2023 DS Renaissance In 2021, Citroën and its sub-brand DS became part of Stellantis when their parent company PSA merged with FCA. Stellantis's new CEO gave each of the company's brands 10 years to prove themselves worthy. Using the GM BEV3 platform used for the Cadillac Lyriq as a basis, DS began work on a new executive sedan to replace the Peugeot 508-based DS 9 and Citroën C6. The new car would take design inspiration mainly from the Citroën DS and the 2016 CXperience concept. Like the Cadillac Celestiq concept, which also rode on the BEV3 platform, the Renaissance was a 5-door liftback. The car would use the same 100 kWh battery used in the Lyriq, giving it a range of approximately 350 miles. The concept used a dual-motor all-wheel-drive layout, but a front-motor front-wheel-drive model was also planned. Public reception was strong enough for Citroën to start planning for production. It was planned to be built in Shenzhen, China, replacing DS 9 production there. Citroën would not get a version of the Renaissance, instead having to make do with the C5 X as their largest car.
1974-1980 Ford Granada (North America) Imported luxury cars, mostly from Germany, had become increasingly popular in America throughout the 1960s and 70s. Brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Jaguar found great success against the traditional American barges. The smaller size of their cars meant better handling, performance, and fuel economy, which appealed to young urban professionals. When Ford of Europe launched the Consul and Granada in 1973, Detroit started working on a version for the North American market. Unlike the Escort and Mustang II, which had their exterior dimensions changed significantly, the Granada would stay the same, only receiving new US-market bumpers and fascias. The Maverick, which the Granada was supposed to replace, stayed in production until 1977 as a cheaper, larger, and less premium alternative. The Granada was to be assembled at Wayne, Michigan and Mahwah, New Jersey. Only the 2- and 4-door sedans came to North America, although the 2-door sedan was marketed as a coupe. At launch, the Granada could be had with a 2.8- or 3-liter V6. While there were plans to give it a 2.3-liter Lima I4 or a V8, these never went through. It did get a 4 cylinder eventually in 1977, when a diesel model using a 2.3-liter Indenor unit was launched in response to Mercedes's success with diesels. It didn't sell well, and the turbocharger added in 1979 didn't help much. Mercury had its own version, the Monarch, which was nearly identical to the Ford apart from minor differences in the fascia, interior, and badging. It sold well against the much more expensive Mercedes-Benz W123 and BMW E12, although it performed only slightly better than the Maverick it was meant to replace. It was replaced by the Fox-body Ford Fairmont a few months after the Fiesta was cut from the lineup, making it the last of Ford's short-lived attempt at creating a cohesive model lineup.
1991-1997 Lexus LM 240 In 1990, the luxury mnivans were starting to become popular in North America, with the Chrysler Town & Country and the Oldsmobile Silhouette, so Toyota launches a Lexus version of the Previa, known as the LM, or LM 240, launched in 1990 for the 1991 model year, the LM 240 would be Toyota's competitor to the Town & Country and Silhouette. The LM 240 would be built in Kariya, Aichi, Japan with the Previa, and like the Previa it was based on, the LM 240 had a mid-engine design and was rear-wheel drive, powered by a 2.4L I4, the LM240 was so successful that Nissan would respond in 1992 to release the Infiniti QM (which was known as the QM30, QM33, QM35, and finally, the QM80 until it was discontinued in 2017), a rebadged version of the Nissan Quest, and Honda would later respond with the Acura Odyssey (which would later be known as the Acura MV, and the Acura MVX), a rebadged version of the Honda Odyssey. The Lexus LM 240 would gain a supercharged version in the 1994 model year, with it being known as the LM 240 S/C, and the LM also had a power sliding door, which was never offered on the Previa, using GM's technology with the Silhouette's power sliding door. The Lexus LM would be so successful, it would end up receiving a second, third, fourth, and fifth generation, which were based on the Toyota Sienna, where it would be known as the LM 300 (second generation), LM 330 (third generation), LM 350 (third and fourth generation), and finally, the LM 400h (fifth generation).
