concept

Russian automaker Yo-Auto's concept for the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt auto show features a sleek design that will likely never see a public road. It has small digital cameras in place of side mirrors. Like most concepts, it's probably motivated by some bombastically improbable hybrid power train that gets a million miles per gallon. It's certainly not what I think of when I hear the words "Russian automobile." However, none of that is what's piqued my interest in this Yo-Mobile concept. I'm interested in the doors.

Yes, the doors, which, as you'll see … Read more

In 2015, the Defender will be 25 years old, so Land Rover designers are putting down their tea and getting to work on an update. The company will show a concept for a new Defender model at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show. With only four years until the production version is due, the blokes at Land Rover will barely have time for a biscuit.

The DC100 concept appears as a two-door, with rounded edges and grille that lose the welded sheet-metal hard edges of the current model. The wheels chosen for the concept look designed to appeal to first-world consumers rather than military buyers from countries created last week.

But Land Rover's long timeline for the Defender update shows a very careful approach. If the public derides this one, there is still plenty of space on the drawing board. And Land Rover says it will pay close attention to customer input as it finalizes the design. … Read more

When Ford unveils its Evos concept at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show, the company doesn't want you to focus on the car itself. Similar to the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive shown at the last Geneva auto show, which showed off an entire technology environment, the Evos concept demonstrates how Ford's technologies can integrate with your life.

The Evos concept bundles just about every technology on which Ford has been working, creating a holistic vision of how a future car would integrate with your life. The Evos is designed as a connected vehicle, and can do things like continue playing … Read more

Infiniti released no details about a new concept car it would unveil at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show, beyond the fact that F1 champ Sebastian Vettel would be on hand to introduce it.

Infiniti says that Vettel helped design this concept, which looks nothing like the open-wheel F1 cars Vettel drives as part of the Red Bull racing team.

From the photo released by Infiniti, the new concept is clearly based on the FX crossover. The major body styling seems to be a more raked profile in back. With its hatchback body and fender vents, it also looks like a … Read more

If your kids think traditional bicycles are boring, why not have them ride this "Tron"-inspired training bike instead?

Designed by Ryan Callahan, an industrial designer from the Town/Lifestyle group at Trek Bicycle, this pedal-less scooter could have kids speeding around the Game Grid while learning the basics of cycling.

Callahan presented his idea at TrekWorld 2012 last week. Do note, however, that this is only a prototype and further changes (perhaps the ability for the scooter to be generated from a baton) are expected. There's no release date for the final product yet.

Here's another look at the concept art: … Read more

Not every album is a song cycle or designed to be listened to as a complete work of art. But the songs were more or less recorded in the same time frame, and someone tried to create a musical flow, from one song to the next.

Some musicologists cite Frank Sinatra's 1958 album, "Only the Lonely," as the first "concept" album, for its sustained theme of late-night moods and melancholy. There were probably earlier pop song cycles, but it was definitely the Beatles' "Sgt Pepper" and the Who's "Tommy" that … Read more

Ahead of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, Infiniti showed off a concept version of the JX. This new vehicle has three rows of seating for seven passengers, yet is marketed as a crossover.

Infiniti currently offers the EX and FX crossovers, both five-passenger vehicles, and the QX SUV, a badge engineered version of the Nissan Armada. The JX offers similar passenger space as the QX.

Infiniti says the JX, the production version of which will debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, will be powered by a V-6 engine. Unless Infiniti has developed a new engine, the V-6 should be from its VQ series, which ranges from 3.5 to 3.7 liters, and is used in many Infiniti and Nissan vehicles. … Read more

We've driven just about every variant of Kia's Optima sedan and the consensus is that they're all pretty good. We've even gone as far as to call the SX Turbo variant "sporty." However, for the handful of you holding out for a true sports sedan from Kia, the automaker has something even better on the horizon: a rear-wheel driven sports sedan concept that's set to debut in Frankfurt.

The jury's still out on the power train, as the automaker hasn't announced anything beyond the rear-wheel drive configuration and that it's &… Read more

After not-so-secretly releasing a prototype of its electric microcar into the urban wilds for testing, Audi let loose sketches of its Audi Urban Concept. The camouflaged vehicle was caught on video in Berlin, and drawings and descriptions confirm that the Audi Urban Car concept is an electric two-seater meant for dense urban environments.

The prototype seems to be Audi's more aggressive and daring answer to BMW's electric city car, the i3. With its open wheel design, narrow body, open nose cone, and retractable roof, it kind of looks like a 1960s Formula 1 car if you squint really … Read more