The 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show brought together the most creative minds in the automotive industry to compete in a design competition. This year's participants (Acura, Audi, Honda, Toyota, GM Hummer, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, and Volkswagen) were asked to transform the future of driving by implementing new environmentally-friendly technologies.
The winner of this green design competition, GM Hummer, thought up of ideas that, if implementable, would change the way car's affect the environment in a positive manner. Rather than merely reduce emissions and prevent environmental ruin, GM Hummer's O2 concept obliterates any eco-friendly expectations of this generally gas-guzzling company. Imagine a vertical hexagonal prism with algae-filled surfaces that are used to produce oxygen to contribute to our well-being. Frank Saucedo of GM's Advance Design Studio realized that cars are mostly parked on outside during the day and that exposure to the bright sun could be used to implement this oxygen-producing vehicle. While parked, the O2's sides raise upwards like a flower blossoming upside down and work away at helping us breathe easier and healthier. Rather than requiring oil changes, the GM Hummer O2 requires semiannual algae maintenance much like a tropical fish tank.
Acura's prototype green car is actually purple. If Lamborghini designed the Batmobile, they would have summoned a monstrous vehicle like Acura's nameless concept. The sketches reveal a one-seater with a jet-like cockpit. Audi's sketch merely depicts their vehicles frame, which resembles a fluid combination of a Podracer (Star Wars) and topless Jeep wrangler. Toyota's silver-frame, clear-panel concept is a front and back 2-seater convertible. This topless prototype sports 5-spoke wheels with cream-colors tires that definitely aren't Firestone or Michelin. There's not much to say about this naked-looking auto other than it will never be more than a concept. Honda's two-seater includes two side-by-side cockpits with tinted glass on four 8-spoke wheels. This vehicle looks like a horizontally extended version of Toyota's Rugged Sports Coupe (RSC) concept from 2001. Check out the video for the other submitted designs.
