Concept Cars

  • rinspeed ichange geneva live 003

    Best known for its construction of oddball but impressive concepts like the James Bond-esque underwater sQuba and eXasis glass car, Swiss tuning and engineering firm Rinspeed is now delving into a new world of ‘shape-shifting’ or ‘adaptive’ cars. Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, Rinspeed’s all-electric iChange concept is claimed to be the world’s first car whose body adapts to the number of passengers on board. The basic idea behind the iChange is that the energy demand of a vehicle depends mostly on its weight, the type of engine it uses...

  • 2009 bmw 5 series gt concept 002
    BMW reveals 5-series Gran Turismo concept

    In late 2007 BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed plans for several all-new models including a design study called the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Today we have the first tangible evidence of the new PAS in the form of the 5-series Gran Turismo (GT) concept vehicle. Set to debut at next...

  • 1967 dodge viper concept rafael reston 008
    Rafael Reston imagines the Viper if it had been born in 1967

    Flights of fancy in the automotive design world are common, if vain, but occasionally they yield some treasure that shows what might have been. Rafael Reston, a Milanese designer, has done just that, capturing a Viper that might be from a parallel universe where the car made its debut in 1967. The...

  • 2009 Kia Soul'ster
    Kia considers production of Soul’ster pickup

    Kia rolled out an oddly styled pickup concept based on its new Soul compact car at last month’s Detroit Auto Show as way to drum up excitement for the regular hatch model which is set to go sale in March. The concept, called the Soul’ster, was never intended to be produced but strong...

  • 2000 Jaguar F-Type Concept
    Jaguar’s next sports car likely to be a lightweight roadster

    There are numerous reports about Jaguar working on a brand new sports car, with some speculating that the car will be a mid-engined supercar to take on the likes of the Audi R8, while others claim it is more likely to be a lightweight roadster designed along the lines of the Porsche Boxster or BMW...

  • 2009 Volkswagen Bluesport concept
    VW Bluesport could go to production if approved by Audi, Porsche

    Moving forward with production of even the most interesting designs is difficult work in today's economic climate. Volkswagen's Bluesport roadster, for instance, was well-received at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, but it won't see production unless both Audi and Porsche agree to build versions of the...

  • 2009 Toyota FT-EV concept

    Toyota used last week’s Detroit Auto Show to unveil its new FT-EV concept, a compact urban runabout based on the iQ minicar and powered by an all-electric drivetrain. The carmaker also used the Detroit event to announce plans to launch an urban commuter ‘battery-electric vehicle’ (BEV) by 2012 in the United States. While it’s safe to assume the new electric vehicle will be similar in shape and size to the FT-EV concept, Toyota’s national alternative-fuel vehicle manager in the U.S., Bill Reinert, has revealed to Automotive News that the carmaker is still...

  • cobra venom v8 motorauthority 001
    Video: Cobra Venom V8 design study

    The latest concept creation of budding automotive designer Jamie Martin is the modern Cobra Venom V8 based on the original AC Shelby Cobra. In fact, the design depicts a possible successor to the original 1960 Cobra and if built would be powered by a Ford V8 engine. This new video rendering of the...

  • VW's Bluesport roadster concept could be the model for the car
    Volkswagen execs hint at production possibility for Bluesport concept

    Volkswagen has made no secret of its desire to revive the compact roadster market with numerous concept cars over the last decade. The most recent of these was the Bluesport roadster that was unveiled this week at the Detroit Auto Show. The latest design takes the compact roadster concept to a new...

  • Johnson Controls re3 Concept
    Johnson Controls re3 Concept offers early look at future small car design

    Engineering firm Johnson Controls has unveiled a new concept at this year’s Detroit Auto Show that is described as a preview of technologies we can expect to see in future small cars. Combining intelligent packaging solutions with sustainable motoring concepts, the compact show car is one of...

  • RORMaxx Formula AE wind-powered sports car
    RORMaxx working on wind-powered Formula AE sports car

    Two car enthusiasts located in Beverly Hills, California, are working on a sports car prototype that emits zero emissions and draws its energy from the wind. The car is the RORMaxx Formula AE and the first prototype could be rolling as early as this August. The duo behind the car are Rory Handel...

  • 2009 Kia Soul'ster
    Kia Unveils Soul'ster Urban Crossover Concept

    Kia's 2010 Soul hatch just made its debut at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, but already the South Korean carmaker is teasing the upcoming hatch with a new concept vehicle that was unveiled at this week’s Detroit Auto Show. The concept is the new Soulster mini pickup and it is...

