Concept Cars

It’s France’s turn for the giant European car show this year and Korean manufacturer Kia will be showing an all-electric compact concept it has named POP. The POP is a “clean sheet” design developed by Kia’s European design team under the direction of Peter Schreyer, Kia’s Chief Design Officer, and Gregory Guillaume, Kia Europe’s Chief Designer. New images have been released ahead of the unveiling, but we'll have to wait until Mondial Automobile opens in Paris later this week for more details. Read More

The continued trend towards smaller and lighter urban commuter vehicles continued today with Kia showing glimpses of an all-new electric concept car it will reveal at the Paris Show on September 30. Called the ‘POP’, Kia’s three-meter, three-seater was styled at Kia’s Russelsheim design studio where head of design Peter Schreyer has been husbanding the revitalization of the Kia family DNA. Read More

A few days ago, I managed to get up close and personal in Shanghai with one of the most interesting concept cars the world has yet seen. SAIC's Yez concept car is the first automobile, concept or otherwise, that's ever been conceived to have a negative carbon footprint. That is, it removes more pollution than it creates. Read More

After five years in production, the Bugatti Veyron still remains the epitome of the modern supercar – an incredible engineering feat that's both ridiculously fast and ridiculously expensive. In that time we've seen a number of mouth-watering versions of the supercar including the open-top Grand Sport and the paint-less Pur Sang. Now the team at Racer X Design has drawn on the Veyron platform to produce a luxurious 2 + 2 Bugatti concept design with ample luggage space that not only looks beautiful but borders on being practical... well, almost. Read More

Despite some notable exceptions, electric vehicles are still perceived by many as offering less than impressive performance and the looks to match. The latest EV to challenge both those preconceptions is the "Dynacar" – an experimental all-electric car that can reach a speed of 140 kmh (87 mph) in 10 seconds, and accelerate from 0 to 100 kmh (62 mph) in under an estimated 5.7 seconds. Read More

SAIC is already one of China’s biggest automotive manufacturers, which means that by 2050, when China will have 500 million automobiles on its road, it will become one of the largest automakers in the world. Beyond its potential for growth, it's the company's futuristic thinking that most impresses us. It recently showed the groundbreaking YeZ Concept car, and its next concept car, which we bring you a sneak peak of here, is equally as thought provoking. Read More

While Optimus Prime and his fellow Transformers may be pure fiction, shape-shifting cars are destined to become a reality. Over the years here at Gizmag we’ve featured several examples including the Vauxhall Flextreme GT/E with its retractable aerodynamic body panels, the Rinspeed iChange with its ability to change from a one- to a three-seater, and the flexible-skinned BMW Gina. Now, it’s time to add another one to the list, as a design concept if not an actual prototype - the wheel-configuration-changing Cell. Read More

Volkswagen presented its electric mobility vision to some very high-profile guests in Berlin this week. German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and transport minister Dr. Peter Ramsauer were treated to a closer look at the 93 mile (150 km) range Golf blue-e-motion, which is set for fleet testing next year ahead of a planned 2013 launch. Read More

Ford designers set their sights on creating an endearingly simple vehicle for their latest project, and we'd have to say they've succeeded. Unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show, there's definitely a certain stripped-back elegance about the Start Concept, which along with its sculpted lines and some clever interior customization options, features a new 1.0-liter, three-cylinder addition to the company's EcoBoost petrol engine family that promises a CO2 rating of under 100 g/km. Read More