Concept cars steal the show

By Paul Hudson for CNN

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(CNN) -- Concept cars are an integral part of any auto show, and Geneva is no exception.

But what are concept cars and why should we take them seriously, especially when there are dozens of fabulous production-ready vehicles vying for our attention?

Some might be outlandish, some downright bizarre, but a good majority of concepts are actually thinly disguised production cars, the better to help a manufacturer gauge reaction to a new model.

But why should anyone care?

Beyond the pure "look at me" factor that garners plenty of publicity, the real reason is simply to explore ideas, particularly with regard to styling and the use of new materials.

Auto stylists use their concepts to hint at forthcoming trends for their products, which admittedly are toned down for production in most instances. Many, such as the Porsche Boxster and Ford Ka, were concepts that reached production only after rapturous acclaim.

At this year's Geneva show, the Opel GTC concept hints at the next Vectra, due later this year. Stylists confirmed that the front in particular is production-ready, although in toned-down form, and the coupe styling will obviously have to change since the Vectra is sold as a five-door hatchback and four-door saloon.

"We're showing new design cues for all future Opels (and Vauxhalls in the UK) with the GTC concept," said GM's head of exterior design, mark Adams. "Although the design is exactly that, a concept, it is a strong pointer to all our future models."

The GTC is powered by a 300bhp, 2.8-liter V6 turbo petrol engine, coupled to a six-speed manual transmission and features an electronically-controlled four-wheel drive system. It has a low coefficient of drag of just 0.25.

BMW, meanwhile, showed its M3 Concept, a V8-engined high-performance coupe that will hit the roads this summer in barely altered form. As well as new systems, it features lightweight materials such as a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic roof intended to reduce overall weight in order to improve handling, performance and economy. It is a derivative of the new BMW 3-series Coupé, yet only the headlights, rear light clusters, the two doors and the boot lid are carried over from the production version of that car.

Other vehicles shown in almost production-ready form are the Peugeot Outdoor, a preview of the 207 SW (wagon) which is due in July. French rival Renault showed what it called its Grand Touring concept, essentially the five-door Clio estate (wagon) due early next year, powered by a 2.0-liter petrol engine developing 200bhp and featuring a spacious boot area aimed at the burgeoning leisure market.

Also leading the way in the development of advanced, lightweight materials was Hyundai. Its crossover concept (a mix of wagon and SUV), dubbed HED 4, was produced as a joint venture with GE Plastics. The use of plastics gave designers greater freedom to create complex three-dimensional shapes that could not have been achieved with conventional production methods in steel-bodied vehicles.

"Current composite technology is usually thought too expensive and too difficult to fabricate to be of use anywhere but the aerospace and motor racing industries. Hyundai's CUV is physical proof that this need not be so," said a spokesman.

The wrap-around GE Lexan windscreen and extensive use of GE polycarbonate glazing materials provides a weight saving of up to 50 percent in relation to glass, while simultaneously allowing more adventurous shapes than flat glass. The glazing features a unique technology from Exatec -- a thin protective layer of glass on the Lexan adds protection from scratching and the effects of weathering.

Beyond novelty

The HED 4 also introduces new curved and moving side glazing in Lexan. As well as allowing such advanced applications, the impact resistance and other properties of this material also helps increase both occupant and pedestrian safety.

An "Elastic Front" safety system, encompassing the entire front of the vehicle, is arguably the world's first global pedestrian protection solution on this type of vehicle. Three energy-absorbing structures are fully integrated underneath the futuristic styling, using several advanced materials that offer inherent energy absorbing properties.

The HED 4's body panels have been designed to work in concert with energy-absorbing systems on the underside of these panels to manage and dissipate the force of a pedestrian/CUV collision. The Elastic Front"! has been engineered to meet EEVC WG17 Phase2, Euro NCAP, and JNCA pedestrian impact requirements and is currently undergoing testing for final validation.

The category of wacky concepts was ably filled by the Rinspeed eXasis, a see-through tandem two-seater. Yet beyond the novelty value, it represent a serious study into the use of new materials for car construction.

Powered by a 750cc two-cylinder supercharged engine running on bioethanol and producing 150bhp, with a claimed top speed of 130mph and 0-60mph in only 4.8 seconds. As the total weight of the vehicle does not exceed 750kg, this vehicle has the same weight/power ratio as a Porsche.

Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht had thought up in collaboration with the experts from Bayer MaterialScience AG -- one of the largest plastics producers in the world -- to mark his company's 30th anniversary: a drivable glass car with a completely transparent body and floor made of Makrolon.

Once again, this Rinspeed creation has been built by Swiss engineering specialist Esoro, and marks the 40th anniversary of petrochemicals giant Bayer presenting the first all-plastic car at a plastics fair in Germany in 1967.

"Everyone who sees the eXasis for the first time raves about the 'glass' car, but they actually mean our transparent high-tech plastic," says Ian Paterson, the member of the Bayer MaterialScience board of management for innovation. "Nearly all the Bayer MaterialScience business units were involved in the development of the concept car, providing products such as surface coatings and polyurethanes (for molding tools). but it was the plastics experts from BMS with their Makrolon polycarbonate who were responsible for the transparency of the eXasis."

The outer Makrolon shell reveals the bare bones of the car, something never normally seen, the aluminum chassis and engine being perfectly visible.

Rinspeed was also able to persuade some state-owned companies and government departments to become involved in the eXasis project. The fuel is provided by Alcosuisse, the profit center of the Swiss Alcohol Board, while the Swiss Federal Office of Energy has chosen the eXasis to take part in a study on the subject of lightweight construction and ecology.

If that isn't wild enough, perennial, Franco Sbarro -- a Swiss engineer who regularly causes jaws to drop each year at Geneva -- presented the Assystem city car, with a diamond pattern of wheel layout featuring one front and rear and one at each side.

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