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"Looking to redefine the packaging on small cars, Italdesign Giugiaro has developed the Emas Comfort and Country concepts in conjunction with Malaysian automaker Proton and powertrain specialist Lotus.   These two new small cars comprise a new family of space and energy efficient vehicles envisioned by the Italian design house. The Comfort is a 4-passenger 5-door that, according to Italdesign Giugiaro chairman Giorgetto Giugiaro, &amp;quot;allows interior spaciousness on par with that of a segment D saloon despite the exterior dimensions of a segment A car. You could say that it is a brand new type of car...where looks are as important as function, ergonomics and comfort, not to mention environmental impacts.&amp;quot; The Emas Comfort and Country are compact, just 140 in. long.   The Country concept takes this a step further by adding a fifth seating position and reducing the number of doors from five to three. Access, however is not compromised since the B-pillar has been eliminated and the doors lengthened to 52 in.   A key dimension of the Comfort and Country concepts is height. These concepts are taller than a conventional car, but not as tall as some SUVs. &amp;quot;The seat H point is at the same height as the passenger&amp;#039;s hips. You do not get down into your car as a coupe, you do not climb up as in an SUV, but you enter in a natural way,&amp;quot; says Giugiaro. That ease of entry and exit is also evident in the rear row of seats, where there&amp;#039;s as much room as in an SUV.   The vehicles can be configured in either front- or all-wheel drive, with a powertrain developed for the project by Lotus. This series hybrid employs a 3-cylinder 1.2-liter engine mounted transversely in front. The engine can run on gas, ethanol or methanol, and be used to recharge the vehicle&amp;#039;s lithium ion battery pack. Giugiaro says the design incorporates a raised floor that also provides a space for the vehicle&amp;#039;s batteries. &amp;quot;Developing a car based on a hybrid system allows the designer to maximize all the opportunities and advantages offered by the combination of internal combustion and electric engine in terms of the arrangement of volumes and dimensions,&amp;quot; Giugiaro explains. &amp;quot;With this project, we show that the car layout remains unchanged regardless of the type of fuel system, be it conventional, hybrid with a petrol engine, hybrid with natural gas or also fully electric.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/geneva-auto-show/news/a15533/italdesign-giugiaroproton-emas-comfort-and-country-concepts/>