Currently reading: Frankfurt motor show 2013: Vauxhall Monza

Radical coupé concept previews marque's new design language and new 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine

The Vauxhall Monza will make its debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month.

The Monza is said to preview future Vauxhall design language, while the model also includes a super-efficient new range-extender drivetrain and a revolutionary interior multimedia system.

“The Monza concept is nothing less than our vision of the automotive future,” according to Vauxhall-Opel chief Karl-Thomas Neumann.

The 4690mm-long coupé was penned by Vauxhall’s British chief of design, Mark Adams. Its look is the next step from Vauxhall’s current design language, introduced with the Insignia in 2008. It will refine the look of the marque’s range, adding in more flowing surfaces, more precise lines, more prominent side sills and wheel arches and more sweeping contours.

Dramatic gullwing doors give access to an airy four-seat cabin, with entry and exit aided by the absence of B-pillars. Despite its sporty silhouette and low 1310mm height, boot capacity is rated at 500 litres — and there is plenty of headroom for passengers, since the whole cabin sits around 150mm lower than in a comparably sized production model.

Power comes from a development of the Ampera’s range-extender drivetrain. Vauxhall hasn’t released any performance or economy figures yet, confirming only that the role of the generator in the drivetrain is played by its new three-cylinder 1.0-litre SIDI turbo engine, converted to run on natural gas.

The Monza is said to do without a conventional dashboard, centre console, instruments and multimedia screens. Instead, it has one continuous, sweeping display from door to door. This uses LED projection technology, which is the same as that used at events such as the Queen’s jubilee, when a special show was projected on to Buckingham Palace.

The technology uses 18 LED projectors to display all the typical functions of the interior; the driver operates this via voice control or steering wheel buttons.

Click here for more Frankfurt motor show news.

Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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Lanehogger 22 August 2013

Vauxhall has a design language? Yer, right.

"Its look is the next step from Vauxhall’s current design language"

Whatever. Vauxhall has no identity, it is merely a badge with Opel and Chevrolet being GM's core design marques with Vauxhall being no more than rebadged Opels. Holden and Buick are in a similar position too, with many of their models just being rebadged Opels and Chevvys. No brand identity whatsoever.

Driving 21 August 2013

se se se se style

nice design althought the rear is a bit too tall probably for aerodynamic reasons...door definitely wont make production but that front will surely sell

JIMBOB 21 August 2013

Smart but not groundbreaking

This is neither radical or 'production ready'.  I suspect when it's watered down it will look like a 3dr Megane crossed with a Hyundai i30.  There seems to be a lot of me-too 'cheese grater' styling at the moment, lots of holes for aesthetics and brake cooling?.  The Calibra had a bit of elegant simplicity and low drag, so a lower coefficient version of this concept would have been interesting.  To my eyes the Volkswagen XL1 shows the way to the mainstream coupe of the future, and possibly a new Scirocco that could be absolutely sensational.