At the
Paris Motor Show later this month Chevrolet will unveil a new concept car racer called the WTCC Ultra, though the fact that it will be a fully-functioning vehicle leads us to suspect that this concept car could be significant to the future Chevrolet Europe line-up.
Chevrolet currently competes in the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) with the Lacetti and the concept shows what a new compact racer could look like. With a nod to the future of diesel engines in motorsport, the concept is fitted with a 187bhp version of Chevrolet's 2-litre turbodiesel due for release in the new Captiva SUV early in 2007.
Strip away the aggressive bulging wheelarches, spoilers, racing wheels and the ground-hugging body addenda and it is likely that the Ultra concept holds clues to a new compact Chevrolet, potentially based on the Vauxhall/Opel Astra underpinnings.
Shane O' Donoghue - 6 Sep 2006