Concept Car reviews

Having a plethora of pixel artists that showcase their visions of future cars is tremendous. This is especially true for classic cars that need to have a modern-day successor. The 1970-1977 Alfa Romeo Montreal is one of those cars and recently, the YouTube channel, NewCarDesign has given us a rendering of what a new model could look like.

Like with any other year before, the 2021 SEMA Show will bring an impressive lineup of custom cars. Mopar for example will present a total of seven concept cars, one of them being the Ram 1500 TRX RexRunner. As its name suggests, the Ram 1500 TRX RexRunner concept is based on the production version Ram 1500 TRX but adds an impressive lineup of Mopar accessories and custom parts.

The new LX 600 F SPORT will probably steal the show at the 2021 SEMA, but it won’t be the only model you will be able to admire at Lexus’ boot. A very cool IS 500 developed by Hiraku Co. and Lexus ambassador, Townsend Bell will try to make people remember the IS still has some potential.

When Ford announced the new generation Expedition, it also announced the addition of the new Timberline trim - a model described by Ford as "the most off-road-capable Expedition ever."

Now, Ford took this off-road capability even further with the announcement of the new Expedition Timberline Off-Grid Concept. It will be displayed at the Overland Expo East at Oak Ridge Estates in Arrington, Virginia this upcoming weekend and the in November at the 2021 SEMA Show.

Who said electric cars can’t be fun, and most importantly, who said CUPRA is not going to survive? In fact it did survive, and is doing more than that: it is impressing the world with every car it unveils.

Its last creation - the Tavascan Extreme E Concept - is a 100% concept car built with off-roading in mind. It also offers a second glimpse to the CUPRA’s future Tavascan - or, the company’s second 100% electric model after the Born announced a few months ago. As a reminder, we got a first look at the Tavascan back in 2019 when a concept with the same name was revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Recently unveiled by Volkswagen, The I.D. LIFE Concept is said to be the company’s first “people’s car” as an EV. The IAA 2021 in Munich has opened eyes around the world as there were quite a lot of unique cars, especially EVs. This compact crossover-type concept looks sick with unique design language both in exterior and interior and has quite a few interesting facts about it. Here’s a quick review as to what has been disclosed by Volkswagen in simpler words.

Smart is one of those obscure automotive names that you don’t really pay much attention to. They are mostly known for their ForTwo model, which isn’t really worth mentioning, or the fun Smart Roadster, which could have been a great car if it wasn’t for the atrocious automated manual gearbox. Now, however, there might actually be a valid reason to talk about Smart, as they’ve introduced a funky sub-compact crossover at the IAA Munich auto show, called Concept #1.

The Porsche Mission R Concept race car was shown at the 2021 IAA Mobility show, which is currently underway in Munich, (September 7-12). The Mission R provides a taste of things to come, and this concept racer shows us what the future of Porsche customer racers that feature an all-electric drive might look like.

Daimler debuts its very first all-electric Maybach, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS concept, at the IAA show in Munich. This SUV is a glimpse of what the production car will look like.

When Seat announced its new CUPRA sub-brand, no one believed it would actually stick around. As it turns out most people were wrong, as CUPRA is still around, and more than that, CUPRA models are very successful across Europe. The company is in fact so serious and successful that it is preparing to launch its first urban electric car sometime in 2025. While that is still four years from now, CUPRA used the 2021 IAA Munich motor show as an opportunity to give us a first glimpse at its future model.

GMC has unveiled the Canyon AT4 OVRLANDX concept at the Overland Expo Mountain West. As the name suggests, it is based on the Canyon’s off-road trim, the AT4. Overlanding is a niche that’s picking up pace quite rapidly and automakers are offering accessories for the same. The OVRLANDX concept is developed keeping this in mind and it comes with goodies that will make your camping experience even better. Also, it comes with a lot of off-road equipment, thus elevating the AT4 trim as a whole.

The Volkswagen Golf GTI is a hot hatch and has been around the block for quite some time now. Although the company is gearing up for the 2022 Golf GTI, it has decided to look back and pay homage to the yesteryear Golf model – the 1984 GTI, to be specific – by fusing it with the latest generation. Volkswagen has teamed up with Philadelphia-based VW enthusiast Jamie Orr and created a concept that combines the best of the present and the past.

Volkswagen noted that the inspiration for this concept was an enthusiast-built Mk2 version of the GTI, which supplanted the only U.S.-built generation of the GTI in 1984. The goal was to highlight what has made the GTI special through the years.

