Isn’t it fun to dream? Essentially that’s what automobile designers get to do every day. Their dreams start with sketches and drawings, and if they’re lucky culminate in mockups or even road worthy prototypes. The ultimate recognition is commercialization and full production.
But the cars look best to me in the "dream state" where they have features and characteristics often too expensive for the resulting production car. Or the designs are not practical for everyday use. It’s in this spirit that I offer these 10 exciting concept cars.
10. Volkswagen Bulli Concept
This Bulli Concept—the moniker resurrects a popular German nickname for the T1 VW Bus—is supposedly a sequel to that earlier show van. Whereas the original and the 2001 concept were, this little tribute is a compact MPV with four hinged doors. The Bulli makes its debut at the 2011 Geneva auto show. Volkswagen isn’t afraid to dream big. In fact, one of our dreams just won an award.
VW is proud to announce that the Bulli, an updated version of the world’s original van and our iconic Bus, was named 2011 Concept Truck of the Year at the tenth annual North American Concept Vehicle of the Year Awards.
The Bulli’s electric motor resides up front and is powered by a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that sits below the floor. The electric motor produces 114 hp (85 kW) and 199 lb-ft of torque, and is capable of propelling the 3,200-pound retromobile to 62 mph (100 kph) in 11.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 87 mph (140 kph). The battery is said to provide a range of about 186 miles (299 km).
9. Nissan Land Glider Concept
With more than 50% of the world’s population living in big cities in the near future, designers latched onto motorcycles as a credible base to start the design process. While the agility, thrills and freedom of bikes inspired the designers and engineers, an extra spice was added to the mix. Tandem architecture became the obvious choice: a unique two-seater, cocoon-like structure sitting on a zero emission powertrain. With four-wheel stability and a sense of safety that originates from a tilting cabin, the Land Glider will appeal to both two- and four-wheel driving enthusiasts.
The Land Glider is a tiny tandem two-seater, 122.0 inches (3.1 m) long, 43.3 inches (1.1 m) wide, and 55.7 inches (1.41 m) high, on an 85.8-inch (2.18 m) wheelbase. The leaning cabin is controlled by an electric motor, its angle dictated by steering input, and the fenders are articulated to accommodate steering lock.
Propulsion is all electric, with a lithium-ion battery pack sending juice to a pair of electric motors, one for each rear wheel. Power output is unspecified, as is curb weight, but according to Ryusuke Hayashi, Nissan Advanced Product Planning, the car is capable of nearly 75 mph (120.7 kph), with a potential battery range of 62 miles (100 km). The battery pack is readily replaceable from underneath.
8. Jaguar B99 Concept
The Jaguar B99 concept is a team effort between Jag and Bertone and serves as way for Bertone to celebrate its 99th Anniversary. The new compact Jag's name is a melding of the company's first initial and its age. In its simplest form, sports car design is defined by the relationship between the mechanics and the bodywork. The aim at Jaguar has always been to wrap the form as tightly as possible around the function to create a taut, sculpted appearance that could only be that of a Jaguar.
It represents not only Bertone's new direction and a possible answer to the ubiquitous 3 Series, but a big leap in terms of technology.The B99 is powered by an all-new extended-range hybrid drivetrain designed by Bertone to run on two electric motors whose batteries can draw a charge from a small onboard engine. Bertone says they've been looking into sustainable energies for the last two decades and the B99 is the top of that evolution chain.
7. BMW i8 Concept
The BMW i8 Concept has the heart of a plug-in hybrid and the soul of a sports car. This high performance plug-in hybrid coupe boasts astonishing fuel efficiency and can take you soaring from 0 to 62 mph in a mere 4.6 seconds. The story of the i8 begins with its so-called LifeDrive architecture. BMW says that its experiences in creating the Mini E and 1-series-based BMW ActiveE showed that adapting cars engineered for internal-combustion power to electric propulsion results in a lot of excess weight and compromises in packaging.
As a result, the i8 is built using two purpose-built modules: one to house passengers, dubbed “Life,” and one for propulsion and suspension components, called “Drive.” Combine them, and you have a car—and marketing-friendly “LifeDrive” branding.
This i8 is a plug-in hybrid and its powertrain is split between its two axles, with an electric motor and direct-drive transmission at the front axle and a gas engine and transaxle at the rear.
6. Pininfarina Sintesi
Pininfarina demonstrates it can fashion more than Ferraris with its radical four-door Sintesi.
A view that clearly reveals the basic theme of the car: a continuous looped surface that, starting from the front wing, stretches along the side of the car, naturally blends into the rear fender and then turns around the side window to dive back under the front wing. Like a Moebius ring, uniting the inside and outside of the car.
The fuel-cell-powered Sintesi concept’s slippery styling utilizes as many aero devices and forms on its underside as on its body, with weight distribution and passenger space optimized by spreading the powertrain components throughout the body structure rather than concentrating them together in front, in back, or in the middle.
Cool design details include a narrow band of headlamps, jewel-like surface faceting, polygonal door cuts, and a skeletal body structure that resembles a calamari skate. (Jump to Part-2.) *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | FORBES | CAR AND DRIVER | AUTOBLOG | TOPSPEED]
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