Ian Callum walks us through the 2012 Jaguars

Jaguar design chief Ian Callum describes the concepts going into the 2012 Jaguar fleet. The initial impressions I had of the newer designs - that they seemed to have raided Chrysler's parts bin for the circa-1996 headlamps and the 2003 Lexus for its overall shape - have vanished in these newer iterations. (Well, mostly vanished.)

These are quite beautiful cars, but some would say they lack distinctiveness and could be more "Jaguar-like" and evocative of earlier cars.

 There's always 2013.

 

Morgan 3-Wheeler brings classic style to the road

Car enthusiast Jay Leno test drives the new 3-Wheeler from UK car maker Morgan in the video below.

The car is admittedly beautiful, evoking earlier iterations of the Morgan "kit-car" style. It is a pre-production model, but it's unexplained why it goes veering off the road during Leno's test drive in the UK. The one-seater will reportedly run around $30,000.
Still, it looks comfortable, with classic leather seats and the long nose for which Morgans are well known. The chrome details, especially on the front, are stunning. From the side, one can't help but think the car is from the late 1920s or early 1930s, and the hindquarters look a bit odd to modern eyes, though in a classic way.
The three-wheel design, though unique, is both economical and head-turning, as Leno notes in a rather glowing review in this video. The company is already taking orders for the car, according to a company spokesman in the video.

Be sure to visit the Morgan 3-Wheeler website, where you can design your own Bespoke model with numerous color options for paint and leather seating and trim, as well as some neat decal work that's available. Mine is below, featuring 1940s-evoking decals and classic green and camel leather seating and trim. To save, hit "print screen" on your keyboard. There doesn't seem to be a way to save the design otherwise.

Ad Writers for the Chrysler 200 Need To Win An Award. The Razzie.

2011 Chrysler 200 Commercial - Why do the headlights have eyebrows?
by Stephen Abbott

“Why do the headlights have eyebrows? Why is the shape of the grille like the shape of the clock? Why do the gauges appear to be floating? Why does it seem like the grille is always smiling? Because the details are everything.”

Seriously? Seriously, Chrysler? This is actually what you’re presenting to the American public as a car commercial in the second decade of the Twenty-First Century?

Very, very sad. And insulting, frankly.

The new Chrysler 200 – for which this nonsense was written and was actually FILMED for a national TV ad – is far from a luxury car. Though, to be fair, it’s far from the worst car Detroit has ever made. Chrysler wins a few awards for those, too, especially the crap they put out in the 1990s. But let’s not go there. This time.

Let’s get back to this ad. Eyebrows? Really?

Okay, when I think of eyebrows on a car’s headlamps, I’m thinking about an Audi. And they do it beautifully. Even though it’s more like eyeliner when they do it. But that doesn’t matter. The LED lights on the A8 gently curve under the large, well-defined and well-designed headlamps, giving the front end at once a sinister and aggressive stance. Combined with a wide, aggressive grille, the Audi A8 looks like, and is, a force to be reckoned with. That’s even before the engine springs to life.

But the 200? It’s grille is admittedly meant to be “always smiling,” so right off the bat, one knows aggression isn’t supposed to be a trait of this vehicle. And the fact that these are happy eyebrows dancing above these plain-Jane headlights further signals that the target market isn’t men, it’s women.

And while it’s just peachy that the ever-grinning grille is shaped EXACTLY like the arguably pretty pearl-backed clock on the dash, I’m sorry, Chrysler, but those gauges do NOT appear to be floating. The ones I have seen, and as we can plainly see in the ad, are plain-Jane gauges. But their ad writers got paid to come up with some dazzling crap to write about this loser of a vehicle, and that’s what they came up with. Thanks, guys, for the 30 seconds of hype.

I could see these poor guys now, huddled midway through an all-nighter, scratching their heads about this bland, boring Blahmobile: “People, people, come on! It’s GOT to have a feature we can blow into something interesting.”

One finally must have said: “Wait, show me those pictures again. Yeah! The grille is kinda shaped like the clock. Let’s mention that!”

