Chevrolet Orlando MPV concept: first photos

By Tim Pollard and Richard Yarrow

First Official Pictures

09 September 2008 11:00

Chevrolet's transformation continues unabated with the new Orlando seven-seat MPV. Unless you've been on an unusually long and distant summer holiday, you will have noticed that every manufacturer is whetting gourmands' appetites for a feast of new metal at the Paris motor show 2008 – and the Orlando is one of a handful of new Chevrolets being readied for the French auto salon.

The Orlando pictured here is a concept car, but the production version coming by the end of the decade won't look much different. It's a seven-seater like its cousin the Vauxhall Zafira, but takes many SUV design cues, say the stylists. It's aimed squarely at the likes of the Dodge Nitro.

It's one of an eye-popping series of new Chevrolets. Today CAR reveals how the company is planning to launch a brand new product every 16 weeks from January 2009 to December 2012.

First up: the new Chevrolet Orlando

This new MPV show car is based on the new – and also recently unveiled – Cruze family hatch. That's the replacement for the unloved Lacetti. So it's a front-drive package with a range of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 petrol and diesel engines.

The Orlando show car is powered by a 2.0-litre diesel powerplant, developing 148bhp and 236lb ft of pull.

Seating is arranged over three rows and Chevrolet vows the 2760mm wheelbase (that's longer than a Zafira's 2703mm axle stretch) should credibly free up space for seven passengers. We'll know for sure when we report live from the Paris show on 2 October 2008. Stay tuned until then as we publish all the key photos and stories that matter.

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By Tim Pollard and Richard Yarrow