Concept Car reviews

Blood Type Racing is returning to the SEMA Auto Show with a new creation. The noted tuner is mixing it up this year, ditching past automotive muses like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Ford Focus ST in favor of a Ford Edge ST. It’s a fitting challenge for Blood Type Racing; the Edge ST is the first SUV to come out of the Ford Performance team so, by default, it’s performance-ready on its own. But even that didn’t dissuade Blood Type Racing from going to work. The tuning specialist created an extensive program for the SUV, highlighted by an engine upgrade program that adds more power to a vehicle that already boasts an output of 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque to go with an ST-tuned suspension.

The Ford Expedition is arguably one of the most versatile SUVs in the market. It has the size, the technology, and the all-around capability that you’d want from a full-sized SUV. It’s also highly customizable, whether through Ford itself or through the aftermarket tuning scene. The Ford LGE*CTS Expedition Classic is a perfect example of the latter. It’s designed and built by noted designer Theresa Contreras, who focused on creating a “modern classic” interpretation of Ford’s popular SUV. There’s a lot to like about the this tuned Expedition, particularly its impressive presentation. We’ll get to see it up close at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas.

The Ford EcoSport’s standing as the Blue Oval’s smallest crossover isn’t stopping it from making a statement at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show. With assistance from aftermarket tuner, Tucci Designs, the EcoSport is showing off a more rugged “Big Adventures” personality that’s built for the outdoors. Bucci Design’s Ford EcoSport Big Adventures is one of five Ford crossovers and SUVs that’s appearing at SEMA when the world’s biggest aftermarket auto show opens its doors next month.

The Renault EZ-Ultimo is a futuristic concept car that the French firm unveiled at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. A fully autonomous car, the EZ-Ultimo rounds out Renault’s trilogy of concept robo-vehicles designed for shared mobility. It joins the EZ-Go and the EZ-Pro, also unveiled in 2018.

Described as a "robo-vehicle for a premium mobility experience," the EZ-Ultimo was developed for increasingly congested city traffic and to meet new urban trends in which more and more people drop personal cars in favor of shared car services. Powered by an all-electric drivetrain, the concept car is intended to be offered as a service for "a single trip, a circuit or a day booking" provided by premium travel companies and resorts. One of Renault’s most luxurious vehicles ever, the EZ-Ultimo previews a production car that might become available over the next decade.

Continue reading to learn more about the Renault EZ-Ultimo concept.

Behind the glitz and glamour of the 2018 Paris Motor Show, Land Rover presented a one-off Discovery that it created for the Red Cross. The model is called the Red Cross Discovery Emergency Response Vehicle, and it was developed as part of an 18-month collaboration between Land Rover’s Special Vehicles Operations (SVO) and the Austrian Red Cross. The Discovery is unlike standard Discovery models. Among other things, it features state-of-the-art communications technology that’s there to help save lives.

Like pretty much every other major automaker out there, Infiniti is signaling a strong move towards electrification in the very near future, with a particularly heavy emphasis on the tech slated for 2021 and onward. While some enthusiasts will undoubtedly cringe at the thought of yet more battery-powered vehicles plying the roads, Infiniti is proving that such a fate is anything but boring, especially when it comes infused with technology plucked from the high-speed world of Formula 1 racing. Which brings us to the latest Project Black S concept, which recently made its big debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Offered as an evolution of the previous Infiniti Project Black S that dropped at the Geneva Auto Show a few years back, this latest creation is based on the utterly fantastic Q60 Red Sport 400 sports coupe, and provides both aesthetic and technical details on how Infiniti plans to implement hybrid technology to spark the interest of speed lovers everywhere.

Continue reading to lean more about the 2018 Infiniti Project Black S Concept.

Graduate students at Clemson University have completed building one of the coolest Honda Civics you’ll ever see. It still looks like the current Civic, but a lot of what lies under the surface has changed, none more important than the car’s powertrain. No longer is this Civic running solely on a traditional gas engine. It still has one in the form of a 2.0-liter, supercharged, four-cylinder engine, but it also features an electric motor that helps bring the car’s total output to 600 horsepower.

