Category Archives: CONCEPT CARS

CONCEPT CARS

Volkswagen ID. CROSS Concept: The Friendly Face of VW’s Next-Gen EVs

Volkswagen has a lot riding on its next wave of electric cars. As the leading EV brand in Germany and Europe, Wolfsburg’s giant isn’t just chasing sales numbers—it’s reshaping what entry-level electric mobility looks like. At IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich, VW pulled the wraps off the ID. CROSS Concept, a compact electric SUV that promises city-friendly proportions, family-ready versatility, and a refreshingly optimistic design language VW calls Pure Positive.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkswagen and Head of the Brand Group Core, set the tone: “From the very beginning, my goal was to shape the best version of the Volkswagen brand of all time. The near-production ID. CROSS demonstrates that we are now truly delivering—with new design, better quality, more technology, and, finally, the right name.”

The Fourth Member of VW’s Entry-Level EV Family

The ID. CROSS is the fourth entry in Volkswagen’s new small-car EV offensive, following the ID.2all, the ID. GTI Concept, and the ID. EVERY1. All four models are due to hit production between 2026 and 2027, with the ID. Polo and its hotter Polo GTI spinoff leading the charge in the first half of 2026.

This lineup isn’t just about Volkswagen—it’s part of a broader push by the Brand Group Core (VW, Škoda, SEAT & CUPRA, and VW Commercial Vehicles) to flood the entry-level EV segment with affordable yet desirable models, leveraging shared platforms and scale.

Small Footprint, Big Personality

On paper, the ID. CROSS matches the dimensions of the current T-Cross—just 4,161 mm long, 1,839 mm wide, and 1,588 mm tall. Yet clever packaging yields a spacious five-seat cabin with a generous 450-liter trunk plus another 25 liters under the hood. VW even claims it will tow up to 1,200 kg, while a 75-kg ball coupling makes it ideal for e-bike racks.

The design itself is all about friendliness. Finished in Urban Jungle Green, the concept wears strong lines, clean surfacing, and a 3D light signature up front and rear that gives the impression the car is smiling at you. Head of Design Andreas Mindt says it taps into Volkswagen icons like the Golf and VW Bus: “A Volkswagen must be likeable, unmistakable, and inspiring. That’s why we deliberately evoke heritage cues while keeping the car modern and trend-setting.”

Massive 21-inch “Balboa” alloys, paired with bespoke Goodyear rubber, fill the arches—though production wheels will likely shrink for sanity’s sake.

Lounge on Wheels

Inside, the ID. CROSS leans into VW’s newfound focus on warmth and livability. The cabin mixes Vanilla Chai beige fabrics, ambient “Atmospheres” lighting and sound modes, and even real plants in the floating center console. Fold-flat seats create a lounge-like recliner setup reminiscent of a VW Bus, while a two-screen cockpit—11-inch driver display and 13-inch infotainment—sits neatly aligned on the visual axis.

Ergonomics have also taken a step forward: VW promises a return to physical shortcut buttons, cleaner menus, and natural voice control after years of criticism over touch-heavy interfaces.

Powertrain and Range

Under the skin, the ID. CROSS sits on VW’s evolving MEB+ platform. A single front-mounted motor delivers 155 kW (211 hp), feeding from a flat-mounted high-voltage battery pack. Range is pegged at up to 420 km (WLTP), squarely in the sweet spot for compact SUVs. The platform also unlocks advanced driver-assistance features, including an updated Travel Assist system once reserved for higher segments.

What It Means

Volkswagen knows it has to get this car right. Compact SUVs like the T-Cross and Tiguan are the bread and butter of the brand’s global success, and the ID. CROSS could be the EV equivalent. Its balance of compact size, big usability, approachable character, and a not-so-serious personality might just be the thing that helps more buyers make the electric leap.

The production version is slated for a summer 2026 debut, but if the Munich show car is any indication, VW’s “Pure Positive” philosophy may finally give the ID lineup the charm it’s been missing.

Source: Volkswagen

CONCEPT CARS

Genesis X Gran Coupe Concept: A Rolling Ode to the Italian Countryside

It’s one thing to read that the Genesis X Gran Coupe Concept takes its cues from the rolling hills and olive groves of Italy’s countryside. It’s another to see it glide across the ancient roads of Marche, where sunlight, stone, and vineyard rows converge. Out here, Genesis’s design study doesn’t just look like a concept car—it feels like a sculpture in motion, an objet d’art that happens to wear wheels.

The X Gran Coupe Concept shares its paint palette with the brand’s flagship G90 sedan, but the color finds a new soul under the Mediterranean sun. Parked beside weathered olive trees or in the historic Piazza del Popolo, the car doesn’t clash with its surroundings—it compresses them, refracting the setting like a gemstone cut to reflect Italy’s timeless light.

From head-on, the X Gran Coupe exudes athleticism. Widened fenders and a roofline pressed low over the cabin turn the sedan silhouette into something predatory, as if the car were a big cat poised to leap. Genesis calls its design language “Athletic Elegance,” and here the balance tilts toward the former—there’s grace, yes, but it’s kinetic grace, energy captured in sheetmetal.

