The concept cars at this year’s Australian International Motor Show say a lot about where motoring is headed. Innovative designs and a continuing interest in established fuel alternatives featured heavily, but there was a noticeable emphasis on ‘crossover vehicles’, with many of the concept cars being a combination of two different vehicle categories and able to perform more than one function.
Innovative car design
Lexus, market leaders in design and technology, unveiled the 600hL to Australian audiences at the Motor Show. The car has reclining rear seats with fold-out ottomans and is the first vehicle to have in-seat airbags. But the most impressive feature of the 600hL is its ability to self-park.
Pending real-world results, the 600hL may be the first in a long line of cars that will take the stress out of parking and make it as easy as pushing a button.
BMW’s Concept CS is billed as a design study, but BMW’s Managing Director guaranteed it is a clear indication of the manufacturer’s design philosophy of the future. The four door coupe has a wide and long body and sits quite low on the road, being both larger and lower than the 7 Series.
Hyundai are in the process of forging a new reputation as makers of stylish, European-influenced vehicles, doing away with their conservative designs. Their concept car, the Veloster, is a two door coupe aimed at first-time buyers and further emphasises Hyundai’s creative potential. The futuristic 2.0 L Veloster (an amalgamation of ‘velocity’ and ‘roadster’) goes in a “bold new direction” for Hyundai. A unique U-shaped glass roof and futuristic interior combine to make an ultra-modern-looking vehicle.
Crossover vehicles
BMW also unveiled the Concept X6, the world’s first Sports Activity Coupe. It’s a combination of coupe styling with the high-seating position and AWD from the X5, aimed at what they hope will be a new market segment.
Similarly, Kia’s Rondo is an Urban Recreational Vehicle aimed at what Kia call ‘transitionals’. These are people entering a new stage in their lives, particularly new, expecting or older couples, who don’t want to drive a big SUV but still want a high-seated, all-wheel drive vehicle. Part SUV, part MPV, part wagon and part hatch, the Rondo has good fuel efficiency and is flexible, while also having plenty of space. It is on sale next year.
Skoda, a new brand to Australia whose regional launch was at the Motor Show, unveiled their concept car, the Yeti. The compact SUV is a small, rectangular vehicle with unorthodox styling and is “the antithesis of a big, aggressive off-roader.” It’s aimed at those who want to use their vehicle to transport them, and their lifestyle accessories like scuba gear or mountain bikes, back to nature, as well traverse the urban terrain.
Alternative fuels
Also noticeable amongst this year’s concept cars was an emphasis on alternative, although established, fuels. The self-parking Lexus 600hl is a V8 hybrid and Mercedes-Benz unveiled their new 3.0 L V6 turbo-diesels, the C320 CDi (7.4 L/100 km) and the S320 CDi (8.8 L/100 km). Both these vehicles will be available next year and are an indication that Mercedes-Benz has a continuing interest in developing economical turbo-diesel variants.
So while it does seem like fuel alternatives are on manufacturers’ minds, none of the marquee cars were fuelled by innovative alternatives. Petrol, it seems, is with us to stay – for a while longer, at least.
What do you want to see in the cars of the near-future?
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I would like to see more responsive technology to prevent cars from having an accident. Obviously these things can’t be stopped entirely, but we’re getting close to this technology, as seen with the new Lexus. It would be great if technology could prevent us from getting within a certain distance of another car at low speeds. Also, stability control is a move in the right direction and that too is an area where things hopefully can be made more responsive and intelligent.
Most crashes are the result of human error. Anything that can be done to recognise when drivers are doing the wrong thing would be brilliant.
Speed limiters, i.e technology that recognises whatever the speed limit in a certain area is, would be a great place to start.
Lexus are a brave bunch. I’m sure other companies had the technology, they just didn’t want the trouble of being the first to test it out and see if they get an influx of lawsuits their way.
I can see self-park causing many liability problems, of people claiming it wasn’t them, but rather the car. Unless computing becomes flawless, this will be a huge problem in the distant future, I’m sure. Motoring will definitely become more robotic, they’ve already got cars that stay inside the lane in Japan, but what happens when there’s a malfunction? It’s surprising that they’ll allow the car on our roads, as I doubt there are laws to cover it. Obviously responsibility automatically reverts to the driver, but is this fair if you were quite literally just sitting there?
Any device that can be implemented to make every car safer, not just the brand new ones, would be surely welcomed by everyone.
Perhaps it would be more effective to do something about many drivers’ brains. Can someone come up with a device for that?
Front brake lights would take the guess-work out of whether cars are actually slowing down or not!
The concept cars are by far my favourite part of any motorshow! I have to say though, there were quite a few freaky looking ‘green’ cars going around this year!
It’s interesting that generally concept cars tend to look so much “sexier” than the cars which actually make it to production for sale to the general public. Why create visual excitement and not deliver downstream?
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