Once upon a time, not so long ago, car companies spent millions of dollars creating dazzling concept cars. These cars were displayed all around the world at events and motor shows. Some concept cars eventually make it to the production line – like how Hyundai’s 2019 Concept 45 became the lauded Ioniq 5 we know today – but most only serve to wow the motoring public, show off technological advancement, and test new design trends.
2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5
- Base MSRP
-
$42,500
- Base Trim Engine
-
EV
- Base Trim Transmission
-
Automatic
- Base Trim Horsepower
-
168 HP
- Base Trim Torque
-
258 lb.-ft.
- Base Trim All Electric Range
-
245 miles
There are a few concepts that stick out from years gone by that, for one reason or another, never made it to production. While we’ve touched on a few awesome concepts in part 1 of this exploration, there were so many to consider that we’ve compiled a list of ten more.
Thousands of concept cars have seen the light since the dawn of the car. Most concepts never come close to a manufacturing plant. Some concepts, in a slightly more practical package, do make it to a dealership floors., but this list includes a variety of concepts from across the globe – from concepts that seem entirely practical and ready to sell to some outlandish designs – that just never came to light.
1
BMW 328 Concept
Year: 2011
|
Engine |
3.0-liter Inline-6 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
255 hp |
|
Torque |
221 lb-ft |
The rather beautiful BMW 328 Concept was created as part of a tribute project, celebrating the 1938 BMW 328 which had enjoyed an illustrious motorsport history. The concept car followed a vital original 328 doctrine that made it hugely successful: low weight. Made predominately from carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CPRF), aluminum and even a bit of leather, the BMW concept weighs just 1,700 lbs.
Although the engine in the concept application is largely irrelevant, it appears BMW decided to fit a three-liter inline-six under the hood with its cool if slightly superficial leather straps (mimicking the 1938 car, which had leather straps holding the hood down). With around 250 hp and 1,700 lb to move around, it could’ve been a hoot to drive. What a pity the BMW 328 Concept never made it to any production line: It’s not only stunning to look at, but would have been a real machine on the road too.
2
Chevrolet Tru 140S
Year: 2012
|
Engine |
1.4-liter turbocharged Inline-4, eAssist |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
140 hp |
|
Torque |
N/A |
Now here was another potential game changer that never saw the light of day: the 2012 Chevrolet Tru 140S, a sporty hybrid aimed at buyers under 30 years old, with a potential price point of around $20,000. Based on the General Motors Delta II platform (think Cruze, Volt and Opel Astra), the Tru 140S was powered by a hybrid system consisting of a turbocharged 1.4-liter Ecotec engine and an eAssist system – an electric motor connected to the engine’s crankshaft, contributing a measure of power. In this instance, the collective power came to 140 hp, which would have provided a peppy and fun performance. A six-speed automatic gearbox sent the drive to the front wheels. Sadly, the Tru 140S concept never came to realization, as Chevrolet green lit other projects instead. Only two cars were made: one in white, and another in yellow, both featuring 21-inch chrome rims.
3
Ford Evos
Year: 2011
|
Engine |
2.0-liter Inline-4, PHEV |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
188 hp (combined) |
|
Torque |
129 lb-ft |
In 2011, Ford revealed its Evos concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The grand coupe concept was powered by a 2.0-liter Duratec gas engine running on the Atkinson cycle, and a plug-in electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack system. The drivetrain came straight from the Ford C-Max Energi, and the gasoline engine only came to the party when the speed exceeded 47 mph. The total drive range for the Evos Concept was said to be in excess of 500 miles.
The Evos concept car was actually a four-door. It had butterfly doors up front, and the rear openings were so-called suicide butterfly doors, opening from a hinge at the rear of the car. Other cool features include LED headlights, now a standard fitment on many new cars. Other cool tech features included seats that could measure the driver’s pulse rate, and adjust the climate control and other perimeters accordingly (tech we’re likely to see more of in the future). The Evos Concept car was never produced, but the Evos name lives on in the Ford Evos, developed and sold primarily in China.
4
Holden Efijy
Year: 2005
|
Engine |
6.0-liter supercharged V8 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
645 hp |
|
Torque |
560 lb-ft |
Why, oh why did Holden not throw caution to the wind in 2005 and go ahead and produce the Efijy, a 645-hp retro-styled piece of automotive art? Oh, what could have been! Based on the 1953 Holden FJ, the Efijy was penned by Holden chief designer Richard Ferlazzo, and the fiber glass body finished in Soprano Purple. The car was based on a lengthened Chevrolet Corvette floor pan and is powered by a 6.0-liter V8 engine with a Roots supercharger, delivering 645 hp. The power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic gearbox, where a limited slip differential helps to sort all those horses. In 2007, the Efijy traveled to the USA where it was on display at various events – it was even named the US concept car of the year. Sadly, only one display car exists.
5
Holden Time Attack
Year: 2018
|
Motors |
Four electric motors (one per wheel) |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
1,340 hp |
|
Torque |
2,390 lb-ft |
The cool thing about Concept car is that designers are under no particular obligation to follow any specific rule, with mass production in the game. The Holden Time Attack concept car, which made its debut in 2018, is a case in point. The futuristic single seat racer, designed for mountain climbs and track days, is powered by four electric motors, each producing 335 hp, at each corner of the car. That’s a combined 1,340 hp, and a mammoth 2,390 lb-ft of torque. Enough, claimed Holden, to send the Time Attack from 0-60 mph in just over one second, and go on to a top speed of 300 mph.
