The regular Hyundai Equus is a Korean version of the Lexus LS400 and top of the line in the Hyundai model range. It's not imported over here but still Hyundai presented its future vision of the Equus all over Europe. The HCD-7 Equus concept is a remarkable looking car with distinct retro aspects to it, like the big flared fenders. It's a large cruiser which features long flowing lines and a big panoramic windshield. It made its debut at the 2002 Chicago Motor Show, clearly indicating the main market envisioned by Hyundai for a car like this: the US.
According to Hyundai the design (by its Fountain Valley studio in California) was inspired by aircraft and it's meant to set new standards for them in advanced performance and luxurious design. Remarkable are the huge 21 inch alloy wheels and the equally impressive 2.83 m wheelbase of this 4.96 m long car. Ample power is provided by its 4.7 litre V8 engine, producing 270 hp. Of course it has all mod cons like ABS, adaptive suspension and an automatic levelling system.

The HCD-7 Equus is an impressive car which certainly stands out from the rest, especially when placed amongst the everything but exiting Hyundai model range. It's about time Hyundai puts some of this creativity into their regular road cars.

From the same country as Hyundai comes Kia, which is hampered by an even more bland product line. To plot a new design course Kia founded a new studio in Frankfurt, Germany with a multi-national group of designers. One of the first design statements to come out of this studio is this KCV-II concept, unveiled at the 2002 Paris Motor Show.
This concept follows the SUV and cross-over trend as a mixture of all sorts of styles, taking cues from motorcycles, furniture design, architecture and consumer products. The exterior is a synthesis of a pick-up truck and a coupe, formed by lavishly sweeping lines and an abundance of flashy details. Most striking are the "butterfly-type" doors opening in an unique way. The interior features lots of machined alloy details, bright colors, sport seats and a state of the art Oracle 2500 stereo system. The rear seats fold away to create more luggage space while the rear window behind them hinges upward for access. Power is provided by a 3.5 litre V6 engine which drives all four wheels.

It is creative, it does look striking and it attracts attention but is it relevant? Unfortunately no. But I'll grant it that it is one big step up from regular Kia design.

Italian manufacturer Lancia has been struggling to find its place on the car market for a long time since it was gobbled up by giant Fiat. It is supposed to be the luxury brand within the Fiat Group but quality problems, erratic strategies and unattractively styled cars made it impossible to reach the envisioned group of buyers. More recently a slight but promising change of direction is made in Lancia strategy: the old heritage is starting to play an important role again, combined with special and modern, almost architectural design which should make Lancia cars stand out from the rest.
The Granturismo has to be seen in this light because it's remarkable that Lancia choose to promote this concept, since it's not really their own. It was shown by designer Carcerano at the Paris Motor Show in 2002, separately from the Lancia display. But from the Bologna show in November 2002 Lancia adopted the concept and has shown it around Europe since. The concept has been developed in cooperation between Studio Carcerano, Carrozzeria Maggiora and Lancia's own Centro Stile, making it kind of a hybrid project.
In general it's a design study based on the Lancia Thesis floorpan and mechanics. It's more or less inspired by the Lancia Beta HPE (High Performance Estate) of the 1970s, sporty estates being a popular trend at the moment, but also shows clues from Lancias of the 1950s and 1960s. The main angle of the design is that it presents a 4-door, 4-seater GT (Gran Turismo) car without compromising the sporting coupe look generally associated with GT cars.

At the show Lancia combined this concept with displays of craftsmanship like violin building and clay modelling, seeking connection with old artisan values of uniqueness and quality, which is maybe a bit to much. But the Granturismo is a nice looking car, though a bit blobby, and it would be great if Lancia could return to the times of special coach built bodywork for which they once were famous.

Under the guidance of Ford Mazda is gradually finding its way back to making interesting cars. The regular Mazda 6 may not be earth shattering, it is an attractive and elegant car conveying almost German qualities. To give it more of a sporting edge Mazda came up with the MPS concept of the Mazda 6 saloon, reminding more than a little of the street legal rally cars of Subaru (Impreza WRX) and Mitsubishi (Lancer Evo).
Not surprisingly the 6 MPS was developed by Mazda's European Research and Development Center in Oberursel, Germany. The exterior styling is wonderfully subdued; the spoilers, skirts and flared wheel arches make it clear that this is intended to be a fast car, yet an important part of the cars original sophistication has been retained. Under the hood some serious power is produced: a turbo-charged 2.3 litre 4-cylinder works itself into a sweat to give a maximum of 280 hp @ 6500 rpm. To keep it all on the road all four wheels are driven while an active torque control system takes care of supplying power to the wheels with the most grip. The transmission is completed with a short-shift 6-speed manual gearbox.
The interior of the MPS is luxurious and finished in black and white leather with aluminum accents.

The question in this case is: could a Mazda 6 MPS lure customers away from the WRX and Evo competition? Well, probably not, for that it lacks street credibility. But if Mazda could keep its price well below that of an equally agile Audi or BMW there could be a place for it as an Autobahn express. Let's see if Mazda decides to take the plunge.

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