Just when you thought nothing truly exciting could come out in 2018 with the Holden logo on the hood, here’s the Bathurst Time Attack Concept. It was developed as a futuristic race car to mark the 50th anniversary of the company’s first major win at Bathurst.

The R&D department at Holden, in Australia, set about proving that Holden isn’t just a badge GM slaps on the Buick Regal. So they came up with a groundbreaking concept that uses fans that direct airflow in order to improve downforce through each and every corner the car tackles. It’s low, wide, electric and it isn’t real. It’s similar to a Gran Turismo concept car without being one. But we wish they’d make it.

I mean, look at it. Check the tunnels that run on either side of the monocoque, the ginormous diffuser at the back, the rear wing, everything looking like it came from 2040. And it does, in a way, because all the tech that the AVD group crammed in it isn’t all here – yet.

Renault is previewing its future mini electric crossover with the K-ZE concept revealed at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Taking a closer look at the K-ZE, it becomes immediately apparent that it is, in fact, just a dressed up Kwid (which Renault already sells in emerging markets) which has had its internal combustion powertrain swapped out for a full-electric one.

The future electric crossover will look much closer to this concept, than it will to the current Kwid, although it will maintain its basic body shape. What will set it apart visually more significantly are the new, redesigned front and rear fascias, as well as various details around the exterior. It also promises to offer “class leading” range for a vehicle in its size-bracket.

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, the Skoda Vision RS shows the path the Czech manufacturer is likely to take for the next generation of its cars. This is a hatchback, sized like a Volkswagen Golf, but sharpened up to the level of a hot-hatch. The Vision RS, a concept car, rolled under the Paris Motor Show lights with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gas engine producing 148 horsepower but assisted with an additional electric motor good for 100 horsepower. As a hybrid, the Vision RS demonstrates Volkswagen’s uncanny ability to craft modern compact cars and transform them into hot hatchbacks - a type of a car the company is definitely versed in (just remember the Golf GTI, the Leon Cupra, the Audi S3, and the Octavia, among others).

The Hyundai i30N ’N Option’ is the i30 N customized to your preferences. Yes, the i30 N is already one of the best hot hatches on the market, but Hyundai reckons their customers want to make the cars their own, which is where the ’N Option’ steps in.

The Korean manufacturer thinks the 274-horsepower i30 N could take on some visual enhancements to make it look even meaner. That’s why Hyundai brought the i30 N ’N Option’ Concept to Paris. Yes, a concept, not the production-ready version. Granted, Hyundai assures us that this concept is the face of things to come in terms of ways you can personalize your own i30 N - as well as other Hyundais from the N lineup in the future.

Performance figures weren’t altered with the ’N Option’, but we don’t think that is a must. I mean, the i30 N already has a top speed of 155 mph from that buzzing 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot and 260 pound-feet of torque at just 1,500 rpm.

Read on to find out more about the i30N ’N Option’

The fourth-generation Chevrolet Silverado broke cover in late 2017 with a brand-new design on the outside, all-new tech on the inside, and a range of drivetrain upgrades. Come 2018 and Chevrolet offers optional, dealer-available upgrades through its Performance and Accessories division. The Silverado LTZ Concept was created specifically to showcase some of these items before they go on sale.

Unveiled at the State Fair of Texas, the same city where the new-generation truck was introduced, the LTZ Concept is based on the LTZ Z71 trim and features three upgrades from Chevrolet Performance and eight items from the Chevrolet Accessories catalog. It’s not a concept in the true sense, as it doesn’t showcase futuristic designs or technologies, but it’s a good preview for the many ways you can customize a Silverado nowadays. The LTZ Concept will go on display at the 2018 SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas too.

Continue reading to learn more about the Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Concept.

Proving that auto shows have become less appealing these days, the 2018 Texas State Fair has become Chevrolet’s venue-of-choice in revealing the Silverado RST Off-Road Concept. The unique trail-inspired Silverado is one of four concepts that Chevrolet unveiled in the event. The RST Off-Road Concept is arguably the most rugged version of the Silverado among the four concepts it’s bringing to the Texas State Fair. It’s packed with off-road equipment and accessories to showcase the pickup’s might and adaptability when it ventures into beaten paths.

