Hot Concepts: Searching for truth in the world’s fastest candy story

This year’s auto-show season is yielding a wide variety of all-star vehicles no more than a year or two away from production. As well, numerous “dream machines” that stir the imagination (not to mention the soul) and test public opinion are on the turntables. Here’s a rundown of several of the more prominent concepts out there and their chances for evolving from the design studio to your driveway.

Audi R8 V12 TDI

Audi’s mid-engine sports car created much excitement among sports-car fanatics when it arrived late last year. As a follow-up, the company is now showing a 12-cylinder turbo-diesel version, rated at 500 horsepower and an incredible 738 pound-feet of torque. That compares with 420 horses and a 317 pound-feet torque rating on the existing 4.2-liter gas engine. With Audi’s recent racing success building diesel-powered cars, the R8 V12 TDI looks like a certain bet. But how much will it cost?

Cadillac CTS Coupe

The international press is wild for this two-door Caddy, which isn’t difficult given the car’s super-sleek quintessentially North American styling that copies from no other vehicle on the planet. Word is this two-door is a done deal and should make it to the showroom floor in a couple of years.

Chrysler ecoVoyager

Certain design features of Chrysler’s show model might show up on other cars years from now, but the ecoVoyager is simply a showcase for the automaker’s work on alternative propulsion systems, in this case a 200-kilowatt (268-horsepower) electric motor that gets its juice from a small hydrogen-powered fuel cell that produces only water vapor out the tailpipe. Although an interesting concept, it could be decades (if ever) before hydrogen fueling stations dot the land.

Ford Explorer America

Ford claims its next-generation mid-size sport utility vehicle will be significantly lighter as it switches to unitized (frameless) construction from the existing body-on-frame method . As a bonus, it will also deliver a claimed 20-30 percent better fuel economy than the current V6 Explorer. A new series of high-output, small-displacement turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines (no more V8s) with up to 340 horsepower on tap are also said to reduce emissions.

Jeep Renegade

The forward-thinking technology and wishful-thinking spirit combines elements that every auto show vehicle should have. The environmentally friendly Renegade uses a single-piece composite (plastic) body with the color already mixed in that eliminates the use of paint solvents. The powerplant consists of a 200-watt (268-horsepower) lithium-ion-battery-powered electric motor, assisted by a 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesel engine that extends the 40-mile range of the electric motor alone to 400 miles. The styling won’t make it to production, but the powertrain might only be a few years away.

Lincoln MKT

Lincoln stylist Peter Horbury referred to this luxury-class design study as the “Learjet of the road” with its first-class-cabin interior and executive-style seats. The equally exotic wagon-shaped exterior uses plastic body panels made from recycled soft-drink bottles and displays a more massive “waterfall” grille that will eventually be seen on the Ford division’s production vehicles.A 415-horsepower turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, one of the so-called EcoBoost series of clean and lean-burning engines that will eventually be installed on most Ford cars, is located under the hood of this concept. However, don’t expect to see anything resembling this fantasy-mobile on the road anytime soon, if ever.

Nissan Forum

This automaker has taken the idea of a people mover to a whole new level with this glass-rich, six-passenger front-wheel-drive scenic cruiser. The front and trackless sliding rear doors operate without dividing pillars to facilitate access to the second- and third-row seats, which can be rotated up to 180 degrees. No word on powertrain choice, but one of Nissan’s 3.5-liter V6 gas engines would seem logical, if not the Altima sedan’s hybrid gas/electric rigging.

Land Rover LRX

The gasoline/electric hybrid movement is gathering steam (actually, kilowatts) and is spreading to the premium end of the sport ute market. The sporty LRX is smaller and lighter than the LR2, currently the most compact Land Rover in the lineup, and comes clean with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that operates in conjunction with an electric motor. The combo will produce exceptional fuel economy, says Land Rover, while maintaining the go-anywhere ruggedness that has made the brand a world-wide hit for the past 60 years.

Toyota A-BAT

The company’s California-based design team appears to have taken a page from the Honda Ridgeline book when it penned this futuristic pickup. The four-foot cargo bed can be doubled in length by dropping the tailgate, dropping the back wall of the cab (hey, isn’t that a Chevrolet Avalanche invention?) and sliding open the translucent roof panel. There are even lockable storage compartments in the bed walls and a sliding drawer underneath the bed deck. Toyota’s popular gas/electric hybrid power system is aboard, supplemented by solar panels incorporated into the roof. We say build it. Let’s hope Toyota is listening.

Hummer HX

General Motors encouraged a trio of its junior designers to have at it with a new Hummer and they developed this brilliant concept. The full-time four-wheel-drive four-seater comes with removable roof panels,fender flares and doors, allowing it to be set up for on- or off-road use. Power is supplied by a 3.6-liter V6 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Malcolm Gunn is a feature writer with Wheelbase Communications. Wheelbase is a worldwide supplier of automobile news, reviews and features. Drop them a line on the Web at www.wheelbase.ws/mailbag.html