Driven by design

TECHNOLOGY TAKES A FRONT SEAT IN AUTOMAKERS' NEWEST CONCEPTS

DETROIT - Critics have used words like weird, outrageous and futuristic to describe the Ford Airstream, a new concept vehicle that blends design cues of the iconic travel trailer with inspiration from the hippie vans of the '60s and even Stanley Kubrick's ``2001: A Space Odyssey.''

But at the North American International Auto Show, designer Freeman Thomas used another word: real.

``This one has a sense of whimsy to the shape. It makes you smile a little bit,'' said Thomas, Ford's director of North American Strategic Design. ``But this is more of a real kind of concept vehicle for the future vs. something we might have seen in the '50s where it hovered or something like that.''

From its plug-in fuel-cell powertrain to its 360-degree, mood-setting television monitor, the Airstream characterizes the blending of technology and concept cars that emerged as one of the key trends of this year's Detroit auto show. The list of concept cars with high-tech sensibilities included the Chevrolet Volt, Chrysler Nassau, Toyota FT-HS, Kia Kue and others.
Here's a look at some significant Detroit concepts, and the technological trends they revealed:

Ford Airstream
Below the floor is a powertrain combining lithium-ion batteries and a hydrogen fuel cell, something Ford calls its HySeries Drive. It achieves combined city/highway fuel economy of 41 mpg, Ford says.

``It drives like a normal car,'' said Thomas, who heads Ford's advanced design studios in California and Michigan, and helped create the concept vehicles that led to the Chrysler 300, Audi TT and Volkswagen New Beetle before he joined Ford in 2005. ``It is absolutely silent and all you get out of the exhaust is just a little bit of steam.''

After charging it through a household electric outlet, the Airstream concept gets 25 miles of pure electric range. After that, its fuel-cell powers the motor.

The highlight of its lounge-like interior is a 360-degree television monitor that Ford built with DynaScan. It projects a rotating image. ``We can have a virtual lava lamp, a virtual fish aquarium, a virtual fire going on like a fireplace,'' Thomas said.

Rear-view cameras, which replace the usual exterior mirrors, are detachable and can be used to feed live video right to the cylindrical monitor.

Tech bit: Instead of a traditional grille, the Airstream gets ``tempered glass, like a pair of sunglasses,'' Thomas said. It incorporates headlights and decorative lighting, and gives the vehicle a shiny optimism.

Chevrolet Volt
Another electric vehicle, the Volt uses General Motors' e-flex platform that allows it to combine electric motors and a battery pack with a variety of engines, including ones that use gasoline, diesel, ethanol, biofuel or hydrogen. It, too, is a plug-in, and GM says it can travel 40 miles using only electric power.

``We did not want it to look like a science project,'' said Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of global design. ``It needed to be a strong, well-executed design.''

Tech bit: Much of the Volt, including its roof and side glass, is made of scratch-resistant, clear plastic. It provides better visibility and offers something GM calls ``city lights,'' where the vehicle's interior lighting shows through to the outside world.

Acura Advanced Sports Car
Most think this car foretells the next NSX super-car, due to arrive in 2009. Most notable was its V-10 engine, which is mounted in front vs. the mid-ship V-6 used in the 1991-2005 NSX.

Tech bit: The front LED headlights, two subtle slashes over huge air dams, resemble the pop-up lights on the original NSX.

Chevrolet Camaro convertible
Painted Hugger orange, a shade strikingly similar to last year's Dodge Challenger concept, the Camaro convertible concept provides a few more details of the new Camaro. It arrives in 2008, shortly after the coupe version.

Tech bit: Cool blue lighting surrounds the speedometer and tachometer. Attention to ambient lighting emerged as one of the themes of this year's Detroit auto show.

Ford Interceptor
Ford attempts to capitalize on the success of the new-generation Mustang as well as Chrysler's over-the-top 300C and Dodge Charger sedans.

