DU TRAN NGUYEN
It was another exciting year at the Sydney International Motor Show with more of the freshest designs and styles to whet my appetite. Latest models, showgirls, premium brands, concept cars, showgirls. What more could you ask for?
Toyota’s first attempt at true performance vehicles, the TRD Aurion and Hilux, were both well received, and it was cool to see the TRD Aurion decaled up as a race car and Neil Bates. You can also see for yourselves where (some of) Toyota’s profits are going when you witness the Lexus LS600 park itself on the stand.
Holden once again had prime real estate to show off its massive range with an over-kitted Maloo ute and the new VE Sportwagon as the highlights. The awesome Sportwagon just proves that a practical car can also be pimp. I’m sure some customers will buy this over the sedan just because of its looks.
The Mazda2 is still a favourite but the main attraction at Mazda’s stand is the new 6. Though it has some sweet surfacing and details, seeing it in a plain white made it quite the understated podium vehicle. After seeing it in real life - and even though I have loved everything with Mazda’s new design language - I would prefer its sibling, the Ford Mondeo. Particularly the XR5 shown at the Ford stand. I reckon that’s gonna be a hot seller.
Also cool to finally see FPV's F6X Territory. I’m sure extending the model range is going to be a common theme with all the performance marques, though I hope the companies realise how much customers are screaming for more differentiation apart from just under the hood.
For me, the highlight of this year’s show is the BMW stand, namely its grand saloon concept CS. It lived up to all its aggressive beauty and then some. The more I looked, the more cool details and extreme surface treatment I found; from its unconventional profile to its massive camber, to its high fashion interior - I could have walked around this one car for hours (slight exaggeration but you get my drift).
Also, the much anticipated X6 was shown but compared to the CS concept’s taut, sophisticated surfacing, it looked rather full and bloated. Still, BMW has managed to combine coupe and X Series DNA to create a tight, powerful and sporty package that will no doubt sell; but I was too in awe of the CS to appreciate it more.
Other honourable mentions include the youthful Hyundai Veloster concept. Being a Gen Y myself, I found its busy graphics and proportions befitting of such a car.
The Maserati GranTurismo was more beautiful in real life than it was in pics, and I felt like Batman sitting in the Versace Murcielago.
And two reasons to hit the Mitsubishi stand; one being eye candy; the other, the new Evo X. Like the Veloster, the sharp lines and new proportion of the Evo enforce its intentions as a modern day rice-burner, and further reinforces that fact that it will destroy the WRX.
HARSHA RAVI
If the displays at the Sydney motor show are any indication of the shape of automotive design in the near future, then I’d better start saving up. Albeit few in number, the concept cars on show ranged from excitingly decorative to uncomplicated and sometimes even spartan, but all were innovative in creating an exciting blueprint for more realistic future production vehicles.
The Holden and HSV stands owned the largest real-estate on show, and judging by all the flashing for the first half hour of reveals, the most cameratime with media. The stunning Sportwagon concept, along with the production VE Ute impressed with their sporty proportions and surface language, and were teamed with HSV's hot new grunt-twins, the Maloo and Limited Edition Clubsport R8. Undeniably, a great tag-team show kick-off.
Exciting little runabouts were pitched by Kia, Hyundai and Skoda,and they were some of the cleverest, cleanest and cutest offerings at the show. If cute is your thing, that is. They were forced, however, to share the limelight with the up-market industry heavyweight league of BMW, Maserati and Lamborghini, all of whom presented manic concepts to fluster the faint of heart, each with a reveal routine extravagant enough to make you forget the cars themselves. I strained my neck whilst standing dumfounded at the aerial acrobatics above the Maserati GranTurismo, pondering the several hours of practice that would have gone into what was a full-on routine. Audi and Toyota too had elaborate regimes, with the latter enlisting Lee Kernaghan to add outback appeal to the new 2008 Landcruiser. Worked for me, although I’m no off-road enthusiast. The TRD models had a great amount of appeal, too.
The Ford Mondeo, after attracting plenty of media attention with it's new kinetic-design surfaces, left me wondering how the Orion Falcon was going to translate this design language. Can't wait to see it next year. Loved the Blue-white Ford Cobra...
A common claim to fame of the concepts was an exploration of new niche markets, and the possibilities that they extend to carmakers for new applications of form, function, colour and materiality.
Of these concepts, the conspicuously-styled Hyundai Veloster, (a linguistic amalgamation of ‘velocity’ and ‘roadster’) presented itself as one the freshest and most accessible concepts targeted squarely at the adventurous Gen-y consumer. With a dynamic snap to the sheetmetal linework, the body is confident, youthful and rather playful, especially with the colour exchanges between cool-grey, blue-white and a fiery red, themed throughout both interior and exterior. With plenty of proportion, surface, and graphic interest, the Veloster stirred much excitement within the mind of this 21-year old, and left me wondering how many money-making schemes I’d need to exploit to save up for one of these.
Tucked away in a corner in the now Volkswagen-owned Pavilion end of the show was Skoda’s Yeti, which presented itself more as a safe and gentle soft-roader, rather than, (as the story goes) the aggressive and elusive snow beast of yore. Bringing to the table an attractively subtle and understated approach to interior design, the generous application of suede, the translucent acrylic binnacle, and orange seat highlights, if seen right through to production, will surely create an appealing production model in ’09.
Trust Lamborghini and BMW to deliver adrenaline-charged concepts with greater grunt, and a brute, aggressive appeal. The former’s Gallardo Superleggera concept stunned, with a starkly contrasted black-orange colour scheme throughout, and with an all carbon-fibre doortrim and spoiler execution for good measure. The CS and X6 BMWs, both fresh from their appearance at Frankfurt, were arguably the most adventurous in exploring new proportions and crossover combinations, and previewed the evolution (or is it revolution?) in the silhouettes of future BMWs.
Other highlights included Lexus’ amazing self-parking LS600hL saloon, Honda’s 1965 bullet-shaped F1 car, and V-Dub's Toureg R50, which called Australia home for its worldwide premiere. Forget the house, just give me the garage and a bit of spending money…