Cars of the Future Go on Display in Detroit
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Today begins four days of media previews of the North American International Auto Show. That show begins Saturday in Detroit, but our Ed Garsten was with the press and he has this special look from behind the wheel of the cars of the future.</s>ED GARSTEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the annual religious experience in the Motor City where everything drive able is a deity and thousands of scribes from around the world piously put their pens to ink to herald the coming of the motor city messiah, the latest on wheels. The auto makers tease with so-called concept cars, vehicles their engineers dream up to test the limits of design and function.</s>J. MAYS, V.P. FORD DESIGN: We call this vehicle the 49.</s>GARSTEN: The 49 concept car from Ford is a hark back to the post-war period, and the original '49 Ford.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The 49's appearance is what we call hypersmooth.</s>GARSTEN: Could this really be a Cadillac? The Bazzan SUV (ph) tosses out the Caddy's old bland-yawn image, in favor of a sleek design, flexible interior, and programmable instrument panel. Here is another image buster: the Buick Bengal -- a tiger of a concept roadster named for a tiger of a golfer, designed for his needs. Here's a concept: a futuristic car from a brand that will soon be in the past. It's the Oldsmobile Old 4. Even though the Olds name will soon fade into automotive history, the old Ford's ideas will live on in future models. Crashing the concept car party, a new Jeep that will actually be sold later this year. It's the Jeep Liberty, a small SUV to replace the outgoing Cherokee.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Styling, character, class, heritage -- it's all there. All there in hopes of spinning sputtering sales onto more solid terrain. Ed Garsten, CNN, Detroit.