Concept Car reviews

A year after unveiling a tricked-out TRD version of the Avalon, Toyota is back at it with an even more radical setup for its resident full-size four-door sedan. It’s called the Toyota Avalon TRD Pro Concept, and it’s loaded to the brim with track-spec modifications that enhance every detail of the sedan.

From aerodynamic modifications to powertrain enhancements, the Avalon TRD Pro Concept has them all. It’s a fitting homage to TRD’s 40th anniversary, though it would probably be even cooler if Toyota has plans to produce it in some capacity. For now, we can enjoy the Avalon TRD Pro Concept for what it is: a glimpse into what a full-blown, track-spec Toyota Avalon could look like if it was left in the hands of TRD. Maybe someday we can also find out what it feels like to drive.

The Nissan Frontier Desert Runner doesn’t have the racing pedigree of the Nissan Global Time Attack TT 370Z or the sheer tuning audacity of the Nissan Kicks Street Sport, but if you’re looking for a rugged version of Nissan’s long-standing pickup with some serious off-road chops, the Frontier Desert Runner should be right up your alley. Developed by the Nissan Motorsports team in collaboration with MA Motorsports, the Frontier Desert Runner is teeming with purpose-specific upgrades that help enhance the pickup’s already impressive form and functionality. Nissan has yet to give any indication of potential production plans for the tricked-out pickup, but that could come soon if there’s decent enough demand for it. For now, though, the Nissan Frontier Desert Runner takes center stage at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show.

The 2019 Nissan Kicks Street Sport is a concept car developed by Nissan Motorsports and MA Motorsports for the 2019 SEMA Show. A more aggressive version of the small crossover, it looks a lot like a Nismo-built model thanks to its sportier stance and race-inspired upgrades inside the cabin. It even features a more powerful engine, although specific performance information is not available. Sadly, this beefed-up Kicks won’t come to a dealerships near you anytime soon. Here’s why you should be upset about it.

Chevrolet brought a very unique pickup truck to SEMA that is a sweet blend of the company’s rich history and the ‘electrifying’ future. Called the E-10 concept, the product has reincarnated from a 1962 Chevrolet C-10 pickup truck. If you’ve been following the concepts at SEMA this year, you will immediately strike a comparison with the Dodge Lowliner. However, this low-slung pickup truck comes with an electric powertrain under the hood. So, does this bold truck live up to the hype it has created over the last couple of days? It sure does!

The 2019 Ford Mustang Lithium is an all-electric version of the sixth-generation Mustang developed by Ford in collaboration with Webasto. Showcased at the 2019 SEMA Show, the Mustang Lithium is just a concept car, but it paves the way toward the Mustang-inspired electric SUV that Ford will launch in 2020. The latter is part of Ford’s plans to invest more than $11.5 billion in electric cars by 2022, so the Mustang Lithium likely features technology that will make it into production vehicles. Is this the future of Ford?

Volkswagen will be in attendance at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show, and it’s bringing with it a host of tricked-out SUVs that are built for the American outdoors. Arguably the coolest of these concepts is the Atlas Adventure Concept. It looks the part of an SUV that can handle itself in the Nevada desert with the kind of ease you won’t see from a lot of SUVs offered at SEMA. It comes with a menu of unique equipment, including a clever housing accommodation setup that should make it comfortable for you and yours to enjoy a good night’s sleep under the stars. The Volkswagen Atlas Adventure Concept is one of three Atlas concepts that will be on display at Volkswagen’s booth in the world’s biggest aftermarket auto show.

Aftermarket companies love SEMA. It is the one hot spot that garners attention from all over the world and allows aftermarket companies to highlight their creations without worrying about automakers stealing the limelight. Mopar, one of the biggest aftermarket parts suppliers (and one that is backed by Dodge,) is gracing the show with its presence. The company has worked on two trucks, one being the Dodge Lowliner Concept, and the other one, the Ram Rebel 1500 OTG. OTG, by the way, stands for Off The Grid. Unlike the Lowliner, the Rebel 1500 OTG is a practical concept and could very well make its way into production. Will Ram consider making it a mainstream model?

