2012 Detroit International Auto Show
- Thread starter CodeRedR51
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Which was kind of my point...
A car with 4 years of hype, a purpose-built chassis with a drivetrain that gave it the exact thing the BreezeFreeze is supposed to represent, who knows how much development money and no competition on the market; versus a car that most people are making fun of, on a shortened chassis from a car that will almost certainly be several hundred pounds too heavy and a base engine that will be borderline anemic if they actually use it, and competition from a car everyone has been holding their collective breath for for over 3 years now and which looks like the hype will pay off for.
A car with 4 years of hype, a purpose-built chassis with a drivetrain that gave it the exact thing the BreezeFreeze is supposed to represent, who knows how much development money and no competition on the market; versus a car that most people are making fun of, on a shortened chassis from a car that will almost certainly be several hundred pounds too heavy and a base engine that will be borderline anemic if they actually use it, and competition from a car everyone has been holding their collective breath for for over 3 years now and which looks like the hype will pay off for.
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- Blitzbay
- Blitzbay
Acura NSX Concept:
http://jalopnik.com/5874475/acura-nsx-concept-detroit-auto-show-live-photos-info
I throw up when I saw it. 👎
I might be the only one who thinks this but did Acura just refresh the HSC Concept?
CodeRedR51
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Added the FR-S to the OP.
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Toronado
Heh, can't believe I forgot about that. I dunno, I always thought the Solstice was a bit half-arsed. Much prefer these two concepts. At the very least, GM now knows it can't do things by half measures, which wasn't necessarily the case five years ago.
CodeRedR51
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Added Chrysler 700C concept to OP.
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- YSSMAN
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The GXP Coupe was just about right, but just like the Fiero before it, GM bailed on a project well ahead of when it should have. Money problems and tightening EPA regulations were to blame, added to the fact they still had no idea what to do between it and the Corvette. The Kappa platform was good, but it was heavy, and sourced far too much of its design from the Y-Body. That was why GM was looking into moving Kappa production to Bowling Green, and furthermore, merging the Kappa II and Y-Body chassis development together. Killing Pontiac and Saturn pretty much sealed its fate, and they turned their attention to FWD sedans and hatchbacks... Rightfully so, I'd say.
With GM making money again, and with technology jumping so far forward in less than five years, a rear-drive sports coupe is feasible again. They can easily adapt the Cadillac ATS' chassis for use in the 130R, likely making it slightly narrower, perhaps a shade shorter. Weight shouldn't be too much of a problem given that the ATS is clocking in at less than 3400 lbs, and with GM's new commitment to use of carbon fiber, they may be able to get down to punching-weight with the FR-S and BRZ.
The big trick will be whether or not GM will choose to go almost entirely off-the-shelf like they did with the Solstice to make producing a car like the 130R an affordable possibility. If done well, and priced competitively, they could sell quite a few, I'd imagine. They'd most-certainly have to put it under the Camaro (About $23K), but above the Sonic RS (probably around $19-20K) to keep some kind of distance between products. To further decrease costs, I wouldn't be surprised to see the same basic architecture used for a small, rear-drive Buick convertible. THAT would be something I'd like to see...
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- thepatriots
Pukes in mouth... that is just awful.
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- JMarine25
I'll make note of a few of these cars:
* Acura NSX - not exactly sexy, but one hot momma for sure.
* Bentley Continental GT V8 - nothing too special, but better looking than that Bentley Mulsanne.
* Cadillac ATS - it's rare I like a Cadillac. I think this is a nice-looking car.
* Chevrolet Tru 140S Concept - some people say it's like Chevy's version of the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse in design. Be interesting to see what results from this concept, if anything. Part of me wants to imagine (and this is a VERY long shot) this being a prototype for a futuristic mid-engined Chevy supercar. Then too, would you have this contend with the Corvette for a flagship supercar?
* Ford Fusion - online, I called it the "Jaguar Fusion." I would have liked something a bit more original in design.
