Chevrolet WTCC Ultra Concept at Paris

Press Release

Racy Concept

• Striking design: Ready-to-drive racecar study with radical contours
• Further novelties: Chevrolet Epica Diesel, Chevrolet Captiva

An athlete takes centre stage: The exciting racecar study WTCC Ultra will be the highlight of the Chevrolet Europe presentation at the Paris Motor Show from September 30 to October 15, 2006. The ready-to-drive concept car was developed by a GM team around the globe. It is the optical vision of a new touring car generation and takes the Chevrolet body language to the extreme. The compact Chevrolet WTCC Ultra (length/width/height: 4,325/1,905/1,570 mm) will celebrate its world premiere on the Chevrolet stand in Hall 5.2 of the Expo in Paris.

The trade and the general public will also get to see for the first time the new Chevrolet Epica Diesel, which will be launched in spring 2007. The mid-class sedan is powered by a two-litre common rail diesel with 150 hp. After the Captiva Diesel, which will reach the European showrooms in autumn and is celebrating its French premiere in Paris, the Epica is thus Chevrolet Europe's second diesel.

World premiere: Exciting racecar study Chevrolet WTCC Ultra

• Chevrolet presents Ultra-cool show-stopper
• WTCC concept is ready to race
• Designed by engineers across the globe

The WTCC Ultra will be the focal point of the Chevrolet stand in Hall 5 at the Paris Expo, and is much more than just a styling study.

For beneath the bold, muscular exterior, styled by 25-year old designer Ewan Kingsbury, is a fully working vehicle, that’s not just ready for the road, but raring to go on the racetrack.

The concept clearly illustrates Chevrolet’s commitment to using GM’s global resources. Kingsbury himself works for GM in Australia, while development work on the concept was carried out in the UK, Germany and Switzerland. The Ultra’s engine was built in Korea, and the prototype was assembled in Japan.

It’s equipped with a 190PS common rail turbodiesel engine, based on the 2.0-litre unit that will debut in the Captiva SUV and Lacetti models next year, and unlike most motor show styling studies is a fully-working vehicle, with performance to rival high performance petrol cars.

The concept exists as a vision of a new generation of World Touring Cars, and follows on from the success of Chevrolet’s WTCC race team, which took its second victory of the season earlier this month at Brno in the Czech Republic. British driver Rob Huff successfully held off championship leader Andy Priaulx in his BMW, and set the fastest lap time, to lead from the first lap.

Also drawing the crowds to Chevy’s stand at Paris will be the new Captiva SUV, which will reach UK showrooms in the first half of 2007, powered by a 150PS version of the 2.0-litre diesel engine or a 2.4-litre petrol unit.

World premiere: New Epica diesel with 150 hp

Already much praised in the new Captiva, the up-to-date diesel engine from Chevrolet Europe is now to propel other model series, too: From spring 2007, the two-litre common rail unit will also be available for the midsize Epica sedan.

The powerful diesel engine (rated output: 110kW/150 hp, max torque: 320 Nm at 2,000 rpm) is mated with a manual five-speed gearbox and can optionally also be paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The Epica Diesel accelerates from 0-100 km/h in just 9.7 sec (automatic version: 10.1 sec) and has a top speed of 201 km/h (automatic: 208 km/h). Despite this excellent performance, the new powerplant is very frugal indeed with an expected MVEG fuel consumption of only 6.1 litres /100 km (automatic: 7.7 l/100 km).

French premiere: Compact Captiva in the showrooms shortly

With its compact dimensions (length/width/height: 4,635/1,850/1,720 mm), strong, sporty design and comprehensive range of equipment even in the entry-level version, the Chevrolet Captiva is perfectly tailored to European customers. With this new crossover model, buyers have a choice between front-wheel and four-wheel drive, five and seven seats and a total of three engines, ranging from 136 to 230 hp.