The automotive industry has changed a lot since 2008. Aside from the shuttered brands and cancelled models that were victims of the recession, technological advances have drastically altered how we interact with our vehicles, and even the idea of car ownership itself is changing. What’s next is anyone’s guess, so instead we’ll look back to a time when Breaking Bad had yet to become the cultural phenomenon it is today, and subsequent television obsessions like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones were little more than ideas in their creators minds.
Nissan’s Quest is an also ran in a segment that has seen better days. This concept previewed the Quest that still occupies space at your local Nissan dealership.
The interior may look a little out there, but that steering wheel is very similar to the one found on a number of contemporary Nissan products.
America missed out on a lot of the performance goodies offered across the pond until recently. The GT-R is one such example.
At this point in its life the Maxima struggled to make a case for itself, lacking the performance chops enjoyed by other full size sedans while offering relatively sedate styling. It seems the current generation has fixed those issues, albeit with a polarizing design.
I don’t think this generation Maxima is bad, just boring, and these models looked too much like the Altima.
The crossover era hasn’t produced a lot of true stinkers, but the Cube is one of them, at least in America. Having driven one I can confidently say it surpassed my low expectations, although I bet its not as refined as a Rogue. And let’s be real: it was the styling that killed this thing, not its driving dynamics. Turns out Americans don’t want to drive something that looks like it came straight out of a Japanese anime.
Despite what I just wrote above I do think its a shame the Cube didn’t succeed, as its design was something different. I’m guessing car shoppers looking for a boxy design went with the more buttoned down Kia Soul.
Chrysler was not doing well in 2008. Less than a year before this picture was taken Cerberus Capital Management took a majority stake in the company amidst a stormy period for both the brand and the company. From what I’ve read the entire company was pretty much dead in the water at this point, with no products in development and almost no funds to accomplish anything.
The Chrysler ecoVoyager was a sign of things to come. I don’t mean bad things – although Chrysler didn’t develop alternative energy vehicles to the extent its American competitors did by the time this auto show rolled around. The new Chrysler Pacifica has a hybrid variant, an encouraging development from a company that historically shrugs fuel efficient products for bigger and sometimes more profitable vehicles. This concept paired a lithium-ion battery with a hydrogen fuel cell setup, which let Chrysler claim a 300 mile range for the concept. That’s still a pretty stellar mileage figure when you consider the 238 mile range of the Bolt.
The 2008 Challenger revived a storied nameplate in a big way, with its unabashedly retro styling and HEMI V8 engines.
Aside from giving Chrysler some performance credibility, the Challenger will soon be the first muscle car to be equipped with an AWD system. With the popularity of products like the Subaru WRX and Ford Focus RS, will the Camaro and Mustang make a similar shift to keep up with the times?
America’s insatiable bloodlust for crossovers means a thoroughly mediocre product like the Journey can still make a business case for itself. I imagine this sells based on price and with heavy incentives because my experience with one of these did not result in my approval of this vehicle. Then again, it is possible its updates have kept it somewhat competitive, as the model I sampled was one of the early ones.
A production version of the NEO concept would have been groundbreaking for electric vehicles: a fully electric performance wagon with 268 horsepower and a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds. Chrysler’s woes insured this forward thinking car wouldn’t happen, with Tesla having the honor of producing an electric car with tangible performance credentials with the Model S.
This is not your average 300.
The Chrysler 300C Hollywood stretches out the sedan to proportions that make the backseat acceptable for those looking to be chauffeured around.
For some reason this comes at the expense of the driver, who is literally left out in the cold. No wonder this abomination never saw production.
Pretty much all my posts about the NY auto show inevitably reach the point where I lament the lack of changes to the Art & Science design philosophy at Cadillac. Has my stance softened? Yes.
I am saying that because I can’t deny the excellent design of the CTS coupe? Yes.
Kudos to Cadillac for keeping the design of the CTS largely unchanged from the concept.
I wouldn’t call the PROVOQ concept uh, provocative, but this is the design that led to the second generation SRX, which became Cadillac’s second best selling model during its run. The current XT5 further refines the look of this concept.
It may seem like eons ago, but back in the waning days of the Bush administration, the Korean brands lacked the reputation they have today. I used to think the 2011 Sonata was the car that made me realize how competitive the Korean makes had become, but these pictures of the Forte concept prove otherwise.
