GM reconfigures the future
General Motors is updating its image with a collection of 2001 concept vehicles designed for maximum appeal to the technically savvy Generation Y crowd, those born between 1977 and 1994. It's a new era of reconfigurable electronic dashboard displays and interiors that, GM believes, will stoke interest among this age group.
Four of the concept vehicles shown to the media at the GM tech center in Warren, MI, last month will be on display at the North American International Auto Show slated to begin January 7. Concept vehicles from Isuzu and GM do Brazilwhich were not ready as of the November tech center media unveilingwill be introduced alongside the new concepts from Buick, Cadillac, GMC, and Oldsmobile. Concepts from Chevy, Hummer, and Pontiac will be introduced to the public at different auto shows in 2001.
Described as "a two-seat convertible that seats four," the front-wheel-drive Buick Bengal may appeal to Generation Y on several levels. That the transmission is fitted in front of the engine may not ignite their style sensibilities, but the design freedom that such a configuration allows probably will. The 20-in front wheels are set far forward, about 200 mm (8 in) more than otherwise possible, creating proportions characteristic of rear-wheel-drive vehicles. This minimizes weight in front of the axle and, because the transmission is lighter than the engine, pushes the center of gravity rearward. Both factors provide for better handling.
The Buick Bengal's wheels-forward architecture results in better
handling.
The roadster becomes a coupe when a tonneau cover behind the front seat is retracted. A small door just behind the driver's door provides access to the rear compartment, which can be used for seating or storage.
Quiet Servant, first shown on Buick's LaCrosse and Cielo concepts, is back.
It features Visteon voice-activated controls and a reconfigurable head-up display
that shows gauges on command. This enables the driver to control the car (except
for speed, braking, and steering) by voice or by a four-position 
joystick
on the steering wheel. More than 100 voice commands are possible. An NXT flat-panel
speaker is integrated into the gaugeless dashboard. David Lyon, Bengal Brand
Character Chief Designer, noted that current law requires speedometer and fuel
gauges to be visible at all times, so the head-up display will be larger than
what is currently offered on Buicks.
A head-up display planned for the Bengal allows for a clean,
no-gauge dashboard.
Called the SC 3400/Hydra-Matic XT6, the "concept" powertrain includes a supercharged 4-L V6 and the forward-sitting transmissionGM's first six-speed automatic. "We are building on our strong heritage of Hydra-Matic automatic transmission leadership by showing our first transverse front-wheel-drive six-speed automatic transmission," said Mike Sold, GM Powertrain Project Manager for the Bengal. "We are the first in the industry to showcase this new packaging of the engine and transmission."
The
transmission uses advanced closed-loop electronic controls, clutch-to-clutch
shifting, and adaptive capabilities for improved feel and better fuel economy
and acceleration. It uses a tap up/down selector.
The Oldsmobile O4's twin targa tops stow behind the back seats.
Based on the Epsilon platform, the Bengal's wheelbase is 2794 (110 in), just 51 mm (2 in) shorter than the LeSabre's, but at a 4445-mm (175-in) overall vehicle length is 635 mm (25 in) shorter than the LeSabre. It has a mass of 1497 kg (3500 lb) and uses MacPherson Strut front suspension and independent five-link trailing arms in the rear.
Also featuring a reconfigurable dashboard display and reconfigurable body is the Oldsmobile O4 (O for oxygen; 4 for four passengers), which GM calls a "reinterpretation of an Opel platform." GM collaborated with Bertone Design of Turin, Italy, making it a global effort.
Designers looked to ergonomically designed tools and the latest personal data assistants (PDA) for interior styling cues. The result is an "information ring", a reconfigurable liquid crystal display shaped like a half moon around the steering column. It replaces the traditional instrument panel, center console, and overhead console. Ten buttons around the outer perimeter of the ring are all the controls needed with the reconfigurable display. Most of the buttons simply toggle from one function to the next, and all can be reached easily. They can be operated by feel, so the driver's attention stays on the road.
The driver can carry enormous amounts of data into the car through integrated docking ports for a PDA and a Sony Memory Stick data-storage device housed in a key fob. The PDA might be used to display driving directions, phone numbers, or calendar reminders on the Information Ring. The Memory Stick can carry digital music, maps, radio presettings, and mirror and seating preferences for driver and passenger.
Thanks to Bluetooth, a universal operating protocol for wireless devices, all of this electronic gear can be integrated to minimize distraction and confusion. An OnStar operator could search through the driver's PDA to find a phone number and dial it at the O4 driver's request, for example.
Twin targa tops made of ultra-strong lightweight carbon fiber snap off for stowing behind the rear seats. The rear window is stowed behind the seats as well via automatic retraction, leaving behind a stylish targa airfoil, which also can be stowed.
