Design and dynamic of a new age: VW Iroc
concept as a perspective on the sports car of tomorrow
Iroc transfers the globally successful Scirocco
idea into the future.
Sports car with four seats, sleek design and agile
turbo engines
Wolfsburg / Berlin, August 24, 2006. Comeback of
a successful idea: 33 years ago at the international Motor Show in
Geneva Volkswagen presented a sensational coupé. It was compact,
distinctive, agile, spacious and affordable. Volkswagen called it
the Scirocco. The car struck the nerve of the times: More than half
a million first generation Sciroccos were produced worldwide.
Turning point: In August 2006 the largest car maker in Europe is
showing the reinterpretation of the successful Scirocco idea in a
world premiere – the Iroc concept.
New VW sports car design: Like the first
Scirocco with its visual straightforwardness the Iroc also marks a
stylistic turning point through its progressively designed radiator
grill and a distinctive sensuality of forms. The concept of both
Volkswagens is closely related, even though the vehicles are
separated by over three decades: The first generation Scirocco was
an attainable dream car for many people. Because the Scirocco was an
automotive superstar of the 70’s, styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and
equipped with four full-fledged seats, a proper trunk, large
hatchback and a lot of self-esteem. The Iroc concept takes up this
fascinating idea again.
Purebred sports car instead of a classic coupé:
However, in contrast to the original Scirocco the Iroc is no
classic coupé, but a progressively designed sports car with an
extremely long roof and a comparatively steep rear end. This has two
advantages. Firstly: The Iroc features sharp proportions. Especially
when viewed from behind it becomes immediately apparent that this
long roof together with side window sections is situated on very
broad and powerful shoulders. The Iroc thus achieves
a waist of flawless sports car theory. Secondly: The Iroc also has
room in back for two adults and ample luggage. On balance the
provocatively designed Iroc combines a high degree of suitability
for daily use, pure driving fun and expressive design into a
Volkswagen that as a possible series-production vehicle will also be
very attractively positioned in terms of price.
Viper green meets dark carbon:
The Iroc concept exhibits numerous subtleties in
detail. Paint example: Although anything but retro styled, the green
used is an homage to the first generation Scirocco for which this
exact shade of color was especially typical starting with the 1976
model. Then as now it’s called "viper green metallic". This glaring
green of the Iroc is especially effective in combination with the
high contrast black shades of the concept. Carbon example: The
central roof element is composed of dark tinted glass; this element
is supported by a structure covered with carbon. An integrated
lengthwise support is also a part of these materials. The side sills
of the Iroc also have a carbon surface. The structure of the sill
visible from outside continues seamlessly into the interior.
Sexy dimensions: With its
short overhangs the Iroc efficiently utilizes a wheelbase of 2,680
mm for the space provided inside. The concept is 1,400 mm high,
4,240 mm long and 1,800 mm wide. The light-alloy rims specially
designed for the Iroc and 235 tires are implemented in 19 inch size.
Twincharger and DSG: The Iroc
is powered by a TSI engine, referred to in-house as a Twincharger.
Shifting tasks are handled by the DSG direct shift gearbox. About
the Twincharger: First employed in the Golf GT in 2006, TSI engines
are currently the most efficient four-cylinder gasoline engines in
the world. The combination of compressor and turbocharger shows the
path to the future. The compressor compensates for the typical
powering up weaknesses of turbo-only gasoline engines at low rpms.
The turbocharger in contrast packs a mighty punch at higher revs.
The combination of both superchargers in large-volume production
engines is the only one of its kind in the world. The TSI version
used in the concept achieves 155 kW / 210 hp. In principle, a large
range of supercharged engines are conceivable for the Iroc that
could start significantly under 110 kW / 150 hp. But there’s one
thing every engine theoretically employed in the Iroc has to
guarantee: Driving fun.
FRONT END DESIGN / Radiator grill and headlights
make unmistakably clear that the Volkswagen Iroc concept is more
than a cruiser
Radiator philosophy:
The new design expression of the Volkswagen concept shows that the
Iroc is a car thoroughly designed for dynamics. A look at the front
end makes this positioning emphatically apparent. There has never
been a radiator grill of this shape for a Volkswagen. By doing so
the company is manifesting the decision to use different "Volkswagen
faces" for specific models and segments. This is already practiced
for the Golf, for example, which features the typical Golf radiator
grill in the Trendline, Comfortline, Sportline and Individual
versions, but sports variations of the crest radiator grill for the
sportier GT, GTI and R32 versions.
Hexagon of aluminum:
The sports car grill specially designed for the Iroc concept is made
of light, brushed aluminum in the outer areas. The
honeycombed-shaped structure of the radiator grill has been a
signature of the sporty Volkswagen since the debut of the current
Golf GTI. Designed as a hexagonal air intake, the grill goes all the
way down to the dark front apron. To the right and left of it there
are two more air intakes for cooling the brakes. While the upper
transverse web of the radiator grill is flush with the engine hood,
the short side sections of the frame directly abut the xenon
headlights. It is apparent here that the image of the radiator grill
hexagon almost inevitably results from the connection of the
headlights. The headlight casing itself is comparatively narrow and
drawn up to the fenders in the modulation. Together with the
radiator grill the headlights pay full honor to the Iroc’s "viper
green" paint.
