There is at least one way that fire, medical and extrication personnel can anticipate some of the rescue challenges that will be presented by model year 2000 vehicles. The answer is to look at the experimental vehicles being shown at major auto shows around the country today. These one-of-a-kind cars, vans, trucks and sport utility vehicles are called "concept" cars or "show" cars, and they provide a glimpse into the future of vehicle design.

Through the courtesy of Chrysler Motors, the University of Extrication looks at one manufacturer’s concept cars, Jeeps and pickup trucks. Not all concept vehicles make it to production, but specific design cues often appear on future models. Show cars make a statement for the manufacturer that is measured in response from buyers, enthusiasts and magazine reviews. The Dodge Viper, for example, was introduced as a show car several years before actual production began. Features on the concept cars of today can become reality by the year 2000.

The Dodge Copperhead concept car is a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat roadster convertible with an elongated hood with dual air scoops, a drastically sloped windshield and a scaled-down dorsal fin on the rear decklid.

The five-door, four-passenger Plymouth Pronto differentiates itself from traditional sedans by its tall architecture, roll-back fabric roof and distinctive stand-alone bumpers. Pronto’s all-composite plastic body panels would be made of Acrylonitrile/ Styrene/Acrylate (ASA) plastic.

With Phaeton, Chrysler expanded the use of today’s convertible by giving it four doors and two windshields. Both front and rear passenger compartments are separated by a complete second cowl structure. The rear-seat dashboard gives rear-seat passengers their own radio, climate controls, speedometer and tachometer gauges. With two dashboards, rear-seat dual airbags are a real probability.

The Dodge Dakota Sidewinder concept truck’s most notable feature is its bucket-shaped cab. Other distinctive elements include a removable one-piece roadster soft top, a headerless windshield and hydraulic clamshell hood. The headerless windshield offers drivers and passengers better visibility, gives the truck an "open-air feel" and plain just looks cool.

The Jeep Icon is a creative exploration for a next-generation Jeep Wrangler. Of interest to extrication personnel is the folding windshield and integrated roll cage. One of the Icon’s most notable interior design elements is its seating. Each seat is made of exposed aluminum tubes that support olive-gray leather upholstery.

The Jeep Dakar, Chrysler’s concept four-door Jeep. Jeep designers made room for two additional doors by making Dakar’s wheelbase almost 15 inches longer than the 1997 Jeep Wrangler.

Chrysler engineers have developed the ultimate Ram, the T-Rex 6x6 pickup truck - a 500-hp V10-powered tandem-axle, 6x6 truck that is the world’s first full-time 6x6 light truck designed for personal use. It has molded Kevlar-carbon fiber composite outer sides on the stretched cargo box.

Summary
Other Chrysler concept vehicles created for the year 2000 and beyond include the Plymouth Pacific, a minivan that looks like the 1997 Plymouth Prowler; the Dodge Rhino, a new animal in the Dodge division that combines the capacity of a full-size van with the utility of a full-size pickup truck; and the Chrysler Mille, a concept car that has an all-glass top with LCD crystals that allow it to change colors in order to control the vehicle’s internal climate.

Concept engineers from all manufacturers believe the family car of the next decade ideally will be a vehicle very similar to today’s mid-size sedans, but capable of up to three times the fuel economy with 50 percent cleaner exhaust emissions.

Task: Discuss how you believe the challenges of model year 2000 and beyond vehicle features will be addressed by fire, medical and extrication crews.