Tokyo Motor Show 2005 Picks from "Motor Trend" - Less Quirky Than Before, But Still Some Fun Concept Car Wackiness to Ogle. Plus an Interview w/the designer of Ford's Mercury "Meta One" Concept @ NY Int'l Auto Show- FASHIONTRIBES BLOG, PODCAST & VIDEOBLOG

I love design of any kind - but especially car design & anything super futuristic-y looking. There's just something about all that power, metal, sleek curves & wackiness all wrapped up in one irresistible package.

And then there's the lingo: horsepower, speed, turbocharged, and muscles, muscles, muscles. I mean really, how can I help myself?

 

Motor Trend - MotorTrend.com - just reported on the recent bi-annual 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, a futuristic metal extravaganza with the theme Driving Tomorrow, and replete with "anime-appearing autos accompanied by alien- and ethereal-looking show girls."

Unlike the massive Frankfurt car show where participants exhibit complete model lines, Tokyo is a more specialized showcase for the new & different. Carmakers have a chance to dazzle & impress with cutting-edge discoveries so new, they aren't yet on the market. Their editors report that this year's show is far less out-there than in previous years, apparently suffering from the same affliction as the recent Spring 2006 fashion shows: way too focus on the business bottom line and not enough on vision, imagination & sheer creativity.

ONE STANDOUT: "the dual-display Eclipse AVN7905 double-din head unit that not only bundles a 30-gig hard drive, 7 inch monitor, navigation system, and entertainment system, but allows the driver to view a different image than the front passenger." So while the passenger is being entertained with movies, the driver can monitor the navigation system. (Photo from Cnet.com - on the left is what the driver sees & on the right is the passenger's view - same screen, totally different views. How cool)

HERE ARE SOME OF THE COOL VEHICLES & CONCEPT CARS FROM THE 2005 TOKYO MOTOR SHOW:

  2007 Bugatti Veyron Priced at $1.2 mil, it may not sell many, but VW's head honcho, Bernd Pischetrieder,  insists it's a bargain - when compared to the cost, to VW, of participating in a single season of the Grand Prix. "This is our Formula 1," he explains. Ah, of course.

2007 Mitsuoka Orochi Nude Top Roadster Despite being unanimously lauded by the Motor Trend staff as Ugliest Car of Show, this roadster is meant to be a "fashion super car...with an overwhelming presence," explains Mitsuoka. Even though there's apparently less going on under the hood than the flashy exterior would suggest, sorry, but I'm a sucker for anything labeled a "fashion super car"...& that's nude to boot.

Chrysler Akino Concept Featuring a bamboo floor, throw pillows & a throw rug, and even sconce-type lighting, the Akino very much lives up to its name, which means "autumn field." According to the designer, also named Akino (Tsuchiya), the Akino (car) is meant to emulate "the soothing, comforting feeling of a living room on the interior, all surrounded by an elegant form," Akino (designer) explains. It "provides an oasis which is designed for a safe, comfortable, and social environment to experience travel on an entirely new level."

  Daihatsu Costa With its breezy, open interior, mesh-covered hammock-like seats, wood deck floor, open rooftop & up-for-anything all-weather utility, Motor Trend compared the Costa to the fun-loving "equivalent of a sandal on wheels...[that] allows its passengers to get away from the everyday in beach sandal fashion." What chick will be able to resist the automotive equivalent of a pair of kicks?

Daihatsu UFE-III The tiny (133 inches long & 58 inches wide), ultra-thin polymer & aluminum body and aerodynamic shape make this the cheap date of the car world: in what must be biggest understatement by any car maker ever, this "ultra fuel economy" ride gets more than 170 mpg!

Mazda Senku Concept This chic alien has doors that slide back, a Wankel engine & what the MT editors dub the "high wacky factor": touch-screen instruments located inside the steering wheel.

Nissan Note inspired by Adidas Adidas is on fire, of late. A-listers like Stella McCartney are designing workout & tennis ware for them, and now they've inspired the Note, a five-door hatchback with an "athletic" shape. There is a soft covering over the front and tail, and Adidas's signature triple stripes on the seats which are made from removable Velcro.

  Nissan Pivo Where, oh where, was this car when I was learning to park? Instead of having to reverse, the driver simply turns the passenger compartment. The Pivo - which means "beer" in Polish! - was explicitely designed for chicks to make it easy for them to park, and even has a "plus" sign on the throttle and a "minus" sign on the brake, "so milady doesn't get befuddled," Motor Trend surmises.

