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From Swedespeed.com Events Coverage Editor's note: This year’s NAIAS marks a new chapter as far as Vortex Media Group is concerned. In the past, we’ve attended the NAIAS with the objective to cover in depth the goings-on that pertained to the brand-specific sites in our portfolio. A lot of work, no doubt, but this year’s event was even more challenging. As you now are certainly aware, VMG has added to our portfolio an expanded, self-sufficient version of The Car Lounge. TCL is a general automotive site and as such we will offer coverage of most every car on the automotive landscape. As you might imagine, this put a new twist on how we approached this year’s NAIAS coverage. We brought along a staff of eight people to make sure we attended every press conference and photographed every display. We’re quite pleased with the results and intend to do an even better job for next year’s event. Our commitment to providing you the most in-depth coverage possible dictates that our wrap-up will be broken down into two parts. Part two is scheduled to run on Tuesday.
Have you ever asked why no one has built an extra-large vehicle that looks to be a cross between a Honda Element, Scion xA and Renault Megane? No? Well, it seems Infiniti thinks someone out there has, because their Kuraza concept seems to be an answer to that very question. Infiniti claims the Kuraza is meant to offer a place where six adults can comfortably socialize and that utility is less important. Still, those teak wood floors, center pontoon divider, and general living room environment would likely never make it to production, but the overall shape and possibly the very convenient third set of rear doors may well hint of a future Infiniti SUV.
Though burdened with what is possibly the most dubious name for a concept car, the VW Ragster had a certain charm that more than overcame the collective snickering whenever its name got mentioned. VW has spent years searching for ways to make the Beetle less effeminate and it looks like this time they’ve succeeded, at least with this concept version. A shorter, flatter roof does wonders as far as shaking some of the cutesy character of the New Beetle, and the new fenders with new crisp radii, longer, sleeker front and rear fascia, go a long way toward furthering the cause. While the chopped roof will most likely not be seen on a production Beetle, the good news is that it’s almost guaranteed that everything below the roof will make it to production attached to the upcoming face-lifted version.
Nissan hasn’t had much to say concerning the North American compact car market for a long, long time. The Sentra, by Japanese car standards, is the Methuselah of the small car world and it would seem a replacement is long overdo. No doubt Nissan is on the job, but until the fruits of their labor are public knowledge, Nissan is hoping the Azeal concept shown in Detroit will at the very least whet a few appetites in the mean time. The Azeal is a very small, stubby coupe along the lines of a Scion tC, though in somewhat smaller proportions. Its almost cab-forward lines seem a little late to the party and many of its techno-styled details seem overdone and sure to date the design rather quickly. On the flip side, its interior is striking and the aluminum bits on the dash look superb. Rear seats, however, are pure Audi TT comedy.
When you add an exclamation point to the end of your concept car’s name, well, you’d better back it up with some damn decent hardware or sexy come hither good looks. Chrysler’s done both with their Firepower! concept. Looking to slot in below the Viper and take on the Corvette at its own game, the Firepower! has some work ahead of it should it make it to production. Though its massively long hood hints at a V10 mounted in front-mid-engine fashion, the truth is that Chrysler’s dropped in the now ubiquitous Hemi V8 instead. The traditional Chrysler front grille looks a bit formal on the front of such a swoopy coupe and the hood vents looks a bit over-adorned, but over all the Firepower! is a compelling design with many interesting features. The way the doors are cut into the rear arches is graceful and attractive, and the rear end has a very Aston Martin look about it – no bad thing there. So for now, Chrysler, go ahead and keep that exclamation point – spell-check be damned!
We thought we might see at this year’s NAIAS a new Toyota Supra concept. We’d heard Toyota was contemplating bringing back the model name and the timing seemed right this year for a sneak peak. Well, we sort of saw it. But it was named the Lexus LF-A. And if produced, it will sticker for some $100,000. Oh well. Lexus declared that the LF-A is almost certain for production and they compared its performance to a Ferrari F430, Lamborghini Gallardo and a Porsche 911 Turbo. Nice company, indeed. The LF-A’s rear-mounted radiators with exposed fans seemed a strange choice, especially for a front-engine design, but they were certainly interesting touches and allowed for a very clean, grille-less, uncluttered front end. The headlights are absolute jewelry, though not overly flashy or complicated. The interior is airy, simple and restrained by supercar standards as is the over all exterior design.
Silly, senseless, outrageous and wonderful: all perfectly fitting adjectives for Jeep’s Hurricane concept. With twin Hemi engines, dual steering boxes that allow all four wheels to oppose each other and transfer cases for each of its four axles, the Hurricane can spin on its own axis. Why? Who cares? Unpainted carbon fiber comprises the exterior panels and all the suspension components are unapologetically in full view. The Hurricane is a throwback to older times when designers, as rewards for hard work throughout the year, got to put their deepest and darkest fantasies into 3D reality just for the big auto shows. Hell will freeze over before the Hurricane sees production, but it’s still nice to see these guys having a little fun.
