Hyundai HED-4 Qarmaq concept
This concept was generating a lot of interest here on day one, for several reasons. Like the Chevrolet Volt concept, the car was developed in conjunction with GE Plastics, in a bid to showcase how plastics can allow designers to achieve results that would be impossible with conventional sheet metal or glass. It also demonstrates a new maturity of design for Hyundai and a very high model quality, as commented upon by several designers from rival companies. The model was designed by Hyundai's European design studio in Ruesselsheim, under the leadership of Thomas Burkle, around a concept for an ecological SUV crossover - hence the choice of lightweight plastics. Notable points include the bold sweep from the hood into the door that wraps back into the fender, which neatly resolves how to get a small dropglass within a fully glazed door - here using GE Plastics molded 'Lexan' material. The side view has neat shutlines like the Audi R8 sideblades but here becoming small freestyle doors - like a Mazda RX8 but without windows. Note the interesting color breaks on the car too: the front of the car is pearl white, while the rear is champagne color, with chrome accents and dark gray used as contrast. It seems complex, yet the overall result is surprisingly homogenous.
According to interior designer Eric-Yann Coulouvrat, the car was influenced by the 1968 Lamborghini Marzal. "Obviously, the door glazing is the most apparent commonality" he said "but also the interior, where the Marzal had a combination of luxury with a relaxing ambience. We took that concept for the HED-4 interior too". Like the exterior, the interior mixes white with beige colors, to achieve a 'Technical meets Relaxing' look. The complete driver's seat and center console move together for adjustment, as does the white areas of the instrument binnacle.
Bertone Fiat Barchetta concept
The inspiration for this new concept from Bertone is the 1947 Fiat Barchetta that was shown alongside the new design on the Bertone stand - both open two seaters based on the smallest production Fiat of their time. But speaking with Bertone Design Director David Wilkie, it seems that the reason for doing the car was because he wanted to remind people that Bertone can still design emotive cars as well as the more pragmatic designs it has majored on in recent years...
Based on the platform of the Fiat Panda, the Barchetta features a host of interesting design features: transparent lower doors, small leather trunk-mounted storage with a brief case inside, an IP and pedals that move fore and aft as the seats are fixed, simple white IP with only four small dials, chunky cast aluminum exposed gear shift mechanism, air vents with fans visible behind them (a homage to the Porsche Boxster concept David told us) and a windscreen that blends into the hood surface. All these support the core design theme of polished aluminum upper 'exoskeleton' surface sitting with a large gap over a black composite lower surface. Within this gap is the concept's most innovative feature - the rear hinged door that swings up, pivoting over the rear wheel with the gap between the exterior surfaces acting as a runner.
This isn't a reinvention of the small sports car, but a demonstration of how a sporty car can be enhanced in its emotive appeal with many different and fun design innovations. This Bertone concept does not have the quality of construction it should have and is not a close to production preview that we could realistically expect to see on the roads soon - but it is great example of how design can offer so many reasons for someone to buy a fun car.
Mazda Hakaze concept
The Hakaze is the third in the series of concepts that develop Mazda's sophisticated 'Flow' concept, as previewed on the Nagare and Ryuga concepts. This is an impressive concept for a C-Segment sized crossover model from Mazda's European design studio that, according to Chief Designer Peter Birtwhistle, could be used for a production car in future. There's a nice integration of themes seen previously that combine to give a very pleasing overall result. The front end uses the boomerang headlamp idea from the 2005 IAA Sassou concept and marries it to a new front mask. The main grille is now a brushed aluminium panel that extends across the whole front mask, with three lines recessed into it that flow upwards to become tubes of LED lamps within the headlamp.
The side view is characterized by the crossing of two key lines in the door, together with nine scalloped flow lines that fade gently in and out. The door itself is a new design where the door opens out slightly before scissoring upwards in a graceful action that's very satisfying to operate. There are subtle surfaces throughout this car, for instance the hood and fenders that combine very crisp edges with soft surfaces. The rear end is interesting as it uses a two plane rear window as seen on the Senku concept but adds a new idea of six embedded LED lamp tubes as flow lines within the glazing, together with the Mazda emblem. Below this is a neat drop-down tailgate with an integrated perch seat. The interior features four turquoise blue seats cantilevered off the center tunnel and showcases a new way to stow the rear seats. These motor down and forwards to store below the front seats in a clever nesting formation.
