Detroit Auto Show: Which of these concepts is heading to production?
It’s not an auto show without some dreaming. Alongside all the world debuts of vehicles headed to production, auto shows are a chance for manufacturers to use concept cars to tease future products or designs. Or to gauge the public’s reaction to a project the automaker is considering.
Highlights from the concept world at this year’s Detroit Auto Show included the FT-1, a potential Supra successor from Toyota, Kia’s funky GT4 Stinger concept, and Nissan’s one-two punch of a teaser for the next Maxima plus a pair of IDx concepts that could serve as a spiritual successor to the popular Datsun 510 coupes from decades ago.
But there were other concepts sprinkled among the show’s colorful stages and elaborate displays. We round up some of the highlights.
Audi Allroad Shooting Brake
Audi used the Detroit Auto Show to tease the next generation of its two-seat TT coupe and roadster. By showing a two-door station wagon concept. Wait, what?
PHOTOS: Concept highlights from Detroit Auto Show
No, there’s nothing in the water at Ingolstadt, Germany. Hold your thumb over the greenhouse (glass and roof portion) of the Allroad Shooting Brake concept and you’ll get a good idea of what the front and rear of the new TT will look like when it debuts later this year. The car’s modern, sharp angles are an updated take on the company’s corporate face, and is a look we’ll see more of in the near future on other Audis.
Inside the Allroad concept is a cockpit nearly identical to the one found in the forthcoming TT, and one Audi first introduced at the recent CES in Las Vegas. It too is new, and consolidates nearly all of the controls for the car’s various infotainment and climate controls into a fully digital instrument panel for the driver.
PHOTOS: Highlights from the 2014 Detroit Auto Show
With all this teasing of the next TT, one might get excited about the Allroad concept’s powertrain too. Alas, that’s probably not the best idea. When the next TT does break cover there’s a slim chance it will have the concept’s E-Tron hybrid drivetrain. For those curious what you’re missing out on, it’s a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine matched with a pair of electric motors. Total horsepower rings in at 408, with torque at 479 pound-feet.
Volvo Concept XC Coupe
Volvo used the Detroit show to continue the brand’s long march toward its next all-new product. It brought with it the Concept XC Coupe, a two-door concept that gives us a close look at where the (Chinese-owned) Swedish automaker is taking its design direction.
Much of what you see here will land in production form when the all-new XC90 SUV debuts this year. When it does, it will be the first all-new vehicle Volvo has released since the S60 sedan in 2010.
DETROIT AUTO SHOW: Big trucks, fast cars and more
Though this concept carries only a pair of doors, ignore that; the production SUV will have the requisite four doors. Powertrain details haven’t been announced, though Volvo has said the production XC90 will use the company’s new Drive-E line of turbocharged, four-cylinder engines that it’s inserting throughout its vehicle lineup. The new XC90 is also “prepared for electrification technologies” Volvo has said, making a plug-in version of the new SUV a likelihood, given that it offers such a powertrain already in Europe.
Detroit’s mud-ready coupe is the second of three concept vehicles Volvo is using to unveil the corporate face of the brand moving forward. The first was the stunning Concept Coupe at the Frankfurt Motor Show last September, which drew on Volvo’s heritage and presented itself as a modern-day P1800. The third is likely to be a concept version of the XC90 that’s very close to production. Stay tuned.
Toyota FCV
Toyota’s FCV fuel-cell concept car made its first U.S. auto show appearance in Detroit and it looks to be a groundbreaking car. Toyota is already testing the vehicle and plans production and sales of something very similar next year. It runs on hydrogen and can go about 300 miles between fuels. The styling is cool, a four-seater that looks like a futuristic Prius. A fully fueled vehicle will be able to supply enough energy to power a house for a week in an emergency, and Toyota engineers are working on an adapter that will connect the car to a home’s electrical grid.
Ford’s 1962 Mustang 1 Concept
OK, it’s not a new concept car, but it was on display in Detroit and is one of the coolest concepts ever. The 1962 Mustang 1 Concept was the first car to feature the Mustang name and the galloping pony badge. It was the inspiration for the classic Mustang look, and its lines can still be seen today in the 2015 Mustang that was displayed at the show this week and will go on sale later this year.
Volkswagen Dune Concept
Volkswagen had a little fun at the Detroit Auto Show by introducing yet another variant of its growing lineup of Beetles. This model is dubbed the Beetle Dune Concept, a jacked-up version of the production R-Line Beetle that VW claims is eager for some off-road fun.
The Dune starts with the R-Line and its 210-horsepower, turbocharged engine and six-speed dual-clutch transmission combo. It then lifts the car an additional two inches for extra ground clearance, and wraps wider fenders around 19-inch wheels. New front and rear bumpers complete the dirt-friendly look, as does a ski rack built into the roof and rear spoilers.
Will you ever be able to buy one? Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed whether a production Beetle Dune is happening. But the brand has a fondness for showing off concept versions of this generation Beetle, only to turn it into a reality shortly thereafter. Here’s hoping that trend continues with the Dune.
