The Lancia Megagamma is a small, almost one-box , concept MPV , designed by Italdesign and introduced at the 1978 Turin Motor Show . In retrospect the Megagamma was more influential on later designs than it was itself successful, becoming the "conceptual birth mother of the MPV/minivan movement."
14-471: The Citroën Xsara Picasso is a five-seater, five-door compact MPV produced by Citroën from 1999 to 2012. It was based on the Xsara hatchback platform. At the time of its release, two trim levels were available, LX and SX. Later designations were 'Desire', 'VTX', and the range topping 'Exclusive' trim level, some with an electric glass sunroof . On all models, the front seat backs have fold down tables, and
28-586: Is a vehicle size class for the middle size of MPVs. The Compact MPV size class sits between the mini MPV and large MPV ( minivan ) size classes. Compact MPVs remain predominantly a European phenomenon, although they are also built and sold in many Latin American, African, and Asian markets. As of 2016 , the only compact MPV sold widely in the United States was the Ford C-Max . The flexibility of
42-587: The 1.6-litre 2004 onwards) diesels, all shared with the smaller Citroën Xsara apart from the 1.6 diesel. On 22 March 2007, Auto Trader reviewed the Xsara Picasso, calling it the most popular MPV in the United Kingdom, "thanks to a combination of practicality and affordability". From 1999 to 2010, the Xsara Picasso has been assembled at PSA plant in Vigo , Spain. Since 2001, the Xsara Picasso
56-606: The Megagamma used a front engined , front-wheel drive layout based on the Lancia Gamma platform with a Lancia SOHC 2.5 litre flat-4 engine and Bosch L-Jetronic fuel injection. Italdesign showed an enduring commitment to exploring one-box designs , having preceded the Megagamma with the 1976 Alfa Romeo New York Taxi concept and followed the Megagamma with the 1982 Capsula, 2000 Maserati Buron and 2010 Proton Emas. The Megagamma itself presaged many attributes of
70-475: The U.S. seemed to avoid because of "resistance to obvious utility" – include the "mini-minivan" 3-door hatchback wagons with a sliding side door on only the passenger side that were marketed as the Eagle Summit Wagon, Mitsubishi Expo , and Plymouth Colt Vista. Some claim that the 1996 Renault Scénic is credited with creating the compact MPV segment. The 1999 Opel/Vauxhall/Chevrolet Zafira
84-562: The United States). Others include the "well-reviewed but slow-selling" 1984–87 Honda Civic Wagon and the 1982-1988 Tercel Wagon. The Nissan Axxess had limited space behind its second row seats, but featured rear sliding doors on both sides making it like a minivan that was "shrunk in the dryer." Although not classified at the time as MPVs, but variously described as space-efficient small people movers, functional high station wagons, or small vans. Examples of models – that consumers in
98-444: The front and rear rows, and are therefore referred to as six-seaters. Where a third row of seats is present, the seats are often smaller and intended for children or short distance travel only. In some cars, these seats can only carry a limited weight (less than an adult's weight). The third row of seating is usually optional, and is not available on all models of compact MPVs. Most compact MPVs do not have sliding doors as compared to
112-452: The interior seating is a common theme amongst compact MPVs. Many models have seats that can be individually folded or easily removed, and the upright seating positions maximises use of the interior space. The seating arrangement is usually either two rows (for a total of five seats) or three rows (for a total of seven seats), with the second row having three seats and the other row(s) having two seats. Some compact MPVs also three seats in both
126-470: The large-sized Multi-purpose vehicle , being more similar to the older (and concurrent) station wagons . Predecessors to the compact MPV segment are the 1977 AMC Concept 80 AM Van, the 1978 Lancia Megagamma and the 1982 Lada X-1 concept cars. Early production models of compact MPVs include, the 1982 Nissan Prairie and the 1991 Mitsubishi RVR (marketed as "Space Runner" in Europe and "Expo LRV" in
140-601: The modern MPVs — notably a roomy but compact, flexible cabin with a flat floor not unlike such notable antecedents as the Volkswagen Type 2 (1950) and the DKW Schnellaster (1949-1962) and such notable succeeding mini/compact MPV's as the Nissan Prairie (1981), Fiat 500L (2011) and Mitsubishi Chariot (1983) — as well as a wide array of similarly-sized and larger MPV's including
154-408: The rear seats can be removed to create extensive internal space for transportation of bulky items similar to a small van . The model received a facelift in early 2004 with updated bumpers, engines and body-coloured bumpers were made standard on all trim levels. The Xsara Picasso was available with a 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre (automatic only) petrol engines, or a choice of 1.6 and 2.0-litre (replaced by
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#1732786561218168-717: Was licensed from the family of Pablo Picasso , which created significant international publicity at the time of the car's launch, as not all the Picasso family were happy with the association of the artist's name with a car, when his granddaughter Marina attempted to sue her uncle Claude in April 1999. Pablo Picasso was originally associated with Citroën in the 1960s when he painted a Citroën DS with " The wreaths of Peace ". [REDACTED] Media related to Citroën Xsara Picasso at Wikimedia Commons Compact MPV Compact MPV (an abbreviation for Compact Multi-Purpose Vehicle )
182-673: Was produced in Porto Real , Brazil for the market in Latin America , where it was the top selling vehicle in its class for a while. In December 2002, Citroën do Brasil launched a limited edition called Xsara Picasso Etoile, celebrating the victory of Lula from the PT at the 2002 Brazilian presidential election . The model was restyled again in 2007 in China and South America, with the grille adopting wide chrome bars. The Picasso name
196-462: Was the first compact MPV with seven seats. The five highest selling compact MPVs in Europe in 2018 were the Renault Scénic , Volkswagen Touran , Citroën C4 Picasso , BMW 2 Series Active Tourer / Gran Tourer and Mercedes-Benz B-Class . Lancia Megagamma Featuring high seating h-points measured both off the vehicle floor as well as the pavement and a 0.34 coefficient of drag,
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