* Hyundai Genesis Coupe - gorgeous! I love this Genesis Coupe more than I do the previous one in looks, but I think the interior could have looked better.
* Lexus LF-LC - some people said this is what the LFA could have looked like. It looks very nice to me.
* Mercedes-Benz SL - I actually like this car. A bit muscular and blunt, but styled very well.
* Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept - I actually like the newer New Beetle. I kind of like this concept.
Just sayin'...
* Acura NSX - not exactly sexy, but one hot momma for sure.
* Bentley Continental GT V8 - nothing too special, but better looking than that Bentley Mulsanne.
* Cadillac ATS - it's rare I like a Cadillac. I think this is a nice-looking car.
* Chevrolet Tru 140S Concept - some people say it's like Chevy's version of the 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse in design. Be interesting to see what results from this concept, if anything. Part of me wants to imagine (and this is a VERY long shot) this being a prototype for a futuristic mid-engined Chevy supercar. Then too, would you have this contend with the Corvette for a flagship supercar?
* Ford Fusion - online, I called it the "Jaguar Fusion." I would have liked something a bit more original in design.
* Hyundai Genesis Coupe - gorgeous! I love this Genesis Coupe more than I do the previous one in looks, but I think the interior could have looked better.
* Lexus LF-LC - some people said this is what the LFA could have looked like. It looks very nice to me.
* Mercedes-Benz SL - I actually like this car. A bit muscular and blunt, but styled very well.
* Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept - I actually like the newer New Beetle. I kind of like this concept.
Just sayin'...
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I'm utterly underwhelmed by the Fusion. Partly because Ford can't design a cohesive shape if its life depended on it at the moment, partly because us Europeans have already had the Mondeo for the last five years or so which, grille aside, looks basically the same, and partly because I was already underwhelmed by the Evos concept from Frankfurt that the Fusion gets some of its styling from.
CodeRedR51
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Joey D
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homeforsummer
I think Americans are excited because we've been begging Ford to give us a proper sedan, preferably the Mondeo. We now have it and when you look at what else we have to choose from, the Fusion is going to be top notch. I mean I know if I had the choice between a Malibu and a Fusion, it wouldn't require much thought.
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Oh, I understand its significance, and why America is going crazy for it, I just think there's a yawning chasm between making a car striking, which the Mondeo/Fusion is, and making it attractive, which it isn't.
Bring on the production Mazda Takeri/6. Now that is a good-looking sedan.
Bring on the production Mazda Takeri/6. Now that is a good-looking sedan.
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- GTP_Leonidae_MFT
Fusion looks like down-scaled Aston Martin Rapide.. Not that it's a bad thing, but that design language has been around since what, introduction of DB7?
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That's not the problem I have with it. The problem I have with it is what I wrote before: From a European perspective it's a "seen it all before" with the current Mondeo, the grille looks daft, and the whole thing looks both massive and fairly poorly proportioned.
But then, I guess our markets are quite different. The U.S. seems to think the Buick Regal is somehow dynamic and sporty, when over here it's a tedious slug of a Vauxhall that people only drive because their company can't give them anything better.
Joey D
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You forget the crap we had throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, the cars we are getting now are infinitely better (which isn't hard to do) so we tend to have lower expectations. I mean this was what the Regal was before...
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homeforsummer
Come on, we don't really think that...and I think not even the general public believes that, either.
Still, it's a chassis improvement over past Buicks, of which only the GNX/Grand National showed any glimpse of sport for the past 40 years, even though they were really just muscle cars designed to go in a straight line.
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Don't worry, I know there are people with sense, but it's the general impression I'm getting.
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- Blitzbay
- Blitzbay
Reminds me of a cartoonish super hero. And that's not good. Swing and a miss for Lincoln (again).
CodeRedR51
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Updated the Volvo XC60 Hybrid entry.
Pretty sure that's about the last of it.
Pretty sure that's about the last of it.
