What is a concept car'?

Some built as production prototype, others as designers' (and buyers') dream
DETROIT - Visitors to this year's Detroit auto show, which continues through Sunday, can see a variety of concept cars.

The phrase "concept car" is a really big umbrella - large enough to cover several different types of cars and trucks:

Some concepts on display at Cobo Center really are future production vehicles.
The racy little Chevrolet WTCC at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit was shown earlier at the Paris Auto Show, as a variation of a European model. So don't be surprised if you see a small Chevy production car that looks something like this.

Honda says the Accord concept at the Detroit show is a preview of the next production version. And the Mitsubishi Prototype X at the show probably is a good look at the next-generation Lancer Evolution.

Other concepts at the show are simply production vehicles that have been tricked up with custom touches or eye-grabbing accessories to create a show car. The Hummer Open Top at the Detroit show, with a big "safari top" cut into its roof, is an example.

Still other concepts are stock-bodied vehicles with experimental powertrains. For example, the Saab Biopower Hybrid on display at Cobo Center is a stock convertible with a gas/electric hybrid powertrain using an engine designed to burn 100 percent ethanol, but can operate on any combination of gasoline and ethanol.

Some concept designs are a little farther out, but, given a little tweaking by design staff, could become production cars. Most often, though, this kind of concept car contributes a few styling cues for future production vehicles.

The Jaguar C-XF and Chrysler Nassau are two examples of concept designs that could morph into future production models, or at least contribute some styling bits.

The Ford Interceptor is a striking design, with a grille of broad horizontal bars similar to those on the new big F-series pickups. Its cousin, the Lincoln MKR concept, has a dramatic split grille.
Often, when a concept vehicle becomes a production machine, features like those big grilles get toned down somewhat.

Still other concept vehicles on display at Cobo Center are so far out that they cause a variety of responses, from "Wow, cool, I want one" to "What were they thinking?"

Ford's Airstream concept looks like a custom minivan with a polished metal body and a 1960s-style custom-car interior. Ford says it's a look at the future of crossovers, but it has a distinctly '70s flavor, with a touch of the Jetsons.

Toyota's FT-HS concept has deeply sculpted front and rear sections. With the realities of the marketplace and limitations of production, however, any production version probably would see those dramatic features toned down.

The lift-up top on the Saab AeroX is interesting, but we're not likely to see a lot of those on the street. There have been limited-edition cars with a top section that lifts up, but it's not really practical for a grocery-getter.

Mazda's Ryuga concept car has gullwing doors, and it needs them; the car has such a low profile that the driver and passenger step into it. It and the Kia Kue are probably in the long auto-show tradition of low-slung and swoopy designs that usually remain dream cars.