Subaru has caused a sensation with its concept coupé at the Geneva Motor Show. It’s a coupé, but it has four coach-style doors instead of two and definite Andreas Zapatinas style cues.
Subaru has caused a sensation with its concept coupé at the Geneva Motor Show. It’s a coupe, but it has four coach-style doors instead of two and definite Andreas Zapatinas style cues.
CARtoday.com reported two weeks ago that the car would showcase the new design direction the Japanese brand intends to take. And sure enough, the “coupé” is curvier and more elegant than any production Subaru so far.
Subaru recruited Zapatinas as chief designer last year. Zapatinas had previously created a stir with his arresting Alfa Romeo 147 and Fiat Barchetta designs for the Fiat Auto company.
Some analysts say this concept incorporates design treatments for the lights, grilles, windows and general profiles of upcoming new models. And it is clear that Zapatinas had a strong hand in its execution and final appearance of the concept.
The front end of the car was sculpted to be very sporty in appearance and features elaborate, accentuated wheel arches and a particularly distinctive and unique grille design… Did we hear someone say that’s an inverted Alfa Romeo shield in the grille?
The rear end of the car has high, sweeping bumper line and triangular wraparound rear light clusters. And another feature, which was seen on the Pikes Peak Audi concept shown at the Detroit Motor Show, is twin exhausts that are integrated into the rear bumper.
The interior of the car features four bucket seats, finished in blue upholstery and trim, a deep-set panoramic dashboard and a sloping, hairpin-shaped centre binnacle that is quasi-aluminium in colour. The coupé’s front seats do not need to tilt forward for passengers to gain access to the rear seats because the car has no B-pillar and the four gullwing-like doors open upwards towards the nose and rear of the vehicle respectively.
Said to be slightly bigger than the current Impreza, but probably built on a version of its platform, the car was built to reaffirm Subaru’s emphasis on sportiness. The car will not be the precursor to a production model as such, but more of a styling exercise and indicator of future trends, said a Subaru spokesman.