“That’s great!” says the head writer in relief. “And let’s throw in Bob’s idea about the grille smiling and Doug’s thing about beautiful eyebrows.”

One wonders: do they want ANY men to buy this car?

Chrysler may want to imply that their car looks like an expensive Bentley with its standard equally expensive Breitling clock inside that also sort of “matches the shape of the grille” but… no.

The ad fails to mention the only pleasant feature of the 200 - its rear. It instantly reminds me of the superbly handsome 2012 Ford Taurus, with its long chrome band that incorporates oval corporate logo. The tail lamps of the new Taurus were borrowed from the Ford Interceptor show car and instantly give it class. But let’s wake from that wet dream back to the nightmare of 200.

I do sympathize with the ad writers’ dilemma of having to “sell” this rather lame “luxury” vehicle, which is the replacement for arguably more beefy and attractive Sebring. That car had, by the late 2000s, begun to sport aggressive headlamps and large, IN YOUR FACE tail lamps, along with punchy, Crossfire-like creases flowing from the windscreen to the attractive front-end grille.

The problem was never with the looks, IMO, though they could have been toned down if that was a problem. The issue was always with the spindly, wimpy engines that were grossly unreliable, sending them by the hundreds of thousands straight into the fleets of Enterprise and National Car Rental lots in sleepy airports across the nation.

A new grille and fancy clock on the 200 is a bland answer to a “does the curtain match the drapes” question that wasn’t being asked by anyone.

Bangle Era finally ending at BMW with elegant M3 styling?

I must say, the new tail lamps of the 2012 BMW M3 are quite beautiful, and a vast improvement over previous models' designs. The "Bangle" era at BMW (named for chief designer Chris Bangle, who is now working in his own firm in Turin, Italy) was extremely controversial.

While the easy-to-spot swoopiness and curvaceous lines on BMWs alienated many traditionalists, one cannot argue that it was successful in raising the company's profile and standards of luxury during his 17-year tenure at BMW. Still, that polarization came at a price, and frankly, my view is that the brand suffered somewhat from it, in the same way other companies suffer when they go too far in the direction of experimentation and away from customer's tastes (the Ford Taurus of the mid-1990s comes to mind, as does the Pontiac Aztek and other follies.)

The new direction of the company, with less flare and more true, sophisticated style - as exhibited in the smart and handsome looking 3 Series - is the right direction for this company. Let's hope they can sustain it and expand upon it.

Range Rover's Gorgeous Evoque Coupe

Above is the launch film for the stunning Range Rover Evoque Coupe, set to debut later this year as a 2012 model. It is the smallest, lightest and most fuel efficient Range Rover ever produced.

The completely new model comes in a two-door coupe as well as a five-door version, which made its debut at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show last Nov. 17.

Both aim to "transform the premium compact SUV segment," says the international Land Rover site, landrover.com.

The curves and creases of this Range Rover model are undeniably sexy, though one could less charitably say that it looks like someone simply squeezed a previous Range Rover model between one's thumb and index finger. Still, both exterior and interior views seem to uphold the brand's high quality of luxury craftsmanship.

The one quibble one might have with the otherwise well executed design is with rear visibility. The slight rear window surely will give headaches to wealthy soccer moms backing out of the supermarket parking space. The same is true for certain Jeeps. We'll see if this(hopefully minor) problem prevents sales of this otherwise well-executed vehicle.

There's Something Horribly Wrong Over at Chrysler

It's pretty bad when the entire advertising and marketing campaign strategy for a car company's lineup of vehicles is based on the idea of keeping them in the shadows as much as possible.

That seems to be Chrysler's strategy, especially with its Sebring replacement, the 200, which debuted in a much-ballyhooed commercial during this year's Super Bowl. As you remember, rap star Eminem hyped the poorly photographed car traveling amongst the ruins of Detroit touting the benefits not so much of the car but of the city - which is about as prosperous today as is Kandahar or Benghazi.

