Category Archives: CONCEPT CARS

CONCEPT CARS

Meet the Cadillac Elevated Velocity: Luxury, Lunacy, and a Dash of Mars Rover

Cadillac has clearly decided that “normal” is a word best left to accountants, not car designers. Their latest concept, the Elevated Velocity, is what happens when you take last year’s Opulent Velocity, feed it a double shot of espresso, and tell it it’s allowed to run wild in the desert.

It’s a high-riding electric SUV, yes—but that’s like calling the Space Shuttle a “commuter vehicle.” This is Cadillac imagining a world where autonomous driving and good old-fashioned steering-wheel-wrangling can live under the same panoramic glass roof.

From the outside, it’s pure sci-fi V-Series: hulking stance, gullwing doors that open like they’re greeting alien royalty, illuminated 24-inch wheels (which Cadillac insists are “probably” going into production), and taillight fins that look like they belong on a ’59 Eldorado—if that Eldorado had been designed by Blade Runner’s art department.

Underneath? Electric. That’s all Cadillac’s saying. No range figures. No torque numbers. No rock-crawling specs. And frankly, it doesn’t matter—because this isn’t the sort of concept that talks about approach and departure angles. It’s here to make a statement, not to get muddy.

Inside, the Elevated Velocity is a mood board on wheels. Every surface is some shade of red—leather, boucle, you name it—and there isn’t a single conventional screen in sight. Instead, there’s a display in the steering wheel itself, because apparently that’s the future. Other features range from the vaguely plausible (cabin air purification, adaptive air suspension) to the outright bonkers (infrared light for “rejuvenation” and a dust-phobic vibration system that literally shakes dirt off the car). Oh, and there’s a hand-crafted polo set, because why not.

Driving modes are where things get properly wild:

  • Elevate Mode: Car drives itself, pedals and wheel vanish like a Vegas magic act.
  • Velocity Mode: You’re in charge—Cadillac trusts you not to bin it.
  • E-Velocity Mode: A more intense version for spirited on-road driving.
  • Terra Mode: For when you want to go off-road like a lunatic with a taste for champagne.

Cadillac will be showing it off on August 15 at The Quail during Monterey Car Week, which is the perfect venue for something that looks like it could double as a Bond villain’s escape pod. Will any of this actually make it into production? Hard to say. But Cadillac insists the future is electric—and if this is what they mean, that future is going to look utterly mad.

Source: Cadillac

CONCEPT CARS

Opel Teases a Track-Ready EV Concept Ahead of 2025 IAA Mobility

Opel is dialing up the anticipation game. The Rüsselsheim brand has dropped the first tantalizing images of a new concept car set to make its world debut at the IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich (September 8–14). Details are scarce, the name is still locked in a vault somewhere, but the early visuals and subtle hints make one thing clear: this machine is part design manifesto, part performance statement.

The brand’s press materials make repeated references to its GSE sub-brand—Opel’s high-performance badge that recently made the jump to full electrification with the Mokka GSE. That means this concept isn’t just about looking fast. It’s a likely preview of where Opel intends to take its battery-electric performance lineup.

The Next Step in the Compass

Design chief Mark Adams and his team are pushing Opel’s “Compass” design language into new territory. At the center sits an illuminated Opel wordmark, flanked by razor-thin horizontal and vertical light elements—clean, precise, and unmistakably modern. The effect is minimalist but far from plain, with just enough aggression to make you suspect this concept’s bark will match its bite.

From the few official images, there’s no mistaking the motorsport undertones. The wheels, with their truncated triangular elements, nod directly to icons like the Opel Manta 400 rally car. Inside, a slim, racing-inspired steering wheel proudly wears the new GSE logo, while a lightweight driver’s seat and a visible roll cage leave no doubt: this is a car with track ambitions.

Electric, and Not Just for Show

Opel CEO Florian Huettl promises the concept will “send pulses racing” while previewing upcoming production models. Given the GSE tie-in, the focus will be on delivering all-electric performance—and not just in straight-line numbers. Expect chassis tuning, aerodynamics, and driver engagement to get as much attention as battery output and range.

The car also appears to carry Opel’s signature design restraint—no excessive vents, no overblown bodywork—just purposeful, aero-driven shaping. If Opel’s previous concepts are any indication, we could be looking at a vehicle that bridges the gap between road-going EVs and pure race machinery.

