Dodge concept car suggests new midsize mini-Charger. VW shows Iroc, a possible new Scirocco.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — At the 2006 Paris Motor Show, which opens to the press on Thursday, Dodge will unveil a new Avenger sedan concept.
Also, General Motors (Charts) will reveal the Opel Antara SUV, which will be sold in the United States as a redesigned Saturn Vue.
At the same show ,Volkswagen (Charts) will display its Iroc concept vehicle, which, the company says, shows what a new Scirocco sports car will look like.
Gallery:Paris Motor Show
Charger Lite
Officially a concept car, the front-wheel-drive, four-door Avenger shares its fundamental engineering with the 2007 Chrysler Sebring sedan. Outside, its design resembles the Dodge Charger large sedan.
"Avenger brings Dodge brand American muscle car heritage to the global mid-size car segment," said Trevor Creed, the Chrysler Group’s senior vice president for design, in a company announcement.
The Chrysler Group, part of DaimlerChrysler (Charts), includes the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands.
The Avenger "hints at" a future midsize vehicle from Dodge, according to DaimlerChrysler.
DaimlerChrysler reintroduced the Dodge brand to Europe this year with the Dodge Caliber, the SRT-10 sports car and the Ram pickup. The Caliber has been well received. According to the industry newspaper Automotive News, European dealers are selling out of the edgy-looking hatchback.
The concept Avenger is powered by a 2.0 turbo-diesel engine. Diesel engines are popular in Europe because of their excellent fuel economy. In the United States, sale of diesel-powered cars is restricted in many of the nation’s most populous states because of pollution concerns.
Scirocco blowing back in
The Volkswagen Scirocco, a slender, sporty two-door car named after a desert wind, was last seen at U.S. VW dealers in 1988.
The new Iroc concept car features a more straight-edged shape than the old Scirocco with a flat roof that drops abruptly at the back. The shape was deliberately designed to contrast with what people expect of a sports car, the company said.
As an antitheft measure, the concept vehicle’s shift lever lies flat when the car is stopped. It stands up only when the engine is started.
Volkswagen hasn’t officially announced that it will produce the Scirocco or, if it does, whether it will be sold in the United States.
New Vue
In a move toward more sophisticated design, all new Saturn cars and SUVs are designed primarily in Europe, and most of them will also be sold there under the Opel brand.
In Europe, as in the United States, the crossover SUV market segment is seeing explosive growth. The Opel Antara crossover SUV will go on sale in America as the redesigned Saturn Vue next year.