Top 10 concept cars
Volvo S60
Vehicle type: 4-door coupe
Powertrain: 180-hp, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine
Debut: Detroit auto show
Designer: Orjan Sterner
What’s cool: Volvo’s take on the latest European styling trend — the 4-door coupe — is a sexy one. The swoopy sedan has muscular fenders and an in-your-face grille with an oversized Volvo badge that looks as if it were borrowed from a Volvo truck. The rear doors are hinged at the rear and swing back, clear of the body, to create a wide opening to the interior.
Will it be built? Yes; it goes on sale in mid- 2010.
Infiniti Essence
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Infiniti Essence
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Vehicle type: 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
Powertrain: Hybrid, 434-hp, 3.7-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 and 158-hp starter-generator; 592 combined hp
Debut: Geneva auto show
What’s cool: This is one gorgeous machine. It could be twice as gorgeous if they stretched the car, added two doors and turned the Essence into a lower-priced competitor for the Mercedes-Benz CLS coupelike sedan.
Will it be built? The automaker has said the Essence is a rear-drive design study for future Infiniti models. But Infiniti also said the Essence could be considered for production.
Honda CR-Z
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Honda CR-Z
Vehicle type: 2+2 hatchback Powertrain: Hybrid, with 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine Debut: Tokyo auto show Designers: Motoak Minowa, Makoto Iwaki What’s cool: Who says hybrids need to be limited to 4-door sedans? Green can be cool-looking. AutoWeek called it “Best in Show.” Will it be built? Yes. Look to the Detroit show in January for the real car. One change: It will be a 2-seater. |
Fisker Karma S
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Fisker Karma S
Vehicle type: 2-door convertible with retractable hard top Powertrain: Hybrid from General Motors Co. Debut: Detroit auto show Designer: Henrik Fisker What’s cool: The powertrain can deliver 50 miles on electric power and an additional 250 miles once the gasoline engine cranks up. The folding metal hard top gives the car a sleek look. Will it be built? Yes, in 2011 — priced at around $87,900. |
Chrysler 200C EV
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Chrysler 200C EV
Vehicle type: 4-door sedan Powertrain: Plug-in hybrid Debut: Detroit auto show Designer: Ralph Gilles, who at that time was Chrysler’s vice president of design What’s cool: Stunning, elegant design that’s still a head-turner. Will it be built? The 200C EV is built on a shortened version of Chrysler’s 300 platform. With Fiat now pulling the strings, Chrysler’s next-generation mid-sized cars will be developed on a front-drive Fiat Group platform. The body’s proportions might need to be modified for a Fiat platform, risking the beautiful balance of the design. |
Lexus LF-Ch
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Lexus LF-Ch
Vehicle type: 5-door hatchback Powertrain: Hybrid Debut: Frankfurt auto show Designers: Tom Matsumoto, Alex Shen, Edward Lee, William Chergosky What’s cool: Practicality, fun to drive and eco-friendliness are what this premium, rear-drive compact is all about. Will it be built? Yes, likely unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March. |
Toyota FT-86
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Toyota FT-86
Vehicle type: 2-door 2-seater Powertrain: 2.0-liter engine from Subaru Debut: Tokyo auto show Designers: Designed at Toyota’s ED2 studio in Nice, France, and Newport Beach, Calif. What’s cool: This is a head-turning sports car — 2-passenger, rwd. Did someone say street racer? The badge says Toyota, but beneath the skin it’s all Subaru — engineering, manufacturing, even assembly. Will it be built? Yes, in 2011. A sub-$30,000 sticker price is talked about. |
Cadillac Converj
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Cadillac Converj
Vehicle type: Coupe Powertrain: Plug-in hybrid Debut: Detroit auto show What’s cool: There is no mistaking the Converj for anything other than a Cadillac, with its creased body lines, vertical lights fore and aft, and egg crate grille. The concept shares the Chevrolet Volt hybrid powertrain. Will it be built? That’s the $64,000 question. |
Bugatti Galibier 16C
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Bugatti Galibier 16C
Vehicle type: 4-door sedan Powertrain: 8.0-liter V-16, 2 superchargers; horsepower estimate: 800 to 1,000 Debut: Molsheim, France, the birthplace of Bugatti Motor Co. What’s cool: The Galibier 16C is “intended to be the most exclusive, elegant and powerful 4-door automobile in the world,” Bugatti says on its Web site. If produced, an asking price of around $1.5 million has been hinted at. The concept seats 4 and emphasizes luxury, not sportiness. Will it be built? Whether it is this car or something else, Bugatti wants to have a sedan in production by 2013. But how big is the market for a car that might cost over $1.5 million? |
Audi Sportback
Vehicle type: 5-door hatchback
Powertrain: 3.0-liter, direct-injection, turbodiesel V-6
Debut: Detroit auto show
What’s cool: The Sportback refines Audi’s design vision, a minimal working of sheet metal that leaves the body decisive in shape and graceful in tone.
Will it be built? Yes. It’s the inspiration for what will be the Audi A7. The car is expected to arrive in 2011.
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