The name might be all-American, but the Chevrolet Nomad concept car unveiled at the
Detroit Auto Show has its roots in Britain.
It was designed by a small team at General Motors' Advanced Design Studio, based in the Midlands and run by Brit Simon Cox.
A strange place to give birth to a member of the American auto industry's most iconic brands, but Cox doesn't think so.
"There are lots of reasons why Britain is a good place to carry out this sort of work. We have a great deal of automotive expertise in the country and the UK is the heart of Formula One technology," he said.
"Sometimes it helps to be able to take a step away from the normal environment to develop new ideas. With modern technology we can carry out design work while being in almost permanent contact with the GM design studios in Detroit, California or Germany."
The skeleton of the Nomad was developed in the United States and shipped to the Midlands for the exterior and interior design work - and the concept car was actually built by Pininfarina in Italy. Even the 2.2-litre petrol engine is European-built.
What is it? The Nomad takes in styling cues from the old Chevrolet 54, but Cox said the design is not retro. "It's thoroughly modern and the car is very flexible. It can be a sports car, or you can remove the roof at the rear and it becomes a sort of mini pick-up. You can also play around with the seating arrangements inside."
While the Nomad looks somewhat compact for the US market, Cox hopes it will go into production. "It has been designed as a proper road-going concept. Everything about it is practical."
He also believes the car could come to Europe. It would not be out of place with its size and sporty looks which would appeal to buyers on this side of the Atlantic.
It may have to change its name though. The Chevrolet brand does not have the cache in Europe and some industry observers speculated on a Saab badge from GM's Swedish affiliate.
Interchange News Agency - 3 Feb 2004