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ROVER’S ‘TCV’ STARS IN PARIS & BIRMINGHAM
 
VIDEO LINK TO PARIS including the TCV
Rover’s future product design thinking is embodied within the lines of the
Rover TCV (Tourer Concept Vehicle), which forms one of the central attractions
on the company’s stand at the Paris Motor Show. Painted in Monogram Nocturne
Blue Supertallic – one of twenty exclusive colours available to all Rover and MG
customers.
TCV is shown as an external full size model, with the ability to house
ingenious interior. It has been created to show the company’s styling and design
vision for its new vehicles. Although this concept is innovative and
free-thinking, it has been designed for genuine production feasibility.
Recent developments in world car markets reflect a growth in new categories
of cars, such as MPVs, van-based estate cars and various ‘cross-over’ hybrid
vehicles. The Rover TCV demonstrates a new way of combining luxury, style and
driving enjoyment with exceptional practicality and adaptability.
Summing up the TCV project, Rob Oldaker, MG Rover Group product development
director, said: "This concept car gives a strong indication of the way that our
Design team, headed by Peter Stevens, is developing a bold new personality for
Rover. The TCV shows the kind of all-round versatility and luxury that we
believe a Rover should offer. Judging by the response awarded the car in Geneva,
we’re most heartened by the positive reception TCV has produced."
As a starting point, the TCV fulfils the normal Tourer role - a stylish
modern ‘lifestyle’ estate car with a roomy five-passenger cabin.
Key features include:
A highly adaptable seating plan - the three rear seat squabs all fold
individually to lie flush with the normal rear load floor, and the front
passenger seat squab also folds to this plane. This allows several combinations
of passengers and loads, and any folded seats can also be used in ‘table-top’
mode for business or leisure purposes. Very long items of up to 3.1 metres can
be accommodated. The centre rear seat squab can be replaced with various
‘slot-in’ modules, including a child seat, an entertainment centre, a
fridge/food warmer or a business desktop unit.
To cope with the practical side of life, an ingenious dual configuration for
the rear loadspace area has been developed. In addition to a special hatch door
hinged well forward to give excellent access to the loadspace, the lower bumper
section also hinges open, revealing a large secure box-shaped underfloor stowage
compartment for a host of associated items. Current and future developments in
puncture management (Instant Mobility Systems and run-flat tyres) will
inevitably render the spare wheels redundant.
For even greater versatility, the main load floor is designed so that it can
be removed from the normal position and stowed on the floor of the lower
compartment, thus creating an exceptionally deep cargo space with full-depth
access from the rear. One packaging objective was to stow a normal front-loading
washing machine in the upright position. Rover’s rationale for this was not to
create a dedicated washing machine ‘delivery van’, but to provide a universally
recognisable demonstration of TCV’s remarkable flexibility.
To help with the loading and removal of bulky and heavy items, the lower
drop-down bumper has been engineered to form a flush loading platform when open.
Having such a ‘basement-level’ load floor reduces physical effort and gives the
lowest possible centre of gravity for the installed load, to minimise its effect
on vehicle handling.
TCV has also been designed with extra ground clearance, appropriate wheels
and tyres, robust finishes for the lower body and wheel arches, and can
accommodate advanced traction control technology. Adding further to the outdoor
lifestyle benefits of TCV, are the special longitudinal ‘Alpine Light’ windows
set into the roof panel.
Note: The TCV is an integral element of the programme, which will spawn a
new generation of MG and Rover products, the first of which will go on sale in
2004.
NEW ROVER IS A
VIRTUAL HIT
The Express by
ADAM STEVENS - March 15, 2002
IT has taken time, but Rover
seems to have done a decent enough job establishing itself in the marketplace
following the painful divorce from ***. The company may not have produced any
all-new models, but they have successfully updated the existing line with
numerous new derivatives.
Take, for instance, the 74 Tourer. This is a car boasting a genuine ability to
complete alongside the Mercedes-Benz C-Class estate, yet it offers so much more
for the money and is wrapped in one of the most distinctive shapes in the
business. Then there's the MG ZR, ZS and ZT trio - based on the 23, 45 and 75
models. These defied the critics and offer a decent driving experience at an
affordable price. Most recently, the MG TF has just gone on sale. A huge advance
over the MG F, on which it is based, the TF is an entertaining machine, arguably
at least as good as the benchmark Mazda MX5.
But to showcase the company's longerterm ambitions, the great British marque has
just given the first public indication of future design thinking. Badged as the
Rover TCV (Tourer Concept Vehicle) this stunner formed the company's centrepiece
at the Geneva Motor Show.
Radically different to anything Rover has ever produced, TCV is shown as an
external full-size model, combined with a dynamic virtual-reality demonstration
of the ingenious interior. It has been created to show the company's vision.
Although this concept is innovative and free-thinking, unlike some show cars it
has been designed for genuine production feasibility and a vehicle based on the
TCV concept could eventually appear.
Recent market developments reflect a growth in new categories, such as MPVs,
van-based estate cars and various hybrids.
The Rover TCV, claim its senior design people, demonstrates a new way of
combining luxury, style and driving enjoyment with exceptional practicality and
adaptability.
