Vauxhall has announced it will be revealing a sports car known as the GT Concept at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
The Vauxhall GT Concept is ‘a vision for the future sports car’ and is said to be inspired by the 1964 GT Concept, which was the first styling model to come out of its Design & Engineering Centre in Luton that opened in the same year, and the striking Monza concept from 2013.
Other classic Vauxhalls mentioned as inspiration include the 1966 Vauxhall XVR and the 1065 Opel Experimental GT, the first ‘true’ concept cars from the British manufacturer.
Although the front grille is recognisable as a Vauxhall, the Concept GT is unusually loud for the brand. Besides the impossible-to-miss front red tyres, it features doors that go from glass to paint without any transition.
Said doors open electronically when the passenger or driver presses a touchpad integrated within the red roof line, removing the need for a door handle, and have a ‘patented mounting’ that allows them to open at a wide angle in tight parking conditions.
The Vauxhall GT Concept also benefits from two cameras hidden behind the wheel arches that are said to offer enhanced visibility, with what they see relayed to two monitors on the left and right side of the cabin. Because door mirrors are so last year.
The windscreen, meanwhile, flows into a glass panorama roof in seamless fashion, which means plenty of light for the cabin and yet another seamless line to impress show-goers.
The car also features something called Human Machine Inerface. Basically there are no buttons in the car, instead the driver uses gestures or voice to control and can learn from your previous selections. For instance, if the day is a scorcher it will keep the air conditioning temperature low.
Vauxhall vice president of Design Europe said: “We created the GT Concept to capture the bold, emotional spirit of both the Vauxhall and Opel brands. It is dramatic, sculptural and full of innovations, which is our great tradition that we intend to continue.
He added: “This coupe impressively demonstrates the continuous development of our design philosophy.”
Vauxhall will also use Geneva to unveil the Mokka X, the latest version of the mini-SUV that comes with a new exterior and interior design, Apple CarPlay and a new powertrain. It will go on sale late in 2016 in the UK.
Expect the world debut of the Vauxhall GT Concept in early March.
Update: Vauxhall has since released more pictures of the car, which we have added below.
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