Concept Cars

  • 2014 Volkswagen XL1 (Euro spec)  -  First Drive, Wolfsburg, June 2013

    Volkswagen is reportedly working on a performance version of the XL1 plug-in hybrid.

  • Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept: 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show (Video)

    See the Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R, the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show concept that packs the technology from Toyota's Le Mans prototype into an everyday hatchback body, in this video.

  • Lexus LF-NX concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Lexus LF-NX Concept Live Photo Gallery: 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show

    Lexus today unveiled its LF-NX concept, a compact crossover utility vehicle with a hybrid powertrain, at the Frankfurt Auto Show. It previews an upcoming small crossover from Lexus, to be known as the NX in both conventional and hybrid versions. Dimensionally, the LF-NX is smaller than Lexus’...

  • BMW Concept X5 eDrive, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    BMW Concept X5 eDrive Live Photos: 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show

    BMW does very well with its sport utility vehicles in North America, which is why they're made in South Carolina. And with hybrid crossovers and sport utilities coming thick and fast, today saw the official unveiling of the BMW Concept X5 eDrive at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The company had released...

  • 2014 BMW i3
    2013 Frankfurt Auto Show Preview: Green Cars & Concepts (UPDATE)

    The 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show is soon upon us, and it's set to be another big one for green vehicles. It's a big show in general, spread throughout several buildings in the manner of a small town. Most are occupied by huge displays of the German automakers' collective might, and those German firms...

  • Smart Fourjoy concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Smart FourJoy Concept For Frankfurt, Previews Next ForFour

    Fans of the Smart Fortwo--and they are out there, if not necessarily in the United States--have been patiently waiting for what seems like an eternity for the next-generation car. But, like an enormous candy bar dangled just out of reach of a child, the company has instead churned out concept after...

  • Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show

    Toyota has released more official images of its Yaris Hybrid-R Concept, a hotted-up hybrid Yaris due at the Frankfurt Auto Show next week. While it looks more or less like a Yaris, the powertrain is far removed from that you'll find in any existing Yaris--and indeed any existing Toyota hybrid outside of the race track environment. That's because the Yaris Hybrid-R uses technology more inspired by its TS030 Le Mans prototype than it is the road-going Toyota Yaris Hybrid we drove last year. This is one hybrid very much set up for performance--not least because there's no mention of economy...

  • Lexus LF-NX concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Lexus LF-NX Compact Crossover Concept Previews Production 2015 Lexus NX Hybrid Model

    Toyota has promised an ever greater range of hybrids over the next few years, to add to its already significant range of 23 hybrid models worldwide. One of those will be the 2015 Lexus NX, a compact crossover showing off the latest in the company's L-finesse design language. This concept, the...

  • Volvo Concept Coupe, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Volvo Concept Coupe Plug-In Hybrid: Classic P1800 Reimagined

    "The new Volvo Concept Coupé reveals how we could shape our cars from now on. Free from the superficial surface excitement of other car brands, we add emotional value to the Volvo brand with the calm, confident beauty that is the hallmark of Scandinavian design." Those are the words of...

  • Infiniti Q30 concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Infiniti Q30 Concept Hints At Smaller, Greener Luxury Hatch

    Infiniti has released the first official image of its new Q30 Concept before the vehicle makes its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show next month. The Q30 Concept is the company's first take on a luxury compact hatchback, set to rival cars like the Lexus CT 200h and Audi A3, as well as other-market...

  • Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R Concept Revealed In Full, Debuts Frankfurt

    Toyota has revealed a full teaser image of its Hybrid-R concept due at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show--and it's the hot hybrid hatch we were expecting. The company revealed a simple R logo a few weeks back, and rumors were rife it might find its way onto a next-generation Supra sports car. Then the...

  • Toyota Yaris Hybrid-R concept, 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show
    Toyota's Frankfurt Hybrid R Concept Is A Hybrid Hot Hatchback

    Toyota has released its second teaser image of its Frankfurt Auto Show Hybrid R concept--and it's not at all what we thought it was. There was plenty to suggest that Toyota might use the show to showcase a much-anticipated sports coupe using the Supra name--one with a hybrid drivetrain. The latest...

  • MINI Vision concept car

    The classic Mini wasn't the original gas-saving minicar, but it was certainly one of the most iconic, and modern owners BMW have turned the brand into a successful venture these days with a wide and not always endearing portfolio. It's still the basic hatchback which mirrors the original car closest, but the current model is up for replacement in the next year or so. The car you see here, called the MINI Vision, could be that replacement. We've already seen spy shots of the next MINI, which at the time didn't seem promising. The long-distance photos showed a car with odd proportions, albeit...