Tech bit: Uh, sorry, this is all retro from its rear-drive platform, to its 5.0-liter Cammer V-8 to its Fusion-inspired grille (OK, that last one is modern retro.).

Honda Accord coupe
This seemed a pure design study, meant to scare rivals that Honda intends to make its next-generation Accord, due later this year, a more attractive car. The automaker provides few mechanical or technical details.

Tech bit: Honda continues to push for cleaner cars, be they hybrids, natural gas models, fuel-cell concepts or even diesels. This concept carries a V-6 with variable-cylinder management technology that promises fewer emissions and greater fuel economy.

Jaguar C-XF
Much is at stake with this S-Type replacement. Some see beauty here. Others see redundancy.

Tech bit: Burning wood with a blowtorch can hardly be described as high-technology, but that's what Jaguar designers did to achieve a scorched look to the C-XF's interior trim.

More subtle is JaguarSense, a prototype technology where interior door handles emerge after a hand sweeps by a hidden sensor. Something similar happens with an ``info-tainment'' screen on the dashboard. Designers used a pulsating ignition button and then a flashing blue light that starts in the cabin, moves along the roof and ends on the grille once the car is started to make the C-XF seem more like a living creature.

Jeep Trailhawk
This concept merges the ruggedness of the Wrangler with the refinement of the Grand Cherokee.

Tech bit: What's neat here is how this vehicle can become a convertible SUV. The T-tops over the driver and passenger can be removed. All the side windows come down, and the glass in the rear hatch can be removed, too. In the cargo bed, there's a removable boom box designed to fit an iPod.

Toyota FT-HS
The next Supra, except this one incorporates a hybrid powertrain. Its triangular design and retractable roof add to the aggressive look of this front-engine, rear-drive concept.

``There are a lot of hurdles it would have to pass before it could even be considered in the lineup,'' said Jim Lentz, Toyota's executive vice president.

Tech bit: The engine, of course. A 3.5-liter V-6 combines with electric motors and a battery pack. The result, Toyota says, is an environmentally sensitive sports car. This one makes 400 horsepower, goes from 0 to 60 mph in about four seconds, and yet produces decent fuel economy numbers.

Chrysler Nassau
This artistic sedan concept could herald the eventual replacement for the 300C. ``With our concepts, we're always lifting the curtain a little bit and letting people into where we're headed,'' said Ralph Gilles, president of Jeep/truck and component design for the Chrysler Group.
The Nassau reflects Chrysler's strategy of incorporating technology in a useful fashion that doesn't alienate owners and buyers, he said. Its interior design was inspired by the look and feel of today's cell phones, iPods and computers.

Tech bit: ``The Nassau is filled with it,'' said Gilles, best known for his designs of the Viper and the 300C. It uses inductive switches that don't move up and down, but react to the pressure of a finger. ``They just sense your fingers. It has got LCD screens that are reconfigurable throughout. It's got all kinds of next-generation back-up cameras and proximity sensors.''

Kia Kue
The South Korean automaker stressed this is a peek at future trends, not a production vehicle. This crossover utility seats four and carries a 400-horsepower, 4.6-liter V-8. Most notable is a steering wheel that serves as a touch-pad control panel.

``Its human interface is the polar opposite of BMW's iDrive in that it's meant to be totally intuitive,'' said Alex Fedorak, a Kia spokesman.

Tech bit: The steering wheel features a color monitor for viewing videos and navigation functions. It can be configured in a variety of ways to reflect personal interests.

Nissan Bevel
To me, this was the most conceptual concept in Detroit in that it seems about as far away from a production model as possible. Here is a crossover for an active, self-obsessed, hobby-driven middle-age man.

Tech bit: The huge rear hatch opens and a work bench snaps into place. Outlets are ready for plugging in power tools. There's a pet carrier in place, and a 360-degree swivel mount for a leash. All the seats except the driver's fold flat, which provides a flat cargo surface with enough room for a huge model airplane.