The battery part is where the non-practical part comes in. It uses a graphene solid state battery pack, said to be able to fully recharge in under two minutes. Graphene technology has not been commercialized yet, and is expected to only make an impact on the EV scene from around 2035. Well, at least the Holden Time Attack concept will be ready to, well, plug and play!
6
Infiniti Emerg-E
Year: 2012
|
Motors |
1.2-liter Inline-3, two electric motors |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
402 hp |
|
Torque |
812 lb-ft |
The striking Infiniti Emerg-E concept shares a platform with the Lotus Evora. It has two electric motors per rear wheel, delivering a combined 402 hp and 812 lb-ft. Interestingly, it also has a mid-mounted 1.2-liter gasoline engine that delivers 47 hp – but this engine’s sole purpose is to charge the lithium-ion battery pack. So it’s like a 47 hp generator, really. Additionally, the Emerg-E can be plugged in to recharge.
The Infiniti Emerg-E made its public driving debut at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed, after the project was apparently part-funded by the British government. It never made it to production. Parent company Nissan said the Emerg-E was never intended for production, but rather served as a showcase and testing platform for future technology to be used in its production cars.
7
Kia Track’ster
Year: 2012
|
Engine |
2.0-liter turbocharged Inline-4 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
250 hp |
|
Torque |
250 lb-ft |
Kia revealed the two-door Track’ster concept at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Based on the Kia Soul, which sold up to 150,000 units per year in the USA, the Track’ster was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine producing 250 hp. It also came with an electronically-controlled all-wheel drive system, transferring the power to the wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. The suspension was lowered and tuned for more sporty handling. Kia’s in-house team and HRE worked together to create the bespoke, monoblock billet 19-inch rims, shod with high performance Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. Larger 14-inch Brembo brakes did service in all four corners, providing excellent stopping power.
On the inside the Track’ster got a proper motorsport treatment, with bucket racing seats decked out in beautiful leather, rounded off with a bespoke steering wheel and custom, short-throw gear lever. If Kia’s decision makers knew how the demand for performance cars like Hyundai’s N range would take off – spawning award-winners like the Ioniq 5 N – we bet the Track’ster would have been green lit, back in 2012.
8
McLaren X-1
Year: 2012
|
Engine |
3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
616 hp |
|
Torque |
443 lb-ft |
In 2012 McLaren revealed the X-1 Concept. And truth be told, 99% of the world’s gearheads asked, “What the heck is that?” What it is, under the skin, is a McLaren MP4-12C. A long-time McLaren customer, who already owned an iconic F1 and 12C, convinced McLaren boss Ron Dennis to create a bespoke concept that would still have the capability of a 12C, but that looked like the customer wanted it to look. The customer, clearly a person with substantially deep pockets, also had a list of inspirational cars and objects, to be used in the design. This included a 1961 Facel Faga, a 1953 Chrysler D’Elegance Ghia, a 1959 Buick Electra, a 1939 Mercedes-Benz 540K, and a 1961 Citroen SM. Also on the list: an Airstream trailer, a Thomas Mann Montblanc pen, a grand piano, an eggplant (yeah, we know), and a black-and-white photo of Audrey Hepburn. Seriously.
Three years down the line, and with its own development program, the carbon bodied X-1, enclosed rear wheels and all, was done. The car was homologated, and is fully road legal, and resides with its well-heeled owner. As far as we can establish, no-one else ordered an X-1 since.
9
Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force
Year: 2012
|
Motors |
Four electric motors, hydrogen fuel cell |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
N/A |
|
Torque |
N/A |
The iconic Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen, or G-Class, is a bit like Chuck Norris: It will decide when it will retire, and not when Mercedes-Benz introduces the GL-Class to replace it, only to realize G-Class customers rather want the G-Class. Clearly, the G-Class was not ready to retire to the rocking chair on the porch just yet. Ironically, the 2012 press release about the Ener-G-Force concept, states: “Will the G-Glass still be around in 2025?” Personally, we love how that didn’t age well – and it’s still not close to retirement.
Back in 2012, the Ener-G-Force was Mercedes-Benz’s vision of what a 2025 replacement for the G-Class may look like. The Ener-G-Force is powered by four electric motors, located inside the wheels, providing 4WD traction. The electric motors, in turn, were powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, with a hydro-tech converter that uses recycled water stored on the roof to turn into hydrogen. That tech hasn’t quite materialized yet – but the G-Class is still around.
10
Cadillac Cien
Year: 2002
|
Engine |
7.5-liter V12 |
|---|---|
|
Horsepower |
750 hp |
|
Torque |
450 lb-ft |
Cadillac’s Cien was unveiled at the 2002 Detroit Auto Show, in part to celebrate the brand’s 100th birthday. It was powered by the amazing 7.5-liter V12 Northstar engine, which produced 750 hp. The engine, like the car, was an experimental unit, and featured direct injection and North Star’s Displacement on Demand, which cut out six cylinders during a light load application. Designed at General Motors’ Advanced Design Studio in England, the Cien’s style was inspired by the F-22 Raptor fighter plane. The Cien was a bit of celebrity in its day, starring in the 2005 film The Island. It has also featured in numerous driving games, including Gran Turismo. Why was the Cien never produced? Bean counters. An internal review apparently concluded that the potential market for a $200,000 car did not justify the substantial investment required to produce the low-volume supercar.
Sources: Cadillac, Holden, McLaren, Kia, Infiniti, Ford, Chevrolet, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, YouTube
