Vauxhall's futuristic concept car revealed

Every car that we see on the road today once started off long ago as a drawing on the design board of some manufacturing boffin.

In reality, most blueprints never make it further than the design board and even fewer actually ever make it into the showroom. Some, particularly the more revolutionary and futuristic, bear fruition in the form of a concept car.

A concept car is essentially a prototype that's used to demonstrate new technology or new styling and they regularly appear at motor shows to give the public a glimpse of what might be around the corner.

The Vauxhall AUTOnomy
Vauxhall are one manufacturer that regularly produces concept cars and some of their recent showpieces have been truly awesome. Visitors to the 2002 Detroit Auto Show were lucky enough to see one such example and the Vauxhall AUTOnomy proved to be something of a showstopper.

Looking like an amazing cross between a Lego car and something out of Demolition Man, it was the first car that was designed and built exclusively with fuel cell power in mind, meaning it was a completely pollution-free vehicle.

Not only did the Vauxhall AUTOnomy not damage the environment, but it was also revolutionary in the fact that it used drive-by-wire technology. This meant that instead of using mechanics, the car performed functions such as braking, steering and acceleration by way of electronic control.

All the major components of the vehicle were contained in a skateboard-like base, meaning that the body was incredibly light. This enabled the car to bear a striking resemblance to some mobile phones in as much as the entire body could easily be removed and replaced with a different style depending on the owner's tastes and needs.

Amazing potential
The potential for the Vauxhall AUTOnomy is enormous and at the time of the 2002 Detroit Auto Show a company spokesman said, "By combining fuel cells and x-by-wire, we can explore the design, use and marketing of transportation devices that truly give our customers what they want – regardless of where or how they live now or in the future.

"This is the first concept vehicle that captures the vision and potential of where fuel cell technology will lead the industry in every region of the world, well within the lifetimes of most of the people who will be visiting this show."

Five years on from the unveiling of this concept car, it's yet to hit the road – but that was never the idea. The Vauxhall AUTOnomy was designed to show what is possible, what the future of motoring holds and what we could all be driving not too long from now.

As time goes by, no doubt some of the car's features will begin to appear within the designs of vehicles available to the general public and it probably won't be long at all until we're all driving cars that bear some sort of resemblance to the Vauxhall AUTOnomy.

That's what concept cars are all about – giving us a glimpse of what's to come. And if the Vauxhall AUTOnomy is anything to go by, the future's definitely going to be an exciting place.

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