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GM is ready for future in 'Tomorrowland'

Chris Woodyard
USA TODAY
The design of the Astro II prototype. The vehicle was revealed at the 1968 New York Auto Show and at the time had speculators wondering if it was the next generation of the Corvette.

The movie Tomorrowland, which opens Friday may feel like yesterdayland to General Motors.

That's because GM is using the occasion to showcase some of the futuristic dream cars of the 20th century to the media, even though they don't appear in the movie. Some of the designs are as fresh today as they were then.

It's not just a stroll down memory turnpike for GM. The movie is being used to promote the next-generation Chevrolet Volt, the plug-in that GM likes to think of as its own future.

Tomorrowland stars George Clooney.

"The Chevrolet archives are full of innovation in the form of sketches, specs and renderings for 'the car of tomorrow,'" said Paul Edwards, U.S. vice president of Chevrolet marketing in a statement.

The five concepts featured are described by GM like this:

•Firebird III, which debuted at the 1959 Motorama. It was an extravagant prototype with a fiberglass exterior, seven short wings and tail fins. This vehicle, like both generations of the Volt, allowed drivers to pre-condition the interior temperature before entering the vehicle.

•Firebird IV was an experimental car created to highlight what could be possible on automatic highways, including the latest infotainment at the time – in-vehicle television. The vehicle was built for the 1964 World's Fair in New York, which plays a key part in the plot of Tomorrowland."

•Astro II. Aerodynamics, also key to the design of the Volt, heavily influenced the design of the Astro II prototype. The vehicle was revealed at the 1968 New York Auto Show and at the time had speculators wondering if it was the next generation of the Corvette.

•Astro III was a sleek, two-passenger experimental car in 1969 resembling an executive jet aircraft, even down to its low center of gravity tricycle-type wheel arrangement. The Chevrolet Volt's battery lowers the vehicle's center of gravity, enhancing stability and handling in inclement weather.

•Chevrolet built the Express concept in 1987 as part of a project consulting with the federal government about building high-speed, limited access commuter roads open to specialized vehicles. The concept is described as "whisper-quiet" much like the Volt when operating in electric mode.

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