Hyundai and Kia weren’t on my radar because their designs were pretty ho-hum up until this point. Peter Schreyer has done wonders for both brands. I guess you could say his departure from VW was a real “Koup” for the company.
The recession claimed the lives of numerous brands and models, with one standout example being the Pontiac G8 ST (that’s ST for “sport truck”) and its wagon counterpart.
I’m guessing Ford was grateful that this never saw the light of day so that they could freely use the ST for the performance model of the Focus. Although Focus SVT could have probably worked, as it had precedent.
Would the G8 ST have been successful? Given the low sales figures of the sedan I’m going to go ahead and say no. The debut of the Ford Raptor demonstrated the business case for performance pick up trucks, especially ones with four doors and four-wheel drive. Both things absent on the G8 ST.
Even the G8 sedan struggled to find an audience, and its successor, the Chevy SS, was recently cancelled due to mediocre sales.
Buick has put out some pretty enticing concepts since this Riviera concept went public. Apparently General Motors is developing an upscale Buick sub-brand called Avenir, which is French for future. Will we see something like this under that moniker? Or will it be another Denali high end trim level with zero unique products?
That front end is a bit much, but it did preview the front end of the Epilson II based Lacrosse, which debuted as a 2010 model year vehicle.
Ford recently revealed their plans to debut a hybrid F-150 by 2020. The Denali XT Hybrid concept is proof that other automakers were thinking along similar lines at some point in their product planning. Although as we found out, GM’s hybrid SUV variants didn’t exactly set the world on fire, so the jury is out on the viability of true gas-electric trucks.
The same rear wheel drive platform that underpinned the G8 and Chevy SS provided a basis for the GMC truck concept, which is surprising because this thing looks absolutely massive.
Before the name was slapped on a subcompact crossover, the Renegade moniker was used for this hybrid vehicle that sported two electric motors and a 1.5 liter diesel engine.
The first hybrid Jeep was never even considered for production, although with news of a hybrid F-150, will a hybrid Wrangler be far behind?
At some point Mitsubishi was working on the i-MiEV Sport. Either that or this concept was vaporware from the very beginning.
This is pretty much the i-MiEV that we actually got, more or less.
This may not look like any recent Mitsubishi product from the rear…
…but from the frot its clearly a concept for the Outlander, a vehicle that Mitsubishi is likely grateful for having around as crossovers gained in popularity.
The R1e was an electric version of the R1, a Japanese kei car. Somehow the little car had enough room to store a battery pack capable of giving the tiny hatch a 50 mile range capacity.
The Impreza has never looked very attractive to me, and I say this in reference to pretty much all the different variants over the years. The exceptions are the third generation hatchback and the current generation of the Impreza in both sedan and hatchback configuration. Bonus points to Subaru for this nice blue.
With sales of mid-size sedans on the decline its no wonder that the CC was recently cancelled. Although early reports suggest its successor will go even more upmarket for reasons only Volkswagen executives can explain.
Routan! Volkswagen’s strange agreement with Chrysler resulted in this rebadged Caravan that sold exceptionally poorly. Probably because you could get the same exact thing at a Chrysler dealership for less money. The Routan was never equipped with Stow ‘N Go seating either. Production ended in 2013, which means the upcoming Atlas will be the first three row vehicle available from Volkswagen in almost four years.
Concept cars tend to excite enthusiasts quite a bit, and for obvious reasons. Good designs generate a lot of buzz and anticipation for the real thing. Unfortunately, there are times when a concept accomplishes its mission so well that expectations for the production model become wildly unrealistic, which ultimately leads to a great disturbance in the Force when the actual vehicle is revealed, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced.
Two years ago Subaru unveiled concepts for the Impreza and its WRX variant that were incredible, and I succumbed to the false idea that they faithfully represented what would eventually show up in Subaru showrooms. The only other time I remember being so thoroughly swayed by a concept was when my eyes met these wonderful Kizashi prototypes.
Even the sedan was exciting, and it certainly predicted the era of big grilles.
Yup, that is one gaping maw.
The production model was still attractive, although its looks were so similar to the Jetta that you’d think it was a result of badge engineering. 
