Concept Car reviews

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.

Cars of the 1980s often stand out as some of the most exaggerated and unapologetic when it comes to their styling. Most of you probably know about cars like the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach, which was actually conceived in the 1970s. Although these are some of the poster cars from that era, there were many other interesting designs that never made it to production. In 1985, Buick decided to show us what their interpretation of a mid-engine supercar would look like. This endeavor spawned the 1985 Buick Wildcat Concept, which was undeservingly forgotten, like many others.

Automakers are rushing to show their electric concept models to the public and let them know to expect from the brand in the future. We saw the Lexus LF-Z Electrified just a couple of days back, and now, we have one from Genesis. Called the X Concept, the Genesis product is made its debut in Los Angeles and is said to present “Genesis’ sustainable luxury in the form of an EV-based high-performance GT coupe concept car”. Fancy, eh?

Electrification and autonomous driving represent the future of the auto industry. That’s spurred automakers from all corners of the world to hitch their proverbial wagons on these two segments. Chinese auto giant BAIC is one of those automakers, and it’s jumping on board the electric SUV bandwagon through its sub-brand, Arcfox, which didn’t take long to roll out the ECF electric SUV Concept.

Designed by the great Walter de Silva, the ECF Concept is a stylistic concept SUV that may or may not end up in production. The SUV comes with a more minimalist design than Arcfox’s other concept offering, the all-electric GT sports car, and if it ends up getting the green light, it could serve as the tent pole for Arcfox’s future vehicle offerings. No pressure, right?

The Skoda Vision IN Concept is a big deal for the Czech automaker. Not only does it serve as the precursor to a production model that’ll largely be offered in India and other international markets, but it’s also being prepared to challenge several established models in those markets, including the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos.

The Vision IN Concept is the first step to doing that, and for what it’s worth, the Czech automaker is making a good first impression with its new crossover. The Vision IN Concept will eventually translate into a production model, called Kushaq.

The 2021 Renault 5 Prototype is a concept car that the French automaker unveiled during the presentation of its "Renaulution" strategic plan in January 2021. A modern tribute to the iconic Renault 5 produced from 1972 to 1996, the Renault 5 Prototype previews a production model that will arrive by 2025. The modern Renault 5 will be one of seven all-electric vehicles that the French brand wants to launch over the next four years, but apparently it won’t replace the Zoe or the Clio. What makes the Renault 5 Prototype special and how much of it will go into production? Let’s find out in the review below.

The 2021 Dacia Bigster is a concept vehicle developed by Renault for the Romanian brand and unveiled in early 2021. An SUV measuring 4.6 meters (181.1 inches) long, the 2021 Bigster concept unveils a production SUV that will compete in the compact crossover segment. The Bigster will slot above the highly popular Duster in the lineup and will become Dacia’s largest offering yet. Just like the Duster, the production version of the Bigster will probably be sold as a Renault in some markets. A new joint business between Dacia and Lada, both owned by Renault, will probably spawn a rebadged Lada model for certain Easter European and Asian markets too.

The coronavirus pandemic has jogged a lot of our memories of 2020, but if you can clear your head long enough to remember what the world was like in March, you might remember a certain project that Ford was developing for the world of video games. It was called the Fordzilla P1, a virtual race car that gamers would have a huge hand in developing. It’s been nine months since Ford announced the Fordzilla P1, and while the world has completely turned upside down since that time, it’s nice to be reminded of much simpler times. The Fordzilla P1 has arrived in real-life form, and while it’s really nothing more than a mock-up of the digital race car, it’s still nice to see it in its physical form. At the very least, all that effort that was put into creating this insane racer bore a seriously forbidden fruit.

The Nissan GT-R (X) 2050 is a futuristic concept car based on the R35-generation Nissan GT-R. But unlike the production model, the GT-R (X) 2050 wasn’t designed by Nissan. This concept was penned by Jaebum Choi, a student from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Choi, who also started an internship at Nissan Design America based the styling of his "wearable machine," a futuristic concept that would have the ability to connect to the human brain to provide better performance, on the latest-generation GT-R. As a result, Nissan decided to build a 1:1 scale model and show it to the world.

Jaguar has come up with the Vision Gran Turismo SV, a concept car for the Gran Turismo video game that’s coming up for the PS5 in 2021. Following up on last year’s Vision Gran Turismo Coupe, this all-electric car comes with four motors that churn out almost 1,900 horses combined!

The company calls it the “ultimate virtual endurance racer” and pays homage to many models from the past. The circuit board livery even has references to the 1951 C-Type and the 1954 D-Type’s Le Mans debuts. Can we have a production version of this, please?

The 2020 Infiniti QX60 Monograph is a concept vehicle that previews the next-generation QX60 SUV, scheduled to debut in 2021. Even though a concept that won’t go into production as is, the 2020 QX60 Monograph is a near-production-ready vehicle that will hit the assembly line without massive changes. It gives us a glimpse at the SUV’s next-generation design and signals Infiniti’s intent to move the QX60 up the premium ladder. Is the 2020 QX60 Monograph a big improvement over the outgoing SUV? Let’s find out in the review below.

Try to predict what mobility will look like in the next 15 or 20 years judging by the current prototypes from a couple of companies and if your imagination allows it, you’ll be looking at a very diverse environment.

I mean, Uber wants to take ride sharing to the skies, flying car startups are slowly making headway, and pretty much every carmaker out there has some sort of self-driving prototype in mind. And most often than not, these contraptions are designed like mobile living rooms or work spaces on wheels. Another thing in common is their promise to cut down on dead time since they ditch the human driver in the first place.

The automotive world is one of enormous diversity. Quite often designers are given the green light to unleash their imagination giving us some truly amazing stuff. That said, the modern-day regulations has been cracking down harder and harder on the automotive design language, and many amazing concepts remained one-offs. Those with deep enough pockets, however, have a bit more luck than the average person. The Argento Vivo is one of those extremely rare cases where a concept car has been granted production status. Here are nine interesting facts about the unique roadster.