Concepts : Car News And Reviews

The Pontiac Aztek is arguably one of the ugliest vehicles ever created. While the early take on a crossover certainly wasn’t Pontiac’s proudest design moment, the brand did make lots of great sports cars over the years, with the 1970s Firebird Trans Am being one of the most iconic of its cars.

Back in 1983, Nissan challenged itself to look forward to what their cars might look like in the 21st century. The concept car they came up with not only had an unusual design, but an unconventional drivetrain to go with.

The Volkswagen Type 2 bus is one of the most iconic and collectible vehicles of all time. It was quirky and slow, but incredibly charming, and actually pretty versatile. Now, Volkswagen has transformed one of these classic microvans into a modern electric vehicle.

Volvo EV spin-off Polestar already has some production vehicles in the pipeline, including the Polestar One and Polestar Two. Now, we have a concept vehicle that looks towards the future of the brand. Like the Polestar Two, the Polestar Precept is a 5-door fastback.

These days, the use of nuclear energy is pretty much limited to power plants and submarines, but there was a time when it was thought the controversial power source could be used to drive our cars.

Hot on the heels of its retro-infused 5th generation Mustang (which lived from 2005 to 2014), Ford showed off this gorgeous vision for a future pony car, designed by Fabrizio Giugiaro of Italdesign Giugiaro. This one-off Mustang concept was unabashedly European in style, with its Lambo-esque scissor doors, and beautifully sculpted, curvaceous rear end.

I’ve always wanted one of those concept sports cars that was lifted a bit and tricked out for rally racing. I think they’re some of the cooler looking vehicles out there, even if they’re not the most nimble on a paved track.

While most of today’s concept cars envision improvements to the driving experience itself, on occasion vehicles are seen as having a broader impact on one’s lifestyle. That’s the case with this unusual Toyota concept from the early 1970s.

The amphibious Colani Sea Ranger was built on top of a Mercedes-Benz Unimog. Or at least put together using the parts from one; it’s certainly no longer recognizable as a Unimog. The Sea Ranger is part off-road utility vehicle, part camper, and part amphibious watercraft.

In 1969, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a concept car powered by a Wankel rotary engine: the C 111. Built as a test bed for the unusual engine, the first version of the C 111 had a three-rotor unit with an output of 280hp and a maximum top speed of 161 mph.

I kind of consider the 1990s my “lost decade” – I didn’t really care for mainstream music, movies, or cars during most of that period. Sure, there were some outliers like Radiohead, The Matrix, and the Nissan Skyline, but for the most part, it was a pretty crappy decade for most things.

Throughout the years, BMWs have had certain design elements which are pretty universal – from the blue, black, and white round hood badge to some kind of kidney-shaped grille. One of the more interesting BMW designs I’ve ever seen is the BMW 2002 Tii Garmisch, a one-off vehicle designed by Italian firm Bertone for the German automaker.

I’m already a very big fan of the Hyundai Veloster N. With prices starting below $30,000 for the 275hp model, I think it represents the best performance bang for the buck of any new car you can buy today.

Let’s take a trip back to the 1950s, a time when aviation was on the rise, and rocket ships were the future. This set the perfect stage for the design of sleek and streamlined vehicles, some of which looked like they could launch into space.

I’m here at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, meeting with Toyota and Lexus to see what sort of new vehicles they have in the works. A big focus of this year’s show is on the future of mobility, so it’s less about what cars you can buy in 2020, but where technology is headed in the years beyond.