GM's cleanest electric car concept will debut at the Detroit show next week, under the hood of a new Cadillac midsize crossover show car.
The Provoq concept is the most technically advanced of GM's E-Flex electric car powertrains, which stole the show at last year's North American International Auto Show in the Chevrolet Volt. While the Volt promises an almost totally electric driving experience to the mass market by 2010, the Provoq switches the Volt's internal combustion engine for a fuel cell, making the concept free of tailpipe emissions (aside from water).
The Provoq can also be plugged into any electrical outlet for extra electric-only range but can run only about 30 kilometres strictly on electricity, about half the Volt's predicted range. After that, the Provoq depends on pressurized hydrogen to generate electricity for three electric motors to power all four wheels for the rest of its 480-km range.
The Provoq also comes with subtle aerodynamic aids to help squeeze as much fuel economy as possible, such as a roof solar panel to help power the audio system and other interior toys; flush door handles; 21-inch Michelin Green-X tires; and an "active" front grille that opens only when the fuel stack needs cooling.
What's not certain is when the Provoq or a crossover based on it will make it to market, and it likely won't be as a fuel cell to start. But GM has, for the first time, created a design and engineering centre strictly for E-Flex vehicles.
Car and fuel companies still haven't reached a consensus on what kind of hydrogen will be needed for fuel-cell vehicles (advanced prototypes use both liquid and pressurized gas form). A plug-in diesel with extra electric range and more torque than in the Volt would be more feasible for production in a couple of years, and could likely maintain the Provoq's estimated 0-100 km/h time of 8.5 seconds.
Interestingly, the Evoq concept car that first debuted Caddy's art and science design theme at the Detroit show in 1999 was a good precursor of what became the production Cadillac XLR in 2004.
Explorer concept remake
Ford will show a new take on its popular midsize Explorer SUV in concept form at the Jan. 19-26 Detroit show, which could mark big changes for midsize body-on-frame SUVs.
Unlike the Explorers currently in the market, the Explorer America concept is a unibody design, which will help make the next generation (set to arrive by 2010) lighter and more fuel efficient. It will also have a six-speed automatic transmission, electric power steering, and a choice of two gasoline turbo direct injection engines.
These EcoBoost engines will be four and six cylinders in size, the first a remarkably small but powerful 2.0-litre 275 hp mill, along with 280 lb-ft of torque.
The upsize engine, which has traditionally been a V8 in the Explorer, will become a GTDI 3.5 V6, boasting an estimated 340 hp.
Ford says that with such fuel saving technologies, the Explorer America concept will offer a 20-to-30 per cent reduction in fuel consumption over the current Explorer V6, depending on the engine.
The Explorer dominated North American SUV sales charts in the 1990s, but a tire-blowout PR disaster and an increasing thirst for better fuel economy and more car-like handling have dampened its appeal and that of most body-on-frame SUVs, especially from the Detroit Three.
GM TOUTS VUE 2-MODE
General Motors says that when production begins on the 2009 Saturn Vue Green Line 2-Mode by year's end, it will be the most fuel efficient V6-powered SUV on the planet.
According to GM, the vehicle will offer a 50-per-cent increase in fuel economy over the Vue V6's non-hybrid numbers, and a claimed range of more than 800 km per tank. Performance numbers are impressive, too, with an estimated 7.3-second 0-100 km acceleration run, and the ability to tow 1,600 kilograms.
The 2-Mode hybrid version of GM's advanced direct injection 3.6 V6 will be the only one that offers full hybrid capability, meaning it will be able to drive at low speeds on electricity only.
VISION GLK TO DEBUT
It has taken a while, but Mercedes-Benz says a rival to BMW's X3 SUV is on the way, in the form of the Vision GLK Freeside design study to debut at the Detroit show.
Although Mercedes-Benz says it is now close to production, the "study" tag means that some design details might be tweaked before it heads to production next fall.
Reaction to the GLK's angular styling online has been mixed and it will be interesting to see if the five-seater's multi-planed surfaces and huge fender wells will be toned down.
Perhaps most interesting is the GLK concept's 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine, making 170 hp. It uses urea injections into the exhaust stream to clean up nitrogen oxides, which would make the engine clean enough to be sold across North America.
1