The missing element was the car, which was filmed at night and in severe close-ups. At the time, I thought this was a "teaser" and that we'd get to see more of the car in future ads. Well, this ad was all we'd see, and shorter versions of it have been the sum total of what we've seen of the 200.

Good thing, it turns out. In one of our first blog posts here, we exposed the true and hideous nature of this car, which frankly looks worse than the Sebring, or at least just as cheap.

Surprisingly, though (or perhaps not, given the looks of the thing) the "shadow" campaign continues on the company's website, where it features the woefully small and pitiful four-car lineup for the "major" automaker photographed in shadows, making the black cars look dark and mysterious, but also strangely LESS elegant - and one assumes that's what the photographer was going for.

Even more oddly, in the "gallery" section for the 200 on the company's site, most of the photos are again in shadow, or in extreme close-up. It's incredibly difficult to get a handle on what the car looks like, or any of them, for that matter.

Is this deliberate? I think so. The four cars Chrysler is putting on the market in 2011 run from just over $19,000 for the 200 to just over $30,000 for the Town and Country minivan (rated one of the worst cars on the market by Consumer Reports last year.) All of them are shown in deep shadow and in solid black.

From a styling point of view, these are among the worst cars Chrysler has ever produced. They are bland, lack imagination and vision, and do not excite in the least. The new headlights on the 300, for example, are meant to be more elegant than the 2005 300, which was a rare hit for the company. Why mess with good, unless you're going to make it better?

I have a few questions for Chrysler:
What happened to your Glory Days? Chrysler has put more concept cars on the road than any other car company. To name just three: the PT Cruiser, the Pacifica, and the aforementioned Crossfire (which, despite that unfortunate name, outsold the Audi TT for a brief while in the mid-2000s.)

Where is your Vision? The Crossfire was a beautifully executed vehicle that took chances. So did the PT Cruiser, which sold millions. What happened to your mojo? It's sure not in the 200.

Where is your electric car? Chrysler was working on a secret weapon, the daringly styled ecoVoyager (see drawing below) which would have theoretically gotten 300 miles for each charge of its lithium-ion batteries, or even run on hydrogen (though we were promised this with the Chevy Volt, too, but never mind.) This was in 2008, when it hit the auto show circuit. Flash ahead to 2011, and Nissan literally cannot produce enough of its plug-in electric Leaf vehicles, nor can Toyota create enough Prius's to meet demand. Chrysler could have been the talk of the industry with this vehicle. But Chrysler blew it. Again.

New York International Auto Show: Mercedes, Nissan, Ford

The 2011 New York International Auto Show is underway, and there are a few stand-outs that merit comment.

There are, as usual for auto shows, a lot of pie-in-the-sky models that are simply "design studies" that are created to feature the ability of designers to do wild things.

There are, however, plenty of "do-able" models that conceivably show up on showroom floors in a few years - with some major, or even minor, adjustments, of course.

One of these is the Mercedes A-Class concept (below.) It's smaller size and European-approved high front end (to meet pedestrian-bumping standards. Seriously.) give it an aggressive and able stance. The headlamps, which look as if they are melting off the hood, are also aggressive, though are unlikely to make it to production in * precisely* that style. Oh, and it's unlikely Americans will get it. Europeans, and the Indian and Chinese markets have gotten a baby Benz for a decade or more now. For a bit of perspective on this photo, envision a car the size and shape of a VW Golf. Yes, it's a hatchback, but a gorgeous one.

The jaw-dropping Nissan ellure, below, can easily be seen as hitting the US market, since it has shades of current models within it already. The headlamps mimic what already exists in the Nissan Maxima and the front fascia is simply an exaggerated version of what appears on current models. The full-length, tinted-glass roof will likely not make it to production, especially if this is a future Maxima.

Ford's Vertrek is the company's concept for a sleeker, more energy-efficient SUV, and it looks like the1.6-liter EcoBoost engine may do the trick. In fact, the SUV even LOOKS thin, light and wiry enough to deliver great mileage. And in a market in which it looks as if gas is headed towards $5 per gallon, any appeal to energy efficiency will be welcomed.

