Clemson’s Deep Orange concept car aims at niche SUV market

August 5, 2014

The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is displaying its automotive engineering students’ latest concept vehicle at an industry meeting.

The fourth generation of the concept vehicle program, called Deep Orange 4, is a BMW Manufacturing Co.-sponsored vehicle and will be shown Monday for the first time to the public in its finished form at the CAR Group Management Briefing Seminar. The project has both a manufacturing as well as product focus.

The vehicle is based on the BMW X3 and is defined as a versatile vehicle that targets the niche market of performance-oriented SUV customers who want both best-in-class utility and space and an aggressive sporty design.

Deep Orange 4 is being shown publicly in its final form Monday in Traverse City, Mich.

Read this full article from the Upstate Business Journal. Additional news coverage can be found from GSA Business, BMWBLOG, WorldCarFans, Automotive News and on CU-ICAR’s website.

Clemson University is home to the Automotive Engineering Academic Program, offering both Ph.D. and M.S. programs at the CU-ICAR campus in Greenville, less than two miles from the Upstate SC Alliance office. The Upstate is proud to call itself the home to both CU-ICAR and BMW Manufacturing of North America. Clemson produced both the nation’s first Ph.D. in automotive engineering (Dr. John Limroth) and the nation’s first female Ph.D. in automotive engineering (Dr. Ala Qattawi). Click here for other awards and accomplishments by the Clemson Automotive Engineering Academic Program.