The 2007 NAIAS will be opening to the public in a couple of weeks, and the online car-buff sites, as well as paper magazines, are rushing to be first to reveal the various concepts on display. After last years thin crop (the Camaro and Challenger being the only memorable standouts, and each of them were updates or 'inspired by' versions of cars we'd seen before), the 2007 show looks a little more interesting. Here are some of the concepts revealed so far. Please jump in and add your own...
Ford Interceptor:
PRESS RELEASE:
Ford Interceptor Concept
Keeping Mustang momentum accelerating
Ford is committed to deliver fresh Mustang news every year. In 2007, good news comes early as America's favorite muscle car debuts as a grown-up four-door sedan.
The Ford Interceptor concept – based on a stretched Mustang platform – comes equipped with a manual six-speed gearbox mated to a Ford Racing 5.0-liter V-8 Cammer engine that delivers 400 horsepower and runs on E-85 ethanol.
Modern muscle
"The Ford Interceptor concept has the soul of Mustang but combines 'Built Ford Tough' attitude with the sporty elegance of '60s Ford sedans," said Peter Horbury, executive director, Design, The Americas. "This concept celebrates the best of American muscle. And if it looks familiar, it should. That's because we've translated the design language of last year's F-250 Super Chief pickup concept onto a car."
In terms of exterior design, the Ford Interceptor concept features substantial, sometimes brutish, surfaces and sections and the traditional rear-wheel drive proportion that includes a short front overhang, extended dash-to-axle ratio, low cabin and higher beltline.
As a nod to performance purists, the ultimate muscle lies under the powered clamshell "shaker" hood, which caps a thoroughly detailed engine compartment.
Making this a Ford are signature design touches, including the horizontal three-bar grille that is structurally integrated into the bumper beam as well as professionally applied "squircles" – or professionally square circles – inside and out.
Inside, for instance, squircles finished with Titan Metal painted inserts accent the Ford Interceptor concept's instrument panel, door trims, console, floor and four seats.
Its low-back seats, finished in thick black leather with exposed-edge seams and contrasting stitching, modernize muscle car seats through their design – along with clever touches, including headrests that deploy from the roof.
The concept's minimalist interior is sleek, focusing the driver's attention on the speedometer and tachometer, whose needles start at center and move opposite each other.
The audio control panel and climate controls are hidden – but deployable. And the gated six-speed shifter is exposed, just waiting to be thrown into gear.
For safety, the Interceptor concept incorporates Ford's patented four-point "belt and suspenders" safety belt design in all four seats. This showcases a possible next-generation safety belt that is more comfortable and easier to use than traditional three-point belts. Additionally, inflatable belts have been included in the rear seat of the concept.
Legendary performance
The Interceptor concept's 5.0-liter V-8 Cammer engine is an upgraded variant of the 4.6-liter engine under the hood of the current production Mustang GT. The Cammer modular engine has powered Ford Racing's FR500C race car to the top of the Grand Am Cup's GS class, achieving 5 victories on its way to the Drivers, Manufacturers and Team Championships in its first season of competition.
Ford Interceptor concept shows new Mustang-inspired design possibilities – complete with two more doors and a "Built Ford Tough" design attitude.
Powertrain
5.0-liter Cammer V-8
Chassis lengths
Overall length...........................................201.6 in.
Wheelbase.................................................120.8 in.
Overall width..............................................76.4 in.
Overall height at curb..................................54.8 in.
Track width
Front...........................................................66.5 in.
Rear............................................................67.8 in.
Suspension
Front....................... Double wishbone-independent
Rear.........................3-Link Design with Panhard Rod
Headroom
Front...........................................................37.5 in.
Second Row................................................35.9 in.
Legroom
Front...........................................................42.3 in.
Second Row................................................35.6 in.
Lincoln MKR Concept:
From InsideLine.com:
When the Lincoln MKR concept is unwrapped at the 2007 Detroit auto show on January 7, it will foretell the future look and powertrain of Lincoln.
No, the 21-inch chrome wheels will not make it to production. Neither will the four-door, four-seat concept's center console, which is constructed from recycled wood and looks, unfortunately and (we presume) unintentionally like a bowling-ball return. Forget about the MKR's glass roof that's supported by structural elements that form the shape of the Lincoln star logo.
Strip off all of that show-car filigree, however, and what you have is the future of Ford's historic but troubled luxury brand.
