The 2005 novelties were exhibited in January at the Detroit and Los Angeles showrooms in the United States. The main attractions come, as is the case in each country, from the host manufacturers.
Chrysler introduced the Dodge Charger which is likely to enter production in 2006. It's the equivalent of Dodge versus the Chrysler 300. It has imposing and somewhat grotesque features, such as the front optics, the grill and the well-defined waist line. It has some reminiscent of the 1966 Charger, because of the big front and the fall of the cabin on the trunk.
The backward vision is not good and the stops are too wide, generating blind angles. The interior is practically the same as the Dodge Magnum, currently in production in the United States. While Ford designs its street cars with European-influenced styling criteria, Chrysler is setting the parameters of the new classic American design without falling into just “redrawing” old classics, which is what Ford is doing with many of its outstanding models.
The Charger was initially manufactured from 1966 to late 1970s and was always a coupe. This new version is 4-door sedan, although a coupe version, already sketched, would be prepared only for NASCAR races.
Another suggestive concept is the Ford SyNus, which is mounted on the Fiesta platform. It is a 4 meter long vehicle that poses a possible alternative for the design of small urban cars for the United States. The main goal is to make users feel safe in an environment full of large 4x4 trucks.
The aesthetic appearance of the body, similar to a flow truck, is a possibility to look for design elements that generate in the user the feeling of robustness of the vehicle despite being so compact and being surrounded by much larger cars. As with most concept cars, the purpose is to look for features that impact the public and then use them in production cars.
Ford designers claim this will be a very popular car in five years. Among its curious details we can mention that the front seats turn and recline to be able to watch DVD movies and surf the Internet on the LCD screen located inside the back door. One of the innovations in safety is the “parking” mode. This allows the prototype to deploy a metal lock that protects the windshield and windows, which incidentally cannot be opened and are bulletproof.
The engine used by SyNUs is the well-known Duratorq turbodiesel 2.0 liters and 134 hp, the same engine currently used by the Mondeo. The rims are 18 inches.
Another interesting model is the Ford Fairlane, a compact sport utility vehicle very clearly oriented to the urban environment relegating its off-road performance. Its appearance is quite minimalist and somewhat bulky. Transmits concept design message. An interesting detail is the transparent ceiling, which generates a very bright interior.
Lexus for its part introduced the concept LF-A, which with new technology under the hood reaches 500 horsepower and 321 km/h. In the last 10 years Lexus, the luxury car division of Toyota, has gained a lot of market in the USA for its level of excellence at low cost compared to any European company such as Audi, Volvo, BMW and including Mercedes Benz.
© Adrián Blanco 2005 — Prohibited the total or partial reproduction of text and/or images without explicit written consent of the author. —
Toyota Celica GT-S Mercedes SLR McLaren Ferrari 575M Maranelo Bentley Continental Flying Spur Michelin Tweel BMW Z4 Mustang Shelby Cobra GT 500 2006 Cadillac One Hundred Maserati Birdcage 75th The 50 fastest accelerating The 50 fastest in the world