concept

Mazda takes a stab at wrapping its new "Kodo: Soul of Motion" design language around the lithe proportions of a sporty sedan in December, when it will debut its Takeri concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.

The inverted, pentagonal grille and angry eyes of the Kodo style, which debuted first on the Shinari concept and will hit the road on the CX-5 small crossover, seem particularly suited for the Takeri sedan. From the looks of the photos, this could eventually manifest as the next incarnation of the Mazda6 midsize sedan. The Takeri isn't just a pretty … Read more

The 1969 Holden Hurricane combined futuristic technology--for the time. Now some of that technology is being used in 21st century vehicles. Holden Australia recently restored the original Hurricane--tech and all.

The midengine, rear-wheel drive, two-seat sports car used a pre-GPS navigation system that relied on magnets embedded at intersections along the road network to guide the driver along the desired route. The Hurricane also had a dash-mounted panel that told the driver which turn to take by illuminating different arrows, and sounding a warning buzzer.

The Hurricane had some surprisingly advanced systems such as electronic digital instrument displays, station-seeking radio, … Read more

How can Apple possibly top the super-thin MacBook Air? Elemental, my dear reader: with the MacBook Earth, Water, and Fire, of course.

The MacBook Air is one of the thinnest and lightest laptops we've ever seen, so it makes sense that it would inspire a selection of laptops that break records in its own area. Conceived by Syfy's gadget site Dvice, the Earth, Water and Fire are just concepts right now, but we can't wait to see them in action.

Read more of "MacBook Air gets elemental with MacBook Earth, Water, Fire" at Crave UK. … Read more

Siri, the new voice technology unveiled yesterday that's coming to the iPhone 4S, may not be such a new idea for Apple after all, at least according to a 1987 concept video showing a vaguely similar system designed for tablets.

Andy Baio over at Waxy posted a video of Apple's "Knowledge Navigator," a concept video put together for the Educom computer trade show in 1987, to be delivered alongside the keynote of then Apple CEO John Sculley.

The video, which cost Apple some $60,000 and six weeks to create from start to finish, features a professor going about comparing research notes and studies, as well as collaborating with others over video chat on a foldout tablet device running an older version of the Mac OS. Included is a plethora of concepty goodness, from touch screens and video conferencing to translucent removable memory that looks like it's straight out of "Star Trek."

But the glue that holds it together is the artificial intelligence assistant: A smooth-talking man who is a dead ringer for Bill Nye, the science guy, has complete conversations with the professor and is able to pull up charts and data based on plain language requests. It was more advanced than the Siri technology we saw demoed yesterday, but there are clearly some shared ideas. … Read more

We know that the Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86) will be getting a spiritual successor in whatever vehicle comes out of the other end of the development of the FT-86 concept. However, although Toyota fanatics have been howling for a replacement for the Supra for much longer, Toyota hasn't openly committed to plans to revive its former halo car. That doesn't stop talented artists from taking their own cracks at designing the next Toyota Supra.

Speedhunters, an automotive lifestyle blog run by the guys behind EA's Need for Speed series of racing sims, is usually home to some … Read more

Concept cell phones are a dime a dozen these days.

Several months ago, for example, images of a flexible Samsung Galaxy Skin cell phone emerged courtesy of South Korean designer Heyon You. Nearly a dozen images showed a forward-thinking ultrathin, ultralight flexible OLED cell phone running a future version of the Android OS. There was even a set of specifications given that fueled excitement about the concept, such as a built-in projector and graphene as one of the phone's materials.

Recently, the International Business Times and the Telegraph ran stories confirming the Skin's existence, and a rumored release time frame of the second quarter of 2012.

In a brief statement to UK magazine T3, however, Samsung said the Skin is not in. "It is a project that has been carried out by design students and is just a concept product. Samsung was not involved in the project," a Samsung rep told T3. "The students used the name Galaxy Skin and the Samsung logo in their concept to make it look more like a commercial product." … Read more

Honda debuted a CR-V concept today at the Orange County International Auto Show in Anaheim, but don't expect gullwing doors, cameras instead of rear view mirrors, or some new, revolutionary electric power train. This CR-V is a preview of the 2012 model update, the production version of which Honda will show off in November.

The concept reveals new styling, and Honda says the new CR-V will have more cabin space, a redesigned interior, and better fuel economy than the current model.

The redesign gives the CR-V a much more modern look than the previous generation, which has gone for five years without a significant update. The headlights are integrated with the grille, and a skid-plate-looking piece rises up from under the front of the car. … Read more

As it struggles to reinvent its brand from safety stalwart to naughty luxury carmaker, Volvo is exploring its artsy side by documenting the construction of its next concept vehicle, the Concept You, in a series of photos on Tumblr. Yes, Volvo has a Tumblr account.

The Swedish auto manufacturer plans to reveal the Concept You next week at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. The days are counting down to the big debut, and to build buzz, Volvo is releasing videos and photos of the vehicle online.

Although no finished images of the Concept You have been leaked, stumbled-upon images and … Read more

Ford's Evos concept car isn't on display at the IFA show in Berlin, but Ford's chief technology officer is there to discuss the vehicle, which will be "permanently connected to the cloud."

In a recorded interview (scroll down to listen), CTO Paul Mascarenas said that with Evos "being connected to the cloud, it can access data and information that allows the vehicle to understand your preferences as a driver." It could automatically play the type of music you like and even adjust the suspension, breaking, and routes based on your preferred driving style.… Read more