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I think the aztek is a good case study in what it takes to make a concept car viable from an economic, government, and safety point of view. It also shows that

by S_A_P 12y ago

I think the aztek is a good case study in what it takes to make a concept car viable from an economic, government, and safety point of view. It also shows that all three of these factors are there to make a car suck more. Accountants want the car to cost x dollars to make, so it means less body colored molding and more generic grey plastic panels that can be used on every color. It must be able to take a crash so the sleek hoodline needs to be fattened up some. Who knows what all conspired to foil the Azteks appearance.

hapless 12y ago
The core aesthetic problems in the Aztek all came from the same place: to save money, they started with a minivan body and drivetrain, the GM U-platform. After the decision to base the Aztek around a minivan was made, everything was determined by the limitations of the platform: * The hood line was determined by the pre-existing hardpoints in the U-platform body. * The awful body cladding was determined by the pre-existing sheet metal. * The second rate AWD options were determined by the pre-existing drivetrain and so on, and so on.