The Most Intriguing Concept Cars That Ended Up Falling Short And Not Working Out
Concept cars are designed to get the media and potential buyers revved up about a company's upcoming models, designs, performance offerings, and plans. Yet sometimes, the concept is much rosier than reality. Splashy designs, hyper-performance, and futuristic tech can get watered-down and lost in the production process. A striking design that sets hearts racing can end in a lackluster final product, model line-up, or design language that's destined for disappointment. Read on to learn about cars with cool concepts that promised big but delivered small.
2010 Audi Quattro Concept
Meant to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original Audi Quattro, The Audi Quattro Concept was essentially a lightweight, short wheel-base version of the company's RS5.
With 402 horsepower and a six-speed manual transmission, the Quattro Concept promised to revive the legendary exhilaration of the original Quattro Coupe. Disappointingly, Audi took only a few of the design cues to future models.
2001 Toyota Pod
The Pod was a strange collaboration between the automaker and Sony to create the most futuristic car possible.
The car was loaded with features, including stools instead of seats that could rotate 360 degrees and driving tablets instead of wheels. It also had an on/off switch that looked like a tail that wagged. This car didn't make it past the concept phase.
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1976 Chevrolet Aerovette
The Aerovette was a mid-engined Corvette concept car born in 1969 that reached its final incarnation, with a small-block V8, in 1976. Featuring gull-wing doors and a low drag shape, the Aerovette looked poised to propel the Corvette into legitimate supercar territory.
The concept, unfortunately, never gained enough traction, and the project was killed off in favor of the traditional front-engined layout.
2016 Buick Avista
The Buick Avista concept was a 400-horsepower, twin-turbo 2+2 coupe that debuted at the 2016 North American International Auto Show. The low-slung flowing design captivated imaginations.
Buick doubled down on questionable SUVs and bland sedans, with nothing from the Avista translating to any of Buick's models.
2008 Hummer HX
The Hummer HX concept was designed as a two-door, V6-powered slant-back off-roader with a removable door that was about the same size as Jeep's Wrangler.
The Jeep fighter never materialized, and the H2 and H3 Hummers never got the off-road kit that the HX concept promised.
2011 Cadillac Ciel
The Ciel Concept was a massive four-door convertible that debuted at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours and was meant to showcase Cadillac's intentions to return the brand to a premier luxury auto manufacturer.
Unfortunately, their focus drifted away from becoming a premier luxury brand and toward competition with BMW and Mercedes for mid-size sedan supremacy.
2011 Citroen Tubik
Citroen was hoping to change its reputation in 2011 when it unveiled the Tubik concept car.
Unfortunately for Citroen, when consumers took a closer look at the concept, they started seeing its flaws. The seating layout wasn't ideal for the driver or the passenger up front. Most importantly, the car wasn't considered versatile enough for what modern car buyers wanted.
2011 MINI Cooper Rocketman
At the 2011 Geneva Auto Show, MINI brought the Rocketman concept to the launchpad. The design and execution were intended to bring the brand back to its roots.
The Rocketman is only slightly bigger than the original car, and thanks to lightweight construction, was capable of 78 mpg. Sadly, the Rocketman suffered a failure to launch, and MINIs' offerings started to get bigger with more doors, making the brand's cars anything but mini.
2008 Mitsubishi Concept-RA
Mitsubishi showed up at the 2008 North America International Auto Show with a front-engine, four-wheel drive concept car that many speculated would become the next Eclipse.
The Concept-RA brought a 2.2-liter clean diesel engine, twin-clutch transmission and an aluminum space frame chassis to the party, but none of this ever made it to the already aging Eclipse.
1995 Chrysler Atlantic
In 1995 Chrysler paid homage to the art-deco cars of the 1930s and to the legendary Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic. It was powered by a straight eight-cylinder engine that was, in fact, two Dodge Neon engines put together.
For Chrysler, the reality that emerged from the Atlantic concept was the milquetoast Prowler and the horrible PT Cruiser.
2012 Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force
Designed as an evolution of the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, the Ener-G-Force concept is a fuel-cell-powered bruiser that features adjustable suspension and a 360-degree topography scanner mounted to the roof.
