VW design arm Giugiaro creates coupe-SUV concept
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GENEVA – Volkswagen Group-controlled design firm Italdesign Giugiaro unveiled a concept car in Geneva that hints to a new type of Grand Tourism luxury model. What makes the sleek two-seat coupe unique is that it also offers go-anywhere off-road capability typically reserved for SUVs.
Executives at Italdesign Giugiaro would not say whether a car, known as the Parcour, would be built or whether some of its features may be found on any of VW Group's eight car brands. The Parcour has full-time four-wheel drive traction and is powered by a 550-hp 5.2-liter V-10 Lamborghini engine that is capable of accelerating from 0 to 100kph in 3.6 seconds.
The Parcour takes its name from the similar-sound sporting discipline Parkour in which participants jump, flip and roll like acrobats through urban settings. Parkour was created by David Belle in France in the 1980s and has be highlighted in recent years in action movies.
"Parkour was devised as a new way of living and experiencing a metropolitan route creatively," Fabrizio Giugiaro said in a statement.
Parkour enthusiasts adapt their body to the surrounding environment and using their movements as efficiency as possible.
With that in mind, the driver can adapt the Parcour concept to its surroundings, choosing from four different modes: 1) comfortable on-road driving, 2) off-road driving, 3) winter driving and 4) race track driving.
Italdesign Giugiaro unveiled the Parcour coupe Monday ahead of the Geneva auto show and plans to debut a roadster version of the concept at the show on Tuesday.