Ford Unveils Handsome 2013 Taurus

Ford unveiled it's 2013 Taurus and Taurus SHO designs at the New York Auto show this week, and it looks like they've upped their game quite a bit, even over their current model, which is itself a vast improvement over past years.

"Attention to detail" is their mantra, and it looks like they've taken it to heart with this handsome car (and that it's not just a cheap slogan.)

Fine details abound on this car, as described in a video released by the company this past Tuesday. Just enough chrome, a new signature trapezoidal grille on a more aggressive hood, better and intricately detailed headlamps and tail lamps, nicer rear treatment (again with beautiful chrome work) and even a nice side vent with the Taurus name in chrome helps to elevate this, Ford's flagship sedan, to a new level of (gulp) luxury.

The high waistline, similar to, but imitative of, the Chrysler 300, help add to the aggressive, yet handsome, looks of this model.

Add to this all the neat gizmos under the hood - 2.0 EcoBoost engine, self-parking mechanisms, and more (click for Ford's page) - this will be a flagship indeed for the company, which has not had to struggle as much as its rivals because it has actually put some excellent models into the market in the past few years, and seems to be committed to continuing this tradition.

BMW Plans i-Series Electric Vehicles for 2014

BMW has announced a launch date for it's two "i" series electric vehicles, the i8 (above) and the i3 (photo below.) They will both be launched in 2013, with production starting in late 2014. In 2014, the company reportedly expects to sell 30,000 i3s. Prices are widely expected to be astronomical, due to their all-carbon fiber bodies.

The i3 is an all-electric "city car" which will generate 100kw of power and will use regenerative braking to recapture energy the same way other hybrids do.

Above, the BMW i3 "City Car"

The i8 is expected to be a long-range, plug-in electric vehicle, and also offered as a diesel/electric hybrid. Both it and the smaller i3 "City Car" will utilize carbon fiber bodies which will make for extremely light rides and a 92 MPH top speed for the i3.

The company launched a website for it's "i" sub-brand on April 1, 2011 at www.bmw-i-usa.com.

If either model comes to production in anything like these drawings, it will surely give premium electrics like Tesla two worthy competitors.

The motive for the launch is transparent, at least to Europeans, because they know (and the car companies there know) that they are rushing to approve electric and low-emissions vehicles to meet more stringent safety standards due to kick in by mid-decade. Hence, micro cars from Aston Martin and many, many electric "city cars" for cities, some of which are also incidentally considering banning ALL internal combustion vehicles within a decade.

The Insanely Beautiful 2013 Bugatti C16 Galibier

The 2013 Bugatti C16 Galibier was revealed earlier this year. It was named after an Alpine pass featured in the Tour de France and combines the styling cues of the Type 57 Atlantic coupe with the Galibier sedan name of the 1930s in a 4-door flagship that also has echoes of the legendary Bugatti Royale.

The nose of the insanely beautiful Galibier sports a large horse collar grille, a Bugatti signature, along with a pronounced fore/aft center spine. The hood has a center hinge along that line, with engine bay access covers opening to the sides of the vehicle. The two-tone body treatment is similar to the Veyron's — the sides done up in polished aluminum that is contrasted by the royal blue hood, roof and rear body panels crafted from carbon fiber. The rear of the vehicle tapers into a boattail, and there's a hatch for access to the rear cargo area. The body silhouette may remind some of the profile of the recently released Porsche Panamera (which for some will not be a compliment but for me, it works.)

The fastback shape of is rear window certainly does evoke Porsche, but upon closer inspection, a large crease runs the length of the roofline and INTO the glass of the window. Shockingly, perhaps, the crease doesn't begin on the roof, but instead, can be seen within the windscreen and the hood as well.

The magic doesn't stop there. The car's "third tail light" is embedded within this crease in the rear window. Like most Bugattis of the past, this will be a truly beautiful car to behold - if we are lucky enough to see one, that is! Production numbers are likely to be less than 5,000.