New design language
While archrival Cadillac has reinvented itself with a line of distinctive, consistent and not always pretty sharp-edged, "Art & Science" vehicles, Lincoln has been badly lost in the proverbial design woods. For the last decade, the company released a mixed bag of motor vehicles, seemingly unrelated to one another. Meanwhile, the company unveiled a number of retro concepts, all of which looked like a '60s Continental and none of which related to the look of any Lincoln production vehicle.
With the MKR, Lincoln says it now has defined seven exterior design cues or characteristics that define the look of Lincoln. According to Peter Horbury, Ford's head of design for the Americas, Lincoln designers will choose from these seven defining Lincoln characteristics to create a family resemblance among the brand's vehicles. Sometimes, designers will use three of the magic seven elements. Sometimes they will use five. Or more. Or less. The 415-horsepower, rear-drive Lincoln MKR show car uses all seven of 'em.
They are: 1. clean and uncluttered body surfaces; 2. a powerful, dynamic beltline; 3. a chamfered surface running parallel to the beltline; 4. a twin-port "bow-wave" front grille inspired by the 1941 Continental Cabriolet; 5. thin, horizontal headlamps; 6. a substantial C-pillar that smoothly transitions into the roof; and 7. a pronounced roof rail.
That's a lot of styling for a sedan that's only about an inch longer than the departed Lincoln LS sedan, yet the MKR looks remarkably neat and tidy. And the chopped roof (the MKR is about 4 inches lower than an LS) gives the rear-driver a decidedly sporty appearance. The wheelbase measures 112.9 inches.
Sophisticated and modern
"The Lincoln MKR Concept is sophisticated and modern, resembling an athlete — extremely strong and fit but looks elegant in a tuxedo," said Horbury. "This concept is the ultimate expression of elegant simplicity consistent with the world's best Lincolns, and this new design language will lead us forward in the growing premium segment."
In other words, Peter thinks his new car looks pretty cool. And it does. Notice the lack of door handles; instead a button concealed in the chrome door trim springs open front-hinged "winged" doors, which Ford says are slightly inclined for additional sophistication and a touch of drama.
Later, Horbury described the MKR as looking, "like the train of an elegant gown." Why? We have no idea. Sometimes, designers just say things like that.
Once inside you're greeted with what Lincoln calls "cool, soothing Ice Blue lighting" which illuminates the gauges. Soothing? We figure it's there to take your mind off cashmere-covered soy-foam-based seats and Mohair carpets.
Twin-turbo V6
The powertrain is unexpectedly sporty, too. It's a twin-turbo version of Ford's recently introduced 3.5-liter V6 with direct injection. Ford claims the MKR's motor makes 415 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque and runs on E85 ethanol. A version of this motor, called the TwinForce, will make it to production, but the double-throwdown chrome treatment it has received for auto show duty will not. Lincoln even went so far as to carry some of the sedan's cranberry red metallic paint under the hood. The MKR's engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.
A fully independent suspension, with MacPherson struts up front, and Brembo four-wheel disc brakes, also jump off the MKR's spec sheet. Other interesting bits include 13 cubic feet of trunk space and 36.9 inches of rear headroom, similar to the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class.
See more in 2008
Lincoln's next flagship sedan, which the company has said will be out in 2008, will borrow heavily from the MKR. The TwinForce engine and six-speed automatic transmission are sure to make it to production, but so will much of the MKR's silhouette and its athletic proportions.
Henry Leland would approve.
Toyota FT-HS Concept:
From InsideLine.com:
The Detroit auto show is a huge theater, a Las Vegas-like stage where carmakers do their best to thrill and amaze a world audience. Toyota will step up this year and present its FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept, a futuristic sports car that would be powered by a 400-horsepower hybrid powertrain.
Of course, the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept is just a concept, little more than a container for the overheated dreams of a bunch of designers at Calty Design Research, Toyota's design studio in Newport Beach, California. In fact, what you see here is only a two-dimensional animation, a computer-generated image of the show car that Toyota will roll out at the Detroit auto show on Sunday, January 7, 2007.
Whatever, it's enough to get us thinking about the next Toyota Supra, which the automaker feels it needs to compete with Nissan's one-two high-performance punch of the 350Z and the coming Skyline GT-R.
Introducing a Prius on steroids
"We feel there's a hole in our lineup," says Kevin Hunter, the vice president of Calty Design Research. "Toyota hasn't had a sports car since the Supra was dropped in 1997. We need some emotional punch in our lineup, a halo product."
