Chevy’s cutting-edge crossover
An all-new cutting-edge crossover from General Motors could be a step closer to production with the unveiling of the Chevrolet FNR-X concept at the Shanghai auto show last week.
The hi-tech plug-in hybrid concept has emerged almost two years to the day that GM unveiled its first FNR, Find New Roads, concept at the 2015 Shanghai show – a radical design study that then GM vice-president of design Ed Welburn said was a ‘prospect for production’.
“We will definitely see something this expressive at some point,” he said on the Chevrolet stand at the time.
“The wheels... I don’t know. But I can guarantee that the shape of this car, or something like that, will make it into production. But not this year.”
Fast-forward two years and GM’S global design operations, now led by Australian Mike Simcoe who was in Shanghai for the FNR-X’S unveiling, has turned out a far more productionoriented vehicle than the wild and aggressively styled original.
Whereas the first FNR was a coupestyle four-seater sportscar, the X suffix clearly brands its successor as a compact crossover.
GM North America president and global Chevrolet brand chief Alan Batey, who is a former head of Holden in Australia, described the new FNR study as one of Chevrolet’s most forward-thinking concept cars, truly exemplifying the brand’s passion for innovation and ingenuity.
“The FNR-X builds on the design and technology showcased on the original FNR concept and embodies the belief at Chevrolet’s core that anything is possible,” he said.
The company says the latest version ‘draws inspiration from and exemplifies the century-old brand’s combination of performance and versatility to meet multi-purpose mobility demands’.
Few mechanical details have been made available, other than the fact the FNR-X uses a plug-in hybrid powertrain with two driving modes – V for versatility and S for sport – and an adaptive suspension system that adjusts ground clearance based on the mode selection.
The concept also features active aerodynamic elements, including grille shutters, switchable wheel blades and front and rear spoilers, and side skirts that move up or down in accordance with the drive mode selected.
Other notable features include remote-controlled rear-hinged doors, hi-tech cabin fabrics with hexagonal textures, a panoramic ‘augmented reality’ head-up display that provides an excellent 270-degree posterior-lateral view, an OLED dynamic display, intelligent speech interaction system and Id-customisable information system.
The FNR-X also has an advanced driver-assist system that provides what Chevrolet describes as ‘highly autonomous driver assistance by choosing the best route based on its predictions for complex road conditions’.