A concept car is a car prototype made to showcase a new vehicle’s styling, technology, and overall design before production. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced.
One of two concepts based on the new-generation RAV4 brought to the 2013 Geneva Motor Show is the RAV4 Premium. This second concept was developed to prove that the crossover can deliver added sophistication.
The new RAV4 Premium features a cool Deep Bronze finish on both the exterior and the bumpers. The car’s bronze is combined with chrome insertions on the redesigned bumper and brushed aluminum skid plates. For the exterior, Toyota is also offering horizontal lines for the front and central grille display, large air intakes, a stylish chrome-finished spoiler with LED lights and 20-inch alloy wheels.
The concept’s interior has been designed by Toyota’s Kansei design department. It includes luxurious leather upholstery in the cabin, sports seats with new black piping and two-tone double stitching in several areas of the interior. The instruments and door panels are wrapped in a combination of grey and black leather.
Most of the auto makers that did not prepare any major updates for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, decided to come at the show with either special editions of their current lineup or some cool concept cars. One of these makers is Toyota which unveiled three different concept cars that will "amplify different aspects of the cars’ styling and capabilities" in Geneva.
The first is the RAV4 Adventure - a concept car specially developed to reinforce the RAV4’s off-road capabilities. The concept features a striking dark-red exterior paint combined with matte paint on the redesigned front and rear bumpers. The front bumper features an integrated under-run, while the rear one is redesigned to fully integrate the twin exhaust pipes and a reworked skid place.
The concept is also equipped with extended wheel arches that suit the 20-inch alloy wheels perfectly. The concept’s aggressive look is further accentuated by machined roof rails and dark-tinted privacy glass.
Giugiaro is celebrating its 45th anniversary with the Pentacour - a Gran Turismo concept car that draws inspiration from the discipline "invented" by David Belle in France in the 1980s. Parcour is a two-seat car that combines elements from an SUV, a crossover, a GT and a mid-engine sports car. The concept will be offered in both coupe and roadster configurations.
The model is powered by a Lamborghini-sourced 5.2-liter V-10 engine that delivers a total of 550 horsepower and sprints the car from 0 to 60 mph in just in 3.6 seconds. The concept is offered with four different driving modes — Comfort, Sport, Off-road and Ice — each being distinguished by a different color on the dashboard: white, red, orange and respectively blue.
On the exterior, the new Pentacour will feature two distinguishing traits: the A-pillar is detached from the windscreen and also acts as a deflector, while the rear pillar is designed to direct the air over the bonnet and toward the retractable spoiler. It sits on 22-inch wheels that raise the car from the ground significantly.
UPDATE 04/17/13: A new promo video of the Giugiaro Parcour has been released. Check it out by clicking on the photo above. Enjoy!
Along with the launch of the new Golf Variant, Volkswagen has also unveiled the new Golf Estate Concept R-Line - the first time an R treatment is applied to a Golf estate model. Even though VW said nothing about a future production version, we are pretty sure we are going to see one on the market pretty soon.
Up front, the new R-Line concept receives a newly designed bumper with a dominant air intake in the middle, a new front spoiler painted in the body color and striking splitters. When viewed from the side, the concept gets high-gloss black sill and for the rear, the R-Line package adds a sporty and distinctive black diffuser, a new roof spoiler and chrome tailpipes. The concept will be offered with 18-inch R-Line wheels painted in "sterling silver."
For the interior, the new Golf Estate R-Line will add ergonomically designed sport seats, center panels wrapped in a high-tone Nappa leather in "Space Blue," black carbon leather used for the inner surfaces of the side supports and black Nappa used for the outside surfaces of the seats, the steering wheel and the middle arm rest.
Sergio Pininfarina, the former chairman of the legendary Italian design firm, Pininfarina, passed away last year after creating amazing cars for over 40 years. Now, Pininfarina announced it will unveil a very cool concept car as a tribute to this amazing man. The concept was officially unveiled today at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, and just like the man that inspired it, it is simply astonishing.
The new Sergio concept was developed on a Ferrari 458 Italia chassis and is a two-seat barchetta that was inspired by the Ferrari models from the ’60s and the ’70s. It combines a very simple and clear style, with a front end that features a semi-floating development.
On the interior, the cockpit features an aerodynamic deflector that serves as a virtual windscreen. In order to provide the greatest aerodynamics, even the smallest detail of the concept - including the rear-view mirror - features a fluid form.
Under the hood, the concept keeps the same V-8 engine as the Ferrari 458 Spider, but thanks to its more aerodynamic body, the new Sergio concept will go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and up to a top speed of 198 mph.
