A concept car is a project for a future car or an entire line of cars that demonstrates the manufacturer's achievements in the field of style, technology or design. The fashion for creating concept cars began back in the 30s, but often they remained in history as an unrealizable project, detached from reality. Let's take a look at some examples of the brightest representatives of this wave of automotive engineering.
1. Volvo YCC (2003)
Volvo is hardly a trendsetter in the automotive industry. If there is a direction in which they are ahead of the rest of the world, it is safety, but a safe concept car will not surprise anyone, and this is its main task. However, in 2003, Volvo introduced the Volvo YCC concept - a car "designed by women for modern people." Even in our time, it sounds very progressive, and at the time of 2003, the idea was simply groundbreaking. In addition to the idea itself, the car had many interesting features - wide personalization options, excellent visibility and a practical interior. One of the killer features of the car was the washer reservoir filler neck, brought out.
2. Citroën Metropolis (2010)
The French have never been afraid to experiment with the size and appearance of cars. Just remember the Vel Satis from Renault - an attempt by the manufacturer in premium, which was not successful. True, it was surprising rather with a minus sign. But Citroën Metropolis, on the contrary, with its appearance alone delivered an indescribable aesthetic pleasure. Its dimensions were also surprising - length 5300 mm, width - 2000 mm. The car was not mass-produced, however, the developments are very clearly visible in the Citroën DS 9, which was released on the Chinese market in 2020. There is no need to talk much about this car, you just need to look at it.
3. Kia Provo (2013)
A concept from Kia, which has some suspicious similarities with the bold experiment of other Koreans - Hyundai Veloster. Despite all its oddities, such as 4 doors instead of the usual 5, Veloster was successful and in 2013 Kia released its concept - a racing hatchback-coupe/crossover and presented it as a racing car for everyday use. The project seemed very interesting, however, Kia never released anything similar. There were rumors that the company was afraid to launch a car with that name in Northern Ireland, but no one knows the real reasons why the car was not mass-produced.
4. Saab Aero X (2006)
Saab, as public pages with quotes bequeath, never forgot its roots. Until the very last model, cars of this brand always tended to the sky a little and Saab Aero X was no exception (what is the name alone worth). Panoramic glazing - like in an airplane, disks - 1 in 1 blades of a turboprop engine, the dashboard also looked more like aviation than automotive. And, of course, the pilot cannot open some incomprehensible door to sit in his faithful friend, so the upper part of the body was reclined on the car along with the doors and windshield, opening access to the cabin. Unfortunately, financial problems did not allow such bold ideas to be realized.
5. Alfa Romeo Carabo (1968)
Wedge-shaped design in the late 60s was a very bold move, which ultimately marked an entire era in the automotive industry. One of those who laid its foundations was the designer from Italy Marcello Gandini. In 68, he designed Alfa Romeo Carabo - a pioneer of cars with a wedge-shaped design. Alas, apparently, the big bosses from Alfa Romeo found the design unworthy of release and the concept remained a concept. However, Marcello did not give up and in 1974 his pen produced the legendary Lamborghini Countach, which became an icon and a dream of millions. However, Alfa Romeo Carabo remains one of the first concepts to show a new trend in automotive design.
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