Concept Cars and Cars to Come

Concept cars are prototypes of ideal cars. They are usually showcased for public exhibition. In the fiercely competitive world of car manufacturing, manufacturers are constantly designing and making special cars to show their ability to design and manufacture highly useful cars, built ahead of the times. As the name goes, such cars are purely conceptual in nature.

Why are concept cars conceptual?

Manufacturers of such cars do not go for mass production. This is because prototype cars are non-traditional and are made of very expensive materials or materials like paper or carbon fiber, mass production of which is not feasible. The designs and layouts of such cars are too fanciful to be implemented practically.

Purpose of designing concept cars:

Concept cars are made combining the best of modern technology with the highly effective and time-tested layouts of cars from the past. Reactions to such cars enable automobile companies feel the pulse of the market. The fanciness of the cars set the pace for future designs. Manufacturers come to know whether a car is acceptable or requires a few modifications before going to production. Cars which evince little interest are usually destroyed. Those which catch the imagination of the public are preserved as a strategy to expand the list of company patents.

Toyota Motor Corp. showcased 7 Toyota concept cars at the 39th Tokyo Motor Show. The cars unveiled by the company feature several groundbreaking and futuristic technologies. Among the concept cars showcased are the Fine-X and i-swing. While the former is a personal mobility vehicle the latter is a brand new fuel cell hybrid vehicle. The company has also showcased a prototype car, which has headlights that change intensity of light from dull to bright. The change in color reflects feeling of the driver, whether is happy, sad, or angry.

Among the 2009 concept cars Vision GLK Bluetec, the GLK compact crossover and Vision GLK Freeside are expected to be popular among the mass. Cheverolet will be launching the Chevrolet Camaro Convertile. Audi will introduce six new models in next three years. Audi Q7 SUV is the first of the six models. Audi r8 will make debut later this year. Other models are Audi A4, Audi A5, and Audi Q5. The last of the models which is shrouded in mystery is likely to be out after 2 years. To make its aging models come off age, Jaguar’s S type line-up is being replaced by Jaguar XF in 2009.