Concept

Koenigsegg-related bits of news are a rare occurrence on the internet, unless the Swedish carmaker really has something to communicate. In fact, since Christian von Koenigsegg announced that Koenigsegg appointed Alexander ‘Sasha’ Selipanov as its Head of Design, there’s been complete radio silence.

But with the 2020 Geneva Motor Show already profiling on the horizon, we are now presented with rumors about a Koenigsegg Jesko-based concept car slated to make an appearance in March. Its purpose? At this point, rather unclear, but it could involve reaching or breaking the 500 kph or 310 mph speed barrier.

The Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR is a futuristic concept car that explores new design options and technologies, as well as the "vision of designers, engineers, and trend researches for mobility in the distant future." The AVTR name stands for Advanced Vehicle Transformation, but it also represents the company’s collaboration with the team that produced Avatar, a science fiction film directed and produced by James Cameron and released in 2009. While previous Vision concepts from Mercedes-Benz were also futuristic, they still featured technologies and styling cues linked to production cars, while some of the design actually made it on vehicles you can buy in dealerships. The Vision AVTR is an entirely different story as its features and technologies won’t be transferred to production cars in the near future.

Just as we were prepared to suck it up and live with the painfully small amount of vehicles presented at CES 2020, Sony, known mostly for its electronics and PlayStation gaming consoles, drops the bomb by unveiling an all-electric car prototype.

No, it’s not a Porsche although it looks a lot like one, don’t you think? This contraption here is called Vision-S and with it, Sony wants to brag about its ability to keep up with the latest mobility trends that will ultimately turn our cars into downright entertainment spaces, especially once Level 5 autonomy begins to shift from exception to norm. Here’s what you need to know about the Sony Vision-S.

Pininfarina, once Ferrari’s preferred coachbuilder, is now busy establishing itself as a standalone automaker. It put its best foot forward by unveiling the radical Battista hypercar that promises to be one of the fastest four-wheeled things on the planet and now it’s doubling it down by announcing a whole range of models, the first of which will be an SUV. Fear not, however, as the Pura Vision isn’t your average sporty SUV as Pininfarina aims to deliver supercar-level performance under a skin that both resembles a four-door GT and the existing Battista. It sounds like a match made in heaven.

Coming with an outlandishly appointed cabin and a class-bending profile, the Pininfarina Pura Vision could seriously reduce the market share of Lamborghini’s Urus and Ferrari’s upcoming Purosangue. While we’re yet to feast our eyes with the pre-production prototype showcased to prospective customers during a series of VIP events held by Pininfarina in August during the Monterey Car Week, those that have are talking about a sleek and not overly complicated design so typical of Pininfarina, one that’ll only be matched by its impressive performance. At this stage of the game, the Pura Vision might become Pininfarina’s most important product so they have to get it right.

Just when you thought it was safe to call the recently unveiled Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo one of the edgiest VGT cars to come out of the video game racing program, a certain Italian automaker comes out and smacks you over the head with its own Vision Gran Turismo. This one comes from Lamborghini, and it’s called the V12 Vision Gran Turismo. For a company that’s known for designing some of the most aerodynamically outrageous cars in the world, the V12 Vision Gran Turismo makes all of those models look like doodles on a sketch pad. It doesn’t hurt that the V12 VGT carries the same powertrain as Lambo’s other recent madness-of-a-creation, the Sian FKP 37. Just like every other Vision Gran Turismo model that has come before, the Lamborghini V12 Vision Gran Turismo is not earmarked for real-world production. It will instead be available in Gran Turismo Sport for the PlayStation 4 in 2020.

The 2019 Hyundai Vision T Plug-In concept is an SUV concept that the Korean automaker introduced at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. A somewhat futuristic design with unique styling cues, the Vision T showcases a brand-new design language. It’s also described as global, so it could inspire a new lineup of SUVs. The crossover is slightly larger than the Hyundai Tucson and it’s a plug-in hybrid. Sadly, there’s no info about the drivetrain and no photos of the Vision T’s interior. But let’s find out what it could mean for the future of the Korean brand.

Kia glided through the design process of its latest coupe SUV concept, the Futuron, drawing inspiration from outer space. With Level 4 autonomy, this SUV with a "360-degree core" represents a look at the future of Kia design with its novel approach to the tiger nose front grille and the eye-catching Star Cloud headlights and taillights. In fact, the concept features light sources all over the luscious bodywork that suggests this EV’s got some grunt. Expect to see at least some cues inside and out on future models of the Korean automaker.

South Korea has quickly risen, in the span of about two decades, from the doldrums of the auto industry to the very top and concepts such as Kia’s Futuron (in itself a pun on the words "future" and "on") signals to the world that Kia plans to stay at the top in the foreseeable future by incorporating the latest EV technology coupled with autonomous systems, all draped in a futuristic body with clean surfaces but also aggressive ridges and angles. We like it if it’s a sign that the two-door SUV is bound to make a comeback.

One of the baddest and meanest trucks to have graced this year’s SEMA Show is this Ford F-250 Super Duty Baja Forged by LGE-CTS Motorsports, a California-based aftermarket company. There is nothing to not like about this truck. It looks vintage, it has the ‘Baja’ identity, and it has the old-school persona attached to it. The Baja Forged Super Duty is an all-in-one mobile command center, workshop, and campsite that will be utilized as a chase truck for the Baja Forged Ford Ranger that was launched by the company at last year’s SEMA Show. Such is the versatility of the truck that even Ford calls this the “Swiss army knife for the modern adventurer.” Need we say anything more about it?

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.

With a modern Ford Bronco just around the corner, TV personality and car collector Jay Leno gave new life to a first-generation Bronco Wagon with help from Ford Performance and various aftermarket tuning shops. Shown to the public at the 2019 SEMA Show, this Bronco retains the looks of the original SUV, but it features modern underpinnings with a supercharged V-8 built by Ford Performance. The story behind the vehicle is quite interesting, as it was left for Jay Leno as a joke by fellow TV host Craig Ferguson. Leno kept the vehicle in his garage unrestored until he decided that it deserves a new life.

Various companies and shops contributed to the project, starting with Ford Performance, FoMoCo’s very own performance division. Kincer Chassis, Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts, SEMA Garage, and LGE-CTS Motorsports.

Ford teamed up with RTR to tag-team the 2020 Ranger and has brought two fine examples to the 2019 SEMA show. One of those concepts was the Ranger RTR, and the other is the Ranger RTR Rambler. While the Ranger RTR is already up for sale, will the Rambler prove that it has what it takes to makes its way to the showroom floor? Let’s take a look at what the Ford Ranger Rambler by RTR is all about!

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.

The 2020 Ford Escape is well-represented at the 2019 SEMA Auto Show. Three different versions of Ford’s hot-selling crossover are in attendance at the world’s largest auto show, including the Ford LGE-CTS Motorsports Urban Escape. As the name implies, the LGE-CTS Urban Escape is a stylish all-around crossover vehicle designed to tackle both urban and off-road environments. It comes with a smattering of upgrades in the form of new equipment and performance modifications, among other things. It’s not the fanciest tuned version of the Escape that’s at SEMA, but it is the one that a lot of people will no doubt gravitate to, in part because of its functionality and all-around usefulness in the real world.

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?

Toyota’s usual lineup for the SEMA Show is centered mostly around SUVs and trucks, but the 2019 edition brings the fifth-generation Supra into the spotlight. The Japanese carmaker took the 2019 SEMA Show by storm with a handful of modified Supras, either built by aftermarket tuners or developed by Toyota itself to preview upcoming parts and accessories. Here’s the four most interesting coupes you’ll find on the show floor.

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.