Unlike that pathetic Yaris Mach 5 imitator, this recreation of the most famous car from Speed Racer is the real deal.
I’m not sure if this is the Mach 5 that is street legal, but even if it isn’t I’d still say its impressive.
And last but not least, I’ll show you something that is just as unrealistic today as it ways 9 years ago: a flying car!
A few comments:
The “Koup” pun was excellent. Most folks groan at a good pun, but I for one am a huge fan.
My Dad and I attend the Motor Trend equivalent of this show in Baltimore every year, and I remember 2008 well. I had just traded my Grand Prix GTP Coupe on a Mustang, and was still a huge Pontiac fan, but the handwriting was on the wall. I remember the G8 ‘El Camino-Ilke’ concept, but what struck me is that the entire Pontiac display was nothing but G8(s), like 8 or 9 of them. There were no other models on display. I said to my Dad, “Wow, we’ve stumbled upon the the G8 summit.” – again, I love a good pun. But all joking aside, sadly only a couple of years later, the brand was gone.
Segue to the production version of a concept car not meeting expectations: My own 1997 GTP was watered down a bit in the power department from its concept car equivalent that debuted in 1995. The concept (GTX?GPX?) had 300 hp and 320 lb-ft and had 18″ wheels. My GTP had 240 hp and 280 lb-ft and 16″ wheels. It was still an awesome car.
I remember the Mach 5. It was way cooler in the cartoon than in person.
And to the Chrysler 300 Concept… Maybe they were trying to bring back the Brougham era, only this time, in the literal sense….
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brougham_(car_body)
…or is this kind of car a Phaeton? Either way, good luck selling any of those!
I don’t imagine Ford or Chevy are going to be quick or bother to respond to an AWD Challenger I’m also not quite willing to play along with calling a V6 Challenger that can’t do burnouts properly a Muscle Car. You can’t get AWD with the V8s due to fitment from what I understand.
Having said that, the Challenger is my favorite car of this bunch, and 9 years later it still looks better than the flourishy blobs on the market. Though I have to say, the 15-current Charger looks better to me today, 4 doors be damned – and I am a 2 door guy! I certainly wouldn’t have thought I’d say that in 08(and I still won’t about the 08s).
The G8, ugh. What a horrible year for GM to come out with a car like that. Say what you will about the impracticality of cars like these and how inevitable their lack of success would have been regardless, blah blah blah, but these captive Holdens were the best built, best performing, best looking and best quality cars GM had leading up to the bankruptcy, period. What were GMs full size flagships back in 08 again? W-body Impala SS? Pfft. I’m not all impressed how pathetically GM has marketed the extremely confusingly named Chevy SS over the last year or two or whatever(I honestly don’t know, that’s how poorly it was marketed) either, you’d think they didn’t want these cars to sell at all, just to provide justification in hard numbers for ultimately dissolving Holden /end tinfoil hat conspiracy rant.
I forgot the Audi R8 was this old. One can say that’s a sign of it’s clean timelessness, but I’m going to say it’s because it’s a boring forgettable design lol. I never got the attraction, all my friends have one in their dream car list though.
The G8 didn’t sell too badly considering the economic climate and GM’s troubles, and from what I understand was a rather thin marketing campaign, plus a new name and a higher price than the Grand Prix. I don’t think the wagon and ute would have added much in the way of volume.
GM did the SS a great disservice by keeping it a seemingly intentionally low-volume flagship. They clearly didn’t want to encroach on the Impala but I think there was room for a wider SS range and an Impala. That being said, the Impala is a member of a shrinking segment. Would the SS have sold better if it was advertised better and clearly marketed as being a performance model?
Oh, those Kizashi concepts. Beautiful! Then the production model came out, this blobby looking thing with a malformed trunk. Reviews were great but I test drove one recently when I was buying my current car and I found it had a great engine sound, sharp handling and felt well-screwed together inside. But the interior was bland and the ride felt unsettled.
I’m no fan of Audi – I find their design language exceedingly dull – but the R8 is an absolute beauty and has aged wonderfully. The fact that it is apparently quite driveable in day-to-day driving makes it even more appealing.