Toyota i-swing Like legos, this contraption flexibly adapts to your whims & needs: it can zoom down regular roads when all three of its wheels are engaged, mosey around pedestrians in two-wheel mode - and when two i-swings travel side-by-side, one assumes the role of "master vehicle" and controls the other. But wait, there's more...the artificial intelligence on board communicates with its operator using a virtual-reality character in display units that pop-up by either shoulder - and the character changes based on how the driver behaves. "It's driving, but not as we know it. Yet."

- Lesley Scott

2005 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Earlier this year, I grabbed the Fashiontribes photographer/videographer, Jaxon Hsu, and visited the New York International Auto Show. We tooled around and I videoblogged & podcasted about some of the cooler rides, and then headed over to my scheduled interview with Anthony Prozzi, the fab designer of the Ford Mercury Meta One Concept car.

PODCAST About the Cool Cars at the NYC Intl Auto Show: MP3 File DOWNLOAD VIDEO of the Cool Rides at the NYC Intl Auto Show 

My initial impression of the show was lots of sleek silhouettes in icy, silvery blues & metallics - very ethereal. There were some fun splashes of earthy colors like pumpkin, a lemon yellow Corvette, and a grass green pickup truck.  Those old school English-looking (but German!) Maybach cars (http://www.maybachusa.com/) showed a striking combo of metallic chocolate with silver doors.

And of course Ferrari had a hot sex-on-wheels red number that was a definitely droolworthy ride.

THE FASHIONTRIBES INTERVIEW WITH THE DESIGNER OF THE FORD MERCURY "META ONE" CONCEPT CAR:

PODCAST of Lesley Scott Interview with "Meta One' Designer Anthony Prozzi -MP3 File DOWNLOAD VIDEO - PART 1 - of Lesley Scott's Interview w/"Meta One" Designer Anthony Prozzi - Part 1 (VIDEO)  DOWNLOAD VIDEO - PART 2 - of Lesley Scott's Interview w/"Meta One" Designer Anthony Prozzi - Part 2 (VIDEO)

Then I interviewed Ford designer Anthony Prozzi -- the incredibly cool and personable designer behind the Mercury Meta One concept car.

The theme of the car is responsibility -- it is zero emission (a first), is fabricated from reconstructed and eco-friendly materials, and runs on "renewable" diesel. [Fun fact: this "renewable" fuel is formulated from wolf's urine. Yes, wolf urine -- apparently during combustion, it emits nothing nasty. Go figure.]

From the outside, the Meta One is roomy -- in an almost SUV kinda way -- however, the interior is anything but. According to Prozzi, he was going for the cocoon-like coziness of a cashmere blanket.  The seats are a lush, sexy embrace of chocolate leather, while the interior doors and ceiling are upholstered in a modern poly stretch bathing-suit fabric that's a peaceful sky blue. The dashboard is a swathe of delicious reconstructed blond wood -- no trees were harmed in the making of this ride!

Before he joined Ford five years ago, Prozzi designed menswear for Donna Karan. His design muse is also unusual: American figure skater Michelle Kwan. She's a fast, powerful athlete but executes lightly, and with grace. And Prozzi wants the Meta One to give the same impression -- instead of being all about muscle and horsepower, come across softer and with a light touch.

Here's hoping that a car like this makes it to production sometime soon.

THE NEW YORK CAR SHOW FROM A FASHIONISTA POINT OF VIEW...DOES IT LOOK GOOD?

PODCAST of Highlights of Cool Fashion-y Cars @ NY International Auto Show 2005: MP3 File DOWNLOAD VIDEO of Lesley's New Ride

The cooler cars at the car show?

Definitely the Teal'ish blue Hummer concept car that ran on hydrogen (they even had a promo video running featuring Governator Aaaahnohld pimping its virtues). There was also a funky motorized upright-seat contraption from Toyota that kind of resembled a futuristic dental chair.

This really supa'sporty Lexus looked like it was about to take flight, and a muscular metallic chameleon that took on whatever color it happened to reflect. VW had the new Herbie bug on display (so cute!) and the Mini Cooper, while not particularly new, still rocks. And this silver, boxy marshmallow on wheels with the incongruous "tough love" (it pretty much looked anything but) just begged for a road trip with 20 of your best buds.

- Lesley Scott

Fashiontribes Motor Trend Tokyo Motor Show 2005 New York International Auto Show 2005 Car Design Concept Cars Ford Mercury Meta One Concept Anthony Prozzi Design Podcast Videoblog