Toyota envisions that punch to be a rear-wheel-drive Hybrid Sports Concept (HSC) that develops 400 horsepower. "It's a new kind of sports car for the 21st century," adds Hunter. "Eco and emotion in a sports car concept with a performance target of 0-60 mph in about 4 seconds and a price tag in the mid-$30,000 range."
A 3.5-liter V6 engine would deliver most of the thrust, and it doesn't require too much brainpower to connect the dots to the DOHC 3.5-liter V6 in the Lexus GS 450h, which already makes 292 hp at 6,500 rpm. You wouldn't have to look too far to find an electric motor to deliver the rest, because the water-cooled, 650V electric motor used in the GS 450h makes 197 hp at peak output, though this is just for seconds at a time.
The Calty designers, who have been working on the FT-HS for an entire year, are even willing to suggest that once the future arrives, a hybrid powertrain will be necessary to achieve the feeling of ultrahigh-performance that you want in a sports car. In a fuel-efficient future, a jolt of acceleration from an electric motor might become the equivalent of an injection of nitrous oxide into your gas-powered engine.
All this has overtones of ecological friendliness, of course, but as the buzz about global warming and greenhouse gases becomes a part of daily life, Calty's designers remind us that a hybrid powertrain will have a certain quotient of respectability that you won't find in a supercharged big-block V8. The FT-HS is even painted white because white is not only a pure motorsports color, but it's clean which, Hunter tell us, supports the car's hybrid message.
Putting it in a package
The FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept that Toyota will roll out at the Detroit auto show is about the size of the Lexus SC 430. The HSC measures 170.3 inches from tip to tail, and it has a wheelbase of 104.3 inches. It's 73.2 inches wide and 50.8 inches high. Much like the SC 430, the front track is narrowly wider at 63 inches, while the rear track measures 61.2 inches.
This is meant to be a 2+2-style car, large enough for occasional backseat passengers. We probably shouldn't be surprised that it's nearly as big as a Corvette, since it's going to take a lot of space to package an engine, a fuel tank, an electric motor and a battery pack. The restrictive trunk volume of the Lexus GS 430h shows us just how difficult this task can be.
The HSC's long wheelbase should help balance the weight of the sizable battery pack that will be required. In fact, the HSC's weight distribution might even approach the magic mean of 50-percent front/50-percent rear as a result.
Shaping the future
The HSC has a hyperaggressive triangular profile, and this theme is repeated throughout the design. Meanwhile, much of the mass has been subtracted beneath the surface to create a shape that looks like an insect's exoskeleton.
Apparently the design has been inspired by the look of a downhill speed skier, in which individual aerodynamic elements are more important than overall streamlining. "Vibrant clarity is our new Toyota design language," Hunter tells us. "And the car is packing plenty of J-Factor, which is the local and global acceptance of Japanese design."
As envisioned by the Calty team, the engine will be visible through a hole in the hood to emphasize its hybrid nature. That dark portion in the middle of the hood is actually the engine cover poking through, much like a shaker hood scoop from the 1960s.
"We were thinking about the Formula 1 aesthetic," Hunter tells us. "An aesthetic driven by function. The hard edges all over the FT-HS are aerodynamically functional. We also wanted to boil down the shape of the car to its minimum requirements. We wanted it to look lightweight. We call that 'Subtractive Mass.'"
Also functional are the large air intakes ahead of the rear wheelwells, which will direct cooling air to the rear-mounted battery pack. A full belly pan enhances aerodynamic slipperiness. The car rides on carbon-fiber wheels that carry 245/35ZR-21 tires in front and 285/30ZR-21 tires in the rear and according to Hunter were very difficult to make.
Solo space
Toyota's designers also postulate a unique retractable roof, which will slide and then lie down inside the car covering the backseat, rendering the car a two-seater. Thanks to the tiny servo-motors we see in motorized hardtops these days, perhaps anything is possible, and the top is functional on the concept car.
The interior has the same aggressive style as the exterior, and the sharp edges look to us like the work of Edward Scissorhands. Toyota calls it "Solo Space." "The interior is all about the driver," says Hunter. The seats are little more than thin pads attached to the surrounding structure, and the driver is meant to hold a hubless steering wheel, an ever popular feature of design renderings since the 1960s. There are also paddle shifters on the unique steering wheel, which has a unique outer red ring that turns around an inner ring.
If Toyota builds it, will they come?
