Vauxhall Zafira Concept
Vauxhall/Opel today released details of their new and amazing concept car for Geneva Motor Show.
The Zafira concept previews the next generation Zafira MPV and promises lots of great features such as the lounge-like interior with Flex7 seating system, touchscreen main display, and iPads for rear passengers.
The design of the concept car is inspired by fast trains and has some dramatic details like 20-inch wheels o crazy headlights. Most of those fancy features are not likely to make it into production, but they show the potential of MPVs for getting better.
Pricing and final specs of the car will be confirmed closer to launch date. For now Vauxhall tries to explain the philosophies behind the new Zafira’s design and technology. Check it out here:
“We have transferred the idea of a relaxing lounge to a vehicle and created an automobile oasis, a place to relax and enjoy,” said Mark Adams, Vauxhall’s Vice President of Design. “The Zafira Tourer Concept’s exterior design also makes a bold statement with its sleek, flowing lines and premium feel.”
Ambient lighting bathes spacious seven-seat cabin
The Zafira Tourer Concept interior is bathed in light thanks to a panoramic windscreen that flows into a generous glass roof extending to the rear of the car. A second pane of high-tech composite material is edge-lit by LEDs. Tiny metallic particles are embedded in the cabin’s upper sections to reflect the light and give off a warm glow that can be varied in different shades of yellow.
Vauxhall’s Flex7 seating makes a welcome return in the concept, but in this application it has evolved still further. With two rows in place, providing five-seat capacity, the Zafira concept can be transformed at the push of a button into a four-seater with limousine levels of space. A clever new folding mechanism allows the centre section of the second row to fold down, revealing two armrests for occupants in the outer seats. These seats can then slide back and towards each other, creating generous levels of space around passengers. Extended footrests complement the seating system still further.
The concept’s tilt-able three-piece headrests are electrically powered, though for safety reasons the driver’s remains in a vertical position when the car is in motion. In the ‘lounge’ setting, with the exception of the driver’s headrest, each swivels 90 degrees to the horizontal position while the outer elements curve slightly forward.
Up front, a large touch-screen display dominates the centre console, above which a covered storage compartment can hold a tablet PC like an iPad. The heating can be controlled using two turn knobs below the display, and air conditioning via touch-buttons.
Thanks to the flexible and pivot-mounted tablet PCs on the front seat backs, passengers in the second row can comfortably surf the internet or control multi-media applications.
Seats tailored in high-quality caramel leather with colour-matched quilted seams and stitching, contrasted with Cocoa dark brown door trim, soft deep-pile carpet and a host of premium materials, underline the concept’s exclusivity.
Exterior design
The Zafira concept’s roomy, warm interior is encased in an elegant, sculptured and sophisticated body painted in Frost Liquid Metal, a special metallic silver-grey.
At the front of the car, wing-shaped LED daytime running lights, bi-xenon AFL and fog lamps are all contained behind a single Plexiglass cover. These combine with fog lamps encased in polished aluminium frames to visually shorten the front overhang. The characteristic Vauxhall centre-crease on the hood reaches from the grille to the windscreen.
Like the Astra Sports Tourer, the Zafira’s belt line sweeps upwards and visually helps to propel the vehicle forward. The aerodynamic body significantly reduces wind noise for quiet cruising and the silhouette, designers say, is reminiscent of a high-speed train.
Aerodynamic exterior mirrors house turn indicators that are encased like jewels in an elegant, polished aluminium body. These high-class trim details are echoed in the waist moulding of the side glass as well as on the roof rails.
The dark LED tail lamps, which incorporate Vauxhall’s signature blade, wrap around the body side and tailgate. The horizontal aluminium bar stretches far into the light elements, giving the concept a broad, sporty look at the rear. The parallelogram-shaped dual exhaust pipes are integrated in another aluminium bar in the lower fascia, adding to its distinctive appearance.
Innovative design and technology enhances practicality and comfort
The dark metallic grey 20-inch twin-spoke alloy wheels with 245/40 R20 tyres all round hint at the Zafira’s dynamic prowess, as well as its quality. The polished high-gloss spokes contrast with diamond-cut aluminium surfaces that make them stand out against the dark background of the rims.
The Zafira Tourer Concept is powered by a new version of the downsized, fuel-efficient 1.4 Turbo featuring Start/Stop technology, providing exceptional efficiency with brisk performance. Underpinning the car is a range of innovative technologies, such as the FlexRide adaptive damping system.
