Italdesign Giugiaro Solar Hybrid To Debut At Geneva Show

Italdesign Giugiaro will debut its solar-assisted mid-engine hybrid vehicle at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The company issued a series of photographs of the car last week, which sparked interest, but left many observers highly critical of the vehicle's design. To set the record straight, the concept is a tribute to forty years of Italdesign Giugiaro's design work. It represents an eclectic combination of designs and styles, many elements of which have been featured in Italdesign Giugiaro vehicles since 1968.

The Quaranta concept, which was designed by the same house that put together concept vehicles for Lamborghini and Bugatti, is a well-equipped sports car than can hit the 62-mph mark in just over four seconds and tops out at 155 mph.

The Quaranta borrows its mechanical and electronic character from Toyota, which worked on the development and modifications that made their way into the concept. The development group used the 2004 Toyota Volta concept as the basis for the Quaranta. The Quaranta runs on a modernized variation of the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive power train from the original Volta prototype, and also includes the electronic continuously variable transmission system, both of which are found in the production Prius.

A 3.3L engine and electric motors in the front and rear of the vehicle power the Quaranta. The electric motors, which give power to the wheels, are themselves powered by an array of roof-mounted and front-end solar panels, which also runs the climate control system and recharges the Quaranta's battery. The solar array can generate up to 250W of power. In addition, the vehicle uses a regenerative braking system to supply additional battery charge.

Although the Quaranta is classified as a four-wheel drive vehicle, the electric motors allow the Quaranta to switch automatically between two-wheel (rear-wheel) drive at cruising speeds and four-wheel drive when accelerating, braking or cornering.

Judge for yourself whether the Quaranta concept fails on style, but the four seconds it takes to go from 0 to 60 should convince you that "hybrid" doesn't mean "underpowered" anymore.