This may sound surprising, but Mercedes’ city car brand, Smart, is marking its 20th anniversary this year. To celebrate it, the marque is unveiling the ForEase electric open-top concept at the Paris Motor Show. The car looks super cute, but would it practical option to buy should it go into production?

The fourth-generation Chevy Silverado broke cover in 2017 with a ton of new features, including state-of-the-art technology, and upgraded engines. But it’s also a highly customizable truck now, with plenty of features available from Chevrolet Performance and Accessories. Chevy just launched a handful of concept vehicles to showcase these features and the RST Street proves that trucks can look like hot rods too.

Based on one of the Silverado’s less expensive trims, the RST Street looks a bit more aggressive than the standard truck and it also rides lower than usual. Yes, while concept trucks usually ride higher for enhanced off-road capability, the RST Street was conceived for drivers who want a sportier truck. It also previews a new set of fender decals and carbon-fiber-look parts, so it won’t be long until you will be able to customize one just like the concept in the photos.

Continue reading to learn more about the Chevrolet Silverado RST Street Concept.

Volkswagen is reviving the Type 2 Transporter Delivery Van of the ’60s with its new I.D. Cargo Buzz Concept which was presented at the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hannover, Germany. As a sibling to the I.D. Buzz it uses the same MEB platform and will come as early as 2021 with a variety of battery options to suit anyone and everyone’s needs.

Peugeot is merging past and future with its stunning e-Legend Concept, set to be revealed to the public at the 2018 Paris motor show in early October. The all-electric design study is a retro-futuristic ode to the late 1960s 504 coupe, and it does a great job of reimagining it with modern cues.

The e-Legend isn’t just a pretty face, showcasing autonomous driving tech, a strong electric powertrain, and a gigantic 49-inch infotainment screen. Peugeot says that one-charge range is 372 miles, according to the new measurement protocol and it offers four driving modes, of which only two grant the driver control.

Technological manifesto is how Peugeot refers to the e-Legend and it previews a near future when you will let your sporty retro-inspired electric car do most of the driving on the boring bits of motorway and in stop-start traffic, as you sit comfortably reclined in your seat, then take control as you near your destination if it’s at the last leg of the journey is a twisty driving road.

Based on the familiar Nissan Navara pickup truck, the Dark Sky concept is a mobile astronomy lab equipped with a state-of-the-art telescope mounted in a bespoke off-road trailer. Unveiled at the Hannover Motor Show in Germany, the Dark Sky concept was developed in the U.K. in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).

The concept car showcases how a truck like the Navara could support the ESA’s intense efforts to map the stars by helping astronomers conduct follow-up observations from hard-to-reach locations. Of course, the Dark Sky concept won’t become a production model, but Nissan will donate the telescope "to pass on the spirit of exploration and adventure, and to inspire and educate future generations." In addition to the bespoke trailer, the Navara also boasts unique features and technology that’s not available on the production truck. Find out more in the review below.

Continue reading to learn more about the Nissan Navara Dark Sky Concept.

As each of the major automakers vie for technological supremacy, the space between blue-sky concept cars and their production-based realities is starting to blur. The latest to step into this space is the BMW iNext, an autonomous, battery-powered SUV that comes stuffed with the Bavarian’s latest and greatest ideas for the next generation.

“The iNext project will provide our building blocks for the future, from which the entire company and all its brands are set to benefit,” said BMW Group Chairman of the Board of Management, Harald Krüger. That means that over the next several years, this thing will provide the guidance for not just BMW’s line, but the Mini line as well, both of which are promised to offer “in-car integration of the strategic innovation fields Autonomy + Connectivity + Electric + Services,” according to BMW. Indeed, now that BMW has been doing the EV thing for more than a decade at this point, it’s about time the company stepped up its game. Read on to see how.

Continue reading to learn more about the BMW iNext Concept.