Nissan Bevel

The Nissan Bevel which went on show at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit is, as Nissan puts it, "a dynamic, multi-purpose vehicle – one designed to enhance every activity, every opportunity. But unlike currently available sport utilityvehicles or minivans, which emphasize passenger needs and comfort, the advanced Bevel Concept's focus is placed strictly on the primary user – male empty-nesters actively engaged in hobbies, recreation and community service."

The Nissan Bevel was designed at Nissan Design America, Inc. (NDA) in La Jolla, California. "We see an opportunity to expand the range and values of the utility vehicle world," said Bruce Campbell, vice president design, NDA. "In the future, we envision "genres" where each product will be more dedicated and more focused, with the vehicles being much closer to the multi-dimensional aspects of the target buyers."

The Nissan Bevel was designed for the 'everyday hero', men aged between 45 - 60 with active lifestyles and hobbies, who don't require a pickup, but storage space which is an extension of their toolboxes, workshops and garages.

The Nissan Bevel concept features an asymmetrical exterior with a long driver's side door which pivots on a special hinge designed for ease of entry and exit. A large driver's side window aids visibility. The driver's side rear body panel is solid, except for a narrow, horizontal upper window.

On the passenger side of the Nissan Bevel's body are two doors, with the rear door hinged at the rear to provide an exceptionally wide door opening of nearly five-and-a-half feet (67.3 inches)

Other features of the Nissan Bevel exterior include hidden LCD headlights and projector fog lamps, a glass/solar panel roof, LCD taillights integrated into the tailgate surround and hidden under the paint, breakaway fiber-optic side cameras in place of traditional sideview mirrors, a recessed rear license plate holder, hidden exhaust outlets and touch-sensitive door release keypads mounted in the door window glass. 

The interior of the Nissan Bevel is organised into three specific zones. The first zone is the comfort zone (driver's area), with a comfortable, rich leather-clad fixed seat. A section of the driver's side floor is connected to and moves out with the driver's door. 

The second interior zone of the Nissan Bevel concept is the "command central" information/technology zone, designed to connect the driver with the Bevel and the outside world. The information-centric, fully digital instrument panel features a series of screens. Side LCD monitors, located on the outer edges of the instrument panel, display images from the sideview mirror cameras. 

The third Bevel zone is the utility/pet zone. Bevel's flexible seating includes lightweight, aluminum-frame fold-flat front passenger and rear bench seat. Because they are likely to be kept in the folded position most of the time, the seat surfaces themselves are very simple yet durable, and the backsides of the seats are covered with the same material as the rear cargo area floor, creating one large, seamless front-to-rear utility surface. The flooring itself is constructed from laminated recycled walnut, creating an extremely hard, workbench-like surface.

Toyota F3R

The Toyota F3R minivan concept from the 2006 Detroit Motor Show was designed jointly by Calty Design Research Inc., Toyota's California based design studio, and the Advanced Product Strategy group, also California based.

The Toyota F3R aims revive the glory days of the minivan, when sales were almost double what they are now. Minivans are often seen as an old persons mode of transport and to combat this the F3R has been specifically designed for the young family. 
Whereas many minivan designs attempt to hide the characteristics of a van, the Toyota F3R's designers have embraced the features associated with a minivan. The large, prominent grille does nothing to hide the fact it is bolted to a minivan, and to its credit, a rather attractive minivan.
Inside, the F3R's designers have created a versatile seating space, with 3 row cinema-style seating, the rear rows sitting higher than the row in front.And when the F3R is parked up, the seating can be reconfigured to make a sophisticated lounge area for conversation or watching the 2 track-mounted LCD TV's.
Although there is no word on production, Toyota has hinted that design elements of the F3R may appear on future Toyota models.

Mitsubishi Concept D:5

Introduced at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, the Mitsubishi Concept D:5 was a vehicle designed to preview the next generation Delica minivan - a Japan only model. At a guess the concept's D:5 name stands for 'Delica' and 5th generation.

The D:5 was based on the Mitsubishi Outlander platform and featured the same AWD layout.
The monobox design means the D:5 offers the most interior space possible. A good thing when the vehicle is designed solely with the purpose of hauling as many people, or as much cargo as possible.
With a reasonably high ground clearance and its 4WD drivetrain the D:5 concept had some mild off-road ability, which should be of comfort for those who like to take the road less traveled.
Advanced safety systems were a major feature of the D:5's design. Ten sensors located all around the vehicle can detect pedestrians and nearby objects, if they sense a possible collision, an audible warning is emitted to alert the driver to take action. A lane departure warning system is also fitted, this helps make sure the driver doesn't stray out of their lane on the highway by mistake. The final active safety system is an advanced radar-controlled cruise control system which keeps the car at a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.
Powering the Mitsubishi Concept D:5 is a 2.4 litre inline 4-cylinder engine which produces 168 horsepower and 226Nm (167 lb-ft) of torque. The transmission is handled by a six-speed CVT(Continuously Variable Transmission).

Dodge Tomahawk

The insane potential widowmaker Dodge conceived and subsequently named the Tomahawk was first seen in 2003 at the Detroit Auto Show. The bike is powered by the same 500 hp 8.3 litre V-10 found in the legendary Viper, and is capable of propelling the concept up to 300 mph+, theoretically. However in practice the poor aerodynamics of the bike would cause it to become unstable at high speeds and it would be suicidal to try.

Dodge produced the Tomahawk concept to hammer home its power orientated design philosophy, which encompasses cars such as the Viper, Magnum SRT-8and Hemi Super 8 among others, it was never intended for mass production.Dodge sold a very limited number of Tomahawks as rideable pieces of modern art to a select few of rich enthusiasts.Overall the design of the Dodge Tomahawk is one of clean machined lines housing the massive, partially exposed engine and 4 oversize wheels.