  • 2009 Cadillac Converj Concept

    General Motors Company [NYSE:GM] unveiled a further glimpse at the potential of electric propulsion today, this time in the form the Cadillac Converj Concept. The new show car was developed as an upmarket GT with a bold design and a bevy of advanced powertrain technology. The four-passenger Converj concept is intended to show how GM’s electric propulsion technology – called Voltec – can power a luxury coupe. The technology enables up to 40 miles of petrol and emissions-free electric driving with extended-range capability of hundreds of miles. Cadillac’s extended-range...

  • ktm fh joanneum concept studies 007
    Austrian design students envision range of KTM concepts

    Students of the FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz, Austria have designed a set of six KTM-inspired concepts. Using the edgy, futuristic design language made famous in KTM's motorcycles and X-Bow roadster, the students have styled a high-performance buggy, an...

  • 1965 turin salon lamborghini miura chassis 003
    Original 1965 Turin Salon Lamborghini Miura chassis found

    Originally shown at the 1965 Turin Salon, the Lamborghini Miura show car chassis has been in storage since 1978 on the island nation of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. Uncovered just a month ago sitting in the collection of Marios Kritikos, Cyprus' original Lamborghini dealer, the car has been...

  • E.M.M. Marussia Russian sports car
    Marussia sports car born out of Russia

    Some may argue that Communist countries never brought anything of worth to the automotive world, but with Russia's embrace of capitalism in recent years its previous reputation for producing terrible cars may no longer have any foundation - especially considering that Nikolay Fomenko, noted Russian...

  • Mercedes Benz S400 BlueHybrid
    Daimler teams with Evonik for lithium-ion batteries

    Three electric concepts headed to the 2009 Detroit Auto Show have captured much of Daimler subsidiary Mercedes' press of late, and the timing of the new Daimler-Evonik hints that the technology that underpins the cars could be headed for more than just the show floor. Mercedes' S400 BlueHybrid is...

  • 2008 GTbyCitroen concept
    Report: Limited production run planned for GTbyCitroen concept

    Citroen, together with the makers of the Sony Playstation game Gran Turismo, created a new GT concept car named the ‘GTbyCitroen’ that went on display at the Paris Motor Show back in October. The concept was developed as part of the promotion for the 5th title in the long-running Gran...

  • Lexus LF-A spy shot

    Speculation that the Lexus LF-A supercar project had been axed several months ago was refuted to some degree by ongoing testing of the car at the Nurburgring. Now a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has breathed new life into the car's possible production, though the company still hasn''t officially confirmed the car. The trademark filing, first dug up by AutoSpies, was made December 1, 2008. While information contained in the official document is understandably sparse, the name is registered for use as the name of 'automobiles and structural parts thereof'. Also of note is the...

  • maserati granturismo mc sportline concept 009
    Maserati unveils GranTurismo MC Sport Line at Bologna

    Bologna, Italy's late-season car show, has played host to a surprising number of new models this year. The latest, Maserati's MC Sport Line, is an option package designed to give the company's cars a decidedly motorsports-inspired look and handling treatment. Not that Maserati is by any means...

  • 2008 Volkswagen Scirocco R design study
    VW unveils Scirocco 'Study R' at Bologna Motor Show

    Volkswagen has taken the wraps off a new design study based on the Scirocco coupe at the Bologna Motor Show, which kicks off in Italy today. Aptly named the Scirocco Study R, the new show car is a preview of a high-performance version of the Scirocco coupe, which is set to arrive late next year as...

  • 2008 Ford Range Max Concept
    Ford Ranger Max concept debuts in Thailand

    Ford has unveiled a pickup truck concept vehicle bearing the Ranger name at this year's Thailand Motor Expo. Carrying the full title of Ford Ranger Max concept, the new concept features a bold exterior appearance and a number of interesting features, and according to its designers it even features...

  • Volkswagen up! Concept
    Volkswagen accelerates development for new minicar

    A number of major design and requirement changes had pushed back development work on a production version of last year’s up! minicar concept well past the 2010 mark, but with the accelerated change in demand for smaller and more fuel-efficient vehicles Volkswagen is speeding up the...

  • mindset e motion hybrid 004
    Mindset E-Motion hybrid car takes another step toward production

    There seems to be no end to the number of ecological concept cars being developed across the globe. Tough governmental standards and popular demand for clean cars are driving innovation in ever-greener directions, and the Swiss designer behind the Mindset E-Motion is tapping into that movement with...

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