Its technology, design, and capabilities could have easily been adapted to the models in Mercedes' existing portfolio. Tragically, nothing came of the concept, and the G-Class trucks are only available in "mall-crawler" trim here in the U.S.
2015 Lexus LF-SA
At the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, Lexus revealed a luxury sub-compact car called the LF-SA. It was meant to be efficient, easy to park, and filled with luxury offerings.
In reality, Lexus ended up taking a different direction and focused on larger sedans and SUVs, although the enormous grille has become a staple of the brand.
2003 Cadillac Sixteen
Sixteen cylinders, 13.6-liters of displacement, one thousand horsepower, four doors and two and a half tons of Cadillac opulence made the Sixteen concept car of 2003 the ultimate flagship model.
However, no flagship model emerged, and the tedious lineup of Cadillac's big sedans and SUVs continued.
2002 Lincoln Continental
The Lincoln Continental concept first appeared at the 2002 Los Angeles Auto Show, and was immediately recognized as an elegant tribute to the Continentals of the 1960s.
The Continental featured suicide rear doors and chiseled proportions. A four hundred horsepower V12 engine motivated the large sedan, and it was one of the first cars to utilize fiber-optic lighting and LED technology. Despite the rave reviews, Ford chose to ax the production Continental after 2002.
2012 Jeep Mighty FC
Jeep chose to unveil the impossibly cool Mighty FC (Forward Control) concept at the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab. It's a throwback design to the cabover Jeeps of the 1950s and 60s with a modern drivetrain, off-road suspension, and trick portal axles.
The Mighty FC is a utilitarian off-roader with a pickup truck bed in the back. Sadly, the FC never made it to production, and only portions of the concept became available in kit form.
1985 Ford Probe V
In 1985 Ford showed off the Probe V, and the concept was styled by design house Ghia featuring a mid-mounted engine and sliding doors. The futuristic Probe V went on to directly influence the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable and then the production Ford Probe which debuted in 1988.
While the "aero-design" made the cars aerodynamically efficient, it didn't make the Taurus/Sable anything more than a standard-issue sedan.
2005 Ford SYNus
Ford was really thinking outside of the box in 2005 when they unveiled the SYNus concept car. They wanted to make a car that was tough on the outside while soft and luxurious on the inside, but it ended up looking like a bank vault.
Unsurprisingly, consumers didn't want to drive around in a bank vault, no matter how comfortable the seats on the inside were. It was also undersized and not family-friendly.
2005 Holden Efijy
Holden is Australia's division of GM, and the Efijy concept car is a tribute to the 1953 Holden FJ. Based on a Corvette chassis, the Efijy is powered by a supercharged LS2 V8 which is good for six hundred horsepower.
While the Holden Commodore and Monaro got V8s and muscle car cred, not much else of the Efijy ever made it to production.
2001 Suzuki GSX-R/4
In 2001 Suzuki's power came from the Hayabusa motorcycle and was capable of taking the concept to 180 mph. The chassis took influences from open-wheel race cars and promised race car performance in a street-legal car.
While the GSX-R/4 was never intended for production, Suzuki touted the chassis engineering as a feature that would carry over to their street cars, but that never happened.
2002 Cadillac Cien
In 2002, Cadillac showed up with a V12-powered, F-22 fighter-jet-inspired, mid-engined supercar at the Detroit Auto Show.
Disappointingly for customers, there was nothing exciting that they could purchase. The Ciel was featured in several video games, including the Gran Turismo series, but none of the tech, engine, chassis, or fun carried over to actual cars.
2008 Toyota A-Bat
The Toyota A-Bat was a concept truck that the company made public in 2008. The highly stylized vehicle left fans confused about what the actual concept of the car was.
The good news is that the A-Bat never went into production.
1997 Dodge Copperhead
Dodge brought the Copperhead concept to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 1997. Meant to be a slimmed-down Viper-junior, the Copperhead had a two-hundred-twenty horsepower V6 driving the rear wheels. Dodge canceled the project in 2000.
Dodge gave everyone the Avenger and Stratus instead. The engine and some of the mechanicals of the Copperhead were used in Dodge's other models, but none carried the same zest and verve as the concept.
