2016 Detroit Auto Show Winners and Losers: Concept Cars

CARS.COM — At the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, concept cars were out in force. Concepts often are fanciful vehicles that may never be built but show the direction in which an automaker is heading. They also may be used to test the waters for new styling, new features or new segments.

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Our editors Aaron Bragman, Joe Bruzek, Mike Hanley and Brian Wong had a look at the concept cars at in Detroit. Here are their votes for what’s in and what’s out.

Acura Precision Concept

Aaron Bragman: Winner
Hallelujah! An Acura that doesn’t feature a hideously ugly schnoz leading a completely forgettable body. The Precision concept is a gorgeous, distinctive sedan that Acura execs say heralds a new look for the brand. Now we have to pray that Acura takes a page from Lexus’ new playbook for its LC 500 and makes the production car look like the concept.

Mike Hanley: Loser
Low-slung and long, the proportions of the Precision concept are great. But most true concept cars have great proportions because there’s no need to account for the practical requirements of a production model. The new hexagonal grille, however, left me underwhelmed, and it is supposed to appear in production models. It’s not as controversial as Acura’s shield grille, but it didn’t strike me as particularly attractive.

Joe Bruzek: Winner
Acura’s Precision is the direction we all — except Hanley apparently — wish Acura had been pursuing all along. If Acura had stylized its 2008 TL — the last of the not-awkward TLs — to concept-car proportions, the Precision could have been the result. I definitely like the way this is heading.

Brian Wong: Winner
I agree with Hanley; the nose is probably the least attractive part of the Precision. The rest of it, however, is striking, with sharp, angular bodywork that has deep lines and grooves working down the sides. The headlights also offer some of my favorite subtle detailing from the Detroit Auto Show, with small plastic structures in front of the LEDs that give the lenses a shattered appearance. Acura needs new styling up and down; hopefully the Precision is an indicator of better things to come.

Audi H-Tron Quattro Concept

AB: Loser
Please, Audi, stop calling all your concept cars some variation of “Quattro concept.” H-Tron Quattro sounds like a Mexican luchador (colorful, masked pro wrestlers), and I’m having trouble telling the Quattro concepts apart. It’s great that this is a hydrogen-powered electric vehicle, but it’s time to start thinking about the naming convention, lest Audi fall into the Lexus trap of naming everything some combination of the letters L, F and C.

MH: Winner
You can see from the front of the H-Tron Quattro how Audi might evolve the look of its Singleframe grille, stretching it toward the headlights. It looks good, and the rakish-wagon profile with a little higher stance also works well.

JB: Loser
The Audi H-Tron Quattro looks nearly identical to Audi’s all-electric E-Tron Quattro Concept, except this one is a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle and orange. The H-Tron is easily forgettable at this show filled with stunners, especially because we’ve already seen this in another form.

BW: Loser
Seeing the H-Tron in photos and in person, it made me feel nothing. Concept cars should stir something in you, making you feel excitement about the future, or at least curiosity. The H-Tron did not. Its powertrain isn’t particularly exciting, and slapping screens all over is no longer enough to carry a concept’s interior.

Buick Avista Concept

AB: Winner
Big winner, actually. It’s simply gorgeous and looks even better in person than it does in photos. If you squint, you can see the Camaro donor vehicle that gave Avista its chassis and proportions, but open your eyes and behold its swoopy glory. Lots of folks have said to me, “Yeah, pretty, but it’s still a Buick.” You have to change the product before you can change minds, folks, and this would be a major step toward establishing Buick’s relevance with a younger generation.

MH: Winner
I’m a sucker for pillarless coupes such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupe, and the Avista concept’s profile benefits from the design, too. It’s sleek, with a look that’s more aggressive than any Buick of recent memory. Overall, it seems like a great low-volume halo model for the Buick brand.

JB: Winner
It’s easy to waste 10 minutes at the Buick booth just staring at the Avista’s sporty proportions, aggressive stance with wide tires and awesome blue exterior. So much so that the Aston Martin and Porsche booths nearby were practically empty while people swooned over the Buick.

