#VW's ID CROZZ #Concept Is An Autonomous Electric Slated For 2026 [Auto Styling News]

Volkswagen's I.D. CROZZ concept offers a fashionable sneak peek of the future, and that future is electric, autonomously driven crossover. And it may be in driveways by early 2026.

The concept's sleek, four-door coupe shape has a similar footprint to the new 2018 Tiguan, with dramatic doors that open 90 degrees in the front and slide back in the rear to reveal a cavernous interior. On the outside, the I.D. CROZZ greets passengers with a light show, with lighted VW logos and daytime running lights that “awaken” like eyes.

Personally, I'm not even a fan of the many, many vehicles already on the road that "blink" by turning out the headlamp when the turn signal is engaged. But I'm sure this silliness will either be long gone by 2026, or will be so ubiquitous that we don't even notice anymore.

The exterior is quite handsome, and is a bit of a step up from today's rather bland VWs. The sliding rear doors are just plain silly, and likely won't make it to production, but are less silly than ones seen on many other concepts, or current minivans. Not sure they want to emulate minivans, but it's entirely possible they show up on the final version.

The I.D. CROZZ resembles, especially from a side view, the Toyota Prius Prime, which isn't a bad vehicle design to emulate.

The production car, says VW, will feature the company's I.D. Pilot self-driving system concept. That means that in self-driving mode, the steering wheel of the I.D. CROZZ will (rather horrifyingly) retract into the dash, and the interior lights will change color. Drivers can summon the I.D. Pilot by simple voice controls, and the concept system is designed to rely on four laser scanners that pop up from the roof of the I.D. CROZZ, as well as ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, side area view cameras and a front camera.

VW estimates that the car's battery pack will be able to be recharged up to 80 percent in 30 minutes when using a 150-kWh fast charger. The company's EV plans are among the most ambitious in the industry, and call for launching next-generation electric vehicles on three continents - Europe, Asia and North America - anticipated to begin in 2020.

#Nissan Xmotion Concept Signals Future Design Direction [Auto Styling News]

Nissan revealed the Xmotion concept at the 2018 Detroit International Auto Show this past week, and it signals the company's potential design for the early 2020s.

The six-passenger, three-row Nissan Xmotion (pronounced "cross motion") concept is a worthy successor to the company's long history of cutting-edge SUVs. The company says it is meant to fuse Japanese culture and traditional craftsmanship with American-style utility and new-generation Nissan Intelligent Mobility technology.

The Xmotion concept's stunning (or polarizing) exterior features a powerful dynamic presence, including unique U-shaped highlights and a bold evolution of Nissan's signature V-motion grille.

The concept's exterior features rugged, metal-crafted wheels and all-terrain tire design. Like the rest of vehicle, the mechanical tool-inspired wheels and all-terrain tires coexist as one piece, with the tire tread physically laminated over the 21-inch aluminum-alloy wheels. Additional exterior features include a retractable "rooftop box" and a unique tail light design inspired by Japanese woodwork.

With its long wheelbase, with wheels and tires pushed out to the extremes of the corners, the Xmotion concept allows for the creation of a fresh, "4+2" passenger layout. Featuring three rows of side-by-side individual seats, it's designed to provide a perfect space for a young couple, another couple and two children or pets in the third row.

The concept's "suicide" rear doors won't make it to production, of course, and a b-pillar will obviously be added to the car to accommodate proper rear doors that open to the front, rather than the back. Still, the concept is visually stunning, and will likely come to production, adding to the stunning design style we've come to expect from Nissan.

#Lexus Previews "Flagship Crossover" LF-1 Limitless At Detroit Int'l Auto Show [Auto Styling News]

Like molten metal being forged into a fine Japanese sword, the lines of the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept have the potential to shape the future of a flagship luxury crossover for Lexus.

Revealed at the North American International Auto Show, this concept - billed as the brand's "flagship crossover" - signals the very real direction of the brand. And it's spectacular.

Lexus established the luxury crossoversegment two decades ago with the global debut of the
RX 300 at Detroit. It remains the top-selling luxury crossover despite nearly 50 competitors that have
since entered the segment.

Like its name, the possibilities for powertrains are limitless. Lexus says the LF-1 concept could be powered by fuel cell, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, gasoline, or even all-electric. By around 2025, every Lexus model around the world will be available either as a dedicated electrified model, or have an electrified option.

Love it or hate it, the "hourglass" spindle grille design is becoming the standard already on all Lexus vehicles. And here, it's accentuated and has evolved into something quite beautiful - even if you're still wary of it appearing on YOUR car.