There's a lot about the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept that reminds us of the far-fetched sketches that production designers create for bad sci-fi movies. It's pretty unlikely that the muscle-car fanatics within Cobo Hall at the Detroit auto show will spare it a second glance. But we still think there's a glimmer of a good idea in this concept.
The Toyota Supra left these shores 10 years ago and Lexus took over the prestige role for the whole company. But as Toyota has crafted generation after generation of reliable yet uninspiring automobiles, the family of Toyota buyers has begun to look a little old. A sports car might be the right thing to wake up a new generation, especially since Toyota has a relevant performance heritage thanks to ownership of a Formula 1 team since 2002, a piece of victory at the 2003 Indianapolis 500, and a new fleet of cars in NASCAR's Nextel Cup for 2007.
The technical challenge presented by a hybrid sports car isn't small. Lithium-ion batteries are about half the weight of nickel-metal-hydride cells, but they are extremely sensitive to temperature and burst into flames when overheated. In addition, lithium-ion batteries don't like to be recharged quickly.
Yet efficiency is a cool thing in our culture these days. It's even about to become cooler, because the power structure in Formula 1 is talking about regenerative braking for the racing cars by the 2009 season and the reuse of waste engine heat by 2010. Since Toyota's F1 team will be on the leading edge of this development, the technology should find its way into its street cars like the HSC.
There's a lot about the look of the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept that might seem awfully speculative to the crowd at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, but it's probably a mistake to dismiss it. Inside this computer-generated image is a dream of a Toyota Supra for the future.
Chrysler Nassau:
PRESS RELEASE:
CHRYSLER NASSAU CONCEPT
Artistic, refined definition of "what it is to be a Chrysler"
Combining refinement, function and style, the Chrysler Nassau concept explores a new expression of the Chrysler brand. The four-door, four-passenger Chrysler Nassau luxury coupe is, as Alan Barrington, principal exterior designer of the concept said, "a more emotional and artistic articulation of what it means to be a Chrysler."
Though built on a full-size 120-inch wheelbase, the Nassau appears more visually compact than a comparable Chrysler 300C.
"Traditional exterior proportions have been enhanced with a silhouette that recalls the classic English 'shooting brake,'" said Barrington. "This provides SUV-like interior volume with a lower, more roadworthy physique."
Barrington said the exterior design vocabulary is fluid and sophisticated with special attention paid to wheel placement relative to the body surface for a sleek, toned stance.
"In order to attain a more compact appearance," explained Barrington, "the Nassau has deliberately concise front and rear overhangs, with the body surface wrapped around the large 10-spoke 21-inch wheels."
Accenting the Mystic Blue Pearl color of the body, the sill and the lower portions of the front and rear fascias are finished in Starbright Silver. The lower surface of the body is defined by a subtle undercut that rises slightly toward the rear wheel.
Though the arc of the roof resembles that of a coupe, the Chrysler Nassau concept is in fact a four-door hard top with front and rear side glass that retracts fully, revealing the absence of an above-the-belt B-pillar. The crisp but fluid A-line that closes slightly against the rising belt is also of particular note.
"We sought to capture the effect of a classic sculpture – an artistic approach with a shapely flowing of lines that give the impression of movement even while standing still," Barrington said. "The line in the profile draws down and into the taillamp, leading the eye of the observer toward to the dramatic back end which creates its unexpected 'shooting brake' appearance."
In side view, the upper portion of the rear hatch is steeply raked, with the back light swept cleanly around to the C-pillars. The lower portion of the tapering back light glass is pulled emphatically rearward, a treatment repeated in the near vertical surface of the lower hatch. The flanking taillamps are graphically the reverse of the headlamps, with the lenses growing wider as they sweep around to the side, with the bright accent along the bottom of the lens. Much of the lens is populated by rows of bright rectangles set in a red field, the rectangles helping to delineate the surface of the rear quarters when the lamps are unlit. All exterior lighting is visually distinctive with the use of atypical textures, colors and LED technology.
Fronting the long hood is a new interpretation of the eggcrate Chrysler grille, rendered in chrome and satin aluminum. Bracketing the grille and sweeping rearward nearly to the wheel openings, the long, narrowing headlamps and their upper chrome brows combine with the rising sculptured line of the upper fascia to subliminally evoke the uplifted wings of the Chrysler badge.
The Chrysler Nassau's lower fascia is accented by the long chrome brows of the tapering left and right fog lamps, a detail replicated in the "repeater lamps" of the slim, door-mounted side view mirrors. The plan view of the Nassau highlights the dramatic swept-back curves that define both the front and rear fascias.
