This year’s show was no exception, with concepts like the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento sharing lawn space with the BMW Zagato Roadster, the Fisker Surf, the Lexus LF LC, the Bentley EXP 9 F and the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder, to name but a few.
Jay Leno spent some time looking at the latest concepts from Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce, all of which are expected to see production in the not-too-distant future.
The first stop on Leno’s tour was the Lotus Evora-based Infiniti Emerg-E concept. Demonstrating the potential of an extended-range electric, mid-engined supercar, the Emerg-E packs an estimated output of 402 horsepower, good enough for a 0-60 mph run in an estimated 4.0 seconds.
Production rumors abound, but Infiniti has yet to officially confirm that the Emerg-E concept will be built. Jay Leno seems a bit skeptical on the car’s potential, but we’d love to see it in showrooms if it can live up to the hype regarding both performance and range.
Next up was the Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe, which will debut in production form sometime next year. As Mercedes-Benz’s Robert Burns states, the four-door coupe will appear in dealer showrooms in near-concept form, retaining some 90-percent of the original design.
Don’t expect to see any revolutionary advances in powertrain technology in the Concept Style Coupe; instead, Mercedes-Benz will use a turbocharged and direct-injected four-cylinder engine, rated at some 210 horsepower, to keep costs in line.
Finally, Leno stopped by to view the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe Aviator Collection, a concept that will see limited production to honor founder Charles Rolls. Rolls, the second pilot licensed in Britain, became the first man to make a double crossing of the English Channel by airplane; sadly, he was killed in a plane crash in 1910, at the age of 32.
Based on the production Phantom Coupe, the Aviator Collection sports a cockpit-like interior, custom matte and glossy paint, a rear fascia that drops for easier cargo loading and all the refined elegance you’d expect in a Rolls-Royce automobile.