W H E E L S
Dacia Manifesto
MANI RIVERS TO CROSS The Manifesto can be cleaned inside and out using a jet-washer. You’ll want to remove the seat covers first, because they double as sleeping bags.
£N/A (concept) / dacia.co.uk Bit weird. Slightly, yes, but good too. The Manifesto is a concept vehicle that aims to showcase lots of Dacia’s most innovative ideas, some of which might make it to production vehicles. The somewhat spartan design has been developed with the great outdoors in mind, so that rugged exterior is matched by a hardy waterproof interior and supplemented by lots of go-anywhere accessories. What’s the point? Carmakers use concept vehicles like this to raise interest in their brand and try out new things, even if some of those things are a little bit ‘out there’. So this one has no doors, windscreen… or any other glass, for that matter. Meanwhile, the few body panels that are in evidence are made from a new material called Starkle. This funky-sounding
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product is a composite produced using lots of recycled plastic to give an unusual finish. What’s the tech like? This is a minimalist, utilitarian dream, but Dacia has covered all bases with the in-vehicle tech. There’s a chunky steering wheel with buttons to control core functions and a cool-looking digital dash. But the main thinking here is that drivers could hook up their phone in a pop-up integral compartment and tap into the computing power of that instead. How does that work? This being a concept, it doesn’t. However, Dacia suggests the Manifesto could be an EV and feature four-wheel drive, aided by airless tyres that look like something you’d get on a child’s toy. And you’ll certainly be able to see where you’re going thanks to the super-bright single headlamp.
GLAD ALL ROVER
YAY TRIPPER
MILD HORSES?
Range Rover’s Sport 3.0 Autobiography P510e blends premium looks and luxury with plug-in power. A six-cylinder petrol engine gets it from 0-62mph in 5.4secs and ultimately up to 150mph. It’ll go just about anywhere off-road thanks to a wealth of smart tech, but head into town and it switches automatically into EV mode.
Short-haul flights? Forget ’em. The Gen.Travel is how VW reckons we’ll take trips in a few decades’ time. This self-driving electric taxi concept has room for four (or two once the seats unfold into lay-flat beds) and could run multiple cars in convoy to manage 700 miles between charges. As long as the gullwing doors stay, we’re sold.
Ferrari’s new baby the Purosangue has four doors and four seats… but the Italian maker is keen to point out it’s not an SUV. It features a front/mid V12 with eight-speed transmission and has four-wheel drive to boot. An all-new active suspension system helps with handling, and we’re promised a 0-62mph figure of 3.3secs.
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