Y’all know I love my Caddys but the CTS Coupe is my least favourite of the CTS range. I mean, I like it, but it is rather outrageous at the rear. I prefer it to the too-conservative ATS Coupe though. Coupes should always be more interesting than the sedan but the ATS Coupe is _as_ interesting as the sedan.
Oh, and I dislike that generation of SRX. Not every crossover needs to have RWD but this generation felt like a stepdown and didn’t look as nice to me as its predecessor. The front overhang is too long, the front styling is too bloated, I just don’t like it at all. I’d take a CTS wagon. At least the XT5 is better-looking! But if I was buying a new luxury crossover in, say, 2011, I’d take a MKX over an SRX. It doesn’t help that the first couple of years of this SRX came with the pointless, gutless 3.0 or the disappointing 2.8 Turbo V6.
That was the best-looking Outlander and then they bollocksed it up and have only now made it look good again… That aggressive Evo front was a great design signature Mitsubishi should have stuck with.
Finally, the Challenger AWD? I feel it’s just a parts-bin special. The Challenger and Charger/300 ride on the same basic platform and the latter already offered AWD so….
It’s a shame slow sales lead to the discontinuation of the V8/AWD combo. Now THAT would make for a nice Challenger powertrain. Still, even if this was done on the cheap to create interest in an ageing vehicle at the end of its lifespan, I love the idea and I hope it does some good business. I adore the Challenger, especially now that it has a nice interior!
Reverse CC effect… I saw a Kizashi in traffic today, the first I’d seen in maybe a couple of years. I remember the hype Suzuki made prior to the cars release and I kept thinking the name alone would alienate many people… American car buyers just prefer romanised nameplates.
No, I believe there was not enough real value there. It looked too much like the then-current Jetta, and as I recall the initial models were rather pricey. Combined with a thinning dealer body, it was not a good mix.
Like the Toyota FR-S and it’s Subaru cousin, the major car mags made the Kizashi sound like the second coming. But the reality was, for the same money you could get cars with better support and resale. For less money, you could get cars with better support and better deals. Up against juggernauts like Accord, Camry, Fusion and others, you had to be really committed to the angular S to get a Kizashi.
Wow, what a trip. I can’t believe that some of these cars have been around this long already. The one concept that really stands out in my mind is the Kia Koup. Something about Peter Schreyer’s design mentality just screams GM at me. The Koup looks like it could be the current gen Camaro’s little brother. Or the Honda Civic coupe’s cousin from a couple of generations back. Either way, it looks good to me.
That second gen CTS-V looks great to me, all this time later. I really rather like the most recent updates to the Challenger’s styling, along with the Charger, too. Oddly, the iMiev coupe is weirdly attractive to me. Don’t ask why, I don’t know, either.
Well, I’m going to miss the Detroit show again for the 17th time this year. One of these days I will plan my January better and go to it. For now, I will settle for our local dealer car show.
I like the Maxima. Not too thrilled about it’s windswept wrap-around headlight streak, but I guess if it was any other way, it would look off — kind of like a 2008 Dodge Ram that looked kind of magoo. (maybe that’s partly why they’re really overcompensating with the aggressive and brow-beating-angry-trucker moustache styling now. Gross… all imo, of course.)
I think that should be Nissan’s official “styling language:” Having chamfered headlights inset into a body colored fascia which seems Nissan-ish and/or re-adopting styles of the really good looking Nissans of the 80s (imo) such as the Nissan Van, 1987-era Nissan Maxima itself, and late 80s and even the 90s Stanza and their slick headlight treatments. It gave these old cars the appearance of character and substance (like perhaps a 1991 Sentra SE-R, also?). None of this overwrought chrome applique, or dull, mundane, rolling egg crate within an ovoid egg styling (Rogue) that gives me a sense blah.
And, of course, every company needs a Juke…
Aside from Nissan, the Chrysler 300 Hollywood is interesting. Half hard-top, half pillar, all suicide. It would have been neat if Chrysler continued with the Imperial concept car with the exposed, old-style, round headlights. If all else failed, they could have marketed a version of it to the police agencies and perhaps called it an Imperial Stormtrooper. Trademark infringements, notwithstanding.
If I had a choice of any of these vehicles, I’d choose the Volkswagen Routan. A proven platform for the people.