Jeep Compass:
Jeep Patriot:
In a bow to the fragmentation of the automotive market, Chrysler planners decided to bring two new takes on sport-utility vehicle to the Frankfurt show’s Camp Jeep display. The Patriot is a fairly traditional take on the “trail-rated” Jeep concept, while the Compass Rallye concept is what has come to be called a soft-roader. It boasts only moderate off-road capabilities, with more of an emphasis on on-highway manners, and it’s meant to broaden the brand’s appeal to those who normally wouldn’t consider a Jeep. Smaller than existing Jeep product, both have significant features in common under the skin, including their range of powertrains, including 1.8-liter, 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter packages. Were the two models to be sold in Europe , said a source, they’d likely also get diesel power.
Officially, the Patriot and Compass are just concepts right now, but company insiders confirm the pair is actively under development and should reach market by 2007. “Today, they’re just concepts,” hinted Chrysler’s new CEO, Tom LaSorda, "but concepts designed to meet real-world needs. Both Jeeps will be based off the same architecture as the upcoming Dodge Caliber, a crossover previewed at the Geneva Motor Show last spring.
BMW Z4 Coupe Concept:
Is the Z4 Coupe a logical candidate for production? Is the Pope German? BMW executives were fairly open about the prospects for the Z4 Coupe Concept, which looks much like the new Viper coupe or Porsche Cayman and improves markedly on the base roadster’s shape.
Like the Cayman, the Z4 Concept shares its fundamentals with a roadster, and while it has its own roof and luggage area, the Z4 Concept shares the Z4’s 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder engine with 265 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque. BMW says it will take only 5.7 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph and will hit a top speed of 155 mph. Electric power steering and more powerful brakes are expected to make it into the production version of the Z4 Coupe when it arrives in the 2007 model year.
