The Audi Le Mans Concept car, on display at the 2004 NAIAS, was very appropriately named for that little endurance race that Audi tends to win now and then. The Le Mans plainly signaled what the production R8 sports car would look like, sans show car specific LED headlamps. The structure was composed of an aluminum space frame wrapped in carbon fiber and alumiunm body panels. Powering the concept was a 40-valve twin-turbocharged 5.0L FSI V10 cranking out 602-hp and 533 lb-ft of torque. Channelling the power to all four wheels (quattro) was the six-speed sequential manual gearbox from the Lamborghini Gallardo.
Don’t be looking to do any serious rock crawling with this SUV. Land Rover’s new parent company Tata sees that there is money to be made by offering a soft-roading lower-riding and generally more fuel-efficient crossover. The LRX Concept, shown here at the 2008 NAIAS, may carry a few styling cues from its big brother Range Rover but the similarities stop there. The base offering will be front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive available. Engine offerings haven’t been announced yet, but we know that Land Rover is working on a diesel hybrid system, though no telling as to whether or not this setup will make the trip across the big pond to the US given our hesitancy to accept diesels.
Kia promised that the KCV III, their concept for the 2004 NAIAS, would be as fun to drive as it was to look at. I guess that depends on the driving you intend to, as forward motivation was provided by a 2.0L 4-cylinder putting out 145-hp and 140 lb-ft of torque. Kia then routed that power to the front wheels and set the rear on a torsion beam axle. Not exactly the stuff sports car fantasies are made from. Still, the KCV III made for an interesting design study for Kia. Along with the very curvaceous body it featured an all glass roof comprised of three sections that would stow at a touch of a button, allowing you to enjoy the open air ambiance regardless of the weather.
Ford Motor Company has literally stamped out millions of Explorers since its introduction back in 1990. So as the SUV market fizzles and the crossover market boils what is Ford to do with its perennial hot cake seller when the customer suddenly demands waffles? More than just add a fruit topping, that’s for sure. What you see above in the Explorer America Concept shown at the 2008 NAIAS is a full-fledged, car-derived, high-riding unibody crossover. Come launch time we’ll find one of two EcoBoost (that’s greenie speak for turbocharged and direct-injected) engines under the hood. The base model will get a 2.0L 4-cylinder with about 260-hp and 280 lb-ft of torque on tap. The optional upgrade engine will be the 3.5L V6 already making its rounds in the Flex, Taurus SHO, MKS, and MKT with roughly 340-hp and 330 lb-ft of torque. Next question is whether or not we’ll get a unibody Sport Trac to take on the minivan derived Ridgeline?
In the winter of 2009 at the NAIAS, Cadillac rolled out the Converj Concept. The Converj is a luxury 2+2 coupe featuring GM’s extended range electric Voltec powertrain. There are 220 lithium-ion cells onboard capable of storing enough energy for 40 miles of travel without using a drop of fuel. More impressive is the 273 lb-ft of torque available instantly, for claiming stoplight superiority, and 120 kW of power. To further lessen dependence on the grid or the pump the Converj utilizes regenerative braking and has a glass roof housing solar panels. But at the end of the day this is still a Cadillac, and as such occupants are treated to an interior trimmed in Winter White suede, Midnight black leather, polished aluminum and wood accents and even a headliner made of silk.
The vehicle pictured above is really the Ford Flex cleverly disguised as the Fairlane Concept. Ford showed their new take on people moving at the 2005 NAIAS to much acclaim. The Fairlane feature “French-opening” doors that eased access to the third row, as well as all-LED lighting upfront. But the real story here was how much of the concept Ford was able to deliver to the streets in the form of the Flex. Many of the gimmick features were lost, but the basic shape that inspired so much fanfare carried into production untarnished.
The Mercedes-Benz Detroit Auto Show Design Sculpture elegantly hints at what is on the horizon for product. What was described to us at the 2010 NAIAS as a car emerging from a flat plane (or a silk sheet) is in reality a closely and cleverly sculpted rendition of the next generation CLS 4-door coupe concept. Now this is the kind of art that we can get on board with!
The Cadillac XTS Platinum Concept that debuted at the 2010 NAIAS is a thinly disguised version of the car that will replace the DTS and STS this fall. Instead of a Northstar V8 under the hood of this stretched-to-the-limit Epsilon platform sedan there lies a 3.6L direct-injected V6 paired with GM’s 2-Mode Hybrid system. All-wheel drive and a plush cockpit round out the offerings. The only question remaining is will this big sedan be an Audi A8 contender, or simply an alternative to the Ford Taurus SHO and Lincoln MKS?
As a traditional Cadillac enthusiast, I have felt Cadillac’s lineup has been somewhat incomplete since the departure of the magnificent Fleetwood at the end of 1996. While that car shared its powertrain entirely with the top-line offerings from Chevrolet and Buick, it was a car that was unmistakably a Cadillac. It was the ultimate car for being pampered and its sheer size made it the most imposing car on the road at the time. In its absence the smaller front-wheel-drive Deville had to hold its own against the likes of the Lincoln Town Car – a job it did well. In the decade and a half since Cadillac’s last body-on frame rear wheel drive sedan was built, the top end luxury market has erupted in an all-out war between the Audi A8, Lexus LS-variants, and the Mercedes-Benz S-class. While the Town Car is still in production, Ford threatens to discontinue it on nearly a yearly basis and does little to promote or improve it. Now Lincoln calls the Mercury-like MKS the flagship of its line. Yet another Taurus-based Lincoln, it is as if Ford has thrown in the towel as being a true competitor in the luxury class. Read more…
The Hyundai HCD-8 concept unveiled at the 2004 NAIAS.
