See the future–maybe–as concepts take center stage

While nothing as startling as a joystick-operated vehicle appears at this year’s show, several concepts hint broadly at the look and layout of future models.

Bear in mind that some concepts the manufacturers promise will be at McCormick Place may not arrive. Others may be on the floor at the start of the show but sent elsewhere before the event ends.

Here are major concepts due to appear:

Chrysler trumps all rivals in performance with the ME Four-Twelve, an 850-horsepower sports car it claims goes 248 m.p.h. And Chrysler says it is seriously considering building the car, which has a V-12 with four turbochargers. It’s scheduled to depart the show Sunday for further tooling.

Ford’s Shelby Cobra roadster recalls the muscle-car Mustangs of the 1960s. A V-10 engine packs 605 h.p., and it uses components from the GT supercar, increasing chances it will be built.

On the more practical side, General Motors announced in Detroit that it would build the Pontiac Solstice roadster (a 2002 concept) as a 2006 model and unveiled two concept cars built on the same compact, rear-wheel-drive platform.

They are the Saturn Curve, a 2-plus-2 coupe with a front-hinged hood and rear-hinged cargo lid, and the Chevrolet Nomad, a sport wagon that recalls a 1954 concept of the same name.

Though GM has not said whether it will build either, the fact that they ride on a production chassis and the Solstice factory will have capacity for another 80,000 vehicles bodes well for both. Saturn admits a small sports car is in its product plans.

Dodge also thinks small and sporty with the Sling Shot, a two-seater that resembles the Viper but has a fuel-sipping 3-cylinder engine that gets 45 m.p.g. The Sling Shot could be a Solstice rival done on the cheap because it is based on the Smart small car Mercedes-Benz sells in Europe.

The Mazda Miata made its world debut in Chicago in 1989, and its probable successor, disguised as the Ibuki concept, makes its North American debut this year.

Mitsubishi’s Eclipse Concept-E shows the styling direction for the 2006 Eclipse that will be built in Normal, Ill.

Pickup sales rose 2 percent last year to 3.1 million, and more manufacturers are going with the flow.

After years of shunning the market, Honda is displaying the SUT light-duty truck, a preview of what will be in showrooms as a 2006 model. The SUT will use the same architecture as the Honda Pilot/Acura MDX sport-utility vehicles.

Size matters among full-size pickups, and the FTX signals that Toyota intends to rival the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado and Nissan Titan. The FTX is a peek at the next-generation Tundra, due in 2006. It is about 228 inches long, the same territory as the others.

Lincoln bombed with the 2002 Blackwood luxury pickup but is revving up for another crack at that market with the LT, a posh version of the F-150. The LT could be on the market next year as a 2006 model.

Kia demonstrates it wants a pickup with the Mojave, a midsize truck built on the Sedona SUV platform. There are no production plans because Kia lacks a place to build it.

In a role reversal, Hummer slims down with the H3T concept and Jeep bulks up to Hummer-like proportions with the Rescue.

The H3T is a sport-utility truck (open cargo bed) that measures 175 inches front to rear, 15 inches less than the H2, but has Hummer’s usual take-no-prisoners off-road capability. GM is likely to build the H3 as an enclosed SUV for the 2006 model year and follow with an SUT version.

The Rescue is square-cut in classic Jeep style and sized like the H2 with a 123-inch wheelbase and 80-inch width. No word on whether it will be built. It is based on the Dodge Ram full-size pickup, giving it a solid foundation and chance for production.

The funky-looking Jeep Treo is an unlikely candidate for showrooms. The body tapers to the rear, and it seats three in a two-plus-one layout. A hydrogen fuel cell powers four electric motors.

Ford is pulling a lot of names out of the closet for concept and production models. Besides the Shelby Cobra, it is showing the two-door Bronco, reviving a moniker and look that debuted in the 1960s on a full-size SUV. The Bronco concept, however, is smaller than the Escape, Ford’s compact SUV.

Ford digs into its parts bin for the Lincoln Mark X, a concept roadster that uses the Thunderbird’s chassis and mechanical components. The T-Bird is scheduled to fade out in 2005, and that’s when the Mark X could appear in Lincoln showrooms.

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Lincoln confirms that the Aviator concept is destined for production as a 2007 model. The concept, based on the Mazda6 car platform, will replace the current Aviator, an upscale cousin of the Ford Explorer.

Though the Aviator is sure to fly, the Volkswagen concept T is unlikely to get off the ground despite wing-type doors that are hinged to the front pillars and swing up and out.

Most dune buggies of the ’60s and ’70s were based on the original Beetle, and the concept T is an update of that. Volkswagen calls it an “off-road coupe” that blends an SUV with a sports car: V-6 engine, all-wheel-drive and a T-top roof with removable panels.

The concept T’s V-shaped grille will appear on future VWs.

Hyundai’s HCD8 (the eighth concept created by Hyundai’s California design studio) is an evolution of the Tiburon coupe’s styling. Hyundai says some of the HCD8’s lines are likely to show up on a future Tiburon.