The O4's headlamps and taillights are sharp and thin, and use fiber-optics and projector-beam technologies. They are only 35 mm (1.4 in) tall, vs. 100 to 150 mm (4 to 6 in) on conventional headlights, but burn brighter, according to GM.
Powering the O4 is Opel's 1.8-L Ecotech, a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 16 valves.
An
"information ring" is used in the O4 instead of the traditional instrument
panel, center console, and overhead console.
Like the Buick Bengal, the Chevy Borrego can accommodate additional passengers by reconfiguring the rear via a removable midgate. Thus, it is characterized by the company as both a sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a sport utility truck (SUT).
The midgate is held in place by two solenoid pins that can be operated by remote control. The rear window is retracted into the midgate, which can then slide rearward. A roof panel stored under the cargo bed is installed to cover the seats. The rear window can then be raised again. With expanded seating, the cargo bed shrinks from six to three feet.
The Borrego is based on Subaru's longitudinal all-wheel-drive platform used in rally cars: It combines the agility of a rally car with the toughness of a Chevy, according to GM. The vehicle is another example of the company leveraging its global affiliates for proven technology, probably the best example among its newest crop of concepts, according to Scott Fosgard, Director of GM Technical Center Communications.
The car's roofline is long and low, and Subaru's horizontally opposed 2.0-L engine enables the center of gravity to be kept low while allowing better sight lines down the hood. The SOHC four-cylinder engine is turbocharged, generating 184 kW (250 hp) and 425 N·m (240 lb·ft), and is mated to a five-speed manual. MacPherson struts are used in the front, independent trailing arms in the rear.
Analog gauges and a dual-cockpit design mark the interior. The Borrego is equipped with OnStar and a portable GPS system.
The vehicle is 4273 mm (168 in) long, with a 2649-mm (104-in) wheelbase. It has a mass of 1496 kg (3500 lb).
The
Chevy Borrego's horizontally opposed 2.0-L engine from Subaru helps keep the
center of gravity low.
GM says the Cadillac Vizón luxury activity vehicle fills the gap between the SUV and sport/performance wagon segments. It is described as "versatile and functional," and like the Cadillace Evoq and Imaj show cars before it, is a "melding of art and science."
A three-panel reconfigurable display panel, inspired by Bulgari jewelry, is revealed from under a sliding cover when the engine is started. The round video displays come in graduated sizes, and the driver can tailor what data are displayed on each of these virtual gauges. The latest version of OnStar Virtual Advisor offers turn-by-turn navigation through speaker phone and simple voice commands for telephone calls and Internet access (e-mail, stock quotes, etc.).
Other
interior features are a DVD player and built-in video screen for rear passengers.
The center console covers the entire length of the interior. A system called
EZ Key, with a chip-embedded key fob, identifies the driver on approach to the
vehicle and unlocks the door. Seats and mirrors adjust to preselected settings.
A dual-cockpit design is used in the Borrego.
The Vizón is powered by a 4.2-L V8 Northstar engine and five-speed automatic shift-by-wire transmission. Road handling is assured in all conditions by all-wheel drive, for the first time controlled by the StabiliTrak traction system. A high-arm SLA suspension system is used in front, independent multilinks in back. Suspension height can be adjusted for different road and load conditions. While features resemble an SUV package, the vehicle delivers a luxury-car-like ride, according to GM.
Night
vision and adaptive cruise control also contribute to a pleasant driving experience.
Xenon light and Fresnel lenses are used for the headlights.
Like the Evoq and Imaj show cars before it, the Cadillac Vizón is a "melding of art and science."
The
Vizón has a 3023-mm (119-in) wheelbase, an overall length of 4826 mm
(191 in), and a mass of 2209 kg (4870 lb).
The center console runs the length
of the Vizón's interior.
Featuring what GM calls a "striking and practical" door concept with no B-pillars and hinges, the Pontiac REV has a reconfigurable body for loading. The rear doors eject outward in whole, then slide to their fully open position parallel to the rear quarter panels. With the standard front doors open also, the configuration provides for easy access of people and gear.
A combined liftgate and tailgate gives access to the cargo area. The lower gate, including the characteristically wide taillamp comprised of 560 light-emitting diodes, swings down behind the rear bumper in a parallel action for ease of loading and unloading. The clamshell glass liftgate swings up and reveals storage bins in the upper portions of the rear fenders. Four Motorola TalkAbout radios with integrated GPS receivers are housed in the bins. A built-in roof rack holds items such as mountain bikes and conceals the retractable sunroof.
Targeted at young consumers, the REV seats four in 
individual,
thin, yet supple body-contour molded seats combining featherweight carbon-fiber
structure with Lycra-covered gel padding. Four-point belts are seat integrated,
and the backrests of the rear and front passenger seats can be folded forward
to store long items such as surfboards.
