Citroen GT
French marques are proving this year that they are just as capable of holding their own on home turf. Such is the GT concept car, a project developed in conjunction with the GT5 video game. Powered by Hydrogen the car can reach a theoretical 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds. Meant only as a design exercise there are no plans to put it into production, though some of the cars design aspects are expected to make it into production models.
Renault Megane Trophy 2009
France's solution to the boy racer, and this will actually see the inside of a production factory. Developed as a stripped out race-ready version of the French hatch the Megane trophy will receive some beefy upgrades, including 360hp out of the mid-mounted V6, paddle shift semi-automatic, and tubular chassis that complies with FIA race standards. Renault claims performance figures can rival a Porsche 911 GT3.
Pininfarina B0 Concept
Before you get any funny ideas about pronunciation, the car is actually called "Bee-Zero". One of the last projects of the late Andrea Pininfarina it's the designer house's first foray into alternative powered vehicles. The plug-in runs on pure electricity and has a range of about 150 miles on a single charge. Limited production is expected to start next year.
Mazda Kiyora Concept
First it was the Furai, now the compact segment gets the same Nagare styling with Mazda's latest compact concept car, which will herald in the design direction for the next generation of Mazda vehicles starting with the successful 3 Series. The Kiyora is a mild hybrid and features a small stop/start capable 1.3 L petrol engine linked with an electric motor.
Audi A1 Sportback Concept
An evolved version of last year's Mettrosport Concept, the A1 will pick up right where the A2 supermini left off and do battle with Mini Cooper sales come 2010. Developed from the beginning as a hybrid the car is powered by a VW derived 1.4 TFSI engine supplmented with an electric motor to give 167hp. Whether the hybrid powertrain will make it into the production version remains to be seen.
VW Golf GTI Concept
Despite the minor cosmetic changes the newness lies beneath the metal of the iconic Hot Hatch. Power will come from a beefed up version of the 2.0L TSI engine from the Scirocco making 211hp. For the first time the GTI will have an electronic limited slip diff coupled with a tweaked version of its electronic stability program. Adaptive Chassis Control is also featured, which is fancy speak for additional dampeners on the suspension depending on road conditions.