  • Volkswagen buggy up! Concept
    Volkswagen To Produce Beach Buggy Based On Up Minicar?

    Wind back the clock to September 2011, and one car in particular was making headlines at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show: The Volkswagen Up. VW devoted a huge area of its stand to the simple, fuel-efficient minicar, as well as the range of Up-based concept vehicles it was launched alongside. One of...

  • Jaguar C-X75 concept car
    Jaguar C-X75 Hybrid Supercar Video: "Veyron Performance, Prius Emissions"

    Not to be outdone by Ferrari, Porsche and McLaren, Jaguar and the Williams F1 team spent the last few years working behind the scenes on their own hybrid supercar, showing that going green could also be exciting. Originally planned with jet turbine range-extending engines, it was then downgraded to...

  • Toyota Camatte57s concept
    Toyota's Kid-Friendly Electric Concept Stars At Tokyo Toy Show

    If you've ever seen a child zipping along on a bicycle at breakneck speed the concept of putting them behind the wheel of a car is truly terrifying. Toyota still wants to give it a go though, and following on from last year's Camatte concepts, Toyota has once again displayed a brace of electric...

  • Infiniti LE Concept at New York Auto Show, April 2012
    2015 Infiniti LE 'Luxury Leaf' Sedan Put On Hold Indefinitely

    Remember the 2015 Infiniti LE, the first all-electric mid-size sedan from Nissan's luxury brand? If you're waiting to see the first LEs on the roads, don't hold your breath. Unveiled as a concept at the 2012 New York Auto Show, to rave reviews, the battery-electric LE was to be produced in the U.S...

  • Volvo's 1983 LCP 2000 Concept Car
    1983 Volvo Concept Car Previewed Today's Green Tech

    Traditionally, concept cars are superficial beasts, showing off an automaker's latest style, eventually watered down and rationalized before they hits the road. More recently, they've also previewed new drivetrain technologies and materials, as products are now expected to minimize their impact on...

  • Toyota ME.WE electric car concept

    The Toyota ME.WE isn't your typical Toyota concept car. In fact, were it not for the word Toyota appearing at the top of this page, you might have assumed the quirky little electric car was from another maker entirely. Toyota's concepts are often a lot more edgy and futuristic looking, like its Shanghai Auto Show exhibits. By contrast, the ME.WE's boxy proportions, earthy color scheme and simplistic interior appear to hark back to European beach cars of the 1960s, like the Mini Moke and Fiat Jolly. There is, of course, more to the ME.WE than meets the eye. It's as high-tech as any other...

  • Buick Riviera Concept, 2013 Shanghai Auto Show
    New GM Plug-In Hybrid In Buick Riviera Concept? Actually, No

    You may have read about the latest Buick Riviera concept car, which was unveiled last Saturday at the Shanghai Auto Show. Perhaps you also noticed that it uses a new and innovative plug-in hybrid powertrain that includes wireless battery charging. In the words of GM's own press release: The new...

  • Toyota Yundong Shuangqing II Concept - Shanghai Auto Show 2013
    Toyota Unveils Green Car Concepts At Auto Shanghai Show

    As China becomes a larger player on the world car market, shows like that in Shanghai this week will become bigger and more important each year. Toyota has already spotted the importance of the Shanghai Auto Show, launching two new green concepts. The first of these is the uniquely-named Yundong...

  • Renault Twin'Z Concept electric city car
    Renault Twin'Z: Rear-Drive Electric Car Hints At Next Smart Fortwo

    Renault didn't endear itself to the U.S. back in the 1980s, with products like the Alliance and Le Car. It's almost a shame they aren't in the States today though, with a range of excellent performance hatchbacks to entice thrill-seeking buyers, and a burgeoning range of electric vehicles at...

  • Sim-Drive Sim-CEL electric car
    Sim-CEL Electric Concept Quicker Than Slug-Like Looks Suggest

    Not to be judgemental, but getting people interested in a vehicle that looks like the Sim-CEL probably won't be the easiest of tasks. Beauty is more than skin deep, but it's still the first thing you notice--and the slug-like vehicle above is a vehicle to appreciate on engineering, rather than...

  • 2014 Volkswagen Golf (European spec)
    New York Auto Show Preview: Green Production Cars & Concepts

    Media days at the New York International Auto Show start a week from today, and there's a big slate of green cars coming this year. This year's show will offer everything from vehicles heading into production that you'll find in showrooms in a few months to concepts that have little chance of being...

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