Under shiny new surfaces are daring design cues

DETROIT — The number of debuts at this year's Detroit auto show was down and the show floor was a bit more sparse, with fewer automakers participating and introducing new products and ideas. But the rich spread of fresh metal was still dazzling.

Some design elements are noticeable from 100 feet away as the cover is pulled off and the smoke clears, leaving an unfamiliar vehicle to be visually absorbed all at once.

But other parts of it — a styling decision here, a panel curve there — might require a more thoughtful look. Sometimes an auto show-goer needs a second walk around.

Here's a look at some of this year's design cues that might have slipped by unnoticed on that first hurried glance.

Kia Telluride and Cadillac XT6 taillights
Kia and Cadillac — talk about brands from different worlds. But the unrelated three-row crossovers that debuted in Detroit bore a passing resemblance in their vertical taillights. To be sure, the XT6’s lights, right, extend more into the quarter panel. But for Kia’s splashy arrival in the segment of big and bold crossovers, will it hurt to possibly be mistaken one night at a red light for that other vertical taillight brand?

Infiniti QX Inspiration Concept’s logo

Since the concept is electric, Infiniti didn’t feel tradition-bound for the area normally reserved for a grille. As a result, the Infiniti logo on the 
QX Inspiration appears to be carved into the vehicle’s front end, where 
a light can appear to illuminate it.

Subaru STI S209 steering wheel

The STI S209 is not a subtle car.  The newest member of the cultish Subaru Tecnica International family is full of performance upgrades and exterior changes. But notice the steering wheel:  Replacing the traditional Subaru star cluster logo is the STI logo. Subaru is ready to embrace the brand.

There’s a lot going on inside the headlights on the redesigned Ram 2500 and 3500, including advanced LED with adaptive front-lighting, FCA says. The eyes on the heavy-duty Rams show just how intricate headlights continue to be. But there’s something bigger around the lights — namely, a stately front end that declares that the 2500 has arrived.

Toyota Supra’s roof

The roof of Toyota’s resurrected Supra is more or less “bubbly.” And Toyota had its reasons. First, the design influence was the 2000 GT coupe from the late 1960s. So it’s throwback. But more important, dropping the roof center reduces the frontal area without sacrificing occupant headroom.

Ford Explorer infotainment screen

No, that’s not a tablet in the redesigned 2020 Ford Explorer. And yes, display screens are usually horizontal. The optional 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen is instead in a portrait configuration, which is a first for the automaker ... just in case somebody wanted a crossover that made them feel like they weren’t separated from their phone.

Nissan IMs concept’s stance

Nissan has been talking a lot lately about the second wind that it truly believes sedans have in the American market. Nissan has been promising that it can rekindle that waning consumer love affair. So notice how the body sits on Nissan’s IMs concept. Notice the ground clearance. Can you say “sedan that looks enough like a crossover to make somebody buy it”?

GAC Entranze concept’s interior

GAC Motor’s decision to bring a concept to Detroit — the Entranze crossover — was daring in itself. But the Chinese automaker took a step beyond, filling it with cork surfaces. GAC described the interior as soft and sustainable, with cork on the dash and the back of the seats. But just in case that didn’t leave Americans warm and fuzzy, GAC also hung a pair of fuzzy dice  inside, which the automaker called “American memorabilia inspired.”