A few weeks ago it was rumored that Spyker would unveil a Porsche 911 competitor at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Now, it really happened, as Spyker is celebrating its global resurgence with the unveiling of the B6 Venator - a concept car that will go into production in early 2014 in markets like Europe or Asia, and will arrive in the U.S. in the autumn of 2014.
The new B6 Venator Concept will feature design elements we usually see in all Spyker models, like the V-shaped radiator grille, the aerodynamically shaped glass aircraft canopy and the 3D LED rear lights. The concept will be offered with 19-inch TurbofanTM wheels featuring a mirror-like finish.
On the interior, it combines the finest materials out there, like the Litano leather produced by Royal Hulshof Dutch Tanneries in Lichtenvoorde. The concept’s cockpit has been inspired by an airplane and this is evident by the dashboard that lights up as part of the "pre-flight check."
Under the hood, Spyker installed a V-6 engine that delivers about 375 horsepower and is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
We’ll bring you more information, as Spyker releases it.
Apparently, it’s called the Provo Concept and, as you can imagine, it looks absolutely bonkers or at the very least, right up what Kia promised as a "racy new urban concept.” It sure wasn’t kidding, huh?
But the radical conceptual design of the exterior, particularly the eye-catching front profile, only tells part of the story of the Provo Concept. The interior is also awash in some fine and fancy suede and carbon treatments while the wheels, well, those ridiculous bad boys sure do speak for themselves.
It’s also worth noting that the Kia Provo Concept is looking like the Korean automaker’s answer to the growing crossover market, one that could have the likes of MINI in its crosshairs.
Find out more about the Kia Provo Concept after the jump
Next to the Aston Martin Rapide Shooting Brake "Jet 2+2" Concept set to be unveiled at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Bertone has also prepared an updated version of the original Vanquish-based Jet unveiled back in 2004. The new Jet 2 is still based on the previous-generation Vanquish, but its mechanics and design have been updated to fit the all-new Vanquish.
The new Jet 2 features the same shooting brake body style as the Rapide Jet 2+2 and so happens to be the personal car of Lilli Bertone, Bertone’s president.
The new Jet 2 features an updated design, new exterior colors and a more luxurious interior trim. The model also offers increased cabin space and a 2+2 seating configuration, thanks to the added 210 mm (8.26 inches) in length.
Full details on the new Bertone Jet 2 will be unveiled during the concept’s official debut in Geneva.
Magna Steyr, the same company that gave us the 3-in-1 MILA Coupic Concept last year, is coming back to the Geneva Motor Show and it appears that it’s bringing a modified Peugeot RCZ with it that it apparently has turned into an "exciting coupe concept.”
No details were given on exactly what kind of model this is going to be - no name even - but according to a company press release, the entire objective is to present the RCZ Coupe Concept with what the company calls View Top, an innovative sliding folding roof with integrated glass elements that creates a unique open-air feeling.
The inspiration behind the concept, it appears, is the aforementioned MILA Coupic Concept, a vehicle that turned heads last year for its innovative approach to multi-functionality.
“The inspiration for this concept car stems from Magna Steyr’s MILA concept series, which demonstrates the unique product design and engineering capabilities that we can deliver to customers,” explains Magna Steyr president Günther Apfalter.
“We are excited to take our original View Top design concept and bring it closer to reality by showcasing it as a concept on a sports car production vehicle.”
Suffice to say, we’re more than interested to see what Magna Steyr has up its sleeve. We’re still not quite sure what the concept is going to look like, which makes the whole thing even more interesting.
The Espera Sbarro design school in France gave the Geneva Motor Show a treat last year when it presented the Intencity Concept. While there’s really no production future for concepts like the Esperra Intencity, the vehicle does go to show the level of brilliance these students have in them.
This year, 30 students from Espera Sbarro have designed yet another concept vehicle that’s headed to Geneva. It’s called the REACT’E.V. Concept and it’s another barnburner of a design, to say the least.
The swooping design of the REACT’E.V. Concept certainly alludes to it being a hyper-aggressive sports car. All the elements are there: aggressive bumpers, bulging wheel arches, and angular ’wincing’ headlights. Taken as a whole, the concept looks pretty amazing.
Eye-opening design aside, the REACT’E.V. Concept was also built with a pretty stout hybrid powertrain inside it. First, there’s the PSA-sourced V-6 combustion engine that produces 210 horsepower and mated to a five-speed manual transmission that courses the power to the rear wheels. But that’s not all the power the REACT’E.V. Concept features. It also has a pair of electrical motors, each producing 136 horsepower (100kW) and 554 pound-feet (750Nm) of torque and a 24kWh battery.
All told, the REACT’E.V. Concept has been pegged to produce 482 horsepower and 1,108 pound-feet of torque. That’s a lot of power, folks, one we wouldn’t mind seeing out on the road in the future.
