Quite a departure from restyling existing models from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, the Karma concept is a hybrid plug-in vehicle designed in-house by Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker Automotive. Slated for production in 2009 for an entry-level price of $80,000, the Karma will fill the void for an environmentally-friendly yet practical luxury sedan.

"There is the perception that a 'green' vehicle has to be small or slightly strange, and I don't think that should be the case." Fisker told CDN. He explained how the drivetrain configuration led to design freedom: "We have a very long dash to axle, which gave me the opportunity to really get the proportions that I've always loved: to have a long hood and get the cabin set back." Another opportunity came in the form of a lithium-ion battery pack mounted in the center of the vehicle, which made the short rear end and long wheelbase possible.

A flowing, rakish design conveys the car's dynamic attributes through bold front and rear fenders connected by a low belt line. "We had to make a dramatic statement," acknowledges Fisker. Some of the more notable features include the sculpted body panels with two different plan views: an upper line that starts in toward the car and pushes out with another line beneath that which does the reverse. The curved roof features solar panels to cool the interior when the vehicle is left out in the sun.

The interior, inspired by a Manhattan penthouse apartment, is clean and modern. "We didn't want to overpower [the user] with tons of buttons and surface changes," said Fisker. The overall feel is very contemporary, with simple surfaces that are well detailed, such as the leather-covered IP upper with elegant stitching in the center. Because the concept does not have a gas tank beneath the rear seat it was able to be lowered, giving a very low H-point. The front seats were then able to sit low as well, so the roof is the same height as a Porsche 911.

Though there are some slightly fussy details at the base of the front and rear bumpers and the door handles leave much to be desired, the Karma concept is a clean and well-resolved design; and an impressive show car for or an independent car maker.

The Provoq concept is based on GM's hydrogen fuel-cell E-flex propulsion system, but judging by its proportions it also looks like a show car preview of a forthcoming compact Cadillac crossover SUV. That vehicle would likely share its platform with other GM brand compact SUVs such as the Chevrolet Captiva.

We had a chance to speak to exterior designer Hoon Kim at Cadillac's show stand in Detroit, and he took us through some of the show car's unique detail design features; such as the door handles which pop out revealing ‘Cadillac' engraved on them, an active grille whose square blocks fold down to allow air in to cool the hydrogen fuel-stack when necessary, and translucent plastic covered gaps between the wheel spokes.

The interior, designed by Matt Erdey, has vertical air vents around center console that reference the vertical orientation of front and rear Cadillac lamps, but is otherwise very conventional, no doubt because of limitations imposed by the need to carry over much of the design from the Captiva.

Overall, the Provoq is an attractively conservative design that successfully translates the Cadillac design language onto a compact crossover SUV package. But Cadillac's once radical design language does not appear to be developing much with each successive new design. Given that the Provoq will target a new, younger profile of customer for Cadillac, this seems to be a missed opportunity.

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Chevrolet Captiva - Geneva 2006

 

The GLK concept is a new type of Mercedes-Benz, a small SUV to compete directly with cars such as the BMW X3. Gorden Wagener, VP of Advanced Global Design at Daimler Benz, explained to CDN how the design team "really wanted to add a new character to the sector" and chose to do this by taking inspiration from the classic G-class that started life as the G-wagon nearly thirty years ago. As Wagener said: "There are a lot of more unified designs in this sector", but the design team wanted the car to be "more honestly off-road" with is very upright windshield and quite square forms.

As a nod toward differentiation and personalization, the GLK was presented in concept car form as two different preview models; Freeside and Townside, which are off-road and on-road orientated respectively. The Freeside is the more expressive of the two, with additional detachable body parts, a rugged underside guard, hood bulges and a different grille treatment. Inside, it has white leather and matte finish anthracite-colored white grain cebrano wood and a seam of chrome. Like the C-class with which it shares its platform, Mercedes looks set to maximize the appeal of this new SUV through a wide-range of options that will span the ‘bling' of the Freeside to the more classical look of the Townside.

Looking smaller than its exterior dimensions indicate, the GLK will be a very unique proposition in a market that is adopting progressively more of a crossover direction. But its upright proportions and explicit G-class references might also work against the design's market acceptance and in many ways gives it a very traditional appeal.