Currently reading: Giugiaro Clipper electric MPV unveiled
MQB-based Italdesign Giugiaro Clipper EV concept boasts a range of 335 miles and a 127mph top speed

Volkswagen-owned design house Italdesign Giugiaro has unveiled an innovative new six-seat MPV concept at the Geneva motor show.

The all-wheel-drive Clipper, which is based on VW’s versatile MQB platform, is propelled solely by electricity and has a range of up to 335 miles. Two 148bhp electric motors power the 127mph concept car – one front-mounted and one rear.

With the absence of a conventional engine and the batteries all being mounted in the floor, almost all of the car’s footprint is given over to a spacious interior. There are three rows of two seats, and the rearmost two can be folded flat to create a 900-litre load space.

Italdesign, best-known of late for exotic concepts such as the luxury Brivido GT from 2012 and the Parcour off-road supercar from 2013, says the 4534mm-long Clipper, which is named after a sailing ship, is a “deliberately not futuristic car”, where the only exotic concept-car flourishes are its front butterfly doors and rear gullwings.

The four doors open upwards, and the B-pillars are mounted into the two rear doors to allow improved access into the interior. All six occupants can get into the car at the same time.

The high-tech interior is based around a theme of lightness. The traditionally dashboard-mounted controls are transferred to a floating tablet mounted on a console that can slide between the three rows of seats – a feature allowed by the electric vehicle's lack of a bulky  transmission tunnel. 

Italdesign has also shown a sportier Ducati-badged version at the Geneva show with altered doors and C-pillars, plus new livery. 

Read more Geneva motor show news.

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Mark Tisshaw

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Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.

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mx5xm 3 March 2014

Very cool!

I like it.
It appears to have the VW/Audi themed lights to make it fit easily in the VAG portfolio. Isn't the design idea a bit like the Tesla Model X with the doors?