Thanks to shows like SEMA, aftermarket companies are able to exercise their creative sides in bringing out the funkiest concepts which, otherwise, wouldn’t have garnered a lot of attention. And, when the products are from brands like Mopar, you know that you’re in for a treat. Mopar will be bringing two concept trucks to the SEMA – a Dodge D200-series ‘Lowliner’ pickup truck and a 1500 Rebel-based concept. We’ll be talking about the former one here, and to say the least, Dodge sure had fun reimagining this truck from the 1960s.

As if the Hyundai Veloster N isn’t hot enough, Hyundai’s all set to unwrap an even hotter version of the hot hatchback at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show. This new variant is called the Veloster N Performance Concept, and it is a spicy piece created by Hyundai to give Veloster N owners a preview of how the hot hatch could be transformed if it got introduced into the aftermarket world. The Veloster N Performance Concept comes with exterior enhancements, interior upgrades, and technical improvements. In other words, it’s the full cocktail of the tuning world. Unfortunately, don’t expect the Veloster N Performance Concept to make its way to dealerships anytime soon. This concept is strictly for showcase purposes. On that end, the Veloster N Performance Concept will be in attendance at SEMA in Las Vegas, Nevada next month.

Not content with its current lineup of models, Jaguar has announced the arrival of its latest masterpiece, the completely digital Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo. It’s not a real supercar that will terrorize roads in the near future; the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo is a low-slung all-electric supercar that will terrorize all the hapless racers that get in its way in the Gran Turismo Sport racing game. The sleek two-door supercar takes design cues from a lot of Jaguar’s existing model lineup. It’s also powered by a stuffing of electric motors that combine to produce four-digit levels of power. In other words, the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo is a monster, and this monster will make its way to the video game world by the end of November.

Saleen unveiled last weekend in Las Vegas the concept version of its upcoming GT4 racer based on the Saleen One mid-engined supercar. The American manufacturer, known for making the ludicrous S7 for years, plans to have a few cars on the grid in the 2020 season of the Pirelli GT4 America championship. With 450 horsepower from a turbocharged 2.2-liter four-pot, the car is priced at $225,000.

Saleen is back in the game after entirely too many years away. It’s been a full decade since the twin-turbocharged version of the S7 hypercar retired from active competition. Since then, S7 examples have been seen huffing and puffing during historic racing meetings but the company that made them laid dormant until about 12 months ago when it announced a full-blown single-make series revolving its new product, known at the time as the Saleen S1. Plans for a GT4-spec car were outlined at the time and, following the success of the single-make series, Saleen now follows up on its promises and has unveiled the GT4 racer that will take on the best from Porsche, McLaren, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG, Chevrolet, and many others.

The 2019 Toyota e-Racer is a futuristic, open-cockpit sports car concept inspired by the world of racing. Unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the 2019 e-Racer stands out through three features. It has a sleek and aerodynamic design, the passenger seat is placed behind the driver’s, and it features augmented reality and a special pair of digital glasses. It was developed in cooperation with Gazoo Racing and it’s not scheduled to go into production.

The 2019 Nissan Leaf Twin-Motor is an all-electric concept car that features two electric motors and all-wheel-drive capability. It’s heavily based on the existing second-generation Nissan Leaf, as it features an identical exterior and a lightly modified interior. Unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the twin-motor Leaf concept previews a new production car that’s already in the works. According to Nissan, this new drivetrain will enable a future EV to "achieve a huge leap in acceleration, cornering and braking performance, on par with the latest sports cars."

The 2020 Mitsubishi Super Height K-Wagon is a concept car that the Japanese firm unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The show car previews Mitsubishi’s next generation of Kei wagons, most likely a replacement for the eK model sold on the Japanese market. The 2020 Super Height K-Wagon is a typical Kei wagon, featuring a boxy, tall body and bold styling features typical to these Japan-specific vehicles.

Subaru has pulled the covers off the all-new Levorg wagon, ushering in the second-generation version of what has become one of the most popular wagons in Japan. The Subaru Levorg Prototype isn’t the final production model. It is, as Subaru deftly calls it, a near-production “prototype” of the second-generation wagon that will arrive in the Japanese market in the second half of 2020. The Levorg isn’t going to the U.S. market, but some of the new and updated technologies that are being showcased by the prototype in Tokyo will find their way to America in some form or fashion. In the absence of the actual wagon heading Stateside, we’ll take our victories where we can get them.