The Pontiac REV's tailgate, including the taillamp
comprised of 560 light-emitting diodes, swings
down behind the rear bumper in a parallel action
for ease of loading and unloading.
The engine starts with a push of a button once the driver is identified via a coded mini chip-card. In the center console, a detachable, combined GPS-navigation, cell-phone, two-way radio with integrated Internet access from Motorola keeps the driver aware of things on and off the road as well as in business. On a three-screen reconfigurable LCD display, the driver is able to delegate data to the various screens via a simple toggling action. The displays are round and look like traditional instruments but can display more information.
Under the front-hinged clamshell hood sits a transverse-mounted 3.0-L OHC V6 engine. The electronic sequential manual transmission with automatic mode smoothly shifts through five speeds with a "joystick" operated by wire. The adjustable suspension has two settings; for rough terrain, the car can be raised 51 mm (2 in).
To achieve compact, cat-eye-like headlights, the light sources are placed in the engine compartment. The light beams are reflected outward by mirrors, which respond to steering inputs and thus provide optimal light on the road, even in turns. Additional off-road lights are positioned at the front of the outside rearview mirror housings.
Reconfigurability
is also the word for the GMC Terracross, a concept that reinvents the
SUV, according to GM. At 4370 mm (172 in) in length, "the Terracross offers
interior space and flexibility as well as agility through efficient design,"
said Carl Zipfel, Brand Character Chief Designer for GMC.
The GMC Terracross has a three-panel
sliding glass roof, a reconfigurable midgate, and gliding rear doors.
Ingredients of Terracross' functionality include a unique three-panel sliding
glass roof, a reconfigurable midgate, and gliding rear doors. The roof's three
glass segments can be moved electronically to various positions. The panels
can be stacked on top of each other, opening up to two-thirds of the roof length.
When moved to their most forward position, they create an open cargo box at
the rear of the vehicle.
Additional flexibility is gained with a reconfigurable midgate with retractable
rear window, which is integrated into the second seat row backrest and can be
flipped forward and stowed flush with the seat, creating an extended, flat cargo
floor. When upright with the window up and two roof segments closed above the
seat rows, the midgate converts the vehicle into a closed passenger compartment
with an open cargo box for transporting tall or bulky items.
The
Terracross employs a unique hinge system that allows the rear doors to glide
rearward parallel to the sides of the vehicle, as in the Pontiac REV, for wide-open
access to the roomy interior. Because of its unibody construction, the floor
is lower than in traditional SUVs, allowing driver and passengers to enter and
exit more conveniently and facilitating easier loading and unloading of cargo.
The GMC Terracross' midgate can be flipped forward
and stowed flush
with the seat, creating an extended, flat cargo floor.
A reconfigurable color instrument cluster allows the driver to display information about the vehicle and its systems in dozens of different ways. An integrated laptop computer with a cellular modem on the dashboard allows the front-seat passenger to tap into the Internet while on the road.
The sound system can play radio, tapes, CDs, or digital music files from the
Sony Memory Stick. This small, flash memory device on a key fob stores several
hours of digital music downloaded from the Internet. It also allows drivers
to carry tunes along when they leave the Terracross by plugging the memory card
into a portable MP3 player.
The
2001 concept HUMMER H2 SUT is derived from the production-intent 2003
H2. It blends off-road capability and versatile rear cargo bed with an adjustable
bulkhead and a no-nonsense interior with telematics.
High-tech features include roof-mounted, 360° infrared night vision; GPS navigation; OnStar; and numerous 110-V power outlets.
The short overhangs of the SUT allow for radical approach and departure angles and exceptional ground clearance for minimal impact on trails. The 17-inch wheels and heavy-duty independent front suspension and five-link rear suspension provide good handling, carrying, and towing capability.
Powering the H2 is GM's 6.0-L, Vortec V8. It's mounted longitudinally and mated to a heavy-duty five-speed automatic transmission with all-wheel drive. Massive towing hooks and sturdy receiver hitches anchor both ends of the vehicle. An optional winch attaches easily to either the front or rear bumper. It also has the characteristic hooks on the hood, which provide a convenient handle for lifting the clamshell hood.
A distinctive feature of the SUT concept vehicle is its folding bulkhead at the rear of the passenger compartment that allows owners to have the flexibility to reconfigure this area for carrying people or cargo. This space is easily accessible since the rear window of the cab powers down into the bulkhead, which can then be folded flat into the floor. When the bulkhead is in its upright position, the vehicle can carry up to five passengers comfortably. The H2 has the largest sky roof in GM history.
Patrick Ponticel
