Northrop dropped out of the partnership earlier this year, saying it did not see how the larger, and normally more expensive, Airbus plane could win against the Boeing tanker, which would be based on the midsize 767 jet.
Using virtual reality technology that permitted 3-D visualization of proposed designs, the widely scattered designers took styling themes developed for the coupe body of the Riviera concept and applied them to a four-door sedan based on the new midsize car architecture developed for Opel's flagship, the Insignia.
Because it's based on Chevy's midsize truck platform, it's going to handle more like a pickup than a car, in case you're comparing it to the way the PT Cruiser rides.
SUZUKI EQUATOR Expanding beyond its line of crossovers, Suzuki will add the Equator, a traditional body-on-frame midsize pickup based on the Nissan Frontier.
But for the longer term, Chrysler needs more competitive small and midsize cars based on Fiat technology to broaden its product mix.
About the same time, the carmaker unveiled its new Catera, a rear-wheel midsize sedan based on the German-made Opel that evoked echoes of the Cimarron.
In fact, he said, the segment most hurt by the rise of the crossover are not the large and luxury vehicles, but the midsize S.U.V.'s based on truck platforms.
Another effort to lure luxury buyers to the brand, this midsize Lincoln sedan is based on the stylish new Ford Fusion.
Among the vehicles destined for North America, the company officials said, are the tiny Fiat 500, an Alfa Romeo sport utility vehicle and a sedan based on Alfa Romeo technology to replace the midsize Chrysler Sebring.
The LaCrosse is based on a revised, stiffer version of the Epsilon midsize-car architecture; an older version of this platform works well under the Chevy Malibu and Saab 9-3.