2006 Dodge Charger
Consumers were ecstatic in 2006 when Dodge announced the return of the Charger. The car had been a staple of the lineup for years before disappearing.
If Dodge had released the new Charger in 1999 when they announced it, it would have been a huge hit, but it became a much tougher sell when they released it many years later.
2003 Chevy SSR
Chevrolet wanted to create a fun new retro-inspired car in 2003 when they came out with the SSR.
While reception to the odd-looking car's design was positive, that excitement didn't translate to sales. The SSR stayed on the market for three years until Chevy realized it wasn't worth pushing anymore without the public's monetary support.
2011 Scion FR-S
Scion, the company that Toyota was using to attract younger consumers, was doing quite well with small, economical cars when it decided to add a sports car.
The FR-S concept car was a hit at auto shows, and Scion thought that would translate to sales in the real world. Then the car was released to the public, and it absolutely fizzled. It just wasn't what Scion's consumers wanted.
2000 Pontiac Aztek
From concept to production, not much changed with the Pontiac Aztek. The problem was the niche market Pontiac was targeting.
The Aztek was aimed at outdoors enthusiasts who loved camping. With that purpose in mind, the car was designed to make spending time in the forest as easy as possible. However, spending time on the freeway or with family was a much different story.
2011 Chevrolet Volt
The Chevy Volt might be one of the most recognizable and popular plug-in cars today, but when it first came out, it was an epic disaster.
Chevy rushed their concept to market, and while the initial reaction to the car was enthusiastic, sales sagged, and maintenance problems arose. We give Chevy credit for sticking it out through the storm, though, and Volt is now the second best-selling plug-in vehicle of all time.
2009 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
In 2009, Nissan brought the Murano CrossCabriolet to the market, a concept car that needed more time in the drawing room.
The CrossCabriolet was a convertible crossover, which was a radical idea in 2009. Nissan was looking to get ahead on the next big auto trend, and turning their biggest crossover into a top-down cruiser seemed like a no-brainer. By 2014, the CrossCabriolet was sent to the auto heap.
2013 Subaru Impreza WRX
In 2013, Subaru decided it was time to redesign the Impreza WRX. The small car had been a staple of their lineup for nearly two decades, but execs felt the concept was getting stale.
The new Impreza WRX wasn't really that impressive or that different from the old WRX, and it ultimately disappointed consumers.
2005 Hummer H3
In 2005, Hummer revealed the H3, a smaller version of its iconic car, which would be more planet-friendly.
The new H3 was not a hit. Hummer kept it in production for five years before finally giving up on it. The end of the H3, sadly, also meant the end of the Hummer brand, as General Motors announced its discontinuation that same year.
2001 Honda Unibox
Yes, this is an actual concept car that Honda made in 2001which never made it past the concept stage.
Hopefully, Honda never had any real intention of producing this car. We don't know anyone who would consider buying one, although, with billions of people in the world, the chances of selling at least would have been likely.
2008 Scion Hako Coupe
The Scion Hako Coupe had such a boxy, non-modern design. The general idea behind the Hako Coupe wasn't as strange as the car. Scion was determined to create new cars that appealed to young consumers.
More correctly, Toyota used Scion as almost an experimental branch to test the waters without hurting their own stock.
1997 Pontiac Rageous
From the design of the car to the name, there was nothing to love about the over-the-top Pontiac Rageous.
Pontiac built the Rageous like a Firebird but turned it into a weird hatchback with a drop-down tailgate.
2002 Lincoln Blackwood
The Lincoln Blackwood was a luxury pickup that confused the masses with its too-small flatbed and pinstripes along the body.
When it was made available to the public, there weren't many options for upgrades, and the pinstripes were mandatory. Lincoln made a projection of how many they expected to sell and came up 20 percent short.
2001 Dodge Super 8 Hemi
The Dodge Super 8 Hemi attempted to combine the look of Dodge's signature SUVs and trucks into one look. The awkward-looking car was first shown off at the 2001 North American International Auto Show.
The idea of the car was exciting, but the execution left a lot to be desired, and it was received with disappointment.