Beneath the hood is Bugatti's 8.0-liter W-16 engine, which is a flex-fuel unit capable of running on ethanol. The engine, with two-stage superchargers, is said to propel the Galibier to a top speed of 217 mph. The all-wheel-drive car is also equipped with an advanced reactive suspension and carbon-ceramic disc brakes.

Inside, it's a leather-wrapped paradise, of course, with enough wood to build furnish a small apartment. Which, of course, is standard Bugatti fare. The seats look plush and the windscreen appears spacious and unobstructed by the aforementioned crease.

Chevy's Over-the-Top Korean-Designed Mi-ray Concept

Chevrolet introduced the Mi-ray concept today at the 2011 Seoul Motor Show. The rather stunning Buck Rogers-style roadster is said to celebrate "Chevrolet’s 100-year heritage of designing expressive vehicles in the brand’s newest market."

According to GM Korea President and CEO Mike Arcamone, “‘Mi-ray’ is Korean for ‘future.’ As GM rolls out Chevrolet across Korea, the Mi-ray concept offers an exploration of future possibilities for the brand. It strengthens the bond between car and driver, creating a fresh look at what sports cars of the future might be.”

The Mi-ray was developed at the GM Advanced Design Studio in Seoul. Combining cutting-edge hybrid propulsion technology and advanced styling, it balances iconic Chevrolet design cues with a future design vision as Chevrolet celebrates its centennial in 2011.

The Mi-ray's design pays tribute to Chevrolet’s sports car heritage. It is small and open like the 1963 Monza SS, and light and purposeful like the 1962 Corvair Super Spyder. Its aerodynamic fuselage is reminiscent of modern jet fighters.

Made of carbon fiber and CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic), the wedged body side is divided by an angled character line, with ambient lighting underneath. This accent creates a sweeping line of light when the car is in motion, bringing a warm glow to the sculptured body. Le Mans racer-style scissor doors open up and out of the way for dramatic access to the interior.

The powerful front end offers a reinterpretation of the Chevrolet face. The Mi-ray’s dual port grille is flanked by LED headlamps with new signature daytime running lamps. The front and rear fenders evoke Chevrolet Corvettes of the past and express the concept’s sports car spirit. At the corners, carbon-fiber spoilers help control down force and airflow.

Distinctive retractable flaps provide additional airflow control while providing access to the charge port on one side and the fuel filler on the other. The charge port also features an external battery charge indicator. Each rear fender contains individual cargo space for the storage of small items. Under the ducktail surface, the taillamps provide a new interpretation of Chevrolet’s twin element identity.

Chevy Previews Bad-Ass New Malibu with Camaro Tail Lights

Chevrolet is set to release the all-new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu in a facebook presentation Monday April 18th - at the same time it bows at the Shanghai Auto Show.

And an early look shows that this car will be pretty bad-ass. For a Malibu.

In a teaser video on YouTube, Chevy shows off the car's lines (well, kind of) in a fanciful, spinning hologram. The first impression is of a sleeker profile, squintier headlamps, and nice creases along the sides. A detailed analysis will have to wait until we have more than a fuzzy, translucent image obscured by fake headlight glare to look at and critique.

But what truly stands out are what appear to be Camaro-like tail lights, which is stunning for a couple of reasons. First, because they look very nice here, and second, because they may tend to dilute the Camaro brand - unless this is going to be a universal style on future Chevys, which would be kind of bizarre.

Hyundai Hits Home Run with Hot 2011 Sonata

I am absolutely in love with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I love its creases, its curves, its luscious eyes ... I mean head lamps ... its gently sloping roofline, and its agreeable tail lights.

Seriously, what’s not to love about this drop-dead gorgeous car?

The sixth generation of the Sonata, Hyundai’s hot-selling mid-size sedan, this iteration is a natural evolution from what was never a really "ugly" vehicle (well, 1996 was "unique") into a truly beautiful one.

