Following the Cross Coupe concept unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show and the Roadjet estate-crossover from Detroit last year is this new crossover concept from Audi. Whilst very similar in proportion and design theme to the Cross Coupe, the Cross Cabriolet shares no surfaces with the German-designed Shanghai show car.
Designed in the Californian studio under Executive Design Director Claus Potthoff and project leader Steve Lewis, the concept's dramatic "copper sunset" color is very California. It also shows off to good effect a design which appears better resolved than the Cross Coupe and Roadjet: note how the three near parallel bone lines that run along the upper front sides balance with each other, and how the rear lights connect with the side feature crease.
But as well as refining existing design themes, the Cross Cabriolet introduces several new design elements. As Potthoff told Car Design News, "One thing is the blister theme which remembers the Quattro. We're also playing a lot with the lower elements at the front and the rear, integrating lights and exhausts for a broader and more masculine feeling."
Another interesting design detail Potthoff highlighted to us is the way the polished aluminum windshield surround is connected to the waistline via the door mirror, a useful design solution with hood surfaces now typically needing to be higher than the waistline because of European pedestrian impact legislation.
The car is based on the new Audi A4 and A5 platform and, judging by its surface resolution and relatively market ready design, closely previews the forthcoming Q5 production crossover due next year. If the company also decides to produce the car as a cabriolet version as well as a coupe, then Audi will be creating a new market niche.
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The Hyundai Concept Genesis Coupe was one of the stars of the LA Auto Show this year. Shown as an exterior model only, this coupe takes Hyundai into a new sector previously unexplored by the automaker; a large premium-level rear-wheel-drive coupe in the mold of the Infiniti G37 that will sit above the Tiburon in the range when it goes into production early next year.
Overall the concept exhibits quite conventional, svelte coupe proportions, but very distinct graphics and surfacing. The most significant design aspect is the DLO with its dropping lower line at the B-pillar, which creates a very distinctive and unique appearance to the car, even from far away. This element then in turn relates to the two side feature creases which create a difficult condition to manage in the area around the door handle, which despite this has been very successfully resolved - a small but impressive design innovation. Other notable design elements are the swooping, classically Korean lamp graphics front and rear and the lower side impression that subtly blends to form a surface that runs around the rear wheelarch.
The California-based Hyundai design team, which created the production model before the concept, has conceived a very unique design that retains the aggressive nature conveyed by the initial sketches revealed earlier this month. And while the production model, set to be unveiled at the New York Auto Show next year, will lose some of the 'tuner' additions such as the carbon fiber hood and roof of the concept, as Hyundai California Chief Designer Joel Piaskowski said to Car Design News: "we designed it with the tuners in mind", the core surfaces of the car are of the production design.
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Based on the Ford Taurus / Mercury Sable that was announced earlier this year at the Chicago Auto Show, the MKS was previewed by MKS concept car seen at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006.
Presented in Los Angeles by Peter Horbury, Executive Director Design North America at Ford, Horbury said: "luxury buyers still expect rare beauty, but today, they also seek authenticity". He cited the use of some of the interior materials as examples of this: ebony and olive ash woods, high-quality leather, and stainless steel and aluminum alloy metals that are evident on the "Double wing grille" and exterior bright-work.
The conventional, large front-wheel-drive sedan exterior proportions are dictated by the Taurus, and the Lincoln has also has few surprises in its surfaces and detailing - but they are unquestionably well-resolved. Some of the more notable details include a keypad (used to key in a PIN to enter the car) integrated into the B-pillar and using LED back-lit numerals that are visible only when touched, grille flutes with brushed and polished metal finishes, a distinctive but simple IP design, and well-detailed lamp cans.
Whilst not a show stopper, and clearly a design forced to share much with its Ford sibling, the MKS is a good illustration in how design can effectively create a distinct and appealing product within tight constraints. The MKS also has a level of perceived quality that does much to deliver the "authenticity" that this market sector demands.
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