Geneva 2012: Guigiaro Brivido

This is the Guigiaro Brivido, a new concept car that weve just been given a sneak preview of ahead of its official unveiling at tomorrows Geneva show.

See also: All Geneva motor show 2012 news

The five-metre long grand tourer has been designed by Italdesign Guigiaro, as an exercise to show that speed, eco-friendliness and comfort dont have to be mutually exclusive.

To prove this point, the Brivido uses a 355bhp 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine and an electric motor to achieve a top speed of 170 mph and a 0-62 mph time of 5.8 seconds. Despite its impressive performance, CO2 emissions are just 154g/km.

This is partly down to the Brivido's low weight, which is achieved using lots of lightweight materials in the construction, including carbon fibre, titanium and aluminium.

The windscreen, roof and large side windows form a glass dome that lets light pour into the cabin. The huge gull-wing doors also make it easy for rear passenger to get in and out, without the front passengers needing to move.

Italdesign Guigiaro has collaborated with parent company VW to develop and build the interactive systems and displays inside the Brivido. This includes an iPad integration system in the dashboard, which allows an iPad to be completely hidden away or, with a gesture of the hand, partially exposed to work in a minimal interaction mode.

The dashboard is symmetrical, allowing both driver and passenger to access the same information (journey, speed, rpm, etc.) or manage the on-board infotainment system.

The Brivido is clearly some way away from a production form, but Giorgetto Guigiaro said: The gull-wing doors are the only exotic concession that makes the Brivido a show car. The rest of the solutions are perfectly applicable for vehicles destined for the market.

Will Nightingale