Category Archives: CONCEPT CARS

CONCEPT CARS

Lexus LFA Concept: The V10’s Ghost Haunts Lexus’s Bold Leap Into the Electric Unknown

For more than a decade, the Lexus LFA has lived in a sacred corner of the car world—a limited-run V10 masterpiece whose wail could send shivers through carbon fiber. So when rumors began swirling about a new LFA, enthusiasts expected a familiar formula: a Lexus-flavored take on Toyota’s latest GR GT supercar, likely with a fire-breathing internal-combustion engine.

Instead, Lexus dropped a shockwave.

The new LFA Concept, unveiled in Japan alongside Toyota’s twin-turbo V8 GR GT, isn’t the next evolution of the iconic V10 halo car. It’s something far stranger—and far bolder. The LFA name now adorns an all-electric performance flagship, one Lexus says represents the technologies engineers should “preserve and pass on to the next generation.”

That’s philosophical language for a supercar with zero published specs.

A Silent Successor

Here’s what we know: Lexus isn’t ready to talk numbers. No kilowatts, no battery capacity, no performance estimates. The brand’s tight-lipped approach leaves us speculating about everything from motor count to horsepower. But Lexus seems fully aware that, no matter how potent the output, nothing it builds can replicate the original LFA’s F1-inspired shriek. Even Toyota’s new V8 can’t scratch that itch.

What makes this whole situation even more intriguing is the architecture beneath the sculpted shell. The LFA Concept rides on the same aluminum platform underpinning the GR GT and GT3 race car. Lexus almost certainly had the option to slot in Toyota’s new twin-turbo V8, yet deliberately didn’t. In a market where electric supercars struggle to find traction—and where enthusiasts still crave cylinders—this is a contrarian move.

Design First, Answers Later

While the powertrain is a mystery, the sheetmetal isn’t. The LFA Concept is gorgeous. It’s lower, sharper, and more cohesive than many EV sports concepts we’ve seen recently. Lexus clearly intends the LFA successor to stand apart from Toyota’s version, and nowhere is that clearer than the cabin. Unlike the Toyota’s more traditional cockpit, the LFA Concept interior embraces futurism—clean surfaces, minimalist interfaces, and the kind of conceptual flair you expect at an auto show, not at a dealership.

Production Bound—Eventually

Lexus isn’t playing coy about the bigger picture, though. This concept is not a design exercise destined for storage. Lexus openly acknowledges that the car is headed for production, and the renaming of last year’s “Lexus Sport Concept” to “LFA Concept” all but confirms it will wear the legendary badge when it arrives.

What Lexus won’t say is when. But given Toyota’s GR GT is expected around 2027, the LFA’s road-ready debut should follow a similar timeline—perhaps a bit later as Lexus fine-tunes the tech it hopes will define its electric future.

The Legacy Question

Will an EV ever fill the emotional void left by the original LFA’s V10—the sound, the rawness, the sense of mechanical magic? Probably not. But Lexus isn’t trying to recreate history. It’s redefining what an LFA can be, even if that means stepping into territory supercar buyers haven’t fully embraced yet.

It’s a risk. It’s unexpected. And it might just be the kind of disruptive thinking that made the first LFA legendary.

Source: Lexus

CONCEPT CARS

A Retro Icon Recharged: Škoda 100 Reborn as a Modern Electric Limousine Concept

When the original Škoda 100 rolled out of Mladá Boleslav in 1969, it was the brand’s first true people’s car—affordable, modestly powered, and eventually a million-seller. But designer Martin Paclt, a veteran of Škoda’s exterior team, saw something more in its clean lines and easy-going silhouette. His reinterpretation of the 100 isn’t a nostalgia play or retro tribute. It’s a complete reframing of a Czech icon as a premium, electric, limousine-leaning sedan—with engineering decisions as bold as its styling.

A Familiar Shape, Upsized for the Future

Paclt’s early sketches weren’t anchored in the past as much as in current Škoda form language. “I drew from the proportions of the Superb,” he says, and the resulting concept naturally grew wider, longer, and more planted than the 1969 model. This was intentional: the 100’s timeless simplicity, he argues, resonates with Škoda’s present-day Modern Solid design approach.

Crucially, he avoided the obvious trap—retro mimicry. The concept carries over the essence of the original through stance and proportion rather than copy-pasted details. It remains a classic three-box sedan, but with broad, flowing surfaces, a confident posture, and the kind of visual elegance that the old 100 hinted at but never fully embodied.

The Original: A Million-Selling Everyman

Between 1969 and 1977, Škoda built 1,079,708 units of the 100/110 series. For a country where private-car ownership was rare, this rear-engine, rear-drive sedan became a national staple. Its 1.0- or 1.1-liter four-cylinder engines eked out 35 to 46 kW, depending on trim. But what truly cemented its popularity were its proportions, fold-flat seats, and simple yet upscale detailing.

Those visual hallmarks provided raw material for Paclt’s reinterpretation—but only as a starting point.

