The six-day auto jamboree which ended on Tuesday was a motown enthusiast's dream come true. The plethora of concept cars exhibited by various manufacturers kept the adrenaline of the visitors pumping and their imagination revved up.
There was a vehicle that came closer to dreams of all hues. If you are the one who has been feeling tired of moving his hands while driving, cars designers have thought of a cure for it: a novel steering wheel that does all that it takes to drive a car.
For Net freaks, there is room on the back seats of a vehicle that ensures instant connectivity while one sits comfortably. Or an advanced navigation system that makes sure that you don't get lost in a new city, using a GPRS-like technology to show the route map to your next destination.
Indian major Tata Motors showcased its future car Tata Indiva during the exposition. The seven-seater concept car has motorised doors, Net connection facility and automatic navigation system. The car runs on four cylinder MPFI 16 valve petrol engine.
An official at the Tata Motors pavillion said the advance navigation system of the car can automatically follow a route previously downloaded from the Internet and the has the facility to communicate with other cars on the road.
Not to be outdone, Suzuki Motors unveiled 'Concept S', its vision of tomorrow's supermini. The car with "space age features" zooms on the Suzuki Hayabusa superbike 4-cylinder 1300cc engine.
An official at the Tata Motors pavillion said the advance navigation system of the car can automatically follow a route previously downloaded from the Internet and the has the facility to communicate with other cars on the road.
Not to be outdone, Suzuki Motors unveiled 'Concept S', its vision of tomorrow's supermini. The car with "space age features" zooms on the Suzuki Hayabusa superbike 4-cylinder 1300cc engine.
"The features of the space age car include fingerprint recognition for engine and suspension setup. Adding to the comfort of driver, all gears, indicators, handbrake and wiper functions have been provided on the steering wheel", explains Maruti Udyog's general manager Rajiv Bhatia.
Czech major Skoda joins in with an outstanding example of passion and creativity. Its sporty look Skoda Tudor is based on Skoda Superb platform, a designer car that embodies simple stylish dimensions but in a coupe garb.
The car incorporates a screen for the navigation system in the central console, located below the vents of the air conditioner. Running on a 2.8 litre, V6, 30-valve engine, Skoda Tudor has a front traction, a five-speed manual gear box and is equipped with all the electronic security systems, including the ESP.
In terms of sheer indulgence, Hyundai's HCD 7 (Hyundai California Design 7) was a treat. A luxury segment concept designed in its California studio, the car brings out essential upper crust luxury feel in a futuristic design and provides a maximum horsepower of 270 ps/rpm.
Gasps and admiration notwithstanding, concept cars are likely to remain on the drawing board, at least for some time to come.
Commercial production of such cars is usually not on the agenda of car manufacturers. They only want to exhibit their design and conceptualisation prowess and create interest among auto enthusiasts, for some future date, explains an auto industry expert.