What’s new in concept vehicles for 2009

I hate to sound whiney (okay, maybe I don’t really hate it that much) but I’m disappointed in the latest crop of concept vehicles making the auto show circuit. C’mon, where’s the excitement? The glamour?

Nissan Cube Concept

Back in the 1950s glory days of automobile styling, concept cars were what drew the crowds. Do a Google search for concept Firebird I, II, and III. Practical cars? No. Not by any stretch of the imagination. But their designers certainly had imagination. I know, manufacturers had a lot of extra cash to throw around in those days. (I’ll bet now they even wish they would have banked some of those millions they spent on not just the cars but the displays that showed them off.) Most concepts now, from a distance, look very much alike. And they don’t look much different from what we’re driving now, either.

There is one vehicle that’s caught my fancy: the Nissan Denki Cube. You may think it looks vaguely familiar, and you’d be right. If it reminds you of the original Scion xB, congratulations. The Cube has actually been on sale in Japan for a few years, and its replacement will find its way to North America sometime next year. And no, the Denki Cube isn’t it, but is rather a new electric-powered concept vehicle draped in the existing Cube’s clothing. The Cube we’ll see here in 2009 will be a normal, gas-powered vehicle with what Nissan promises will be evolutionary styling. Hopefully they’ll keep the playful square shape, and not lose the charm which has eluded the second-generation xB (which to me, especially in black, looks more like a hearse that shrunk in the car wash).

Speaking of electric power, the Saturn Flextreme, according to General Motors, “…hints at Saturn’s future design direction.” I’d say it’s not a bad direction to go in, even if it does hint strongly of a Toyota Prius that had a makeover in the Honda styling studio. The Flextreme is a plug-in concept, which should provide up to 34 miles of all-electric driving, and is rechargeable using any regular household outlet in three hours. Saturn makes a big deal about the Flextreme’s doors in its press release. The front doors open conventionally, while the rear doors are rear-hinged. Nowhere in the press release did I see this setup called “suicide doors,” which they are commonly known as. Instead they tout the lack of a “B” pillar and the large opening it creates when both the front and rear doors are opened. I’ll give them that much. But, back in the day, I drove a full-sized Ford van which had a similar setup for its side cargo doors. That lack of a “B” pillar meant that there wasn’t anything for those two doors to latch onto in the middle except for each other. After a couple of years they became quite the rattletrap. Perhaps technology has now overcome that problem. We’ll see.

Honda has just introduced an Insight concept at the Paris motor show (Mondial de l’Automobile, which opened October 4 and runs through October 19 at the Porte de Versailles—you can still make it!). Insight, you’ll remember, was the original Honda hybrid, and odd-looking little two-seater designed more for “go” than “show.” Not only is the new Insight concept a full five-seater this time, but it uses the latest hybrid technology. And ain’t bad-lookin’—although again, it looks like Honda designers cribbed a few pages from the Prius design book. Like I said earlier, they’re all starting to look alike.

The fuel and financial crises will undoubtedly have even more effect on the auto industry and its products in the future. Let’s hope they can somehow still put some fun in the product.