#Buick Avista Concept Named N. American Concept Of The Year [Auto Styling News]

The Buick Avista has been awarded the 2016 Concept Car of the Year and the Most Significant Concept Vehicle of the Year at the 2016 North American Concept Vehicle Awards at the Concours d’Elegance of America in Plymouth, Michigan.

The awards recognize the vehicle that makes the strongest impact in terms of automotive design, engineering and market responsiveness. According to Buick, the Avista is both an indicator of Buick’s future design direction and a celebration of its design heritage.

"The design process of the Avista brought the team together to unite around a future direction for the brand and the great teamwork and enthusiasm it generated," said Bryan Nesbitt, executive director, Buick Global Design. "While looking to the future, we also wanted to honor the rich heritage of Buick by integrating timeless design cues in this beautifully progressive concept vehicle."

Judges praised the Avista’s futuristic interior and intuitive design, and Detroit Free Press auto critic Mark Phelan said the vehicle "cements Buick's surprising status as one of the auto industry's most intriguing brands."

The aggressive stance of the Avista is immediately apparent. The wide grille features Chrysler-like wings and Mercedes-like mesh background that are no doubt titanium (at least on the concept) and the boomerang headlamps are striking. Buick says both the grille and headlamps forecast future design elements.

© General Motors

It will be great if the low stance and small greenhouse remain in the final model (if indeed this goes to production) because it's incredibly sporty.

In this coupe style, especially in the rear pillar window, rear pillar, and the entire rear of the car, one can squint and see the Honda civic, but that styling seems more elegantly wrought here. The rear lamps are large and luxurious, as must be said of the deep, rich "Dark Sapphire Jewel" color on this concept.

The exterior boasts titanium and carbon-fiber accents that make for optimal durability. The sleek design reinforces the balance of beauty and precision during the driving experience.

Following its introduction at the 2016 North American International Auto Show, the Avista also received the EyesOn Design Excellence Award and was named “Best Future Concept” by Detroit News readers. It should be noted that the concept was wildly popular when released earlier this year. A good sign that GM may be motivated to bring something like this to market in the coming years.

Wooden #Setsuna Concept Car Is a Work of Art [Auto Styling News]

Toyota's Setsuna concept is made of wood. It's therefore a ridiculous concept, right? Well...

The Setsuna defies the notion that cars should only be seen as industrial products loaded with the latest technologies. 

Toyota says this unique wooden roadster was conceived to embody the affection owners grow to feel for their cars, and to show how cars continue to change and offer new value as they are taken care of with love over time.

Traditional Japanese techniques such as okuriari and kusabi were used so that the wood could be joined without nails or screws. Okuriari, which allows the exterior panels to be fitted and taken off without using any nails, not only increases the strength of joints but also makes it possible to make partial changes to dovetailing and mortise joints if the fastenings have worn down. 

This means it's possible to continue using the car without additional processing of the main body. In joints of the frame, split tenons are fastened to through tenons that have been pushed through several parts to hold the frame together. 

The Setsuna's body is composed of 86 handmade panels. Considerable thought was given to the design and creation of each panel from the outset, and each of these panels will develop and change differently as the car ages. Eventually, when repairs become necessary, individual panels can be replaced rather than needing to replace the entire body.

Small details, like the beautifully crafted wooden mirrors, really make this a work of art as much as a design study. The lacquer finish used on parts of the vehicle has been carefully applied by hand. To bring out the grain of the wood, wipe-lacquering has been used for the door mirrors, seats, steering wheel, and body banding lines. 

Rather than normal lacquer, which is applied in layers, this method involves repeatedly applying lacquer to the surface and wiping it to set the lacquer along the grain of the wood, creating a combined texture from the wood grain and the lacquer. The intensity and color will change with use over time, becoming even more beautiful and evoking a completely unique impression at different moments spread out in time.

4th-Gen #Lincoln Navigator Concept Goes Big, Sprouts X-Wings [Auto Styling News]

This March, Lincoln Motor Company released its fourth iteration of the Navigator - a vehicle it launched in 1997 that gave rise to all other SUVs.

That seems very long ago, and Lincoln is now playing catch-up to many others in the class, notably Cadillac's Escalade.

But just ahead of the North American Auto Show last month, it released it's fourth generation concept, hoping that "going big" (literally) would have an impact. Visually: it's "mission accomplished."

Featuring massive, gull-wing doors, gargantuan 20+ inch pinwheel-style wheels, and a grand-staircase step ladder entrance to both front and back seats simultaneously, the Navigator looks more like a small house - or a subway car, or a yacht - than a vehicle meant for the road.

But that's all part of the calculation. One can see a CEO as well as a rapper entering and exiting this thing with style and panache, with paparazzi all the while snapping away.

Is all of this practical? Of course not. It's extremely easy to discount the enormous gull-wing doors and the three-step entrance as the stuff of car show concept fantasy-land. The doors, which expose both front and back occupants to the elements - not to mention the aforementioned paparazzi - every time they're opened for exit or entrance, are flawed as as a design element.

That said, in the era of the Tesla X, which successfully integrated them into a PRODUCTION vehicle (and solved the problem of scuffing up the neighboring car each time they're opened) one cannot discount the idea that they'll see actual daylight. One designer, in fact, noted that the doors alone could cause Chinese millionaires (a target audience for this vehicle) to throw heaps of cash at Lincoln. So there's that. In fact, the entire "over-the-topness" of the design may be attributable to the Chinese market, which goes wild for such extravagant-looking beasts.