BW: Winner
Photos don’t do the Avista justice. There’s a bit too much Jaguar in the front end for me, but that’s nitpicking. The coupe is gorgeous from every angle, may signal a new styling direction for Buick’s front ends and has (sort of) portholes that for once didn’t make wrinkle my nose in distaste.

Kia Telluride Concept

AB: Winner
Totally funky, and thank God it’s not another Soul derivative concept that never will be built. Big, boxy and bold, it hints at a potential SUV that Kia could do now that gasoline is cheap again. Anyone remember the Kia Borrego? It arrived at the exact wrong moment for Kia and disappeared quickly from these shores. Looks like it might be time to revisit this idea.

MH: Loser
The Telluride concept is unapologetically boxy and from a brand not known for boxy design. That didn’t bother me, but what did is the front-end design; all I kept seeing was the MV-1, a wheelchair van with styling that seems like an afterthought. That’s not what you want to be emulating, Kia.

JB: Loser
Were the Telluride and MV-1 taxi separated at birth? I think so. Kia’s concept is awkwardly shaped and seems like a big departure from the rest of its lineup. Let’s hope this concept stays one.

BW: Loser
I don’t mind the boxy look, and I like that the exterior looks pretty much production-ready except for those doors. I do mind Kia saying that it’s a large, three-row SUV concept and then not putting a third row in it. The health monitoring via “Smart Sensors” is a nifty touch, but it doesn’t seem to have any other application than the therapeutic lighting.

Nissan Titan Warrior Concept

AB: Winner
It’s the Ford F-150 Raptor fighter that Dodge and Chevrolet refuse to build. With a heavily modified suspension, much wider track and chunky styling additions, it turns the Titan from an awkward duckling into a truly attractive Tonka toy. Pity it won’t be built: That lengthened rear axle is a custom job, according to our resident pickup truck expert. But I bet it gave Ford a few moments pause.

MH: Winner
Bragman said it. The additions that transform the regular Titan into the Warrior Concept turn a not particularly attractive production truck into a burly beast that looks ready to conquer anything.

JB: Winner
The Warrior add-ons give the nose-heavy (designwise) Titan XD about as equal proportions as you can get with that skyscraper grille. This thing has some serious hardware underneath, but I have a hard time believing it could keep up with a Raptor considering the regular Titan XD weighs around 7,000 pounds and the diesel isn’t exactly a screamer from the factory.

BW: Loser
I like the Warrior a lot, I really do. But I’m afraid that much of the detail that I like won’t make it if Nissan decides to build the thing. A neutered version of the Warrior won’t measure up; keeping the orange accents but taking away the brawn would make it more Conan O’Brien than Conan the Barbarian.

Volkswagen Tiguan GTE Active Concept

AB: Loser
This is what we call a “noncept,” a car that’s actually the production version of a new model but lightly disguised with some odd features and called a concept by the manufacturer. VW took the upcoming new Tiguan, which actually might be quite nice, and added silly mud-bogging tires, fender flares … and a plug-in powertrain. Where are you going to plug in out in the woods? And VW’s move to touch-sensitive controlled everything — not cool.

MH: Winner
Underneath the various off-road add-ons is the next-generation Tiguan and it looks good. The U.S. will get a slightly longer one to accommodate an available third-row seat when it goes on sale, but if that doesn’t distort the design too much VW will have a sharp-looking compact SUV to sell in a market that’s obsessed with them.

JB: Loser
The currently available Tiguan is in sad shape, so I’m not sure why Volkswagen is playing with concepts and not rushing a production version to put in front of the public. The knobby BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires look like they would destroy the inner fender liner with any significant amount of suspension travel, but the rest of the Tiguan looks like it’s in good shape, save for the touch-screen missing any real dials or knobs.

BW: Winner
This was a close one for me, but I went with winner because, like Hanley, I think the next-generation SUV hiding under the added cladding and fender flares is a large improvement. There’s a lot of Passat in the new nose, and that new character line down the side adds some needed detailing that the current model lacks.