Gone are the days when carmakers felt the need for speed. As a new batch of concept cars proves, when automotive designers are tasked with meeting strict emissions regulations, it’s all about wild-looking rides.
Much of the emerging focus is on small electric cars targeted at short-range city commuters. Audi, BMW, GM and Volkswagon all have models aimed at urbanites. Because driving in dense traffic makes high speed maneuvering wishful thinking, zip isn’t the purpose of these cars’ designs. Instead, the goal is curb appeal. Single driver vehicles, two-seaters with a passenger sitting behind the driver and designs inspired by Formula One racers are all on the table.
If electric cars are the future of the short haul, hybrids, such as the one designed by Jaguar, are destined to become the kings of the open road. The benefits of these cars are their extended range and ability to combine electric motors with fuel-sipping turbocharged V6 engines that emulate the fast-forward thrust of the large V8 engines that were once synonymous with the American roadster.
The fastest and most luxurious hybrids on the road are likely to bear European markings. Even though Detroit’s R&D muscle has been curtailed by financial ailments, Ford’s EVOS fastback, Chevrolet’s hybrid Miray sports car and Cadillac’s Ciel convertible suggest that Detroit is still capable of innovative thinking. But even the California upstart Fisker isn’t shy about acknowledging its debt to Europe. And Chrysler, leaning on its Fiat relationship, is intending to bring a Maserati Kubang SUV to U.S. shores in the near future. Detroit’s efforts, and Asia’s as well, pales by comparison to European carmakers, where designers seem free to rethink the whole idea of personal automotive transportation.
Fisker Surf
The station wagon isn’t dead—it just looks like a Ferrari. That look is intentional, says Fisker, the California builder of the Surf. The plug-in hybrid uses the existing framework of its Karma sedan to offer a vehicle with much more cargo space. The Surf is due in showrooms in 2013 and will likely be priced around $100,000. Specifications will be similar to the Karma, so drivers should expect a top speed of about 125 m.p.h.
Audi A2
Although Audi’s A2 electric concept car is compact—the four-seater is just 12.5 feet long and 5.5 feet wide—it’s not short on tech marvels. An exterior band of lights below the windows turns blue as the car’s owner approaches, and doors open with a gesture, thanks to embedded sensors. That same external band turns orange while driving and blinks red when the brakes are applied. And the fog lamps are actually lasers that paint a floating triangle of light onto water particles to point the way ahead.
BMW i3
The BMW i3 electric car is slated for a 2013 launch, and with backseat doors that open from left to right, it’s bound to be an eye-catcher on the city streets it’s designed to be driven on. BMW says the i3 will be as nimble as a sports car (but with 170 horsepower, it’s won’t be as fast). The vehicle is built using two modules—one for the framework and engine, and a second for passengers—in order to allow for more space. A bigger, faster hybrid i8 model is on tap post-2013.
Cadillac Ciel
Cadillac’s four-seat Ciel convertible looks like a something that should be featured on the History Channel, but it’s a hybrid that combines an electric motor to a turbocharged V6 engine. The wheelbase is a lengthy 125 inches, and the car rides on 22-inch rims that might look good in an old Hollywood film. French-style doors open at the hinge, and the interior is trimmed with olive wood. There is even a pull-out blanket for each passenger that retracts automatically.
Jaguar C-X16
Hybrid cars that marry electric and gasoline engines have been around for some time, but Jaguar’s C-X16 concept car is exploring just how fast they can go. The C-X16 sports a designation more often associated with fighter planes and has a cockpit patterned after jets. Top speed for this two-seater is 186 m.p.h., and it ramps up to 62 m.p.h. in just 4.4 seconds. And lest you think that too slow, you can push a button for a ten-second burst of added electric power for passing.
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