{"id":23317,"date":"2019-01-17T13:29:07","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T17:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=23317"},"modified":"2019-01-17T13:29:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T17:29:07","slug":"detroit-auto-show-consumer-guide-concepts-and-evs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/detroit-auto-show-consumer-guide-concepts-and-evs","title":{"rendered":"Detroit auto show consumer guide: Concepts and EVs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Concepts are dead, long live concepts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">With accelerated\u00a0production\u00a0cycles and reduced budgets, wild design\u00a0concepts were thought to be a thing of the past. But with automakers exploring electric power,\u00a0concepts are in again as designers\u00a0explore the design envelope\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and try to get consumers\u00a0interested in a promised new era of electric vehicles.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-RfapVlOHtBw\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/97502fd1-d277-4f8d-8887-be0c986b5dec-2019-0114-dm-naias1581.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Infiniti QX Inspiration concept\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/97502fd1-d277-4f8d-8887-be0c986b5dec-2019-0114-dm-naias1581.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/97502fd1-d277-4f8d-8887-be0c986b5dec-2019-0114-dm-naias1581.jpg?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>Infiniti QX Inspiration concept\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Daniel Mears, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>Infiniti QX Inspiration Concept\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>What it is:\u00a0<\/strong>The minimalist QX follows its sister Q Inspiration concept sedan that debuted at last year\u2019s show. Where the sedan previewed Infiniti\u2019s innovative variable-compression turbo gas-engine technology, the QX debuts the brand\u2019s electric architecture. The batteries hide in the floor, allowing for a lounge-like (if entirely sci-fi), roomy interior. The egg-like body is daring in its lack of common features like a grille \u2014 though the side gashes look like they were punched in by a forklift.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Payne\u2019s take:\u00a0<\/strong>Infiniti promises that half its 2025 sales will be electric, which seems ambitious given that its EV sales today are nearly nonexistent. Still, like the Teslas and the Hyundai Kona EV before it, the QX Inspiration is another intriguing design study of cars without gas engines. NBA megastar Steph Curry broke the internet after posting video of a QX delivered to his driveway.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-RfapVlO6ID8\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/8cc1e567-35de-406e-87ab-a40b37ace3a4-2019-0115-dm-naias1029.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Nissan IMs concept.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/8cc1e567-35de-406e-87ab-a40b37ace3a4-2019-0115-dm-naias1029.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/8cc1e567-35de-406e-87ab-a40b37ace3a4-2019-0115-dm-naias1029.jpg?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>Nissan IMs concept.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Daniel Mears, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>Nissan IMs Concept<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>What it is:\u00a0<\/strong>Not to be outdone by richer bro Infiniti, Nissan brings its own EV concept to the show with chiseled features and a lower, longer sedan profile than the QX Inspiration ute. The IMs sits on big\u00a022-inch wheels (designers love those), while a monster 115-kWh battery and two motors put 483 horsepower to the ground with all-wheel drive. Range is estimated at 380 miles.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Payne\u2019s take:\u00a0<\/strong>Nissan has been more aesthetic of late with the Murano concept and stylish Altima sedan. The IMs is a huge step beyond those renderings with its simple, Cadillac-like design. This is an old-fashioned, sci-fi dreamboat right down to its yoke steering wheel.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-RfapVlOx4TY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/523b7159-a88b-45b2-b6b5-2c1e0d0b9cee-2019-0114-dg-autoshow0892.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The GAC Entranze concept\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/523b7159-a88b-45b2-b6b5-2c1e0d0b9cee-2019-0114-dg-autoshow0892.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/523b7159-a88b-45b2-b6b5-2c1e0d0b9cee-2019-0114-dg-autoshow0892.jpg?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>The GAC Entranze concept\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: David Guralnick, Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>GAC Entranze Concept<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>What it is:\u00a0<\/strong>From China\u2019s fifth-biggest automaker, the battery-powered autonomous\u00a0Etranze Concept isn\u2019t so much a car as it is a family pod on wheels. GAC says\u00a0the three-row cockpit is inspired by an airline fuselage. Particularly striking is its use of cork in the interior \u2014 part of the concept\u2019s vow to use sustainable &#8220;green&#8221; materials.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Payne\u2019s take:\u00a0<\/strong>The Entranze joins a group of four more-familiar production vehicles at GAC\u2019s display as the Chinese brand pushes toward\u00a0a 2020 product launch in the U.S. Three of the vehicles are already in production in Asian markets: a three-row SUV (which should be the first volley here), compact ute\u00a0and minivan. Concept designer Pontus Fontaeus is an industry veteran who previously worked on interiors for Ferrari and Volvo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Lexus LC Convertible Concept<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-RfapVlPQv9k\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/143a3795-ad07-4568-9063-3b19309b1418-2019-0114-mo-autoshow2927.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The Lexus LC Convertible concept\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/143a3795-ad07-4568-9063-3b19309b1418-2019-0114-mo-autoshow2927.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/143a3795-ad07-4568-9063-3b19309b1418-2019-0114-mo-autoshow2927.JPG?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>The Lexus LC Convertible concept\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Max Ortiz, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>What it is:\u00a0<\/strong>Toyota\u2019s luxury division teases a Roadster version of its halo LC sports car. With 22-inch wheels and white leather seats with yellow stitching, the Convertible brings even more drama to Lexus\u2019 sexiest vehicle. With a 2+2 configuration like the Coupe, the rear seats are nevertheless even more cramped by the foldaway top\u00a0\u2014\u00a0think of them more as a storage shelf. With the Coupe starting north of $93,000, expect the sure-to-be-production convertible to top the six-figure mark.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>Payne\u2019s take:\u00a0<\/strong>The Darth Vader grille of the Lexus has been the centerpiece of the brand\u2019s dramatic, polarizing design direction. It ain\u2019t pretty \u2014 except on the LC sports car, where it fits nicely with the car\u2019s organic\u00a0lines. The LC Convertible adds more curb appeal by going topless, though the added weight will make this already-heavy cruiser even porkier. Still, if Lexus equips the Roadster with the same growling, 471-horse V-8 as the Coupe, the Convertible will make beautiful music with the top down.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Concepts are dead, long live concepts. With accelerated\u00a0production\u00a0cycles and reduced budgets, wild design\u00a0concepts were thought to be a thing of the past. But with automakers exploring electric power,\u00a0concepts are in again as designers\u00a0explore the design envelope\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and try to get consumers\u00a0interested in a promised new era of electric vehicles. Infiniti QX Inspiration concept\u00a0(Photo: Daniel Mears, The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23317"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23317\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}