The Škoda Yeti Yeti

Yup, that’s a yeti with the Škoda Yeti compact crossover, at the Geneva Motor Show. I think it’s really funny and a nice show of left-field thinking on the part of the Czech automaker’s marketing staff.

Let’s just hope the CUV doesn’t come with one of these when you buy the vehicle. Yipes!

The Ford Iosis Max Concept

This, ladies and gentlement, is the new Ford Iosis Max Concept, said to be a preview of future design cues for certain Blue Oval models. The front should reflect the designs for the next Focus line, while the back end underlies design architecture for the next C-Max.

The design looks superb, and the doorwork is unique. The front fascia is characteristically Focus-y.

More on the Iosis Max Concept in the next post.

Mazda CX-7 Update

The updated version of the Mazda CX-7 mid-sized crossover vehicle was showcased at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, which kicked off a couple of days ago. The new CX-7 sports substantial exterior revisions as well as interior upgrades.

Among the new exterior design elements are larger air intakes, chrome surrounds for the front grille, and some minimal changes to the rear.

The interior has a new central console, an LCD monitor, and a premium steering wheel.

More on the new CX-7 as details surface. Stay tuned!

Source: Left Lane

The Dacia Duster Concept CUV

Dacia, the Romanian car manufacturer majority-owned by Renault, will be unveiling its new crossover concept at the Geneva Motor Show in a few days. The Dacia Duster features some different design elements, including rear-hinged doors for the middle row.

Dacia calls the Duster “an adaptable, modular concept car” that can be shifted from utility mode to a leisure mode by sliding the passenger seat under the driver’s seat. The added room can be used for bikes and other cargo.

More from the Dacia press release: This futuristic crossover showcases the brand’s core values – namely simplicity, robustness and authenticity – in a surprising form, yet Dacia’s hallmark ingenuity and generosity are immediately apparent in the way designers have approached Duster’s cabin.

The Duster’s rear-hinged doors look to be a love-it-or-hate-it design element, but it does have some potential. We will get into this nifty-looking CUV concept as it is unwrapped at the Geneva Show.

Source: Dacia Site

The Peugeot 3008

This is the Peugeot 3008 crossover, which will be unveiled at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Based on the French automaker’s 308 family car platform, this is the same vehicle on which the Prologue HYmotion concept that the company showcased at the Paris Motor Show a few months ago was based on.

It has a range of diesel and petrol engine options available. There’s also a coupe of 2.0-liter HDi diesel engines for better fuel-efficiency. Additionally, the HYmotion concept could be reflected in a future diesel-electric hybrid version of the Peugeot 3008, slated to arrive in 2011.

Sales of the 3008 start in mid-2009, with a long-wheelbase model to follow.

Source: Motor Authority

A Piece of the Qazana Puzzle

Remember a few posts back when we told you to “expect some teaser photos or official renderings [of the upcoming Nissan Qazana concept to be released as the Geneva Show nears“? Well, it seems Nissan intends to do this the hard way. They released the barest of teaser pics of the concept crossover: a shot of the upper left hand corner of the much-anticipated CUV’s front view.

The blue headlight thingy looks interesting, and again we see the aggressive edges in the exterior.

Well, that’s all there is to see so far. Who knows, maybe Nissan will release pics of the tail lights in a few days before showing us the completed puzzle.

The then-unnamed YN spotted during testing back in 2008

One of the vehicles that Kia will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show will be the new Kia concept mini MPV, codenamed the YN. It is the first Kia model designed solely by the company’s design director, Peter Schreyer.

The YN is built on the same platform as the Kia Soul subcompact wagon/mini MPV. A full-length glass roof is just one of the features of this vehicle, which Kia touts as one that reflects the future of the brand.

Schreyer spent 25 years as the head of design at Audi and Volkswagen AG before moving to Kia in 2006. His influence is clear on some of the latest Kia models, including the highly-acclaimed Kia Cee’d family car and the Soul.

The production model of the Kia YN is expected to be released sometime later in 2009. In the meantime, let’s just wait and see the entirety of what the YN offers when it is officially revealed at the Geneva Show.

Source: Autocar