Toyota chose the Detroit auto show to unveil the FT-CH concept, a compact four-passenger vehicle that was created in response to customer and dealer demand for a greater variety of hybrid choices. Designed at Toyota's ED2 design center in Nice, France, FT-CH concept - CH for 'compact hybrid' - aims to appeal to a younger target demographic than those in the market for the mid-size Prius.
Measuring 3886mm in length, 1740mm wide and 1397mm tall, the FT-CH is 559mm less in overall length and has a wheelbase that is 152mm shorter than that of the Prius, but it is only 13mm narrower. It is also lighter in weight and is claimed to be more fuel efficient than its larger sibling.
The FT-CH is full of clever design details, such as the recessed lighting in the front bumper, a headlamp graphic that outlines the hood of the vehicle, and a very pronounced shoulderline that accentuates the rear haunch - unusual for a vehicle with such obvious eco-intentions.
In profile, the dynamic design's blacked out lower sill blends into a body colored section just ahead of the rear wheelarch emphasizing the rear wheel. From this view it would appear that the rear end is very upright at the B-pillar, but the backlight bubbles outward and features integrated LED taillamps in the corners, rounding out the rear.
Unfortunately, and for reasons unclear, Toyota would not open the vehicle for us to get a closer look at what appeared to be a finished interior, complete with mesh seats which elevate the technical aspect of the cabin whilst simultaneously further saving weight.
Interestingly, Jim Lentz, Toyota's US President of sales, said that Toyota is developing a Prius family 'marketing strategy' for North America, which will leverage the brand equity of the car that has since become synonymous with the energy saving technology. He did, however, mention that while the FT-CH is purely intended as a concept, it is one of several proposals that Toyota is looking at for inclusion in the Prius brand portfolio.
If you are curious about the styling of the next Jetta then look no further than the New Compact Coupe (NCC) concept from VW. The car's front – minus the hybrid-style closed grille – pretty much represents the new face of the sixth-generation production Jetta due on sale this November in left-hand drive (right-hand drive sales follow early 2011). No longer a 'Golf with a trunk', the new Jetta will be based on the Eos platform.
Dimensionally, the NCC concept is 10mm shorter than the current fifth-generation Jetta plus 50mm lower, 20mm wider and with a 70mm shorter wheelbase. The NCC's sides are much more pronounced than the current Jetta's very soft and gently curved flanks. On the NCC, one bold shoulder line runs from the top of its front light to its rear light with a more pronounced and deeper sill below plus a large C-pillar.
The thin but wide front grille is enhanced by deep air vents underneath which reflect in mirror image the angular shape of the slimmer front headlamps. All these details make the NCC appear wider than it actually is.
The NCC concept is a three-door car with a four-seat interior layout divided by a high central spine – like its bigger production brother the Passat CC – but the next road-going Jetta will start as a four-door, five-seater. A coupe version with only four seats has not been ruled out in the longer term though. The interior dash looks to be almost stock Golf and the rest of the cabin production-ready aside from the impracticality of the white leather seating and center spine already mentioned.
Based on the NCC concept, the next Jetta will still be a conservative design but represents an accomplished leap over its current incarnation and is in keeping with overall VW Group design boss Walter de Silva's new direction, as personified by the excellent 2009 Polo.
Arguably the biggest surprise of the first NAIAS press day was GMC's Granite concept - a design that expands (or rather contracts) the truck/crossover brand's ‘professional grade' philosophy to a compact hatchback aimed at urban hipsters and early adopters. Conceived by Frank Saucedo's Advanced Design team in California and then built at GM's Design Center in Detroit (and in less than eight months), the Granite combines the basic proportions of the Nissan Cube and Scion xB with a military/industrial feel inspired by the current G-Star and Diesel fashion lines.
The resulting design is an undisputed success. The DRG is extremely aggressive, yet doesn't overwhelm the car as you might expect, positioning the huge GMC grille below a scalloped hood that bends up at each side to create a pronounced step down to the combined shoulder and headlamp surface. The distinctive interlocking slashes in the body sides also help break up the visual mass inherent to a tall, high-sided two-box design like this, and have been executed to perfection. The way they form a natural recess for the vertical vents behind the front wheels is a particular highlight, as are the wheels themselves, which inform some of the interior themes.
Those barn-style doors open up to reveal an equally imaginative and well-resolved interior. The four seats are visually connected by saddle-like yokes draped over the car's full-length center tunnel, and the liberal use of brown Nubuck leather reinforces the ‘Wild West meets New York loft apartment' interior theme. The implementation of seats that not only fold flat but hinge up vertically from the center line also allows a mountain bike to be carried with ease. Sadly, a last-minute decision to pull the concept's unveil forward from New York to Detroit meant the mechanism wasn't ready in time for its unveil.
A lot of thought has clearly gone into the design of the IP; analogue and mechanical elements have been used where appropriate, adding rugged functionality to the usual array of infotainment and connectivity tech.
Saucedo wouldn't be drawn on the car's future. But given that the Granite shares its wheelbase dimensions with the new Opel/Vauxhall Meriva minivan, not to mention its rear-hinged door design, we're cautiously optimistic about its chances of reaching production.