The Sonata benefits from what the designers at Hyundai call “fluidic sculpture.” Taking inspiration from nature – wind, water and wave – its creators sought something that evoked nature, from its beak (inspired by eagles and birds of prey) to its aforementioned creases, which, one spokesman says, one can trace with one’s finger all around the vehicle. Wow.

A third window gives the car a more spacious feeling inside, and keeps the roofline sloping ever more slickly. The seats inside have been lowered slightly to give more headroom.

The American-made Sonata is assembled in the company’s Alabama production facility.

It also comes in an equally charming coupe or hybrid versions. The hybrid, with uses lithium polymer battery technology, features a larger air intake grille that is nonetheless done tastefully, and makes that version look more “butch” than its two brothers.

In this video for the Australian version, the i45, a spokesman brings out some of that feeling and passion. (Do not be shocked. The steering in this video is on the RIGHT hand side - for Aussies. Not so in American version, the Sonata! It humorously comes right after he says that inside, “everything is where you expect it to be.”)

This design philosophy has made its way right through the entire Hyundai line for 2011 (and indeed, seems to have begun in 2010) and soon, we’ll take up a startling concept car from Hyundai that illustrates this style even more perfectly.

Video: 2012 Ferrari FF's Mountaintop Press Event

Ferrari hired the Italian Air Force to use one of its helicopters to airlift the magnificent 2012 Ferrari FF to a mountaintop for a press event.

2012 BMW 6 Series Coupe Unveiled

Ahead of its expected debut at the Shanghai Auto Show in April, BMW has unveiled its 6 Series Coupe.

It is unmistakably a BMW, with its distinctive design heritage, including the kidney-shaped grille, long, sweeping hood, athletic concave trunk and the Hofmeister kink in the rear side windows.

BMW calls it "athletic elegance" and they got that just right.

The car is 2.9 inches longer than its predecessor and has an almost 3 inch greater wheelbase. Meanwhile, the extra width of the new car – it is now 1.5 inches wider thanks to its increased track width – makes for an exceptionally powerful stance that emphasizes its impressive road holding abilities.

Of course most will focus on the bold, aggressive shark-like nose, which gives it a forward-surging prominence and, combined with the ultra-bright xenon lamps with "halo-like pupils," is as unmistakable a BMW as Audi's under-eye LEDs have become for that brand.

BMW's press office says the inspiration for the coupe's beautifully creased, swooping lines along the sides of the new 6 Coupe was "the natural movement of waves." They continue, "In the same way as water is parted by an object in flowing water, the car body’s shaping lines fan out from the BMW badge on the hood to both sides of the body."

The rear of the car is attractive as well. An integrated third light in the spoiler, squared dual exhaust pipes and attractive tail lamps make following the BMW a pleasure.

As one might expect, the tech in this new BMW is mind-boggling and far-reaching. From Adaptive LED Headlights, the BMW ConnectedDrive driver assistance system, rear-view camera, Surround View, Parking Assistant, BMW Night Vision with pedestrian recognition, Lane Departure Warning System and Lane Change Warning System and a heads-up display for the dash, there is no end of toys one can add on.

Overall, we can put the 6 Coupe (650i) in the "win" column for BMW. They've produced a beautiful, understated and refined machine.

2012 Acura TL Sports Modified "Chopper" Grille

At last month's Chicago Auto Show, the 2012 Acura TL took its official bow and we learned that the 'beak' it will sport will not be quite as prominent and perhaps not as controversial as the previous three years' front grille has been. We'll see if that's enough to quiet the critics and get more people into this otherwise beautifully designed car.

It was in 2009 that the TL and other Acura products took a turn for the bizarre with a re-styling of its front fascia that included a large chrome appendage that looked like a buck tooth or (even less charitably, perhaps) a guillotine. The 2011 model is below (photo from Acura.com)

Accentuating the mistake of a large, unfriendly "chopping" grille was the large wrap-around container in which it sat. It dominated the car and frankly, made it look quite scary, rather than the "imposing" feeling that was likely meant.

