Concepts

Bored with sedans, Dacia, Hyundai, and Nissan show off three new concepts at the 2009 Geneva auto show configured as small, urban SUVs. These concepts ride high on big wheels, but have compact dimensions, allowing for easy city maneuvering and parking.

Italian automotive designer Franco Sbarro runs a performance shop in Switzerland, and is known for bringing innovative concepts to the Geneva auto show. This year, Mr. Sbarro shows up with a compact roadster, using hubless wheels and an innovative touch-screen interface by Delphi.

The Volkswagen Passat Lingyu is the latest fuel cell vehicle to join the testing program at the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento, Calif., according to an announcement issued last week by the German carmaker.

Volkswagen recently imported 16 of the zero-emissions fuel cell electric vehicles that were developed in partnership with scientists from Tongji University and debuted at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Lingyu uses hydrogen to power an electric motor, and produces only water and oxygen as emissions.… Read more

We covered details of Rinspeed's iChange concept previously, and now have photos to add. The iChange is a new concept for the 2009 Geneva auto show. Electric powered, it sports a different profile depending on whether it is carrying one or three people.

Swiss automaker Rinspeed will debut at the 2009 Geneva auto show an electric concept car that changes shape to conform to the number of passengers on board.

The iChange is a lightweight, 4,280mm (approximately 14 feet) EV sports car with a teardrop-like silhouette designed to maximize fuel efficiency for the single passenger. But with the push of a button, the sloped rear of the car pops up to accommodate two additional passengers, if needed.

The concept sports car forgoes doors, opting for a very ADA-unfriendly clamshell roof. Rinspeed is obviously assuming that in the future, women will no longer wear skirts. … Read more

The Kia Soul'ster, considered as purely a concept vehicle for last month's Detroit auto show, is now a candidate for production.

The reason, Kia says, is the strong response at the show to the small, stylish, two-door mixture of convertible and pickup. The Soul'ster is based on the tall, boxy 2010 Kia Soul, a front-drive, five-door hatchback aimed at the Scion xB and xD.

"The response was so overwhelming" that Kia decided it needs to take a closer look, said Alex Fedorak, a Kia Motors America spokesman. "It is clearly a vehicle that was … Read more

Attempting once again to invent a new automotive segment, as it did with the X6, BMW designs a new concept for the Geneva Motor Show it calls a Progressive Activity Sedan. This vehicle has four doors and an open cargo area, and only differs from a station wagon body style by the car's higher riding position and the fastback slope to the roofline. The car is officially called the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo, and BMW released photos and details today.

Mitsubishi released a more detailed sketch of its Prototype i Miev on Thursday.The all-electric sports car concept is set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show this March alongside the i Mieve Sport Air concept car.

Both are follow-ups to Mitsubishi's i Miev hatchback, which is currently undergoing "feasibility testing" in Europe. The hatchback, which is scheduled to go on sale in Japan sometime this year, can be plugged into any household outlet for recharging.

Though at 7 hours to recharge at 200V outlets and and 14 hours at 100V outlets, owners may opt for a … Read more

With the launch of the Genesis, Hyundai reinvented itself, and will further the process with a new SUV concept at the Geneva auto show. This new concept, dubbed the HED-6, following a naming scheme based on previous Hyundai concepts, is described in the press release as an "urban nomad," and is supposed to have picked up influences from Berlin, London, and Paris. We would suggest to Hyundai's design team that Europe hasn't traditionally been big on SUVs, but considering the recent critical success of the Genesis, we will shut up in respect to another bold move … Read more