Stroll through any auto show, and the largest throng often will be found around the latest concept cars. Behind a concept car’s sexy shape, oversize tires and far-out colors, the vehicle’s allure is that it is a sample of things to come.
Everyone wants to know the future, and depending on your tastes, there’s usually something to appeal to every palate: sporty, elegant, efficient or just plain fun.
For automakers, “concept cars are an excellent gauge of how well future designs are going to be received,” said Tom Land of Ford Motor Co. Land is design manager for Display, Exhibit & Show Properties Development at Ford’s Corporate Design office.
Concept cars can be divided into two categories: those that are new from the ground up and those that are closely related to production cars about to be launched (referred to as “teaser” vehicles, in industry parlance).
Teasers usually are built on the same platform and incorporate many of the components that will be on the production cars.
One example of a teaser is the Mercury Premys, which was displayed in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This month Ford is introducing the production version of the vehicle: the 1995 Mercury Mystique.
According to Land, cost prohibits automakers from creating all-new concepts frequently. To build a concept car that can be driven, automakers can easily spend $3 million to $5 million, and sometimes more.
A classic example of a teaser is the Ford Probe IV, a concept that made its debut in 1983 at the Tokyo Motor Show. One of the first cars to use the rounded, aerodynamic design that’s popular today, the driveable Probe IV proved to be a forerunner of the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable models, which were launched in 1986.
Said Land: “For us, the Probe IV was a safety check for our designers to see how round can you go.”
More recent Ford teasers include the Mustang Mach III and the Lincoln Marque X. The Mach III, which made its debut at last year’s show in Detroit, was a flashy precursor to the 1994 Ford Mustang, which went on sale in December. The Marque X, which bowed at the 1992 show, was a convertible version of the all-new Lincoln Mark VIII.
Though Ford has not approved a convertible Marque VIII for production-and Land would not speculate on its future-insiders say the company is considering building the ritzy ragtop.
Chrysler Corp. relies heavily on teaser concept cars to measure public reaction to upcoming vehicles.
Plans for production were in the pipeline for the company’s LH cars (Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler Concorde and Eagle Vision) and new Neon subcompact when Chrysler presented concept versions at auto shows.
The LH cars were preceded by three concepts, the Dodge Portofino in 1987, the Chrysler Millenium in 1989 and the Eagle Optima in 1990. The Neon made the auto-show rounds in 1991.
“We look to the auto shows for guidance,” said Marcie Greenfield, design public relations manager at Chrysler, “to know if we’re headed in the right direction.”
Perhaps the best-known example of a ground-up concept that made production is the Dodge Viper roadster. There were no plans to build the car when it first went on display in 1989.
It was a design exercise to try to interest consumers at a time when the struggling Chrysler had few new products. After receiving a great public response, the automaker decided to put together a business plan to manufacture the car.
Said Greenfield: “Reaction to the Viper-and more recently the Viper GTS (a coupe version of the Viper)-was strong enough to warrant building them.”
Chrysler also is close to approving production of the Plymouth Prowler, a neo-street rod concept from last year’s auto-show circuit.
Teasers on this year’s auto-show circuit include the Ford Profile, forerunner of the 1995 Ford Contour; the Lincoln Contempra for the the 1995 Lincoln Continental; Pontiac Sunfire for the 1995 Pontiac Sunfire (replacement for the Sunbird); and the Ford Power Stroke for the 1996 Ford F150 pickup truck.
Putting teaser cars on the show stand has advantages and disadvantages, said Ford’s Land. For example, sales of the last-generation Mustang were slowing by the time Ford unveiled the Mach III concept in 1993. As Ford had hoped, the Mach III rekindled interest in the Mustang and helped stabilize sales until the 1994 version could be launched.
On the risky side, informed automotive enthusiasts will know a teaser car is very similar to an upcoming production car.
If the teaser is extremely good, Land said, “the danger is in getting someone to put off buying now, and instead wait for the next-generation car.”
