How does a German brand make a comeback after 50 years of absence in the automobile scene? Show up in Frankfurt with a contemporary seven-seater crossover SUV of course.
Borgward are back. If you thought the Germans didn’t have enough leading automakers in Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen, here’s another name to add to that list. Borgward was founded by Carl Borgward in 1929 in Bremen. Four brands: Borgward, Hansa, Goliath and Lloyd were offered, with the company’s most popular model being the Isabella, in 1954. In the late ’50s, the 1,500-cc sports cars grew popular and led to their power unit being used in Formula 2. In 1960, Borgward introduced the P100, complete with pneumatic [air!] suspension.
Fast forward to 2015, and Carl’s grandson, Christian Borgward, has got the company up and running and present at the IAA Frankfurt with this: the BX7 Concept. A smart-looking, modern and apparently functional seven-seat SUV, the BX7 proudly wears the diamond-shaped badge on its octagon front grille. The grille is flanked by LED and HID projector combination lamps. The long wheelbase, with neatly trimmed overhjangs, front and rear, make for a sporty profile, which looks every bit as modern as one would like to have.
Behind that smart, black-slatted grille lies a ‘T-GDI’ 2.0-litre turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder petrol engine with 224 PS and 300 Nm, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission linked to an intelligent all-wheel-drive system. Borgward promise a 0-100 km/h acceleration figure under 10 seconds and a top speed over 200 km/h.
More highlights include a multi-function 12.3″ touchscreen interface on the inside – the largest in any SUV yet – with a 10-WM (10 way multi-functional control knob) to allow easy accessto various settings. The near-production SUV also offers high-end safety with dual-stage hybrid airbags for the front-seat occupants, side airbags for the first and second row, as well as curtain airbags for all three rows. Seven seats are present with seven three-point seat-belts, no compromises here. Joining the list is collision assistant with auto brake, city braking and pedestrian detection at speeds of up to 70 km/h (claimed), side-wind compesation, active or passive lane-keeping and changing assist, as well as traffic sign recognition, among others. Looks set to be a formidable challenger, then.
Stay tuned for more on this all-new SUV when further details are revealed.
Story: Jim Gorde
