A Teaser Done Right

With nearly every brand releasing one before every major auto show it's hard to get excited by a teaser these days. Audi does score a win with a video about its vital upcoming LA concept that is more about telling a story rather than just a visual tease. The video puts the spotlight squarely on Marc Lichte, Audi's new design chief. The concept is entirely his work and Audi appears to have given Marc significant freedom in shaping its future design. It's refreshing to see a supremely successful brand admit that it has erred and could do better with its design. Although its closest competitors have recently leaned more on the Audi design formula (clone and evolve) than their fans want to admit, it appears that the brand has extracted all that it could from it. The few glimpses of the concept promise the most powerful and impactful Audi design since the Walter de Silva designed A5. The future looks promising but Audi could have a mess to explain if the long overdue and delayed Q7 and the comparatively just slightly overdue A4 aren't true products of the new design direction. If the concept is as great as anticipated, good luck explaining to the public why your newest products don't match it. An awkward moment to have for a brand whose cars supposedly "all look alike". Of course this could all be a real tease and the change might not be nearly as drastic as promised.

Put Up or Shut Up Time for Audi

Audi is the best selling luxury brand outside of the United States but like everyone the brand is not without its faults. Known for creating elegant designs that very rarely have anything really wrong with them the biggest downside for Audi is that many find them cold, clinical and conservative. The flagship A8 is perhaps the biggest offender lacking the flair and in your face panache that many expect in its segment. Over the past few years Audi executives have promised a new Audi design direction throughout numerous interviews but so far there have been more changes of the aforementioned executives than actual change. Given the promises, Audi's upcoming A9 concept carries a heavy burden of expectations and responsibility to give people more of what they want. The four door coupe is an excellent starting point for a dramatic design and Audi should be smart enough to give the A9 plenty of length to work with to develop dramatic proportions. To differentiate the design Audi should give the A9 unique head and tail lights not seen on current Audis. To complement the design it would be great to see Audi throw away all reservations when it comes to the powertrain and turbo its W12 to over 650 horsepower though a hybrid 4.0T is much likelier for the concept. A great interior is a given from Audi and should be the cherry on top if everything else goes well. The promises have been made and it's now time for Audi to deliver, at least in concept form.

Concept Cars That Should Be Built Right Now

It's fun and easy to pretend play with someone else's money and there is nothing better than imaging how you would run a multi-billion dollar auto company. Fantasy sports are a close second though. It's particularly fun to greenlight awesome concepts that brands have deserted over the years. Usually this involves ignoring technological feasibility or market demands but there are concepts that seem to be guaranteed slam dunks if they were produced. Here are a few concepts from the past with awesome design and strong business cases that would need minimal updates to succeed today.

Volkswagen Microbus/Bulli

 The 2001 Volkswagen Microbus Concept is still one of the best concepts to never see the light of day. It's the one that got away. Certainly the minivan market is not strong enough today for Volkswagen to make a case for the Microbus anymore and the Routan experiment doesn't help one bit.

 

QUANT eSPORTLIMOUSINE: This is how you Concept

The Geneva Motor Show is like ampm, too much good stuff. This year is no exception with significant production debuts and awesome concept cars left and right. The Auto Salon also carries a strong tradition of intriguing concept cars from boutique European brands, design studios, engineering groups and colleges. The best of 2014 in this category is the QUANT eSPORTLIMOUSINE by nanoFLOWCELL. The heart of the concept is the nanoFLOWCELL that promises 920 horsepower from electric motors and over 350 miles of range. How is this all possible? nanoFLOWCELL. While the validity of these claims is yet to be determined there is no denying the awesome design of the QUANT. Imagine a Lotus Evora blown up to fit four adults and still remain proportionally sound, add a full length gullwing door per side and you have the perfect recipe for a concept car. The challenge is of course to stay away from full cartoon car mode and the QUANT does not disappoint as it has a concept car design yet manages to keep a small sense of plausibility. A job well done.