Stepping into the Chrysler Nassau, one enters a new world of luxury specially designed to a younger, aspiring audience. The presiding interior theme is one of flowing seamless sculpture composed of leathers and fabrics derived from futuristic architectural interiors.
"We looked carefully at space efficiency," said Ben Chang, principal designer of the Nassau's luxurious interior. "We pushed the interior surfaces outboard to increase the space inside while individual bucket seating provides each of the four occupants personal space.
"The look of various components inside the vehicle was inspired by the design of contemporary cell phones, computers, iPods and MP3 players," Chang added. "We paid close attention to the graphics and finishes of these technologically advanced products, seeking to make controls in the Nassau's interior that the driver interfaces with similar to what you'd find in the office or among personal electronic devices. We strived to achieve a seamless interface between your car and the rest of your electronic world."
The instrument panel is a showcase for new technologies in data display, personal control interface, and home theater-inspired entertainment. Gear selection is accomplished via a pod control mounted on the instrument panel while the steering wheel incorporates auxiliary paddle shifters.
"The look of the instrument cluster was based on an expensive watch, again because we sought to create a visible connection with what people have and use," Chang said.
While the instrument cluster has its own taut brow, the shape of the forward portion of the instrument panel is sensuously sculpted. Housing the main cluster, the upper surface of the panel includes a wide asymmetrical elliptical opening.
The shape was inspired and reminiscent of Constantin Brancusi's famous Bird in Space sculptures. Brancusi, an artist based in Paris from the 1920s to the 1940s, was preoccupied by physical attributes of birds in flight, or more specifically, the essence of flight. The theme fits perfectly with the vehicle's goal of giving the constant impression of smooth, slender movement.
Within the housing of the instrument panel (I/P) is a three-layer screen, which allows the simultaneous display of the navigation, passenger entertainment and vehicle function displays.
As they move toward the doors, the left and right side lower portions of the two-tone I/P rise upward, again subtly reprising the Chrysler wings. Sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces of the instrument panel are partially-concealed horizontal vents that direct cool air into the cabin.
The four handsomely-formed bucket seats are covered in cream-colored leather, with the suede accents in a fine bamboo texture, a theme repeated on the door trim panels. Occupants can gaze upward through twin "Picture View" skylights, longitudinal blue-tinted glass panels that run the length of the roof panel. Those in the rear seats can enjoy a movie displayed on the flush video screens incorporated into the rear-facing portion of each of the front seat headrests.
Running fore-aft between the seats is a center console with a satin silver trim strip that travels from the I/P center stack to the upper rear seat backs. Set within the console are the front and rear "joy stick" controls designed to function much like the "mouse" control of a home or office computer. Power window switches and flush-mounted pop-up cup holders are also contained in the console.
Among the more interesting visual details within the Deep Mystic Blue and Cream interior are the refined-yet-simple chrome accents and textures used on the silver speaker grilles on the doors, seat back monitors, headliner and foot pedals.
Behind the passenger cabin, the surface of the boat tail-shaped cargo cover is accented with five stainless steel accent strips, while panels in the carpeted cargo area below offer additional storage.
"With its sculptural artistry and technological sophistication, the interior of the Chrysler Nassau is the perfect complement to its visually-arresting exterior," said Chang.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Weight and Dimensions
Weight 4500 lbs (est)
Length 196.1" (4981 mm)
Wheelbase 120" (3050 mm)
Front overhang 37" (940mm)
Rear overhang 39" (991 mm)
Width 74.2" (1885 mm)
Height 58.9" (1496 mm)
Track front/rear 63.8"/65.5"
Turn circle 38.7 ft (11.8m)
Couple 35.5" (755 mm)
Powertrain and suspension
Engine 6.1L HEMI, 425 hp @ 6200 rpm,
420 ft. lb @ 4800 rpm
Drivetrain RWD, A580 5-speed automatic
Suspension Front/SLA, Rear/5-Link Independent
Wheels and tires
Tire size front/rear P245/40R22 29.7" (755mm)
Wheel size front/rear 22" x 8.5"
Color scheme
Exterior Mystic Pearl Blue
Interior Deep Mystic Blue and Cream,
Leather and Ultra Suede
Key Performance Attributes
0-60 mph 5 seconds
Standing 1/4 Mile 13.5 seconds
Top speed 165 mph
Range 380 miles