If the Hurricane was pure auto show fluff and fodder, then Jeeps’ Gladiator concept conversely proves that the NAIAS is very much about serious business. The Gladiator looks like a Wrangler pick-up and that’s pretty much the point, though the truck is about ten inches wider than the Wrangler. At the show we noted the extra width to Chrysler’s VP of Design, Trevor Creed, and asked him if the additional width meant that the Gladiator’s engine bay might well accommodate a Hemi? To that Mr. Creed simply smiled and said, “You never know…” In good old Wrangler fashion the windshield folds and the doors can be removed. Hats off to Jeep for “thinking outside the sandbox.” Should Jeep build the Gladiator? Americans love Jeeps. Americans love pick-up trucks. Do the math, people.
Carroll Shelby was hanging around the Ford display area. And why shouldn’t he – his name is on their Shelby GR-1 concept car. Under that magnificently polished aluminum skin are basically the same mechanicals as seen in last year’s NAIAS Shelby Cobra concept, but whereas the Cobra’s exterior and interior execution failed to overwhelm, the GR-1 seems like a much better effort. With a 605-hp V10, rear-mounted six-speed transaxle and Ford GT chassis and suspension for hardware, the new Shelby namesake is said to be next to occupy the GT’s assembly line once the GT ends production. Though it might possess the meanest rear stance of any car ever made, let’s hope that by the time production rolls around, the GR-1 receives a pair of more distinctive headlights and a more cohesive grille design.
With the Expedition, Explorer, Escape and Freestyle currently in their lineup, does Ford really need another boxy SUV/people-mover? It remains to be seen, but they apparently thought it was a question worth asking and the Fairlane concept is here should the answer turn out to be “yes.” Most folks remember the Fairlane as a sedan, but Ford says the name really refers to Henry Ford’s estate. No new ground is really broken with the Fusion’s CD3-based Fairlane but it is a good-looking two-box design with clean geometric patterns providing visual interest. It does sport some truly fresh interior touches - imagine a minivan interior styled by Ikea and you’ll be close to the mark. As nice as these materials look in the concept, it’s hard to imagine them making it to production, though some bits and pieces could show up in the next Freestyle or Escape.
What can we say about the Syn*us Concept? Purported to be a “synthesis between a tough exterior and a warm interior” and an “urban sanctuary,” the Syn*us sits right along side Jeep’s Hurricane concept as a throwback to the days when concept cars were allowed to be 100% irrelevant as long as they were fun and at least a little bit groundbreaking. The jury’s still out for J May’s latest creation as far those criteria are concerned, but considering the mini bullet-proof Brinks truck look, we wouldn’t be surprised to see 50 Cent on the Syn*us waiting list.
There will be no SVT version of the current Ford F150. That’s right, no more Lightning. However, should Ford decide to build something even reasonably close to the Sport Trac concept and put a hot engine it to boot, we don’t think anyone will mourn the Lightning for very long. The current Sport Trac is an awkward-looking truck that is still built on the old F150 platform. Certainly, it’s time for a change and we say Ford needs to turn this concept into reality. In the flesh, this truck is a very clean design with the sum of its parts being just as nice as any one aspect. The grille and headlights are powerful and classy, while the smooth sides, aggressive arches, and floating cab effect are quite cohesive and attractive. A new independent rear suspension promises a ride as civilized as the exterior design.
It would seem that Suzuki is rather bored with the whole SUV concept as it stands today. They must have really challenged their designers to break every rule, shatter every mould and come up with an SUV concept for NAIAS that would make everyone scratch their heads in amazement. We were scratching our heads all right… Concept X’s exterior is not exactly revolutionary, though it does juxtapose some pretty interesting angles here and there. The front end looks a bit odd with its twin grilles and headlights positioned way off to the sides. But it’s the interior that really shows that Suzuki has decided to go their own way this time. The sling-back seats and trim moldings look straight out of some South Beach art-deco movie theater.
With their Graphyte concept, GMC is looking to go a good step beyond their current Denali designations, as far as luxury SUVs go. The Graphyte is a clean-sheet design and does not look anything like their current offerings, and that’s probably a good thing if they really want to compete head on with the Range Rover, X5, ML, and Touareg. The front end with its swept-back headlights and severely angled windshield is rather pretty and less brutal than anything currently produced by GMC and is rumored to offer a glimpse of the new look for GMC trucks. Clean exterior lines combined with aggressive wheel arches drive home the SUV intentions but also serve to combine a hi-tech and elegant look at the same time. The interior is clean, modern, high-tech, and airy – light years ahead of typical GM truck fare. Add to all this good stuff the fact that a hybrid V8 driveline is used for propulsion and the Graphyte looks to be GM’s first honest and sincere attempt at competing with the European high-end luxury SUVs.