2017-2021 Opel/Vauxhall Manta/Holden GTR/Chevrolet Monza General Motors, in its frugality, wanted to expand the use of the Alpha platform in its beginnings, leading to a cheap sports liftback, as well as a handful of other vehicles being added to the platform. Opel, Vauxhall, and Holden versions resembled a BRZ, but with Insignia-like fascias and a chunkier liftback rear shape, somewhat like the Stinger. Engines ranged from a 108hp 1.6 turbodiesel to a 275hp 2.0T. Chevrolet versions had more Cruze-like styling. The vehicle was quite small, with a useless backseat but good visibility and a large cargo area, making it a popular choice. With the splitting of Opel and Vauxhall from General Motors, the model was cancelled in 2021.
(it's just a trim, so here's a regular SLK facelift pic) 2000-2001 Mercedes-Benz SLK270 CDI If you can, it doesn't mean you should. Being built on a shortened C-Class chassis meant it was an easy job to stuff a 170hp 2.7 turbodiesel I5 under the hood, though no one thought why would anyone do that. Buyers didn't get the idea of a diesel sports car, and the SLK270 got discontinued after a year with ~1300 cars actually sold.
1992-99 Toyota Paseo Turbo GT/Toyota Cynos Gamma Turbo In January of 1992, exactly one year after the Paseo/Cynos was released, Toyota decided to put on the market a high performance version of its small sportscar. The Paseo Turbo GT, also known as the Cynos Gamma Turbo in its JDM version, was equipped with the same 4E-FTE 1.3 turbocharged engine found in the Starlet Turbo GT, and it also had a more aggresive bodykit than the one found in the regular versions and 15-inch wheels, instead of the 14-inch ones that came in the naturally aspirated trims. With 133 hp, a close-ratio five speed gearbox, all-round disc brakes and LSD, the Paseo Turbo GT/Cynos Gamma Turbo was a great performer, thanks to its superb power-to-weight ratio. It also had a lot of technology for an entry-level sportscar, being equipped with ABS brakes and even an electronic suspension system, known as the TEMS. Thanks to this system, the Paseo Turbo GT/Cynos Gamma Turbo was the best handling car in its class. This version lasted until 1999, when Toyota ended the production of the Paseo/Cynos.
I've made a fair share of fictional cars, including vehicles for Automation, my semi-parody sci-fi worldbuilding project, and some random one off creations. Here I want to share something from the second group, that being a modern "ultimate sports car", similar to the absolute peak McLaren F1 from the 1990's but with a focus on maximum performance, in both straight line speed and cornering, rather than a focus on driving enjoyment. Due to it being from a scifi world, some futuristic technology is utilized (including components that are essentially "godmode", being nigh-indestructible and super lightweight) but a "lesser" version of it could exist with current or near future technologies similar to the infamous SRT Tomahawk VGT. Also, just to note, I can't supply pictures because I still have yet to work the visual design out. The car in my profile picture is completely unrelated, it's a seperate hypercar but does share a few similarities. With that out of the way, I'll list some of the specifictions (due to a lot of bullet points some people might suspect this is AI generated, but oh well...) Body: Lightweight, made out of the lightest possible material where possible (carbon fibre, or that godmode material I mentioned). Overall kerb weight should be around the 1000 to 1200 kg (2205 to 2646 lbs) range. This also means a very minimalistic interior with very basic creature comforts. All I'd leave in is basic air-conditioning and the minimum safety features for it to be street legal. It would have a small screen for controlling some features, the rest are all buttons. There are a couple of speakers for listening to music, but you'd either have to hook up your phone wirelessly and listen to music from that, or put in a USB stick with mp3's on it. The design would allow for mounting either two seats side-by-side traditionally, or a single, centrally mounted seat for better lateral weight distribution. I also thought of a fighter-jet-like tandem seating similar to the RAESR Tachyon Speed, but that'd make the wheelbase and overall car excessively long. Engine: A flat or boxer layout would be ideal in order to keep the center of gravity low. I have two ideas, one being an 8-cylinder unit, and the other a 10-cylinder one. The former is a somewhat tried and tested powerplant, mainly used by Porsche back in the day, and has an extra characteristic of having very good smoothness. The flat-10, however, is rather experimental