GENEVA MOTOR SHOW: ItalDesign Brivido

Eye-catching concepts aren’t in short supply at this week’s Geneva motor show, but it’s hardly surprising one of the most striking examples on display is the handiwork of ItalDesign Giugiaro.

Under the ownership of the Volkswagen Group since 2010, the Italian styling house’s Geneva showstopper is dubbed the ItalDesign Brivido (Italian for ‘thrill’), and is built on hardware sourced from its German parent company.

Conceived as a luxurious four-seater GT, the Brivido stretches 80mm longer than a Holden Commodore from stem to stern at 4980mm, but its svelte, low-slung proportions (it’s 1960mm wide and just 1298mm tall) disguise its size.

Motive power comes from the VW Group’s familiar 3.0 TFSI engine, pumping out 250kW and 460Nm to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission. These outputs are claimed to be good for a 0-100km/h sprint of 5.8sec and top whack of 275km/h – not supercar numbers, but brisk enough for a grand tourer.

Visually, the Brivido has hints of BMW i8 about it, most notably in the way the glasshouse extends halfway down the doors – boosting visibility and eliminating slab-sidedness.

The car is viable for production, say company sources, with the large gullwing doors – which provide access for front and rear passengers – being the only elements that wouldn’t lend themselves to a real-world model (if one were to eventuate).

Other surprise-and-delight features include LED lights that stretch 2600mm rearwards from the nose of the car. The Brivido also dispenses with side mirrors in favour of cameras whose images are displayed on top the steering column.

It rides on colour-coordinated 21-inch rims, with contrast coming from the black carbonfibre front spoiler and rear diffuser.

The futuristic cabin was designed by the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Lab in California and features a pair of LCD screens to display the essential functions, and there’s also a docking station for an iPad that can be stashed in the centre console.

“This is an exercise to show a vehicle that delivers awesome sports car performance in an eco-friendly manner, to show great technological content and, above all, superb comfort,” is how company founder Giorgetto Giugiaro sums it up.

We obviously can’t vouch for its comfort, but we’ll offer an unreserved thumbs-up for the styling.

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