V-shape up to the A-pillars:
As a virtual continuation of the radiator grill lines
two elevated and sharply cut flanges divide the engine hood into
three sections. In the middle and a bit lower the largest of these
surfaces continues the V-shape of the sports car grill up to the
A-pillars. The A-pillars themselves are hard to see from the front,
because the windshield is extremely wide and overlaps the pillars
from the front. The two other surfaces of the engine hood descend
into the exposed fenders.
,.
DESIGN SILHOUETTE / Marked C-pillars and window
areas; large surfaces with a completely unique excitement
Statement of the surfaces:
Whoever wipes his hand first across one of the
headlights then over the fender and one of the doors will feel that
the surfaces of the silhouette twist against one another. In
particular the waistline above the front wheel arches and the door
handles up to the upper edge of the rear lights drawn far to the
side demonstrate this effect. Depending on perspective and the way
the light falls this causes the side sections to look different each
time, fascinating and like a taut muscle.
Endlessly long roof:
Furthermore, it’s the hidden B-pillars, the markedly distinct
C-pillars and the embedded rear side window here that together with
the seemingly endlessly long roof line impart a completely unique
presence and dynamic. The surfaces of the side windows extend the
compact body of the Iroc. Still more: They reverse the proportions
of classic sports cars – short roof, long engine hood. And this
shape makes the Iroc unique. Moreover, the roof spoiler integrated
in this section adds even more dynamics, both functionally and
stylistically. A completely unique counterpoint to the interplay of
green and black of the concept is, last but not least, the
sculpturally designed rear lights that are strikingly succinct, even
in silhouette.
REAR END DESIGN / A waist of pure sports car theory;
rear lights as unmistakable as a fingerprint
A typical and yet completely new rear end:
The sculptural shape of the rear lights is
most clearly seen from the rear. A typical and yet completely new
Volkswagen rear end: The vehicle character here is determined by the
relationship of the proportions between roof and shoulder sections
and thus the waist. If it is sharply contoured classic sports car
lines emerge. And this is exactly what the Iroc has. Due to the roof
extending far to the back, the designers were able to dramatically
pull in the sides and place the passenger compartment – the roof
along with B- and C-pillars – on very sexy shoulders or, better to
say, hips. The already wide track has an even wider effect visually.
The fact is: The sexy proportions in this case stand in stark
contrast to the more tightly drawn core elements of the rear end.
Rear lights like eyes:
This effect is underscored by the nearly eye-shaped contour of the
horizontally arranged rear lights, which – being integrated far into
the fenders – act like a continuation of the C-pillars. The clear
and reduced shape of the rear window is clearly set off from the
lower part of the hatch and rear apron. The general view of the
broad track together with waisted roof line plus roof spoiler and a
diffusor visually suggested in the rear apron imparts a markedly
powerful image of the Iroc. Detail in the margins: Even the flat and
trapezoid-shaped exhaust pipes comply with the dictates of dynamics,
because they continue the shape of the diffusor to the outside.
INTERIOR/ Bucket seats with 5-point belt underscore
Nürburgring-Nordschleifen talents of the concept
Variable four-seater:
As outlined,
the Iroc is a four-seater. Behind the wide open (and attached just
as wide in the roof) hatchback a spacious trunk with over 300 l of
storage volume is concealed. The level corresponds to the original
Scirocco. The trunk capacity can also be greatly expanded by folding
down the back seats. The resulting flat loading surface and the
folded down seat backs feature guide rails onto which a
multifunctional transportation lock system can be integrated.
Car racing suitability:
The extremely
sporty orientation of the Iroc concept is also reflected par
excellence in the interior. Under the auspices of the uniquely
conceived design theme an interior was developed that was
uncompromisingly harmonized for potential racing use. And this at
the racing car level as the front bucket seats with integrated
5-point seatbelts and central lock already show. However, the focus
of the design lies on gauges and controls. Two large and completely
newly designed round instruments form the visual center and
highlight of the cockpit: Both main instruments have a bluish glow
in a dark acrylic casing. The driver looks into two cylinders with
twelve illuminated bars; they create a three dimensional
segmentation within the instruments. Two bright metal rings enclose
both central gauges. The surfaces of the painted dashboard elements
are refined with a crystal structure, similar to other parts used in
the interior.
Concept breaks with conventions:
Generally
applied, practically all materials represent a creative break with
what is known and has been learned. The color and trim designers
combined color contrasting materials such as neoprene in "viper
green", leather with reptile embossing (in bicolor black/anthracite)
and "breathing" high-tech "space fabric" (in "titan black"). In
addition to the instrument panel encased in black leather, a layer
of carbon paint which is also black is used on the
doors, the roof area and floors and forms the framework for the most
important functional blocks. Example of door opener: The robust
handle in aluminum look design corresponds in shape and color to the
compact central console. Example of gearshift lever: When idle it
lies flush in a console and only after ignition moves into
operational position – an innovative anti-theft protection system
and fascinating visualized technology at the same time. Finally, the
following two examples from the dashboard make clear how far the
love for detail and for cars goes at Volkswagen: The hexagonal air
conditioning vents in matt silver mirror the design theme of the
radiator grill. A excerpt from the world of great sports cars is
meanwhile the row of classic toggle switches.
