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Concept Car

During the ongoing Japan Mobility Show, Honda surprised enthusiasts with the unveiling of the new-age Prelude Concept. While Honda has not yet confirmed whether the Prelude Concept will lead to a production model, this move follows Acura’s revival of the Integra nameplate, leaving the door open for Honda to make a similar comeback.

The Prelude concept stands out from its predecessors, as it departs from the traditional compact two-door coupe design. Instead, the new model is considerably larger, in line with contemporary vehicle sizes.

From the front, the Prelude Concept could easily be mistaken for a new Toyota model, possibly part of the new Crown family. It features sharp headlights connected by an LED light bar located just above the space where a license plate would be situated. The lower bumper section is adorned in black with a mesh pattern and a small vertical design element finished in blue.

The side profile aligns more closely with the Prelude legacy. It displays small black wing mirrors, flush door handles, angular rocker panels, and gloss black wheels with blue brake calipers hinting at its performance potential. The roofline tapers towards the rear, although Honda has yet to reveal the full rear view of the concept.

Honda has provided limited details about the Prelude Concept. It describes the model as “sporty” and promises to deliver “the joy of driving” and “provide extraordinary excitement that you have never felt before.” While Honda has confirmed that the model is electric, it has not disclosed further information about its powertrain.

As it stands, Honda’s Prelude Concept represents a bold step into the future, embracing the evolving design language and technology to deliver an electrifying driving experience.

Additional specifications and the production future of the Prelude Concept have not been confirmed by Honda at this early stage.

The next-generation Suzuki Swift has been revealed as a concept, offering a glimpse of what the production model may look like when it officially launches in 2024. While it’s officially labelled a concept, it appears virtually production-ready, with an evolutionary design compared to the current model.

The concept features a similar overall shape to the current Swift but incorporates some subtle design changes. Notably, there’s a prominent crease running along the side of the vehicle, just above the door handles. The door handles are situated below the beltline at the rear of the car, rather than in the C-pillar like the current model. This side crease flows into the headlights and aligns with the hood line.

The grille appears slightly smaller and rounder than the current model, and the concept car sports a black contrast roof. While Suzuki has been known for adventurous designs in recent years, such as the retro-styled Ignis and Jimny, the new Swift seems to take a more evolutionary approach in terms of design.

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The Concept CLA-Class electric car, which Mercedes-Benz revealed in Munich, provides a preview of what the next complete redesign of the CLA would look like. The usage of existing elements here suggests that many of the components shown in this idea will probably be included in the following-generation CLA.

The Concept CLA-Class, built on the Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), features a sleek and aerodynamic design. Inside, it incorporates sustainable interior materials, reflecting the growing trend towards eco-friendly automotive options.

The Concept CLA maintains the distinctive and iconic “four-door coupe” design, a hallmark of the CLA nameplate since its introduction in 2014. However, designers have refined its appearance by elongating the hood and shortening the rear deck, achieving sportier proportions. The concept is adorned in a striking Pomegranate Red paint color, further enhancing its visual appeal.

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Lamborghini is making preparations for an electric-driven future, and the bold Lanzador concept unveiled recently offers us the most insightful glimpse into how that transition will manifest.

Introduced as a prototype at Monterey Car Week in California and expected to launch half a decade from now, the Lanzador is a stylish high-performance car with two rows of seats, featuring a size that brings to mind the Porsche Taycan. Nevertheless, it showcases an elevated ride height with the goal of attaining enhanced adaptability.

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With a variety of turbo-diesel and Wankel rotary engines installed, the Mercedes-Benz C111 prototypes from the 1960s and 1970s served as test beds for cutting-edge powertrain technologies. Currently, as the automobile industry transitions from internal combustion engines to electric power, Mercedes has introduced the Vision One-Eleven concept, which, like its ancestor, serves as a forecast for how the company will adapt to the changing automotive scene.

The initial C111 prototype, which was painted a striking shade of orange and equipped with dramatic gullwing doors, is clearly where the sleek supercar styling of the Vision One-Eleven got its start. The concept’s single line, shallow curve profile is reminiscent of the cab-forward aerodynamics of Mercedes’s existing EV models, such as the EQS and EQE.

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While the global carmakers often talk of having a global network of design centres so that they can develop products better suited to the different markets around the world, it’s even better if there are designers who grew up in, live and work in the market a product is intended for. They would know best what customers want and needs that may be specific to local culture.

China, being the world’s largest car market, usually gets much attention from carmakers who want to sell as many cars as possible. In order to do so, the cars must be designed to suit local tastes closely. For example, some manufacturers understood that Chinese customers like longer cars and were willing to build long wheelbase variants just for the market.

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Lancia, which is part of the FCA Group within Stellantis, seemed to have no future not so long ago. Its declining sales numbers and a stagnant range with just one model  put its continued existence at risk, and it was only Italians who seemed to have any affinity for the brand.

Stellantis sees Lancia as a brand with some hope and is willing to help it revive and embark on a new era. For a start, the 116-year old company has worked on a new brand vision which takes it into the electric age.

The brand vision has a design vision which was described last November and previewed in the Pu+Ra Zero, a 3-dimensional ‘manifesto’ that will guide the designers of the 3 new Lancia models to be launched between 2024 and 2028. Created from the words ‘Pure’ and ‘Radical’, Lancia Pu+Ra Design is described as a sustainable design language that is intended to ‘last for the next 100 years’.

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With digital renderings these days, it is possible to present a new vehicle design so realistically that it seems like an actual model. However, it is still 2-dimensional and while there can be many angles (and the image can even be rotated and zoomed in and out), there’s nothing like a physical model in 3-dimensional form.

In 2021, at the Nissan Ambition 2030 presentation, Nissan showed three concept cars – only in virtual form – as a preview of its future range of fully electric models. Among them was a concept called the Max-Out which was a topless low-slung 2-seater. As a convertible, it suggested a sporty and fun experience, perhaps assuring people that even with electric power, cars will still be fun to drive.

Of the three concept models, Nissan decided to turn the Max-Out into reality and has built one unit. The model is part of the Nissan Futures event in Tokyo which showcases how Nissan is shaping the future of sustainable mobility and innovative design.

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Toyota, like some of the other top carmakers, has expressed a view that the goal of carbon neutrality to prevent climate change is not a single-solution – going electric with motor vehicles – approach. While they do recognise the importance of moving towards that goal, they feel that the electric-only solution is not practical and is also costly. A choice of solutions that include some existing technologies (improved, of course) is being promoted as a more realistic approach.

Toyota’s President, Akio Toyoda, is very vocal about this and was among the first car company CEOs to state the position. Perhaps that encouraged the CEOs in the other companies to also echo similar views but still committing to increasing production of zero emissions battery electric vehicles (BEVs). They are probably under a lot of pressure to allocate massive funding for BEV R&D and at the same time, they still need to continue some development of combustion engine powertrains.

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To show what its future direction is like, Suzuki is presenting its eVX concept model at India’s Auto Expo 2023 in Delhi this week. The eVX is the carmaker’s first global strategic electric vehicle (EV) which will be the basis of an all-new SUV model to be launched in 2025.

The design of the eVX draws on models like the Grand Vitara and S-Cross while moving the brand forward with new elements that brings its 4×4 legacy into the electric era. With no need for air to cool the radiator, the front end is closed off and a large Suzuki badge is mounted in the centre. The futuristic lights are likely to be just for the showcar as they would unlikely be able to meet regulations.

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