A3 Sedan Concept

A few days ago Audi released some sketches of its Geneva A3 "nothcback" concept but now it's time to take a look at the actual concept along with a few additional specs. Audi says that the 408 horsepower 2.5 liter turbo 5 cylinder will propel the A3 to 60 in only 4.1 seconds or about as quick as the current TT-RS. A low weight of only 3,395 pounds helps achieve the acceleration figure as well as contributing to a 26 combined mpg rating on the European fuel economy tests. Using our propriety estimation techniques we guesstimate that such an A3 would achieve around 18/28 mpg on the EPA test. Take a look at the photos of the concept below.

Geneva Motorshow Concepts

We've taken a look at some of the upcoming Geneva production debuts and now it's time to look at some of the most exciting concepts at the show. Since you have already seen the sketches of the A3 Sedan Concept let's move on to two of Geneva's most anticiapted concepts: the Subaru and Toyota rearwheel drive coupe twins. Both Subaru and Toyota will show close-to-production concepts of their coupes. While Subaru and Toyota will show nearly prodcution looking concepts others will be more adventorous in style and reason. The BMW ConnectedDrive concept is a modern take on the classic roadster meant to showcase the upcoming possibilites of auto tech. Another concept to watch for is the Bertone B99. It's the Italian design house take on the much talked about upcoming 3-series/A4/C class size Jaguar. Infiniti will be presenting its Etherea conecpt which gives the Genevav audience a preview of how an upcoming compact Infiniti might look like. Nissan will also present an electric sports car featuring a mix of 370Z and GT-R styling cues and the Leaf's battery pack. And Geneva Motorshow would not be the Geneva Motorshow withous a Rinspeed concept. This year the Rinspee Bamboo is an electric powered retro-styled summer beach cruiser.

Click on the photo to start the Concept Gallery.

Audi A3 Sedan Concept Sketches

Audi pulled a quick one on the unsuspecting masses by revealing sketches of its Geneva bound A3 sedan concept on a Sunday. The A3 sedan will preview the styling of the upcoming A3 model range that as the concept indicates will be joined by a sedan for the first time. The next generation A3 will also be the first Audi to use the upcoming MQB modular platform. Powering the concept is a 408 horsepower 2.5 TFSI engine last seen in the fall on the quattro concept. A 340 horsepower version powers the current generation RS3 and TT-RS thus this concept is a good indication that the RS3 will continue into the next generation. The A3 sedan concept measures 174.8 inches in length thus splitting the difference in size between the current A3 Sportback and the A4. The sedan bodystyle will be paramount in the A3 picking up its sales in the USA. Take a look at the sketches below.

Citroen Creates a Better Concept Car than BMW?

While some car companies use the auto show circuit to reveal thinly disguised versions of upcoming production cars, others use their concept cars to push styling boundaries and imagination. The Citroen Metropolis concept follows the latter line of thought. The Metropolis concept exists solely to present Citroen design and brand to the world and get people excited about Citroen products. In this regard the Metropolis does not disappoint. It features the outrageous styling and unrealistic proportions that make concept cars truly worthy of the name.

The Citroen Metropolis is a fine example of an excellent concept car, but it certainly has competition from the recently revealed BMW Gran Coupe concept. While both are certainly visually appealing, the Metropolis Concept edges ahead solely based on the fact that there will be no disappointment when its production version comes out. There won't be one. On the other hand, if there is a production version of the BMW Gran Coupe it wouldn't be as graceful and handsome as the concept.








The Gran Coupe is one of the best looking BMWs in a long time, but the concept version only sets expectations too high for a potential production version.

First Official Lexus LF-Ch Photo

Lexus has released the first official photo of its upcoming hatchback concept. The hybrid powered concept will preview a Lexus vehicle that would compete with the Audi A3 and BMW 1 series. Expect the actual production car to have a normal rear bumper, bigger rear window and perhaps different taillights.

Mini Shows Its Coupe Concpet Before Frankfurt Debut

Mini has released photos of its upcoming Frankfurt coupe concept car. The coupe looks very much the same as all of the other Mini below the windows, above the windows it has a chopped coupe profile. The coupe is naturally a two seater and Mini says that it is almost two hundred pounds lighter than the regular Cooper. While the coupe is a concept for now it might go into production in a few years.





Click here for more photos.