And that was likely bewildering to Acura enthusiasts, because previous grilles had been restrained, dignified and even handsome. That's what a luxury car should be, and with this experiment, it took Acura down the road well beyond the "making a statement" rest stop right into the scary forest where failed car models go to die, which would have been a shame for such a proud model as the TL.

But mistakes are made to be rectified. The 2012 car that bowed at the Chicago show didn't feature the same, hideous chopper, though the residue of the mistake remains, and should have been remedied a bit further while on the drawing board. (see below, official photo, from caranddriver.com)

This new grille adopts the current Acura RL's grille, which features a smaller "tooth" with three slats in an open faced chevron. Overall, it's far more pleasing. The RL is a more pricey model ($47k vs. $35k) and it was good of the company to offer this option to its lineup, since the entire lineup adopted the ungainly chopper grille.

Acura's website touts the 2012 TL's "sophisticated new styling." And as a video on the site draws attention to the grille design, including the addition of the black matte to the design. As Acura designer Jon Ikeda says in the video, "design on the TL ... is never ending." Indeed.

I love it when car companies take styling risks, but this was a mistake, and the ability to learn from mistakes and occasional over-reaches is admirable, and a three-year experiment probably was as short a trial as could have been expected (though cars like the Ford Taurus have died in that length of time.)

Acura TL is definitely a beautiful car. The rear is distinctive, especially its rear/trunk crease line and its lovely tail lamps and the curvature of its rear roof pillars which (somewhat evoking Cadillac) cradle the rear window. The interior looks plush, inviting and well put-together.

Let's hope people can see beyond the overly distinctive front end for one more year and give this model the chance it deserves.

Chrysler Comes up Short with the 200

It was easy to suspect something was wrong when, in the much-hyped 2011 Super Bowl ad for the (supposedly) brand new Chrysler 200, the car itself isn't the star, but the gutted remains of Detroit, which used to make cars. Or to be generous, used to make more of them.

The car is only hinted at behind a lot of shadows and smoke, and there's a good reason for that. It's a dud. It is far from the "luxury car" pretensions promised both in its Auto Show days and in the ad.

Note the beautiful vehicle to the right, on the bottom. That's the gorgeously wrought, curvaceous 200 America was promised in 2009. The dud on the top is what we got - a Sebring with a new grille and hood treatment. In fact, the Sebring had an arguably more beautiful grille and the creased hood brought to mind the sexy, though short-lived, Chrysler Crossfire.

The 200, by contrast, is dull, and when you first see one in the daylight, you may laugh out loud, as I did, in utter amusement that THIS is the famed "luxury car" in the famous ad.

Admittedly, few production cars will ever meet the expectations the concept raised. Though one must give Chrysler/Dodge some credit on that front, since it has brought to production more concepts than any other car maker (think: Neon, PT Cruiser, Pacifica, etc.) and sometimes, as in those examples, they even come close or exceed the concept.

Which makes it even sadder when this same car company fails so completely to "wow" after putting together such a great concept.

(As a footnote: Does anyone doubt that Hyundai would be able to translate the car in the bottom picture to market AS IS? After all, they put out the more curvaceous, gorgeous, above-expectations 2011 Sonata.)

Geneva Auto Show's Best Concepts

Car and Driver lists some of the Geneva Auto Show's hottest concept cars.

Of note is a VW Microbus concept which is apparently headed to production and will appeal mightily to Boomers in the US and Europe, the beautiful SAAB PhoeniX which brings to mind the gorgeous Peking-to-Paris concept from Spyker. (It's no wonder they are similar, since SAAB was acquired by the Dutch company last year.)

Audi's A3 concept is tougher-looking and more handsome than A6 photos that have been leaked recently, which shows that the "upside down bathtub" may yet die at the German automaker.

Alfa Romeo's 4C concept shows promise, though it's hard to see it being built and even harder to see Americans getting any.

The Ferrari FF speaks for itself. It's utterly gorgeous. We'll feature this in a future blog post.