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THE SOURCE LIFESTYLES January 31, 2012 B12 F ifty different hues of glossy paint shimmer in the warehouse spotlight. Every inch of every car, every detail, cleaned and planned to perfection. Every angle of every car perfectly placed on every stage, every color matched to every presentation. Party Rock Anthem blared by the KIA stage, Volkswagen played an extremely large and high-definition video of Olympic sports. The companies were all competing with each other on one stage: The 2012 North American International Auto Show. “Much like many things in life, first impressions are the most important,” Photographer Jim Frenak said. “Each manufacturer that launches a new car at the show is trying to get the most media attention possible.” During the 2012 North American International Auto Show, car companies debuted their concept cars. But they’re not only there to look cool. The main purpose of a concept car is to get a general feel of what the public likes, whether they should go in that direction for production or not. “Concept cars often times have no engine, have no working parts in it,” CAD Teacher Ms. Davis said. “It’s just a shell that you can actually sit in, but there’s nothing actually going on in there.” If the general public likes the idea of the car, the company will set into motion the production of the car, starting with some production models of what they made. “It’s not so much practicality, but how the car makes you feel by looking at it,” Senior Adam Sobilo said. Concept cars are not built for safety or production, they must be modified before they are mass produced or even tested. “Then they’ll test them, out at GM proving grounds or Ford proving grounds or something,” Davis said. “They all have tracks where they can test the cars.” Car companies will continue to test and modify the cars until they’re able to be mass produced. Some concept cars, like the Toyota Prius back in the mid-2000s, make it all the way to production and start trends for other companies. Companies started making smaller cars, smaller hatchback-type cars, and hybrids. Sobilo’s not a fan of the Prius, though. He’s got a different appeal for concept cars. “You can tell, just way out there, [look at] the Lamborghini: you look at those, and you go, ‘wow, that car is awesome. It probably goes super fast,’” Sobilo said. “It makes you excited. And a lot of the more basic cars…Well tou look at a Toyota Prius…and you’re like… kay…it’s a Toyota Prius.” by Matt Pitlock / Nick Cruz Editor-in-Chief / Managing Design Editor BREAKING DOWN THE CONCEPT 21% Ford 21% of students and staff use a Ford 13% Jeep 13% Chevy 8% Dodge 6% Pontiac 5% Chrysler 4% - Saturn 3% - Buick 4% - Honda 3% - GMC 3% - Toyota 3% - Mercury 4% - Volkswagon and Mazda 8% Approx. 1% each: Cadillac, Oldsmobile, SAAB, Hyundai, Subaru, BMW, KIA, Nissan 2% Less than 1% each: Audi, Hummer, Lincoln, Infiniti, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Plymouth, Trofeo, Mini, Porsche, DSM The 2012 North American International Auto Show unveiled a new wave of concept cars to the public. Concept cars aren’t there to be sold, but always seem to attract the most attention. So what’s the point if people can’t buy them? The Source takes a closer look. The chart below displays the percentage of makes of Stoney Creek cars. The makes of each car in all four parking lots were tallied and analyzed. The 2012 Chevy TRU 140S. (Photo by Nick Cruz) The 2012 BMW i8 Concept Car. Even with an acceleration of 0-100 mph in less than five seconds, this car gets at between 40.4 to 56.5 mpg. (Photo by Nick Cruz) The 2011 Infiniti Etherea Concept. With a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and 245 horsepower, this car lives up to its sports car label. But for an Infiniti first, it’s a front wheel drive. (Photo by Nick Cruz) (Compiled by Matt Pitlock and Nick Cruz)