In profile, the execution is even more striking. The roof and cant rail have been integrated into a flowing canopy, while the elongated fenders create a three-dimensional stance. The brand’s signature Two-Line headlamps stretch outward, exaggerating width and road presence, and their glow carries a kind of quiet authority—a luminous signature visible even from a distance. A wide lower grille with sculpted mesh completes the look, an intake that reads less like an opening for airflow and more like a purposeful inhale before unleashing speed.

The details matter, too. The five double-spoke wheels are more than just hardware; with layered secondary spokes, they read like jewelry, catching and bending light with intent. Inside, the sense of place deepens. Greens and earthy browns dominate the cabin—shades drawn directly from olive leaves and Mediterranean soil. The leather is tanned using reclaimed olive-oil tannins, and olive wood runs the length of the interior, its microperforated surfaces backlit with patterns reminiscent of leaves at dusk.

And the sensory touches extend beyond the car itself. Genesis even created a lifestyle capsule collection to accompany the concept: a trio of accessories—a briefcase, iPad case, and garment bag—crafted from the same Italian Pasubio leather as the seats. It’s a move that blurs the line between automobile and fashion, reinforcing Genesis’s desire to be not just a carmaker but a curator of modern luxury experiences.

The X Gran Coupe Concept isn’t just another design exercise destined for auto-show turntables. It’s a clear statement of intent. Genesis is redrawing the map of modern luxury, moving past the expected tropes of wood, chrome, and leather to something deeper, more poetic. By embedding the textures and tones of the Italian landscape into its very DNA, the X Gran Coupe doesn’t just reflect its surroundings—it belongs to them.

And that’s the most striking part. Out here among olive groves and Renaissance piazzas, this Korean-built luxury concept doesn’t feel like an interloper. It feels like it was always meant to be here.

Source: Genesis

CONCEPT CARS

MINI x Deus Ex Machina Concepts: Where Motorsport Meets Surf Culture

MINI has never been shy about mixing heritage with experimentation, and its latest collaboration with Deus Ex Machina—a brand equally at home on the racetrack as it is on the beach—proves the point. The two companies have cooked up a pair of show cars, unveiled at the IAA Munich Motor Show, that blur the line between fashion statement and performance machine. Meet The Skeg and The Machina.

Both concepts spring from the John Cooper Works lineup, MINI’s halo of hot hatches. One packs a battery and an experimental surf aesthetic, the other a turbo four-cylinder and a more traditional motorsport vibe. Neither is production-bound, but both showcase MINI’s willingness to play at the intersection of lifestyle and speed.

The Skeg: Surfboards Meet Semi-Transparent Fiberglass

Basing a concept on the all-electric MINI JCW might not seem like the obvious way to celebrate surf culture, but that’s exactly what The Skeg does. MINI’s designers leaned into the beach life with semi-transparent fiberglass panels stretched over its widened wheelarches, roof, and spoiler. The material is intentionally rough to the touch and helps shave 15 percent off the car’s curb weight compared with the standard electric JCW.

Inside, the surf theme continues with a stripped-down cabin. Neoprene-trimmed bucket seats and a simple fiberglass dash play up the motorsport connection, while the rear seats give way to wetsuit trays—because where else would you stash your boardshorts after a session in the waves? It’s part race car, part surf shack, all very un-MINI in the best possible way.

The Machina: A NASCAR-Tinged JCW

If The Skeg is playful, The Machina is pure attitude. Built off the petrol-powered JCW, it keeps MINI’s familiar 2.0-liter turbo-four—good for 231 hp—paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The design, however, borrows heavily from American stock car culture.

The wheelarches are wider still, housing oversized wheels and rubber meant to echo NASCAR pit lanes. The headlights? Gone. In their place sit circular intakes accented by slim LED strips. An open mesh grille, a jutting splitter, and four auxiliary rally lamps nod both to modern racing aggression and MINI’s Monte Carlo-winning past. Out back, a towering wing and beefy diffuser leave no doubt about this car’s intent.

The cabin dials the motorsport feel up another notch. Winged bucket seats, a deep-dish steering wheel, and a classic fly-off handbrake sit where the infotainment clutter would normally reside. It feels less like a concept car and more like a garage-built race special—raw, purposeful, and ready for a restart of MINI’s GP lineage.

Why It Matters

Neither concept is destined for your local MINI dealer, but both hint at where MINI might experiment as it reshapes its lineup. The Skeg demonstrates how lightweight materials and electric performance could dovetail with lifestyle branding, while The Machina feels like a thinly veiled preview of a next-generation MINI GP.

At the very least, these cars prove MINI hasn’t lost its sense of fun. Whether you’re into wetsuits or pit stops, the MINI x Deus Ex Machina pair shows the brand still knows how to mix culture, performance, and a little bit of madness in a package no one else would dare.

Source: Auto Express