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The R8 V12 TDI concept is based very closely on the Audi R8 production design. The differences start with larger front side air intakes that run all the way from the base of the headlamps to the prominent splitter, a theme we first saw on the Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept shown a few months ago in LA. These grilles have blades with a gloss black finish and RS type rhombus pattern grille mesh that is also used on the center grille.
The other difference at the front are all the LED headlamps. The LeMans concept that previewed the R8 had LED headlamps too, but with developments in this sector progressing so quickly we expect this V12 TDI concept's different lamp design to be close to production.
Running down the sides of the car is a continuation of the aluminum front splitter, a shallow secondary air intake just above this, slimmer door mirrors, and a broader main air intake.
On the top of the car is a glass roof and a NACA duct in the middle that accelerates the air drawn into the engine. White light-emitting diodes illuminate the engine bay at night, as they do on the production R8, and behind this is a new fixed rear spoiler and larger rear air outlet grilles that incorporate broad exhaust outlets.
Inside the car differs less, with race-style seats and slightly different color and trim that includes red stitching on the leather clad IP and seats.
The V12 TDI concept might have been created to showcase a new 500hp 6-litre V12 diesel engine, but we'd expect many of the new design details to make it through to production in the forthcoming V10 version due later this year.
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As one of Chrysler Group's alternative-fueled concepts unveiled in Detroit, the Zeo concept is an all-electric enthusiast vehicle for four-passengers. Shortly after the unveiling, exterior designer Bill Zheng and interior designer Lou Gasevski spoke to CDN about their influences.
"One of my main influences was the muscle and machine interface," said Zheng, "if you look at the crosshair grille, with its brushed aluminum, it's very mechanical. But it's embraced by muscular forms that sport cars should have." The wheel arches - flowing over massive 23-inch wheels - dominate the profile, while the body adopts a sculptural form language that flows over scissor-style front and rear doors.
"Most electric vehicles today are pretty timid, but I wanted a very powerful proportion," Zheng continued, "the packaging sets you up with a different proportion allows you to do things that you can't in conventional vehicles." Other notable design cues include the mobius strip-inspired A-pillar that rotates as it follows the roof line, blue lighting in the Dodge ‘crosshairs' indicating the vehicle's electric power source and three-dimensional fade out graphic shapes.
Inside the concept is modern, with light color usage and a floating center console, conveying a sense of space. The dashboard is fully open and there is a stand alone glass-like display for the instrument cluster. "The interior was inspired by the exterior," Gaseveski told CDN "I took the same theory but as there is a much more human interaction, I made the interior organic with mechanical elements. I wanted those two to intertwine and blend." The entire interior wraps around the cabin creating a cocoon-like shape. Blue lights across the door panels echo the exterior's electric theme but are also functional, displaying a scale when buttons along the top part of the bar are depressed. This allows users to control windows and HVAC by simply dragging the light across the bar.
Overall, the exterior design is bold and does well to convey power through its wide rear haunches - far from current electric vehicles on the road today. The minimalistic interior aesthetic is also quite well executed, with innovative features we'd like to see incorporated in future Dodge vehicles.
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This is a show car preview of a production eight-seat SUV that will sit above the more svelte CRV in the Honda line-up. The main difference between the design debuting in Detroit and the forthcoming production design is around the front lights which, in this instance feature distractingly brash detailing. Otherwise the Pilot has a conservative, calm, well-resolved and handsome exterior, which features a more sophisticated version of the form language and graphics established by the Honda Ridgeline and Element.
The interior is notable for its many capacious storage areas. With the gear selector mounted up high and very close to the steering wheel, there is space for a large center console storage area covered with a roller blind and running all the way from between the front seats to the base of the IP. Blinds of the same type also cover a storage area below the arm rest in each of the four doors. This is a small but potentially very useful innovation, particularly in an age when so many car occupants are wired to a PDA or I-thing. The interior is also notable for having a narrow center stack interface, a large hooded center display and circular air vents with a bar that runs across their fronts to make them easier to adjust.
This is not a very exciting design, but then it is not supposed to be. It is however, a very well considered and resolved SUV for the US market.
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