More Than Motoring May. 2015 | Page 15

why so many people would want to buy one. FT-1 Concept: The Future Toyota 1 is said to be the partnership between BMW and Toyota. Exterior styling is that of a performance vehicle, while the interior is quite driver-focused. Picture an automotive executive meeting room with five people. One executive is wondering who cut the cheese. Another is contemplating her resume since the automaker is horrendously struggling. A third is filming a ten second video for the corporate Snapchat account. The other two are wondering, “How does an automaker steal the headlines at a huge auto show?” The answer? Ford knows. Make three epic cars. Step A: America’s best-selling pickup truck has received a drastic refresh. Of course, the off-road racer version needs an update, so preview it! I did not take a look at the BMW i3. However, I saw a few M BMWs that I loved, such as the X5 M, X6M, and the M6. The BMW i8 was also present. Along with the i8 were people thinking that a Honda Civic LX was essentially the same car at a lower cost. Step B: The original pony car already has a GT version. But a Shelby variant is missing. Don’t just shoehorn a powerful engine inside and call it a day. Instead, give the car upgrades that can make it take on the track-beast Camaro Z/28. BMW i8: The i8 is one of the only cars to prove that stunning concepts can reach production relatively unscathed. Who knew a three cylinder car with electric assist could be so awesome? Step C: Mustangs are not real supercars. Nobody will look at a Mustang in the same league as a McLaren. The Ford GT of the 2000s was considered a supercar. So therefore, make one better than the original that is set to take on real supercars! BMW M6: Top Gear proved that this car could withstand Australia’s Northern Territory without any problems. A big, powerful, and nicely refined BMW M sedan is something to like. Optional step: Bring cars that most consumers can actually afford. But we care more about the upcoming sports cars anyway. BMW X5 M & X6 M: There’s no practical purpose for these SUVs. Virtually no owner will take this to the track. And who needs an SUV with launch control that takes the behemoth to 62 MPH in close to 4 seconds flat? The answer is pretty much nobody. But that’s Ford Raptor: A 10 speed automatic? A V6 engine? While that doesn’t sound as wild as the 6.2L V8 of the old Raptor, Ford may very well know what they are doing…