Toyota Corolla Furia Concept

The Toyota Corolla has always been an important brand for Toyota, perhaps even one of the most crucial cars in their line-up, especially stateside. It's never really been a line of cars that has stirred passion in the hearts of red-blooded car enthusiasts. The Corolla has, however, helped cement Toyota's reputation for producing economical cars that are reliable, practical, and sensible. They're famous for great gas mileage and durability that often lasts well past the 250,000 mile mark.

So imagine the dropped jaws at the Detroit auto show when Toyota Group Division Vice President Bill Fray revealed the new Furia concept. Our girl next door Corolla was sporting carbon fiber accenting, a sporty orange paint job, and 19-inch wheels. Fray reportedly said, “We want to move the brand from more of a rational brand to more of an emotional brand.” I can't help but imagine that he was smug as a cat when he said it.

Now, keep in mind that this is only a concept car and just “could” preview a flashier, sexier Corolla. There's no date when this aggressively body-kitted Corolla could look at edging into the production line, but we can dream, can't we? Specifically, we can dream of a Toyota Corolla with boxier, more aggressive styling, with its new 19-inch wheels pushed to the edge of the frame in a sprawling crouch. The new LED headlights and blacked out grill help round out that predatory look in a way totally unexpected from Toyota's economy car.

This unexpected new styling could really shake up the Corolla's image, but the rapacious new design is really only cosmetic. Mostly. There's probably an update to the current models 1.8 liter engine for the 2014 model year, but fuel efficiency is the bread and butter of the Corolla's market. It would be nearly unthinkable for Toyota (commonly noted to maintain ecologically thoughtful mileage across model lines) to leverage the bold and brisk new design into an equally bold thirst for gas.

Even the design changes show an economy of style. The Furia isn't a complete redesign of the Corolla's staid patterning. It's been squared-off and made boxier, and there's a few sharp lines that weren't there before, but it's still just an improved Corolla. Any new approach to this linchpin brand is more than likely only a new approach for a new market. Most of the hard edges will get sanded off for mainstream production, if I guess correctly. The idea is to expand market, not scare off mainstream car-buyers.

The sleek manipulation on display in the Furia is typical, and unsurprising, coming from Toyota. As a company, they've always been fairly good about having a finger on the market's pulse. I can only see this bold new direction, however much is left after corporate's pandering to mainstream, strengthening the brand. With more and more pressure placed on high fuel efficiency, the new Corolla won't translate rapacious design into gas-guzzling. It might, though, translate into a bigger bite of the marketshare.

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Ford Atlas Concept

Ford made a surprise showing of their new Atlas concept at the Detroit auto show, oddly stuck on the end of a presentation on their commercial vans. The Atlas is a concept model for a full size pickup, and is almost certainly representative of the direction they hope to move the F-series pickups. The F series, of course, is and has been the best-selling fullsize pickup, in the States anyway, for almost four decades. The unveiling of the new concept might have something to do with the two new full size pickups that GM unveiled just recently. These trucks compete for the same market, of course, and it's easy to imagine that Ford wanted to sneak in a little spotlight time.

Testosterone is definitely the name of the game here. “Built Ford Tough” has been Ford's slogan since the eighties, and each new model year seems to push that slogan even further. The raised arches over the wheel wells speaks to this, but the beastly front grille seems to bellow. While Ford reports that the Atlas explores improvements for the also-beastly fuel consumption of the F series, it is also clear that this is an exploration of the “bigger is better” theory of American auto design.

However, there are fuel-economy gains to be seen here. The Atlas boasts a “truck-enhanced” stop start system on the twin-turbo EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6. That beastly grille actually has shutters that close when the engine is cool, leading to better aerodynamics. The front dam lowers and raises at speed, allowing for better freeway mileage, but still allowing obstacle clearance when you're tooling around off-road. Technically impressive, but all told these only add about two miles to the gallon at highway speeds.

Nifty features abound in the new design. Some are pretty standard, like multiple tie-down points in the bed and cargo walls, interior knobs that are more friendly to gloved hands, and 110 volt outlets in the bed. It's also got a 360 degree camera, which is new to Ford but not to other full-size pickup trucks. More dramatic are the unique features Ford is building in, things like a tailgate step that is also a cargo cradle. There are cargo ramps that slide under the bed and a roof system for hauling longer objects. A feature found particularly intriguing is a Trailer Backup Assist, which is supposed to help novices back trailers into parking spots. (If you've ever seen a novice try to back a trailer into anything, you're probably also familiar with what a heart attack feels like.)

Of course, the Atlas is just a concept model and there's really no telling how many of these features will make into the produced F line. They do show Ford is thinking, however, and that they know the needs of their market in a way few other manufacturers do, regardless of the product. With forward-looking ideas like these, it's clear that Ford wants to stay the best-selling full-size pickup in America.

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Read the Original Article Here: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/ford-atlas-concept-photos-and-info-news