Volkswagen has been teasing us with the idea of a mid-engined roadster for quite awhile now. One such example is the Volkswagen Concept R, shown here on display at the 2004 NAIAS. The R made use of a 3.2L V6 for propulsion and had 261-hp and 240 lb-ft of torque on tap. The seats were fixed in place and for the driver to adjust the seating position he had to actually electrically move the steering wheel, pedals, and instrument cluster “block” back and forth. The seats, though immovable, were filled with an active foam that would adapt to the body contours of the driver and passenger.
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 Lincoln Mark X (Mark Ten), debuted at the 2004 NAIAS, was an elegant luxury roadster built off of the Ford Thunderbird platform. It featured a power folding glass roof that would neatly stow in under 30 seconds without infringing upon the 15-cubic feet of leather lined trunk space. Behind that expansive chromed egg-crate grille was a 3.9L aluminum V8 channeling 280-hp and 286 lb-ft of torque through a 5-speed automatic to the rear wheels. Sadly, the Mark X wouldn’t make it past the show circuit and that awful cheese-grater grille found its way onto the 2006 Navigator and the 2007 MKX.
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!
That thing gotta HEMI? Actually it has two! A 5.7L V8 is mounted in the front AND rear of the Jeep Hurricane concept for a total 670-hp and 740 lb-ft of torque on tap. The Hurricane is equipped with a sophisticated four wheel steer which will allow the vehicle to make tighter turns by turning the front and rear tires in opposite directions or lock all wheels in the same direction for crab steering the vehicle out of tight spaces. And this Jeep will spin like a top (or a Hurricane) thanks to the skid steer or toe steer feature! Come to think of it I believe this was the only vehicle we saw at the 2005 NAIAS that didn’t need a turn table to show itself off.
The Opel Antara GTC Concept shown here at the 2007 NAIAS gives us a strong indication of what the next Saturn Vue will look like.
The 2011 Ford Focus is a stylish little bugger and confirms for us that there is still energy left in the Blue Oval! Here the Focus display is prepped for its public debut at the 2010 NAIAS.
The Hyundai Genesis Coupe shown here at the 2009 NAIAS is a good start, but as Exec Dye pointed out in his review, it is going to need a little more honing to really be called a sports car. We look for more automotive goodness to roll out of the oft-forgotten Korean automaker in the years to come!
As if it wasn’t cold enough (outside) already for the 2007 NAIAS, Mercedes-Benz decided that they would setup an ice rink (inside) to showcase that nearly all of their models would be available with 4MATIC all-wheel drive.
In typical Saab Swedish quirkiness tradition the Aero X Concept decides that swing out doors are too common place. The benefit, however, of having the cockpit rise up to allow ingress/egress is that the windshield is then a one piece wonder providing a full 180 degrees of seemless visibility. The Aero X is shown on display at the 2007 NAIAS.
