle or brake pedals. Crawl Control will also help the driver free the vehicle, should it become stuck in mud or sand.

Interior packaging

New Land Cruiser has a more spacious and refined cabin with accommodation for seven in three rows. The second row seats have a sliding range of 135mm and a more flexible 40:20:40 configuration, with reclining seatbacks. A walk-in, slide and tilt function gives easy access to the third row seats.

The two third row seats (an option on the five-seat LC3 model) are full-size with integral headrests and they fold completely flat into the loadspace floor when not required. The footwell floor has been lowered by more than 38mm for a more comfortable seating position and, thanks to the slide adjustment of the second row seats, legroom extends to more than double that in the current Land Cruiser.

The left and right hand seats can be raised and lowered independently, using the Toyota Easy Flat system; LC4 and LC5 grade models this function is power-controlled at the touch of a button. Controls are handily located both inside the tailgate and behind the second row seats.

The flexibility of the seating is complimented by numerous, practical storage spaces, including a compartment with a USB port for simultaneous connection and charging of portable music players, and a large centre console box that can be fitted with a compact fridge unit.

Equipment features

Land Cruiser benefits from a range of high-tech, user-friendly systems to make life on board easier and more comfortable. The Smart Entry and Start system works in conjunction with sequenced lighting, and at the rear the tailgate has a top-hinged glass section that allows access to the load space even in tight parking spaces. Everyone can enjoy a comfortable cabin environment thanks to a separate air conditioning unit for the rear, giving new Land Cruiser a triple-zone climate control (LC4 and LC5 models only).

A multi-information switch on the steering wheel brings together several features under a single control, and the cameras used by the Multi-terrain Monitor also provide Wide-view Front, Side and Back Guide Monitors for easier manoeuvring in tight spaces and visibility at blind junctions.

Land Cruiser LC4 and LC5 models are equipped with a 14-speaker JBL Synthesis Premium Surround Sound System, giving 7.1 channel sound from compatible CDs and DVDs. It features an 11-channel, 605W Digital Signal Processing amplifier and, using the navigation system’s Hard Disc Drive (HDD), offers a “sound library” facility, capable of transferring and storing up to 2,000 tracks from CDs.