The 2017 Chicago Auto Show has come and gone and the countdown to the 2017 Geneva Motor Show has officially begun. It’s no secret that Geneva is considered the biggest auto show in the calendar and there’s good reason for that. For one, it’s the only show in the auto calendar that’s traditionally attended by the biggest automakers in the world. It’s also the only show that attracts aftermarket tuners, start-up companies, and the always-intriguing mystery concepts that may or may not amount to anything.

On that note, we’ve seen plenty of teasers of these Geneva-bound concepts over the past few weeks. Some are interesting insofar as they come from established design houses like Pininfarina and Italdesign. Others are intriguing because the people behind them have established names, like Kahn Design and Fittipaldi. Then there are those like Techrules’ turbine hybrid supercar and the Dendrobium that can be considered as legitimate wildcards in the sense that we know very little about them and the products they have in store for Geneva.

Whatever the case may be, these concepts always provide extra layers of excitement at Geneva, and whether they end up in production or not – unlikely, but you never know – you can be sure that a lot of people will be talking about them in the weeks and months to come.

For now though, all we have on the information side are these teaser photos that reveal next to nothing about these cars. Then again, these teasers are also effective in drumming up the intrigue surrounding the respective unveilings of these concepts so as we wait for the Geneva Motor Show to open its doors, let’s take a quick look at all these teasers and try to decipher what they could all mean.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo

The Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo is without question one of the most interesting concepts that’s scheduled to make its debut at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. The project itself is being led by Emerson Fittipaldi, one of the few men to have won the Formula One driver’s title and the Indianapolis 500. Fittipaldi is no longer be as active in the motor racing scene as he used to be, so instead, he’s turning his attention to becoming a full-fledged automaker, and his first offering is a doozy.

Details surrounding the EF7 are still being kept under wraps, but there have been some important information about the concept that’s come out in recent weeks. One is the car’s body, which apparently will be built using a carbon fiber monocoque to go with plenty of carbon bodywork to go with it. The use of the monocoque should play a key role in keeping the EF7’s weight down to just around 1,000 kilos (2,200 pounds). That in turn will help the car’s performance capabilities as the EF7 is tipped to carry a naturally aspirated V-8 engine that’s good for over 600 horsepower.

If these reports hold up, the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo should be able to turn a lot of heads when it makes its debut in Geneva this coming March. Based on the teasers, the car also looks to be a true concept creation, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering that Pininfarina was the one who designed it.

Read the full review here.

Italdesign Concept

Italdesign has been one of the most active companies in releasing teasers for its Geneva concept. The only problem is that the teasers really don’t tell us too much about the car itself. To date, there have been four teasers of the Italdesign concept vehicle and each teaser points to a specific design aspect on the car. It’s a little tough to piece them all together at this point, but individually we can at least see some hints like the round headlights, rectangular taillights, a massive spoiler, and a of carbon fiber details. Even then, those items are mostly speculative in nature since we haven’t seen a bigger look at the car.

Here’s what I do know: Italdesign has a reputation of unveiling nutty concepts at the Geneva Motor Show. Previous examples like the Parcour, GTZero, and Gea all fit that mold so there’s no reason to think that this new, yet-to-be-named concept will have the same effect when it makes its debut in Geneva next month.

Read the full review here.

Kahn Aston Martin Vengeance

Okay, so this isn’t really a concept as much as it is Kahn Design’s follow-up from a previous project it showcased in the same venue a year ago. I’m sure a lot of people remember the Aston Martin WB12 Vengeance from the British tuner. Well, the follow up is the Vengeance Volante, which essentially is the tuner’s aftermarket interpretation of the DB9 Volante.

Kahn’s teaser of the drop-top Vengeance doesn’t show the car in all it’s glory, but the lighting of the image does reveal some notable style elements, including the the round taillights and the roulette wheels that were one of the most striking features of the Vengeance coupe from last year. Considering the heavy inspiration to the Vengeance coupe, expect this version to also feature the vertical grilles in the front while also using a naturally aspirated 6.0-liter V-12 engine that spits out 510 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque.

Other than those items, there’s not much about the Kahn’s new Vengeance project that we know about. That’s okay because the less we know about the car, the more exciting the reveal is going to be.

Read the full review here.

Tamo Futuro

Talk about a major surprise, right? We all know Tata for is exploits in the compact car market and for being the owner of Jaguar Land Rover, but the creator of a two-seater sports car? Yep. That’s definitely something new.