The innovative LF-1 was created at CALTY Design Research in California. The design language is rooted in the simple yet elegant design concept dubbed “molten katana”. This design visualization fuses the organic shapes of liquid metal with the sharp edges of a traditional Japanese sword. Imagining that shift from a smooth, flowing mass into a solid, chiseled shape formed the basis for the fluid, yet aggressive design of the LF-1 Limitless.

The Lexus LF-1’s exaggerated dash-to-axle ratio gives it an athletic profile that’s more sports car than station wagon. Combined with a cabin that sits deep within the rear-wheel drive chassis and aggressive 22-inch wheels barely contained under bulging fenders, the LF-1 has a powerful stance that conveys its performance intentions at a glance.

The low roofline and elevated ride height further emphasize that this is a crossover designed for performance with practicality.

What do YOU think?


Photos: Lexus.com

#Infiniti Set To Unveil #QX50 Concept At Detroit Auto Show [Auto Styling News]

Infiniti is set to debut its QX50 concept at this month's 2017 Detroit Motor Show, an evolution of the QX Inspiration Concept it teased in Beijing in 2016.

The luxury brand says the QX50 Concept could be adapted for production. What's clear is that it will show the company's design direction for the future. And it's a pretty sweet direction!

A preliminary review of the earlier concept, which again, will likely be replicated in the soon-to-be-revealed "real" concept:

The bold front grille on the "teaser" concept is the place to start - with a large badge that really works for the vehicle and gives it the proper "heft." The LED headlamps are thin, as is the current trend, and they wrap around the side of the hood, standing atop mighty air scoops, which may or may not be functional. Attractive creases continue down the sides, with an indention that do clearly help with drag coefficient. The roof bars are classy and add distinction.

The "reverse Hofmeister kink" in the rear pillar is carried over from other models, and is distinctive. The rear features another large logo and beautiful tail lamps.

The QX50 Concept will feature what Infiniti calls the "first production-ready incarnation" of its semi-autonomous ProPilot system, which can handle stop and go traffic for the driver, keep the car inside a lane, and maintain distance to a vehicle in front.

The Chrysler 200 Goes Under the Knife - and Comes out Pretty

Chrysler's 200 has, since it's introduction in 2012, had a problem. And that problem was the headlight design. The headlights are ghastly on the current model. Almost literally laughable.

In one of our first posts here, Auto Styling News eviscerated the 200 for this and other sins, but mostly the sin of actively advertising this vehicle as 'distinctive' and having funny little eyebrows, and a grille "that's shaped just like the interior clock," somehow made it so. To have "luxury car" pretensions, and have such a glaring mistake right there on the front of the car seemed unforgivable.

In fact, the car's introductory ad itself was called "Why do the headlights have eyebrows?" Why, indeed. (The video screenshot below doesn't do justice to the silliness that ensues when one of these is seen on the road.)

The sad part about the 2011 re-do of the Sebring is that the rest of the car looked pretty good. The rear was very attractive and the proportions were fine.

Anyway, let's just say all is forgiven. The 2015 model, released at the Detroit Motor Show this week, is a far better looking vehicle on many levels.

The headlights, along with the entire grille, has been refurbished, and now has the class that was sorely lacking on the 2011-14 models. The well proportioned Chrysler "wing" logo is now more prominent as well, and gives the car a proper identity.

Had they stopped there, the company would receive great plaudits from this quarter and many others, I'm sure. But they kept going, and tweaked the entire vehicle (which is now built atop a Fiat chassis.)

The rear end - which they actually got right on the previous 200 - also received a completely facelift, and while the rear spoiler from a certain angle seems to give it a bit of a "duck face" (or duck's a**?) it's tolerable. And while the previous tail lights were just fine, the new ones are certainly appropriate, if not a bit hum-drum.

The side view also looks completely different, and this yields one of the few criticisms, since it looks a lot like most other cars on the road, and it is not at all distinctive.



The rear looks a bit like a Hyundai and one could mistake the profile for a Lexus or even (if you squint) a Jaguar F series. Which isn't a bad mistake for a car seeking to enter "luxury" status (and a $21k luxury car would certainly be welcome.)

With this complete re-think, Chrysler shows that it's serious about reaching into the luxury market - or at least that it knows how to recover when it makes a mistake, and the previous 200 was a big one.

It's too early to say whether the 200 can actually compete with the luxury brands it hopes to take on, or whether it's rather anonymous styling makes it more of a competitor with the Hyundai's and KIA's of the world. But at least it's now a full competitor.

#KIA's GT4 #Stinger Concept debuts in Detroit

KIA's concept GT4 Stinger has just debuted at the Detroit Auto Show and it's a beauty, based on official images released today. The car is said to be KIA's version of the Hyundai Genesis, and very close to what the production model will look like. What do you think? Post your comments below.