As a starting point, the TCV fulfils the normal Tourer role, in much the same
way as the 75 model - a stylish, modern-lifestyle estate car with a roomy
five-passenger cabin. However, the TCV boasts a number of unique key features.
Arguably the most important for family buyers is a highly adaptable seating
plan.
The rear three seat squabs all fold individually to lie flush with the normal
rear load floor, and the front passenger seat also folds flat. This allows
several combinations, and any folded seats can also be used in table-top mode
for business or leisure. Very long items of up to 3.1 metres can be
accommodated, while the centre rear seat squab can be replaced with various
slot-in modules, including a child seat, an entertainment centre, a fridge/food
warmer and a business desktop unit.
In addition to a special hatch door hinged well forward to give excellent access
to the loadspace, the lower bumper section also hinges open, revealing a large,
secure underfloor compartment. Developments in puncture management (Instant
Mobility Systems and run-flat tyres) will render spare wheels finally redundant.
For even greater versatility, the main load floor is designed to be removed from
the normal position and stowed on the floor of the lower compartment, thus
creating an exceptionally deep cargo space with full depth access from the rear.
One package objective was to be able to stow a normal front-loading washing
machine in the upright position. The rationale was not to create a dedicated
washing machine delivery van, but to give a demonstration of the capability of
the package.
The TCV has also been designed with extra ground clearance, appropriate wheels
and tyres, robust finishes for the lower body and wheel arches, and can
accommodate advanced traction control technology. This gives the car a stance
similar to the Saab 9-3X concept, also showcased at Geneva.
Rob Oldaker, MG Rover Product Development Director, said: "This concept car
gives a strong indication of the way that our design team is developing a bold
new personality for Rover. The TCV shows the kind of all-round versatility and
luxury that we believe a Rover should offer."
The TCV will spawn a new generation of MG and Rover products, the first of which
will go on sale in 2004. It is likely a TCV-style vehicle will form part of a
replacement for the Rover 45, dating from 1995.
ROVER 'TCV' STARS ON MG ROVER'S
GENEVA STAND
Giving the first public indication
of Rover's future product design thinking, the Rover TCV (Tourer Concept
Vehicle) forms the centrepiece of the company's stand at the 2002 Geneva Show.
TCV is shown as an external full size model, combined with a dynamic
virtual-reality demonstration of the ingenious interior package capabilities. It
has been created to show the company's styling and design vision for its new
vehicles. Although this concept is innovative and free-thinking, it has been
designed for genuine production feasibility.
Recent developments in world car markets reflect a growth in new categories of
car, such as MPVs, van-based estate cars and various 'cross-over' hybrid
vehicles. Now, the Rover TCV demonstrates a new way of combining luxury, style
and driving enjoyment with exceptional practicality and adaptability.
As a starting point, the TCV fulfils the normal Tourer role - a stylish modern
'lifestyle' estate car with a roomy five-passenger cabin. Key features include:
-
A highly adaptable seating plan. The
rear three seat squabs all fold individually to lie flush with the normal rear
load floor, and the front passenger seat squab also folds to this plane.
This allows several combinations of passengers and loads, and any folded seats
can also be used in 'table-top' mode for business or leisure purposes. Very long
items of up to 3.1 metres can be accommodated. The centre rear seat squab can be
replaced with various 'slot-in' modules, including a child seat, an
entertainment centre, a fridge/food warmer and a business desktop unit.
-
An ingenious dual configuration for
the rear loadspace area. In addition to a special hatch door hinged well forward
to give excellent access to the loadspace, the lower bumper section also hinges
open, revealing a large secure box-shaped underfloor stowage compartment for a
host of associated items. Current and future developments in puncture management
(Instant Mobility Systems and run-flat tyres) will render spare wheels finally
redundant.
For even greater versatility, the main load floor is designed so that it can be
removed from the normal position and stowed on the floor of the lower
compartment, thus creating an exceptionally deep cargo space with full-depth
access from the rear. One package objective was to be able to stow a normal
front-loading washing machine in the upright position. Rover's rationale for
this was not to create a dedicated washing machine 'delivery van', but to
provide a universally recognisable demonstration of the remarkable capability of
the package.
To help with the insertion and removal of such bulky and heavy loads the lower
drop-down bumper has been engineered to form a flush loading platform when open.
Having such a 'basement-level' load floor reduces loading effort and gives the
lowest possible centre of gravity for the installed load, to minimise its effect
on vehicle handling.
-
TCV has also been designed with
extra ground clearance, appropriate wheels and tyres, robust finishes for the
lower body and wheel arches, and can accommodate advanced traction control
technology. Adding further to the outdoor lifestyle benefits of TCV, are the
special longitudinal 'Alpine Light' windows set into the roof panel.
Summing up the TCV project, Rob
Oldaker, MG Rover Product Development Director, said: "This concept car gives a
strong indication of the way that our Design
team, headed by Peter Stevens, is developing a bold new personality for Rover.
The TCV shows the kind of all-round versatility and luxury that we believe a
Rover should offer."
The TCV is an integral element of the programme, which will spawn a new
generation of MG and Rover products, the first of which will go on sale in 2004.
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