Jeep Gladiator concept

In recent years Jeep has shown a plethora of concept cars; since 1997 we’ve had the Icon, Dakar, Jeepster, Varsity, Willys, Treo, Compass, Commander and the Rescue. And now, at Detroit we have the Hurricane and this, the Gladiator.

The Gladiator is a logical development of the Wrangler into the double cab pick-up territory and is likely to be a preview of a forthcoming production version very similar to this concept. Technically and aesthetically still far more crude than the new wave of SUTs, the Gladiator does have a civilised circular themed interior and some finely executed lamps as well its more classic exposed door hinges and spare wheel etc.

Compared to new products ostensively providing the same type of capability such as the Honda Ridgeline, the Gladiator seems archaic in its conceptual design. But given that it’s a Jeep and thus has the brand and – with its iconic Wrangler-like appearance – the design authenticity, the Gladiator would be sure to become a very profitable variant. The marriage of the Jeep brand and pick-up vehicle type seems so obvious, it’s a wonder it hasn’t happened before – presuming this show car bucks the trends of recent Jeep show cars and makes it onto the road.

Lincoln Zephyr

Once part of Ford’s Premiere Automotive Group, Lincoln now goes it alone as Ford’s American market luxury car brand but continues a strategy aimed at broadening its customer profile beyond those buying their last car…

Previewed last year in concept car form, the Zephyr is instrumental in this strategy and uses cues explored in the Navicross concept from Detroit 2003 which in turn was informed by the 2002 Continental concept much derived from the classic ’61 Continental.

Sitting below the Jaguar S-type based LS, the Zephyr is the smallest Lincoln ever and shares the front wheel drive platform with the Mazda 6 and new Ford Fusion. The exterior also shares a lot with the Fusion, glasshouse and door panels look the same and as such it inherits that car’s blandly handsome appearance, adding some well executed details such as the recess in the trunk that frames the badge.

Inside is Lincoln’s house style symmetrical, vertical IP and generally exceptionally impressive attention to detail - forms, materials, colours and overall graphics coordinated eloquently, with the exception of the circular carry-over air vents that jar with the rounded corner square theme – but a design identity so encumbered with the past that it’s walking backwards into the future. Handsomely bland, brilliantly executed, but still with a slight whiff of walking stick.

Kia R10 Mesa concept

Based on a stretched Sorento platform, the Mesa is an SUV with three rows of seats in the mould of the Ford Explorer. The exterior is dominated by a shallow DLO, unbroken with black A, B and C pillars, capped by a deeper than usual roof, leaning forward dynamically from a rakish D-pillar.

The imposing front face of the Mesa and bright red interior also dominate perceptions of the design, but look closer and there are many interesting aspects to the design: a lower bumper moulding that runs over the wheel arch and then splits to the sill and rub-strip, symmetrical door handles (inside and out), buried vertical dial switches used consistently across the cabin, and a gear shifter that sits flush with the floating centre stack when in Park.

Kia shall likely produce an SUV similar in size and proportion to the Mesa, lets hope that the show car’s design flourishes don’t get binned on route to production.

Volvo 3CC

The 3CC has been seen before, it was shown at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai in October, but Detroit is the first auto show outing for this unusual concept car.

The exterior is dominated by an unusual two persons at the front, one at the rear configuration (last seen in the Jeep Treo in Tokyo 2003) that dictates much of its proportion and theme. Designer Örjan Sterner controls more tightly the fluid forms first seen in the YCC from Geneva last year and introduces a new variant on the stepped Volvo rear light as well as front lamps that don’t droop as they did on the YCC.

Inside the steering wheel, foot pedals, instrumentation and IP are connected together and slide forwards into a recess in the rest of the IP during a collision – this is the crumple zone of the car. This technical innovation dictated a design parameter that resulted in the IP’s floating design theme, used by interior designer Tisha Johnson on the door casing also.

It seems unlikely that this type of car might be made by Volvo, the sums don’t add up, but perhaps some of the design features and resolution might soon make their way to a production coupe estate variant based on the S40 platform.

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Infiniti M

The Infiniti M was previewed by the Nissan Fuga concept shown in Tokyo 2003 - as we suspected then - and with only the smallest cosmetic changes (such as the loss of the “highline- finished” aluminium strips around the DLO) to the show car there is little to add to the report we published then.

The thin indicators integrated into the headlamp units are new, as is the cherry wood look across the IP and rather more fussy switchgear.

The new M is far more svelte than its predecessor, and will compete on more equal terms with car such as the BMW 5 series and Lexus GS. A well judged design that looks likely to be a commercial success.

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Nissan Fuga - Tokyo 2003

Honda Ridgeline

This is one of the more important new production debuts at Detroit. Part of the new wave of SUTs, the Ridgeline was previewed last year with the Honda SUT. Differing little from this preview concept the Ridgeline impresses with its clean detailing and cohesive overall design.

The core design theme of a robust, high quality utility feel is conveyed through a static profile, twin body side recesses, windows with broad frames, blistered wheel arches and large radius curves on the hood. Beyond this the Ridgeline is unique with the creases running down the A and C pillars into flanks, kinked rear window DLO that relates to the angled side of the flat bed, and sharper creases defining the fillet surfaces around the bumpers, lamps and grille which give the impression of very thick and strong structures.

The Honda Ridgeline is a very impressive new production design that looks like it has hit squarely on the head what the emergent SUT market wants. Expect to see a lot of them on the roads of North America.

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Honda SUT concept - Detroit 2004