The fast and the furious: MD's look at 2004's concept vehicles

Sherri L. Carmody
Associate Editor

The love affair with fast, hot cars is still going strong at Detroit's North American International Auto Show. Old favorites such as Ford's Shelby Cobra have come back to life as concept vehicles. Chrysler's 850-hp super rocket, the ME Four-Twelve, is slated to hit streets as early as this summer.

Automakers do give a nod to the environment through concepts that include a hybrid-electric sports roadster from Subaru and an Eclipse Concept-E hybrid coupe from Mitsubishi. Toyota Motor Co. announced the next-generation hybrid-electric Prius sedan and a Lexus RX hybrid would arrive later this year, with a Highlander hybrid SUV to join them in early 2005. But the "save the world" mentality pales in comparison to the rubber-burning, neck-snapping, big-engine power evident at this year's show.