Lexus is not fooling around when it comes to electrification and is using Tokyo as a sampling experiment for the stunning LF-30 Electrified prototype. Did we mention stunning? The LF-30 looks otherworldly, has gullwing doors, and uses four in-wheel electric motors, a steer-by-wire-system, and a slew of autonomous driving technologies plus Lexus Advanced Posture Control. Stick around to find out everything you need to know about the Lexus LF-30 Electrified concept shown at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show.

The Nissan Ariya Concept has arrived at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The all-electric crossover concept will take its place in Nissan’s booth in the show. But the Ariya Concept is far from a show car that will fall back into the shadows when the show ends. The Ariya Concept is a production-ready prototype that will eventually evolve to become Nissan’s second mass-market electric vehicle, joining the long-standing Leaf in that lineup. The production car — it will likely be called Ariya, too — will take plenty of cues from its concept counterpart. It’s not expected to hit the market until 2020, so for now, absorb everything you can absorb with the Ariya Concept. You’ll be seeing a lot more of the crossover in the near future.

One could argue that Mitsubishi is King of ridiculous concepts with at least one showing up to every auto show, and the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show is no different as Mitsubishi has introduced the Mi-Tech Concept. This concept is a futuristic take on the Dune Buggy (will we even have these in the future?) with a plug-in hybrid powertrain that’s paired with, I kid you not, a gas turbine engine. Now we know what those weird fans that we saw in the teasers are for. It also represents a new take on Mitsubishi’s grille design and, while it does look ridiculous in some respects, it’s not all fantasy and dreams. Here’s what you need to know about the Mitsubishi Mi-Tech Concept.

Hyundai has presented an alternative look at the Veloster, one that puts an off-road spin to the otherwise plucky hatchback. The model, called the Veloster Grappler Concept, is sporty, rugged, and can go anywhere your heart desires. It will be presented at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show, but like most concepts that attend SEMA, there’s no indication that the Veloster Grappler, or even a derivative of the concept, will end up in production. All the same, the Veloster Grappler Concept looks like it’s ready to hit the trails. By the looks of it, the concept would make for a great companion in the outdoors.

The 2020 Toyota Mirai Sedan Concept is a show car that previews the second-generation Mirai. Introduced in 2015, the Toyota Mirai was the first hydrogen production model offered in North America. The 2020 Mirai Sedan Concept shows a completely redesigned model on the outside, now featuring a sportier body with a four-door sedan layout. The production model will arrive in late 2020.

Although it’s labeled as a concept car, this vehicle gives us serious hints as to what to expect from the production-ready second-gen Mirai. That’s because the car you’ll find in dealerships will be almost identical. The big news besides the new exterior design and the more refined interior is the Premium RWD Platform that replaces the old architecture. And yes, this means that the second-gen Mirai will drop the FWD layout in favor of a sportier RWD setup. Toyota also promises a 30 percent increase in driving range and increased hydrogen capacity.

Back in 2017, Toyota brought a quirky concept vehicle called the “Concept-i” at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Now, an evolution of that same concept will debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. It goes by the “LQ Concept,” and, among other nifty tricks, the LQ Concept is largely defined by a personal assistant called ‘Yui’, which, according to Toyota, is meant to “learn from the driver and deliver a personalized mobility experience.”

In other words, the LQ Concept wants to be your friend, an unnerving thought given where these things could end up. Perceived concerns aside, the LQ Concept is a good example of Toyota’s eye towards a future where a connection between the driver and the car is of paramount importance. We’re going to learn more about the LQ Concept in Tokyo, but, for now, chalk this one up to another concept whose purpose remains years ahead of its time.

About a decade ago, Nissan struck gold with the Nissan Leaf. The compact five-door hatchback was the automaker’s first-ever electric car, and it also happened to be one of the first mass-produced electric cars in the world. The Nissan Leaf was a pioneer, but now that it’s almost 10 years old, it’s also transitioned into a relic of sorts as newer and more advanced EVs have started hitting the market.

With the aging Leaf nearing its end date, Nissan is revisiting the successful blueprint it created a decade ago by introducing the IMk Concept, a small electric hatchback concept that’s pegged as a full-blown electric city commuter that packs a lot of Nissan’s new technologies. Does the concept point to Nissan’s future plans in the EV sphere? Could Nissan trap lightning in a bottle for a second time with the IMk Concept? We’ll find the answers to these questions at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show when the IMk Concept makes its world debut.