Sunday, January 9, 2005

Chrysler Firepower concept

2005 North American International Auto Show

Concept designs offer hints of the future

Automakers experiment with technologies to meet the demands for speed and reduced emissions.

By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News

Ford Fairlane concept Concept car photo galleries Mercedes-Benz' Grand Sports Tourer Vision R Nissan Azeal concept Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery

If the concept vehicles debuting today at the Detroit auto show offer a taste of the future, then a lot more super sports cars, segment-straddling crossover vehicles and fuel-saving diesels and hybrids will be on U.S. roads in the years ahead.

In the first day of press previews at the North American International Auto Show, automakers will unveil nearly 20 concept vehicles that explore the outer limits of automotive design and engineering.

While many concept vehicles will never be manufactured, they offer a window into the minds of automakers, who are bending over backward to satisfy America's love affair with speed, power and size, while trying to build cars and trucks that are kinder to the environment.

Detroit automakers will have the biggest showing of concept vehicles this week, trotting out a small fleet of cars and trucks that appeal to the heart and mind, but foreign automakers will be well represented.

Richard Genthe, co-chairman of the show, said concept vehicles represent roughly 30 percent of the 65 vehicles at the show, about the same as last year.

Automakers are taking concepts more seriously now than at any time in the past, he said, spending between $800,000 and $1 million on each vehicle and experimenting more with emerging technologies that may appear on future models.

"It's not just a game they play to see what they do with clay," Genthe said.

Ford Motor Co. is expected to unveil five concept vehicles today, including two sport utility vehicle designs, one sports car and a redesign of its midsize Explorer Sport Trac pickup.

The Ford Fairlane is a midsize SUV built on a car platform that Ford is holding up as a practical alternative to the ego-bruising minivan, while the SYN US is a compact SUV meant for urban dwellers who take the idea of security very seriously.

Self-deploying shutters cover SYN's windows when parked and bullet-proof glass protects drivers from stray gunfire, all while the largest flat screen LCD ever mounted in a vehicle entertains passengers inside.

Ford executives say the automaker has plans to market a small compact car in North America and will use the SYN US to test reaction.

Ford is also expected to roll out the Ford Shelby GR-1, a two-seat racer based on the Ford GT supercar, as well as a wider and longer version of the Explorer Sport Trac pickup that features new anti-rollover technology, the model's first-ever V-8 engine and a sportier look. Ford has not redesigned the Sport Trac since its introduction in 2001.

General Motors Corp.'s Saturn Aura concept is nearly identical to the mid-size sedan due on the market in 2006, perhaps under the same name, as part of GM's new push to revive the ailing brand.

Among other automakers, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group is showing a diesel mid-size truck concept for its Jeep brand known as the Gladiator and a low-slung sports car called the Chrysler Firepower, which shares an underbody with the Dodge Viper and has a 425-horsepower V8 Hemi engine under the hood.

Chrysler design chief Trevor Creed insists there are no plans to build either model. But he admits a fondness for the sleek Firepower, which he calls Chrysler's answer to the Corvette.

"I could see one in my garage," he said.

Other automakers showing off concept vehicles Sunday:

• Nissan -- The Japanese company brings the Nissan Azeal, an entry-level coupe that looks like a younger sibling of the 350Z sports car, as well as the Infiniti Kuraza, a SUV concept noted for its innovative interior package.

• Mercedes-Benz -- DaimlerChrysler's luxury brand unveils the Grand Sports Tourer Vision R, a concept of the wagon-like crossover vehicle going into production in Alabama later this year, and the B-Vision, a smaller crossover that first appeared at the Paris Auto Show last year.

• Volkswagen -- The populist German nameplate and its luxury sister brand Audi will each show a concept vehicle on Sunday, but neither brand is releasing details.

• Acura -- Honda's luxury brand introduces the Acura RD-X, a sporty crossover slotted below Acura's well-received MDX sport-ute. It is an early look at an entry-level SUV Acura plans to market in 2006.

• Toyota -- Japan's biggest automaker rolls out the Toyota FT-SX crossover concept and an exotic sports car for its upscale Lexus brand called the LF-A.

Other concept vehicles scheduled to debut this week:

• Mazda -- Ford's Japanese unit also debuts a crossover known as the Mazda MX-Crossport.

• Mercury -- The Ford division offers the Meta One concept, a diesel-powered crossover equipped with a raft of emerging safety technologies that hints at the crossover vehicle coming from Mercury in 2007.

• Suzuki -- A first-ever mid-sized SUV, called Concept X, from the small Japanese car builder.

• Kia -- Korea's no. 2 automaker weighs in with the KCDII, a rugged SUV with three rows of seats.

• BMW - German automaker goes green with a hydrogen-powered version of the new 5 Series wagon.

• Volvo -- From the Swedish automaker known for safety comes the 3CC, an eco-friendly car with three seats powered by lithium-ion batteries.

You can reach Brett Clanton at (313) 222-2612 or bclanton@detnews.com.

Ford Shelby GR-1 concept