The car retains the same stock drivetrain and as it is the most powerful Golf GTI ever. Even the interior was left as it is. For the retro touches on the exterior, Orr and his team decided to swap the wheels with a set of 19-inch BBS Super RS shoes that feature the iconic BBS waffle and hex pattern. They were shod in Delinte 235/35 D7 rubber.

The highlight, however, was the BBS retro red and black vintage livery with pinstriping running from all across the body. The car was even lowered, courtesy of H&R coilovers. The Borla exhaust from the Mk8 was retained as Orr was happy with it. Overall, this is a sweet build that mixes the retro touches on the new Golf GTI.

Lincoln had teamed up with ArtCenter earlier this year and announced it will invite students to create four concepts. These concepts would be on a humane level, showing stories about people. One such concept called “Anniversary” was showcased by Lincoln at the 2021 Monterey Car Week.

The ‘Anniversary” is a four-seater vehicle perceived how Lincoln vehicles would be in 2040 and beyond. The concept talks about a couple – Julianne and Greg – celebrating their 30th anniversary. They drive around visiting their favorite spots and the images from their past run on the wide-screen on the dash. Now, this will certainly not make it to production, but it gives an idea of how things could be in the future and how you will be able to “take a trip down the memory lane” literally.

Concept cars come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The Skysphere Concept, which Audi has now digitally unveiled, is unique in more ways than one. It is a massive autonomous open two-seater GT car, that can drive itself.

However, the biggest highlight of this long electric roadster with a soft-top is its ability to change its dimensions on the fly by 9.8 inches. Yes, you heard that right, at the push of a button, the 16-feet long GT extends its length and gets even longer to 17-feet.

Many would argue that aesthetics would outlive everything. All cars eventually become old and obsolete in terms of technical specs, except high-achievers, such as the McLaren F1 or Bugatti Chiron SS. The point is, eventually, aesthetics become the main definitive characteristic for most cars, and this is what people will remember. Some cars, however, are just weird, like the Alfa Romeo SZ/RZ we recently covered. then you’ve got cars like the Castagna Vittoria, which is named after the synonymous coachbuilder from Milan, that is just as weird and even more obscure.

While some automakers are making switches to the future by plonking in electric powertrains to existing models, a few of them are revealing concepts to show what the future holds for them. Toyota unveiled the bZ4x concept last month and it gave us a preview of what the Japanese automaker’s future holds. Now, Volvo has given us a peek of what the Scandinavian design philosophy will look like.

Volvo has revealed the Concept Recharge in the form of a two-row SUV. At the onset, it sure looks futuristic. The Swedish automaker has retained the core aesthetic elements, like the Thor headlights, the prominent Volvo logo up front, etc. But, the question is – Can the automaker be a top dog in this paradigm shift?

Every now and then, Volkswagen releases a random concept that showcases aftermarket mods and the potential of said model in the hands of someone willing to make some mods. Cars like the Volkswagen Golf GTE HyRacer showed us what was possible with the Golf while the Jetta GLI concept most likely gave birth to a few stunning blue Jettas on the road. There was also the Tiguan SE R-Line Black Rino Concept that somehow blended functionality with a low-rider stance. Now, Volkswagen is growing its enthusiast fleet again with the Arteon Big Sur concept.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse was one of the most praised compact Japanese sports coupes. Sadly, the third generation of the car (2000-2005) was a letdown, compared to the success of the previous two. The fourth-generation was significantly better, but shared too many similarities with the previous model, like the lazy transversely-mounted V-6, which at least had power this time and the front-wheel-drive layout.

Although the 3.8-liter 24-valve SOHC V-6 had a decent output, everyone wanted it to be the sleeker two-door equivalent of the Lancer Evolution. This meant a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four and all-wheel-drive. Apparently, the specialists from Mitsubishi’s Ralliart department thought the same, which is why they got to work on making the Eclipse we all wanted. This resulted in the, introduced at the 2005 NAIAS, Mitsubishi Eclipse Ralliart Concept.

Audi is arguably the most active automaker that’s electrifying its lineup. Barely a few days after debuting the Q4 e-tron SUV and Sportback, the German automaker has now given us a preview of the A6 e-tron, the electric version of the luxury namesake sedan. Teased at the 2021 Auto Shanghai, the A6 e-tron concept showcases what to expect from the production version of the EV and also goes on to show that Audi is not getting rid of sedans anytime soon.