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Concept Cars

© Kathy Ratay

What will cars of the future look like? Automotive artists and engineers around the world work continually to design prototype cars commonly known as Concept Cars. Generally speaking, concept cars offer state of the art engines, electronics and new ideas. Take for example, the Lexus FLV Concept unveiled at the 1997 Detroit Auto Show. Drivers of the Lexus FLV can send e-mail via the cellular phone. The Ford Indigo sports a carbon fiber-aluminum chassis and headlights fed by fiber optics, while the Nissan AAX has a windshield with a Super-flourine coating to promote water-beading.

Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge who "promises the future will be anything but ordinary" currently has several concept cars which may eventually make it to the production stage. The Chrysler Phaeton a four door hard top convertible, has performance features including 22-inch tire/wheels, a Viper-like rear suspension and a 5.4 liter 48-valve V12 aluminum engine. The Dodge Copperhead, a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive roadster is a car designed in the Viper mode, while the Dodge Sidewinder is a truck designed with a sporty, almost roadster type look.

All major car companies continually work to design the car of the future. Not all concept cars make it to production. Some concept cars are not ever intended to be produced, but basically a store for ideas and innovations which might see production. So, what will the future hold? Perhaps nuclear-powered, anti-gravity, light-speed, thought-controlled vehicles? It is merely guessing what the future of automobiles will bring in the way of technology. But if you think of what actual little advancements have been made in the last 100 years, it is probable the car of today will continue to be the car of choice in the future.

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