Many we’ve spoken to have gushed with praise over the Peugeot HX1. It’s not altogether clear why initially – can a super-long, super-low luxury sedan really be all that relevant when all around abound new mobility, urban pods? Yes.
Because the HX1 isn’t just a dumb, egotistical display of excess, it’s a brilliant reordering of the MPV paradigm. Rather than placing emphasis on the middle row of seats – as is the norm in every current car that can carry more than five people – here the rearmost row takes priority, with occasional seating provided by a pair of rumble seats that stow in the rear surface of the front chairs.
Peugeot’s concept exterior design language also continues to impress and if the interior presents the idea of land-based private jet travel, the understated, aero-centric exterior is the perfect match.
There’s a subtlety, deftness of touch and depth to the car that it’s no surprise it’s near the top of so many lists.
Head of Interior Design, Amko Leenarts and Senior Designer Adam Bazydlo, present the different zones of the HX1′s interior:
The Citroen Tubik concept – all 2x2x5 meters of it – is one of the biggest talking points of Frankfurt ’11 and every word we’ve heard has been positive. There are those who are reminded of the past by the hat-tip to the corrugated H-van, but for those who don’t get the reference there’s plenty more to enjoy.
But as well as the vehicle’s (it’s difficult to call it a van or a car) execution and design themes, the strategic justification behind such a proposition is genuinely believable. Citroen believes that through its Multicity, micro-leasing scheme, much greater derivation of products is key: no longer will all cars need to be all things, to all men, all the time when one can take an Ion to commute and something akin to the Tubik for road trips and family holidays. It’s a compelling case for a thoroughly engaging piece of design.
Here Head of Advanced Design, Carlo Bonzanigo, decodes the concept:
We saw the Volvo Concept Universe in Shanghai earlier this year, where it was displayed without an interior. Here in Frankfurt the name has changed, the face has changed; indeed every surfaced has been reworked to create a much higher level of execution.
Here Senior Designer, Conny Ewe Blommé gives us a tour of its now complete interior, with particular emphasis on materials.
