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| Autocar & Motor November 3, 1993 (UK) Front Cover |
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| Autocar & Motor November 3, 1993 (UK) Page 10 |
Off-roaders take Tokyo by storm
Vehicross off-roader stole the show, and Isuzu is now looking at putting it into production A SMALL ENTRY- level off-roader based on Isuzu's novel VehiCross concept could be on sale in five years.
The VehiCross was an unlikely star of the show; Isuzu maybe Japan's weakest manufacturer, but the VehiCross stood out among a rather lacklustre collection of pie-in-the-sky concepts as practical yet different. Wayne Cherry and Dick Ruzzin from GM, which has a 38 per cent stake in Isuzu, were just two of the top designers who heaped praise on the VehiCross and its creator, former Lotus designer Simon Cox. And the reception the vehicle received apparently so impressed
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| Autocar & Motor November 3, 1993 (UK) Page 11 |
top management at Isuzu and GM that a production feasibility study is to be set up.
A production VehiCross would fit into Isuzu's range below the three-door version of the off-roader the UK knows as the Vauxhall Frontera and would sell for about £11,000 in Britain at today's prices.
At 3890mm long and with a 2510mm wheelbase, the VehiCross is more of a sports utility than an off-roader.
It uses long-travel independent suspension from Isuzu's Gemini saloon and has a very wide track to give it the handling characteristics and roadholding of a car, despite 320mm of ground clearance.
The concept car is built on a carbon-fibre and aluminium platform that weighs 970kg, although production versions would be made of aluminium and weigh in at about 1200kg.
Even so, the power- to-weight ratio offered by a new supercharged 1.6-litre petrol engine boasting at least
150bhp supports Cox's claim that this is a new class of vehicle.
Inlet valves near the centre of each four- valve head regulate the air-fuel mixture and, claims Isuzu, produce ultra-low nitrous oxide and hydrocarbon emissions.
Also on show on Isuzu's stand was the four-door XU-1, which was originally tagged FU-1. Designed in California, it is based on the Trooper platform.
More dream-like than the practical VehiCross, the XU-1 combines features first used on the California studio's failed design proposal 150bhp for Vehicross for the Frontera.
QUESTION AND ANSWER
Simon Cox is the Briton who designed Isuzu's VehiCross
Why is VehiCross so wide?
Isuzu's engineers wanted as stable a vehicle as possible. With the high ground clearance and upright engine positioning. that meant a very wide track
What was your Inspiration?
Group B rally cars, rally-raiders and the original 2CV.
What was the concept behind VehiCross?
We wanted an exciting but practical and affordable leisure vehicle that stood out from the crowd. Above all it had to be makeable".
Was there any other British involvement in the car?
Yes. The model was made by Futura at premises near Birmingham. I've spent the past nine months working with Futura full time.
What are the chances of VehiCross reaching production?
After the first few days [of the show], the response was so good that Isuzu's directors were seriously talking about production plans. It seems to have caught their imaginations.
Why do you think it was so popular?
I think people are getting tired of seeing and buying cooking saloons and hatches with grey interiors that all look the same.
Would you change anything?
I was worried that I should have done something more adventurous and less practical, but the positive response shows that I shouldn't have worried.
What does it feel like to have designed the most popular car at the show?
It hasn't sunk in yet. I'm surprised, but very, very pleased.
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Isuzu Motors Corporation and used without permission. All other content, including images and editorial, is Copyright © 1997-2024 John Eaton and/or contributors unless otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections,
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