The Countdown to Munich

Opel will reveal the concept’s name and full details closer to its Munich debut, but the combination of heritage motorsport cues, the GSE performance ethos, and electric innovation suggests this isn’t a one-off showpiece. This could be the blueprint for a generation of Opel EVs aimed squarely at driving enthusiasts.

The message from Rüsselsheim is clear: the brand with the Blitz is ready to make performance EVs not just fast—but thrilling.

Source: Stellantis

CONCEPT CARS

Volkswagen’s Forgotten Electric Sports Car: The Spiritual Successor to the SP2

Back in 2017, as Volkswagen grappled with the fallout from the Dieselgate scandal, the brand made a bold pivot toward electrification. The ID. family of concept cars became the face of a cleaner, forward-looking VW—starting with the original ID. showcar in 2016 and followed by the ID. Crozz a year later, which previewed what would eventually become the ID.4. But behind the scenes, something more emotional and less utilitarian was brewing in the design studio: a fully electric sports car that never saw the light of day.

Recently, Volkswagen Group’s Spokesperson for Design & Concept Cars, Štěpán Řehák, shared never-before-seen sketches of this lost EV on LinkedIn—an elegant and muscular coupe born from the creative mind of designer Tibor Juhasz. What emerged was not just a concept, but a love letter to a nearly forgotten chapter of VW’s past: the SP2.

For the uninitiated, the original SP2 was a sleek, rear-engined sports coupe built in Brazil in the 1970s. Based on the humble Type 3 platform, it was VW’s way of offering something exotic and aspirational to the South American market, without straying far from its mass-market roots. While it was never a high-performance machine, the SP2’s design became iconic—a rare flair from a brand known more for practicality than panache.

Juhasz’s 2017 vision reimagined that heritage for the electric age. His SP2 concept, based on the modular MEB architecture underpinning VW’s modern EV lineup, carried the soul of its predecessor into the future. The result? A low-slung, wide-bodied coupe with strong rear haunches, minimalist surfacing, and an unmistakable sense of purpose. “My SP2 proposal was born from pure intuition,” Juhasz wrote. “It envisioned an electric future powered by progress, yet deeply rooted in classic values.”

While VW never officially greenlit the project, the car’s design stood out as a beacon of what could have been—a spiritual successor to the SP2 that embraced emotion over mass appeal. It would’ve likely featured a rear-mounted electric motor, consistent with the MEB platform’s architecture, offering rear- or potentially all-wheel drive. In spirit and design, it was poised to deliver not just performance, but presence.

The concept also drew subtle inspiration from legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, the man responsible for shaping the first Golf, Scirocco, Jetta, and even the radical W12 supercar prototypes. Although Giugiaro had no direct hand in the original SP2, his design legacy clearly informed the modern reinterpretation’s proportions and simplicity.

Yet, like so many of VW’s most enticing design studies, the electric SP2 remained a dream deferred. Volkswagen had more pressing matters: launching high-volume EVs like the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, and ID.7 to regain global trust and meet looming emissions regulations. Even the nostalgic ID. Buzz found its way to production—but the sports car was quietly shelved.

This isn’t the first time VW has teased enthusiasts with compelling concepts only to leave them on the cutting room floor. Remember the 2009 BlueSport mid-engined roadster? Or the 2005 EcoRacer and 2014 XL Sport—each powered by unconventional diesel or motorcycle engines? All sparked excitement, only to fade into obscurity. Even the W12, VW’s most audacious sports car effort, remained a design showcase rather than a showroom reality.

Today, with Europe’s impending ban on internal combustion cars, there’s little chance we’ll see another gasoline-powered VW sports car. But that doesn’t mean performance is off the table. Wolfsburg has already pledged to carry its GTI and R performance sub-brands into the electric era. And while those badges are steeped in hot hatchback history, the idea of a standalone, two-door electric sports car—a proper spiritual heir to the SP2—still stirs the imagination.

The MEB platform remains flexible. The design talent is clearly there. All that’s missing is the green light. If VW ever chooses to chase emotion over volume, it has the blueprint waiting—quietly sketched in pencil back in 2017.

Source: Volkswagen