Other than these striking design elements, one sees a Range Rover pedigree in the long, sleek horizontal design language of the side panels - unsurprising given the past connection between the companies until Rover's sale to Tata in 2008.

I'd note the more than passing resemblance also to the Ford Flex in its side architecture - that is, if anyone knew what I was talking about, since the Flex is a non-advertised red-headed stepchild over at Ford, apparently.

The front grille and lamps deserve notice here, as well, since they're vastly improved and far more elegant than in previous generations. The grille features a massive, but gently rounded, trapezoid with mesh and a lighted ornament in its center that is elegant, impressive and would be unmistakable for any other vehicle on the road. The headlamps are huge - befitting the entire concept, and don't offend, though one could say they somewhat resemble styles one could see on any other model. Hyundai comes to mind. Still, they are deserving of respect, straddling this grille and pointing to non-functioning air intakes that contribute mightily to the horizontal-ness of the design.

Despite this blog's obsession with exterior styling, one must take a moment to note that the rear door panel (which sadly resembles too much a Toyota) opens up  to a built-in closet of sorts, where the driver can put his suits, shoes and brief case in a rather elaborate set-up.

All rear seats feature wide-screen TVs and the blond wood and leather are amazingly attractive and are clearly a step up from any other American SUV - or they will be, if they make it past the bean-counters.

All-in-all, this is a grand and notable concept that deserves some respect for "going big."

Staving off the fears of bankruptcy and oblivion that haunted it just a few years back, A Detroit News article notes that Ford has committed funds to the Ford Kentucky truck plant that will build the next Navigator, has signed a four-year contract there with unions.

Not that recessions can't change everything, but the Navigator and other Lincoln models are clearly stepping up their game and are making an effort to keep Lincoln Motor Company in business for the short-term, anyway. They're betting the farm on the Chinese buying enough of these land yachts to keep the Lincoln brand afloat. And they just might.

More photos, from the Lincoln Motors site: http://www.lincoln.com/navigator-concept/

Mercedes' "Vision Tokyo" is Designed Appeal to Millennials When They Hit 40 [Auto Styling News]

Mercedes Benz is hoping that by the mid-2020s, Millennials in their 40s will have paid off enough student loan debt to be able to afford their new self-driven, tech-heavy "Vision Tokyo" minivan. But the concept and its technology seems to raise the question, "Why," rather than answer any existing problems or needs of drivers.

The concept, based on the earlier design study F015 Luxury In Motion concept, was unveiled recently at the Tokyo Motor Show, and it certainly looks like it would appeal to Millenials - as well as their GenX older siblings.

Mercedes describes the vehicle as a "lounge" vehicle and, "a chill-out zone in the midst of megacity traffic mayhem." And its exterior design advertises these facts in every possible way.

From the Bass-shaped mouth to its massive 26-inch tires, it's rakish windshield and curvaceous hindquarters, the Vision Tokyo isn't subtle. With healthy doses of neon accent lights (perhaps not so healthy) from the grille to the tires to the tail, this car WOULD be noticed on any street in any city. Perhaps it's too much for the suburbs but make no mistake -  this is a party wagon. 

The grille on the concept acts like a light show, with LEDs designed to pulsate to the vibrations of the music being played inside, though why exterior viewers who can't hear the music will respond to the pulsating neon lights would need to see this is a bit of a mystery. And pulsating LEDs pulling up behind your car at night would probably appear more like a police traffic stop than anything else.

How this would be street-legal, or even well-advised, remains to be seen. (And no, these will not ever, ever, ever make it to the production model.)

The tech, of course, is why this exists. This is designed to be a zero-emissions, plug-in hydrogen-fuel cell vehicle, with holographic multi-media technology inside its generous interior which is meant to entertain while it drives itself around town. One wonders if  the technology will understand that most users will simply want to be driven in circles, while the party continues inside.

Mercedes estimates that it will have 600 miles of total range, 120 of which would be battery-derived. So, it will allow for a lot of cruising on  those megacity streets. 

So we're left with an awesome shape, and a lot of bells and whistles. When we take away all the non-street-legal and ill-advised neon and LEDs, and add a proper gas or diesel engine, this concept may very well see the streets around the year 2025.

More: https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/innovation/autonomous-driving/

Mercedes and BMW May Be Planning a Love Child (Let's hope not!)

Mercedes Benz is shopping a concept/design study called the "Concept Coupe SUV." See if it reminds you of another car or two on the road today.

Let's first be positive here: The front end is devastatingly gorgeous, as is the rest of the current line-up from Mercedes.

The head lamps are incredibly detailed and again, match the current line-up and cannot be mistaken for lights on any other vehicle.

The grille is equally beautiful and features wonderful details that are making Mercedes a prime choice in the luxury market (as if they have ever given up that title!)

But... okay, the gloves must come off now: The rear quarter of this concept are horrendous, and extremely derivative. It  looks like the slow-selling and "uniquely" styled BMW X6, a so-called "four-door coupe SUV" (a style that has already run its course, frankly) with the added "bonus" of Lincoln MKZ-style tail lights, which look too small for this vehicle.

Mercedes raided the Lincoln parts bin for the tail lights!

This concept - actually just a "design study" to determine what a full-sized, SUV/Coupe would look like if one is ever made - is actually a bit larger than the BMW X6, a full-sized behemoth. It is being shopped around at the Beijing International Auto Show (April, 2014) but it would certainly make an impact in supermarket parking lots all over America if it was ever built and sold here.

While it's a good start, and a wonderful concept, generally, I have to urge Mercedes-Benz to go back to the drawing board on this one.

Other than having proper tail lights, this X6 too much resembles the Mercedes concept!