Conceptually lacking
After shows in Detroit, Chicago, and Geneva, the Big Apple shindig had little excitement for those looking for the future of the car
By John LeBlanc
NEW YORK - Maybe it's a sign of smaller development budgets in today's still struggling auto industry. But the word "fresh" is hardly the word to describe the concept cars at this year's New York auto show. Despite show organizers promoting newer concepts like the Audi e-tron, Cadillac XTS or Toyota FT-CH beforehand, none were present during the media days at this year's show. Instead, most of the show cars have been seen many times before (Suzuki's Makai debuted almost three years ago!) More "nostalgia" than "new," here are the top eight show cars from this year's Big Apple event.
In truth, the sportiest Cadillac station wagon yet is a concept in name only. As a 2011 model, the
CTS-V Sport Wagon will go into production in late 2010, joining the V-badged CTS sedan and coupe. The NY show car's exterior is finished in Midnight Silver, first seen on the Cadillac Sixteen Concept, and complemented by Liquid Silver-finished wheels and a black chrome finish on the grille's mesh insert. Inside, the rear-wheel drive, five-passenger CTS-V Sport Wagon show car is trimmed in exclusive black leather with Alcantara accents, including the Recaro front buckets. Under the hood is the same mill that powers the other CTS-Vs: a 556-hp supercharged 6.2-litre V8, hooked up to either a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.
Equally conflicted when first seen at this year's Detroit show, this half-Chrysler/half-Lancia concept is a taste of what we can expect in Chrysler showrooms both in North America and Europe. Maybe. Known as the "
Chrysler Lancia Concept," cognoscenti will recognize the car as a Lancia Delta compact hatchback with a Chrysler grille. For now, Chrysler and its parent Fiat aren't saying what the New York show's Chrysler Lancia show car means. But the concept -- along with new Lancia vehicles, Chrysler 300 C "design study" with a two-tone black-and-white interior from the Lancia design studio, Chrysler PT Cruiser Couture Edition, Sebring Cabrio and a minivan "image vehicle" with a removable chess table that can be set up between the second and third row of seats -- also ended up at the Chrysler/Fiat booth at last month's Geneva auto show ...
If you think General Motors' GMC brand is really just a bunch of rebadged Chevrolet vehicles, the
Granite concept is here to change your mind. First seen at this year's Detroit show, the Granite would be GMC's smallest offering were it to be produced. Powered by a teeny-tiny 1.4-litre turbocharged four, making 138-hp, the Granite is about the size of a Honda Fit, and would likely be built off the same platform as the forthcoming Chevrolet Aveo subcompact. Dubbed an "urban utility vehicle," the Granite concept's interior features passenger side seats that fold flat against the centre console. More than likely not headed for production are the show car's clamshell side doors that give easy access to the Granite's cabin that GMC says will hold a mountain bike with its wheels still on.
All of a sudden, minivans are hot again. Toyota has its new 2011 Sienna on sale now, the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan twins are set for a refresh this fall, and Nissan is resurrecting its Quest sometime next year. In between, this
Odyssey Concept is a thinly veiled iteration of the production model that will go on sale by the end of this year. Less boxy-looking than the current model, expect the production 2011 Odyssey to retain the concept's unique side-glass profile with its "lightning-bolt" beltline designed to improve visibility for third-row passengers. And just in case you were worried the Odyssey may shed its minivan roots at the expense of style, Honda says that the new model will feature more room despite its sleeker profile.
The
Infiniti Essence is a true show car. First seen at the 2009 Geneva auto show, it was designed to showcase the Nissan premium brand's recent jump into the European market, hint at Infiniti's future styling direction, and promote the brand's new on gasoline-electric powertrain technology (a twin-turbo 3.7-litre gas V6 and electric motor combo that pumps out 592 hp to the concept's rear wheels) that will appear on the new M midsize sedan. Although the front-engine Essence's custom Louis Vuitton luggage set (that rolls on a tray out of the concept's trunk) is tres chic, don't expect anything like it to appear on any current Infiniti model's options list any time soon.
To herald the North American debut of the
Toyota iQ as a Scion (and its brand debut in Canada this fall), the so-called "youth" brand had longtime partner Five Axis pimp the normally sedate Smart ForTwo-like city car. The Five Axis iQ show car's "functional "3+1" cabin (making it the world's smallest four-passenger vehicle, according to Toyota) is appointed with custom leather-trimmed seats, door inserts and an Ultrasuede EcoDesign headliner. While performance of the stock iQ's drivetrain (in production form, a 90-hp 1.3-litre, four-cylinder hooked up to a CVT with an expected fuel consumption of slightly more than 5.0 L/100 km) was tuned with the installation of a TRD Custom Big Brake Kit, a Tein suspension and 18-inch Yokohama S.drive tires mounted onto Five Axis AD S6:F wheels.
As part of the launch of the production version of the updated
2011 Scion tC Coupe (which gets new styling, engine, and upgraded interior) the Five Axis concept takes the new tC, ahem, a little further than the stock model arriving at the 45 new Canadian Scion dealers in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver this fall. A 100 mm wide-body conversion painted in a unique House of Color custom-formulated exterior paint (called Bloodshot) clothes a Tein adjustable coil-over suspension, TRD Custom Big Brake kit, and 20-inch Yokohama Advan Sport tires mounted on Five Axis AD R5:F wheels. The interior of the tC show car is equally over the top with custom upholstery and floor mats.
As a part of its roll-out for the SX4, Suzuki crafted a series of concepts called Life Vehicles, which the automakers said, at the time, were designed for "life enthusiasts, adventurers and thrill-seekers." The unusual
Suzuki Makai Concept was one of them. Hmm... Unfortunately, the Makai -- first seen at the 2007 Los Angeles auto show -- has a distinctly stale, been-there-done-that aroma here in 2010. Its bright orange paint scheme, open-top body, rooftop mounted surfboards, shaved windscreen and targa rear hoop make it look like a reject from Baywatch. Needless-to-say, we haven't seen a production version of the Makai show up in Suzuki showrooms. Yet.
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