because no such unit had ever reached production according to the wiki article. It could be a fun experiment to do, but either way a reasonably large displacement is needed. In my case, it would be somewhere between 4.8 and 5.4 litres (292 and 330 cui). Forced induction is practically required. Twin turbocharging would be a natural option, possibly with an air pump thingy like the Koenigsegg Jesko to reduce turbo lag. I could also see centrifugal supercharging being an option, although I don't know if it is possible to do twin centrifugal superchargers. Koenigsegg's Freevalve technology (electronically actuated valves) would allow for extreme precision, though they do present some reliability issues since the electronics could fail. (You're probably starting to see a pattern here, but yes I took a lot of Koenigsegg's technology, and honestly it makes sense since they're innovating a lot. As to whether or not their stuff will make it to more affordable cars, time will tell.) Compatibility with alternative fuels such as E85 (once again, this car essentially becomes a souped up 'Egg. It's my favourite performance car company, alright?) Some kind of hybrid system for KERS or "fill in the gaps in the powerband" type stuff would be cool to have, but the added motors and batteries would be HEAVY. It'd be cool as an alternative trim, though. Power to weight ratio somewhere between 1 and 2. Too little would mean insufficient performance, too much would mean insane wheelspin. In my case this car would thus have 1000 to 2400 horsepower depnding on weight and the chosen power to weight ratio. AWD (perhaps with an optional RWD mode) is necessary to provide increaased traction and compensate for some of the wheelspin, which is inevitable in any high-powered car anyways. Rear wheel steering (again from the Jesko) to provide improved agility. Top-notch, fine tuned electronics (ABS, TCS, ESC, launch control, etc.) to maximize performance, agility, and stability. Multiple driving modes (balanced, high speed, high downforce, etc; possibly as a fine-tuning slider rather than selectable options?) In the fictional version featured in my worldbuilding, it is possible to dial its power down in 100hp increments, allowing for some usability in daily driving or cruising. Aerodynamics: The body should be of a below average size in order to reduce frontal area and thus air resistance, and should naturally be designed to have a low drag coefficient (in a high-speed driving mode it should be under 0.3 which would put it against the likes of the SSC Tuatara and Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut, but in a high-downforce mode it should generate at least its own weight in downforce) Cameras instead of external mirros for a further yet minimal drag reduction. Central fin with roof scoop. Not only does it provide lateral stability and extra cooling, but it also looks cool as hell. Downforce fan for ground effect (similar to GMA T.50 or McMurtry Spiérling) Slim, but decent sized rear wing with moving aerodynamic surfaces that can adapt to driving conditions, drive mode, and be used as an airbrake Independant active flaps for assiting cornering and braking (similar to Pagani Huayra and its derivatives) Mostly open rear end for maximum ventilation Everything else is mostly just carried over from the tried and tested formula for high performance cars: Unibody construction made out of super light weight materials (again, CF or the godmode material) Rear-mid engine position for optimal weight distribution Wide tires (rear above 300mm) with a grip-optimized tread pattern, alongside various slick or semi-slick racing tire options (dry, intermediate, wet) offered for race use. Lightweight rims (once again, CF or godmode material) to further reduce weight. Should be large enough to fit good brakes, but I wouldn't go over 20in rim size since it'd look ridicilous, and having some deformation in the tire could maybe allow the tire to grip the road better, similar to drag racing cars Independant suspension (likely double wishbone and its derivatives, or other alternative suspension options) Large carbon-ceramic brakes to have good stopping power while keeping it lighter than traditional brakes Finally, here is a very basic performance benchmark of the car featured in the worldbuilding project. As mentioned, it uses futuristic technology (the car's model year is 2073 to 2091) and super OP "godmode" materials allowing for absurd performance. Top speed: 540 km/h (335 mph) 0-60mph (0-100kmh) acceleration: 2.4 seconds Maximum cornering grip: 3g Quarter mile time: around 8 seconds Nordschleife time: around 6 to six and a half minutes
