Green is the new coin of the auto realm, both in the traditional folding money sense and in the desire to appear as being eco-friendly. Or at least that's the conclusion to be drawn from this year's crop of top concepts from the North American International Auto Show.
It'll probably take in excess of a hundred grand of the folding stuff to take a seat behind the wheel of the Lexus LF-A Roadster concept, once the Japanese luxury maker finally sets an on-sale date for the 500-bhp V-10-powered supercar. Likewise, a fellow Asian automaker is seeking to project a sporty, upscale feel to its brand with the introduction of the Mitsubishi Concept-RA. Chrysler is looking to tap into the eco-friendly green zone with its Dodge ZEO show car, a sporty 2+2 pure electric car with a 250-mile range. The Mazda Furai is the fifth concept in a series exploring that manufacturer's philosophy of using flowing shapes that not are not only appealing to the eye, but are also on the cutting edge of efficient aerodynamics. And the Land Rover LRX concept demonstrates that its SUV heritage can survive with a smaller, car-based footprint.