Saturn is in trouble. No wonderful dealership experience can make up for new product that is marginal even when compared to other cars produced five years ago. Luckily for Saturn, this situation appears to be improving for the better, and this year’s Aura concept is one good reason for optimism. The truth is, the Aura is a damn handsome automobile. This is especially significant because the Aura is no ultra-luxury fantasy-mobile or even a low-volume sports coupe – no, the Aura is built on the same Epsilon chassis as Pontiac’s G6 and is therefore poised to take on a fairly bread-and-butter sales role for Saturn. Considering Saturn’s role in GM (to lure the traditional import buyer), many people have openly pondered why GM does not simply bring over some European Opel product and slap on some Saturn badges. Certainly the cost of importing non-US spec vehicles to compete in the ultra-competitive mid-size market makes such a prospect unlikely, but with the Aura it appears that GM has been coveting at the very least the aggressive and sporty lines found on current Opel offerings. The Aura’s face is distinctive and sporty, with large mesh openings for radiator and brakes along with a pair of today’s fashionably huge headlights. A long wheelbase and reasonably short front and rear overhangs are nicely complemented with large wheel wells radiused with super-aggressive fender flares. At the rear, the compound-shaped taillights integrate cleanly into the rear fascia and are separated on top by an admirably subtle trunk lip spoiler. Our only serious complaint would be that we found the black plastic blanking plates at the end of each rear door to be a disappointingly inelegant way of artificially extending the roofline. If there were one place where the Aura may get “watered-down” for production, it would likely be the interior detailing. That could be a shame; because the aluminum trim, chocolate brown leather, and gauges with green “angel eyes” are just as distinctive as the exterior detailing and also help serve to set the Aura apart from the herd of boring mid-sized sedans. Saturn truly needs to make some waves right about now, and though the US mid-sized market is full of sharks, let’s hope those infamously cold GM feet don’t ultimately keep Saturn from ever getting in the water.
The XK8 is a very old car, indeed. As Jaguar has one of the richest sports car histories of any manufacturer, some of us find it a bit sad to see so much heritage going to waste. Jaguar obviously understands and they must have brought the Advanced Lightweight Coupe concept to Detroit with the hope of reminding the faithful that they’ve not lost the plot. Though Jag (and Ford) still needs to do a better job of making their sport coupes look more distinct from Aston Martin’s, the ALC is undoubtedly a pretty car, save for the somewhat cheap looking headlights and taillights. Due to economies of scale, we can only suspect that the ALC uses an aluminum version of Aston’s upcoming AMV8 chassis and according to preliminary reports, this bodes well for the future Jaguar’s capabilities – the AMV8 is said to be brilliant. While we hope there’s still time to better Jaguar-ise the exterior, the interior, as far as we’re concerned, can stay just the way it is, thank you. Supple leather, classy aluminum detailing (of course), along with carbon fiber trim that’s very reminiscent of old-school engine-turned metal, make for a very inviting (and very Jaguar) interior.
We’ve seen Volvo’s 3CC hatchback concept before at Michelin’s Challenge Bibendum, but Detroit was the official world premiere for the electrically powered 3-seater. Very pretty for a small hatch, we still have to wonder whether there are any real world applications for a 3-seat configuration. An ability to carry fewer passengers and less cargo hardly seem tradeoffs worth considering, no matter what the potential benefits might prove to be (better aerodynamics, storage space for batteries, etc.). Still, the over all shape is very attractive and the minimalist interior treatment seems spot on for a modern hatch. Volvo used the NAIAS to tease us with a brief video for their upcoming C30 hatchback model. Let’s hope the C30 looks a lot like the 3CC – minus the weirdo 3-seat accommodations, of course.
Hybrids are catching on big-time. Even Mercury is getting into the act, but they’ve chosen a somewhat different route. Their Meta One concept uses hybrid technology, but instead of a gasoline/electric combo, they’ve chosen to use diesel/electric for propulsion. The thinking is a diesel hybrid will not only yield better economy in stop and go city driving, but compared to gas versions their highway economy will be superior as well. The Meta One uses a clean 2-box design and is based on the same chassis as the Ford Freestyle. More of a people-mover and less of a traditional SUV, the Meta One will need an interior makeover should it eventually get a green light for production. Molded seats with fixed seat backs look great at an auto show, but we can’t imagine them being anything but a liability in a vehicle that seems designed for space and utility.
Crossover SUVs are all the rage these days, and the Nissan Murano, among others, has proved the concept is attractive to consumers. Naturally, Mazda would like a piece of this action and their MX-Crossport concept looks destined for production. With its typically aggressive Mazda good looks, the Crossport looks to take dead aim at the Murano. Bold fender arches and a sweeping beltline offer the impression of speed and agility while a decent amount of ground clearance suggests the MX would not be totally lost on unpaved roads and other types of light off-road duties. The interior looks a bit futuristic, but the trim and detailing look almost production-ready. The MX-Crossport is built on a variation of the Mazda6 chassis (but then again, what isn’t?) and could easily become a production model for 2007.
For more pictures and the actual manufacturer press releases on the concepts covered in this article, please visit our special NAIAS Forum or the NAIAS Gallery on www.thecarlounge.net. Part Two in this 2-part series of articles will focus on TCL’s impressions of the NAIAS new car introductions.
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