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This is the third time Audi has affixed the E-Tron nomenclature to a concept car, but while the previous concepts seen at the Frankfurt and Los Angeles auto shows in 2009 showcased an electric powertrain in the shell of the Audi R8, the Detroit E-Tron is based on a shortened version of the R8 platform and its design has been reduced along with the exterior dimensions.
Designed by Pforzheim graduates Wolf Seebers (exterior) and Florian Flatau (interior), the two passenger rear-engined electric sports car pares back all non-essential elements to a simplified and sculptural form that retains Audi's design DNA. "The goal was to transfer the [previous] E-Tron aesthetic into a more reduced, small sports car," Seebers told CDN.
The sculptural surfacing of the exterior and simple light graphics lend a dynamic look to the design, while the aluminium blades within the large grille illustrate the technical feel: they are functional components which serve to cool the lithium-ion battery pack. The most interesting graphical element - the blades nestled into the C-pillar - also serve to cool the electric engines at the rear. Made of carbon fiber, they showcase the open and lightweight aspect of the design while also depicting its strength.
The clean and precise exterior aesthetic is complemented by a technical interior which can best be described as contemporary minimalism. The monolithic aesthetic, inspired by motorsports, is adorned in leather, carbon and sandblasted aluminum, which combine to give the interior a rough but elegant appearance. The center console is made of aluminum for lightweight, with the material again reappearing jewel-like in the frame of the seats, the door furniture, in the dashboard and under the headrests.
In another nod to motorsports, the steering wheel has been squared off at the top as well as the bottom, and the simple IP, with two dials either side of a center screen, caters to the driver. Technology abounds as well: an iPhone application allows users to access the vehicle's diagnostic information and check the car's range or whether the doors have been locked, while the HVAC unit is accessed by an electronic touch slider interface attached to the vents.
It's understandable to be confused given the number of similar-looking concepts shown over the last three years but Detroit 2010 finally saw the global production unveil of the Honda CR-Z coupe.
Unfortunately the car that actually goes on sale this summer seems to have lost some of the finesse of its 2007 and 2009 Tokyo show concept incarnations. The big and gapey Maserati-esque front grille still dominates the face of the car but the concepts' prominent Honda badge inside it has migrated to the hood and the stylish blue-tinged and LED-heavy front lights make way for more conventional ones.
The CR-Z is shorter than its sister hybrid five-door Insight by 295mm with a 115mm shorter wheelbase too. Its side profile looks broadly similar to its concept predecessors but at the back the 2007 concept's strikingly dominant vertical blacked out section connecting the centralized twin chrome exhausts at its base to the top of the rear window is long gone (as are those pipes). The rear lights also no longer curve up to meet a shoulder line that dipped downward at the rear. On the 2009 production model they are sharper and sit more horizontally above a chunky bumper section, although the hatch still features a see-through lower vertical section akin to those found on the Honda Insight, FCX Clarity and European Civic.
Arguably the biggest change on the US production model is on the inside where the two-plus-two seating arrangement has been swapped for a straight two seats (Europe and Japan still get two-plus-two). For the US version the package behind the front seats is little changed aside from the removal of the small rear seats, leaving a fold-down rear bulkhead that extends the load space and creates two secret box areas underneath.
Elsewhere the dashboard's two-tone gray plastics feel and look cheap and some of the metal effects are different colours and finishes. Overall, on this limited viewing, its design fails to convince as a slightly upmarket sports car so the hybrid's manual gearbox drive will have to be exciting and the price keen if it's to succeed.
The XTS Platinum concept was a welcome reprieve from the doomsday reports citing the tough times GM has been forced to weather in the last year. Showcasing an evolution of the Cadillac's 'Art and Science' design language, the XTS features softer lines and an interior that highlights the luxury brand's technological proficiency. It also previews the impending replacement for the aging DTS.
Designed at GM's Technical Center in Warren, Michigan, under the auspices of exterior design director Max Wolff, the XTS concept is a graceful, mature development of Cadillac's angular design characteristics. The defining Cadillac aesthetic has been toned down making way for more voluptuous form language that unmistakably embodies the brand's progressive DNA. So much so in fact that the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe that made its debut alongside the XTS at the Detroit show looked dated in comparison.
GM has always done surfacing well and this project is no exception. With a boneline rising from the front wheelarch and accenting the bodyside, there is a clear forward movement, which is further enhanced by the lightcatcher element running across the lower half of the doors. But between these two elements lie taut, sculpted surfaces that are synonymous with the elegance associated with the brand.
The interior is the proverbial icing in the center of the cupcake, with quality materials layered over one another to create a clean yet graceful ambience. Interior designer Christine Park told CDN that the theme was inspired by an orchid, with the wood, chrome and leather layers representing the flower's petals. These layers and details create a cohesive interior with elements that flow seamlessly into one another. It's immediately apparent that choosing quality materials was paramount for C&T designer Thomas Prevost, so that the design would communicate the flow of new technology within the interior. The meticulous details - such as laser etching in the center console and leather piping on the IP - also reinforce the design features.
The XTS demonstrated, in no uncertain terms, that the Art and Science mantra has longevity. It was one of the stars of the Detroit Auto Show.
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