concept

It seems like its been ages since Toyota debuted its FT-86 concept at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The sport coupe concept featured a front-engined, rear-wheel-driven configuration and would be built in collaboration with Subaru, borrowing a shortened version of the Impreza platform and a 2.0-liter, over-200-horsepower variant of Subaru's boxer four-cylinder engine--hence the "Toyobaru" nickname that's been floating around the 'Net.

If the latest shadowed teaser photo released by Toyota is any indication, the sports coupe project is still on track and inching toward production with a second concept, dubbed the Toyota FT-86 II, … Read more

After being cut loose from Ford, Mazda seemed to lack direction, but its new Minagi concept showcases a rethought design language along with a line of fuel-efficient technologies. The Minagi concept will be unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March.

Mazda spent most of the last decade showing concepts that embodied its Nagare design language, which featured organically contoured lines. Nagare began to see some slight realization in the Mazda3 and Mazda5.

But with a new chief designer in charge, Mazda junked Nagare for Kodo, first seen when the Shinari concept was unveiled in Paris last year. Mazda describes … Read more

With rumors heating up that Sony may soon unveil its next-generation PlayStation Portable gaming console, the PSP2, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the various concept designs folks have been posting on the Internet over the last couple of years.

Of course, some of the concepts are pretty far-fetched, but hey, give credit to the artists for letting their imaginations run wild. However, to keep things in context, here's a roundup of rumored features the new PSP2 (code name Veta) may have. As always, take these with a grain of salt, and you should also take into account that Sony is also rumored to be on the verge of releasing a PlayStation phone (may be named Xperia Play). The PSP2 and PSP Phone are supposed to be two separate products, but it's unclear whether Sony will unveil the phone or PSP2 first and whether they're indeed different products (they most probably are).

Either way, the Sony portable game console franchise is need of a boost after having a lackluster year and seeing sales drop off dramatically. Also, Nintendo is already showing of its new 3DS, which will be released in Japan on February 26 (March for the U.S.), so it behooves Sony to announce new PlayStation Portable products sooner rather than later. … Read more

DETROIT--At this year's Detroit auto show, the concept cars looked like serious moves toward a production vehicle rather than a designer's fever dreams. And telling among this crop was the predominance of compact SUVs, a segment that automakers expect to grow.

We started off with a new Civic concept, and in Honda style this car was a mere preview of a production vehicle. Toyota also had a small hatchback concept in its Prius line.

More exciting concepts came from Ford, Hyundai, Kia, and Mini. This crop of compact SUVs featured upright seating positions and raised rooflines. Among these, … Read more

DETROIT--It wouldn't be a car show without a few wild concepts. So alongside the wild Veloster production model, Hyundai also unveiled the crazy HCD-12 Curb concept.

The Curb, for short, is a compact crossover utility vehicle (CUV) with an overall length that's only 4-inches longer than the smallest of Hyundai's lineup, the Accent. However, the Curb manages to cram a good deal into that small space.

Starting with styling, the Curb's wheel wells are filled by massive 22-inch wheels that are wrapped with special graphic tires. Sitting atop those wheels is a body that takes the … Read more

DETROIT--Kia tries to break new ground with the KV7 concept in the world of minivans, but others have been there before. The front-end of the KV7 concept uses an upright grille and windshield, purposefully bringing a trucklike design to the minivan.

In a typical concept move, the side door opens upward, the floor is wood, and the podlike chairs swivel around. It looks like a comfortable place to ride. And Kia even points out its past record of turning forward-looking concepts such as the Soul and Forte into production vehicles with few changes.

But many concepts have shown similarly loungelike … Read more

DETROIT--Today, Honda drew back the curtain on a pair of concept cars. The Honda Civic coupe and sedan concepts sit at the end of the nameplate's almost 40-year history and offer us our first glance at what will eventually be the model's 9th generation.

Both concepts feature profiles that aren't much different from the sedan and coupe currently on the road, but they have more muscular sculpting in the side panels. Glaringly, the 2012 concepts feature more aggressive front ends, with angular headlamps sweeping back from their honeycomb grilles. Where the sedan features chrome bright work atop … Read more

DETROIT--Denso is a company that you may not have heard of, but chances are that you've heard of or even had your hands on its work. As the supplier of electronic components for a variety of automakers (such as Lexus' Remote Touch controller interface), we've learned that what you see Denso demoing today has a good chance to be on roads in the future. At this year's Detroit auto show, Denso showed off a concept dashboard that merged robotics, a smartphone app, and traffic infrastructure integration. OK, Denso. You've gotten our attention.

Let's start with … Read more

DETROIT--Ford rolled out a new concept, the Vertrek, at the 2011 Detroit auto show, defining a new small SUV. Significantly, the Vertrek is based on Ford's new C-segment platform, which also supports the Focus and C-Max models.

Ford says that the next version of the Escape will be based on the Vertrek, replacing the current boxy model. Vertrek also solidifies Ford's Kinetic design language for a small SUV, with a trapezoidal grille and dynamic side contours.

Cabin tech was not the focus of the Vertrek, as the car mostly demonstrates exterior design and power train tech. For the … Read more