Surprises aside, the new sports car has yet to get a name (it still goes by the codename “Futuro”) but it is going to be included as part of Tamo, Tata’s new sub-brand that will largely focus on building and developing some of Tata’s more “innovative products,” as the Indian automaker calls them. What we do know about the Futuro is that it will act as the flagship model of Tamo and will only have a limited production run of 250 units.

In addition, Autocar India has reported that the Futuro will not only be powered by a 1.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that would be capable of producing 180 horsepower but will also carry a curb weight of just under 800 kilos (1,763 pounds). The automaker seeks to accomplish these numbers using composite plastics and aluminum for the body of the car while the chassis will reportedly be made by Marcello Gandini, the same man who designed the Lamborghini Countach.

For a two-seater sports car with very little reference to go by, give credit to Tata for putting in the right people to see this project through. Here’s to hoping that the Futuro, or whatever name it’s going to end up using, will live up to the hype.

HKG H600

One thing we can always count in Geneva is the presence of Pininfarina. The world famous, Mahindra-owned Italian design house is a staple at the Geneva Motor Show and this year, it’s bringing not one, but two cars with it. I’ve already mentioned its involvement in the design of the Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo concept, but in addition to that, Pininfarina is also responsible for the styling of the H600, a new concept vehicle from Hong Kong-based Hybrid Kinetic Group.

Like most of the cars on this list, not much is known about the H600, other than it’s going to take the form of a luxury sedan and will be powered by a “new energy propulsion” system. Hard to say what that exactly means, but don’t expect to see a traditional engine on this model. As most concepts go, there’s certain liberties that automakers can reach for to showcase whatever future tech they believe is going to be important in the industry moving forward.

Expect the H600 to be developed along those lines.

Techrules GT96

Add Techrules to the list of companies who are returning to the Geneva Motor Show to build off of its participation in last year’s event. A year is a pretty long time for a memory exercise, but for those who remember last year’s show, the Beijing-based company was in attendance last year in Geneva to showcase the AT96 TREV, a McLaren-looking concept that was prepared with six electric motors that deliver a total output of 1,030 horsepower and an incomprehensible 6,372 pound-feet of torque.

With such gaudy numbers, Techrules has a lot to live up to with the GT96, the production guise of that concept. Not much is known about the GT96 other than the involvement of no less than Georgette Giugiaro in the design of the sports car and the use of the company’s proprietary Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle powertrain. It’s unclear if the system works the same way as the one in the concept version, but if it does, we can at least expect the hybrid system to use a micro-turbine that charges a 20 kilowatt-hour lithium-manganese-oxide battery pack. That same battery pack is then responsible for powering six electric motors – two in the front axle and four in the rear axle – that all combine to produce an output of 1,030 ponies and 6,372 pound-feet of torque.

As far as expectations go, don’t be too high on the GT96 equalling the AT96 TREV’s output, especially if the former is going to be packaged as a production model as Techrules’ plans call for.

Read the full review here.

Vanda Electrics Dendrobium

We’re saving this one for last because in addition to being the most promising concept to appear in Geneva, it might as well be the most audacious one too. That’s no small feat considering the kind of cars that we just described, but all signs point to the Dendrobium claiming that title for itself.

So what do we know about this piece of work from Vanda Electrics? Well, it’s got a design that’s straight out of a science fiction novel: the low-slung, heavily creased body features a pointed nose, massive wheels, gullwing doors, and a rear section that’s pretty hard to describe, even after you spent an inordinate amount of minutes staring at it. As for the interior, the people behind the car describe it as having a two-seater configuration with the “world’s lowest carbon leather,” including a hide that comes from Scottish maker Bridge of Weir.

Other than that, not much is known about the Dendrobium other than the revelation that Williams Advanced Engineering is helping Vanda Electrics develop the concept’s electric powertrain. No details have been spared on said powertrain, other than assurances that it will comprise the “latest in e-powertrain development.” It’s hard to take Vanda’s word for it, but considering that Williams is involved in the development in some capacity, that initial skepticism is more curiosity at this point.

Oh, and speaking of curiosities, the Vanda Electrics Dendrobium is from Singapore. How’s that for a surprise.

There's more to come

The list above is a good look at some of the concepts that are already expected to hit the 2017 Geneva Motor Show. Rest assured though, they're far from the only ones that will be there to steal the show. Some new concepts will be teased in the coming weeks as the days to Geneva draw closer. Fret not though, because we'll be on top of all of them when those teasers start dropping.