Honoring the Past With Modern Tech

Look closely at the new concept and the callbacks become clever rather than literal:

  • A four-element headlight signature replaces the original circular lamps.
  • A sculpted bonnet with a central crease carries the Škoda logo like a modern hood ornament.
  • Fine light strips front and rear reinterpret the old chrome trim and rear venting.
  • And the bold oval graphic—front and back—echoes a defining motif of the original 100.

But then Paclt’s design takes a decidedly unconventional turn.

The Car With No Rear Window

Yes, you read that correctly.

The original 100’s front and rear glass were nearly interchangeable. Paclt seized on that quirk and flipped the idea: what if the rear glass disappeared entirely?

The result is a striking, sculptural rear end where body panels mirror the form language of the front. It’s dramatic, rule-breaking, and guaranteed to split opinions. Which, Paclt says, is the point. “Design should evoke emotions.”

This decision also opened the door for technical creativity. With no window to occupy the upper rear section, Paclt integrated a roof-level fresh-air intake, assisted by subtle vents in the fenders. This feeds cooling air to the rear-mounted electric drivetrain—another nod to the 1969 car’s rear-engine layout.

Everything in the Back—Again

Paclt preserved the spirit of the original 100’s mechanical layout but repackaged it for the EV era. The electric motor and key components sit behind the cabin, enabling:

  • Rear-wheel drive, which he openly admits he enjoys;
  • A pushed-forward front axle for a short overhang and dynamic stance;
  • A primary front trunk, supplemented by a small upper storage area over the rear drivetrain.

It’s a smart blend of nostalgia, practicality, and EV packaging.

Designed From Scratch, With Pencil First

For a designer whose specialty is headlamps, crafting a full concept car was a rare opportunity. Paclt began with fast pencil sketches—his preferred method for testing ideas quickly. Once the theme clicked, he refined it and built a 3D model atop the current Superb’s vehicle package, adjusting width and track to create a properly grounded, premium presence.

His decade-plus at Škoda includes work on the Enyaq, Karoq, Kamiq, Kodiaq, and concept studies such as Vision X, Vision 7S, and the recent Vision O. The 100 reinterpretation let him step beyond lighting and into full-body form, a shift he hopes to pursue more in the future.

A Czech Classic Reimagined for the EV Age

The result is a confident, modern, and unmistakably Škoda reinterpretation—one that respects the 100’s history while daring to break conventions, including abandoning the rear window entirely. It’s not a production preview, but it’s a thoughtful exploration of how heritage models can inspire something fresh rather than simply nostalgic.

If Škoda ever green-lit a futuristic, limousine-like EV with rear-mounted power and a design philosophy driven by purity over ornamentation, this is the blueprint.

Source: Škoda

CONCEPT CARS

Hyundai CRATER Concept Brings Brutalist Off-Road Attitude to Automobility LA 2025

By the standards of auto-show concept cars, Hyundai doesn’t usually do subtle. But the new CRATER Concept—revealed at Automobility LA 2025—pushes the brand’s off-road design language into a bolder, more sculptural universe.

Hyundai Motor America pulled the sheet off the CRATER Concept, a compact off-road SUV developed at the Hyundai America Technical Center in Irvine, California. Positioned as a design exploration rather than a preview of a confirmed production model, the CRATER serves as a rolling thesis statement for where Hyundai could take its XRT sub-brand next. Its mission: merge rugged adventure capability with an almost architectural aesthetic inspired by steel, extreme landscapes, and Southern California outdoor culture.

A Rugged Sculpture: Exterior Design

Hyundai calls the vehicle’s look Art of Steel, and it’s an apt descriptor. The CRATER wears its sheetmetal like armor, with broad, sheer surfaces and knife-sharp creases that feel more like modern sculpture than typical SUV form language. The fenders, stretched and squared to exaggeration, give it a planted stance that borders on robotic.

The silhouette is unapologetically upright, the approach and departure angles steep enough to signal legitimate trail readiness. A full-width skid plate visually and functionally anchors the lower body, while limb risers stretching from the hood to the roof nod to classic overlanding rigs.

Hyundai’s designers let themselves have a little fun, too: one of the integrated recovery hooks doubles as a bottle opener. And the side-mirror cameras? They detach and convert into handheld flashlights for emergencies or capturing trail-side scenery.

Asteroid-Impact Wheels and Real Off-Road Hardware

Nothing on the CRATER is subtle—least of all its wheels. The 18-inch hexagonal-faceted alloys look like the aftermath of an asteroid strike on a metal plain, and their paired 33-inch off-road tires give the small SUV serious presence. That tire choice isn’t just for show; the CRATER Concept clearly aims to suggest genuine go-anywhere capability.

A roof platform accommodates lighting, gear, and accessories, and the auxiliary lights themselves adopt Hyundai’s evolving parametric pixel lighting signature. Underneath, protection is abundant and visible, reinforcing the message that this isn’t a soft roader in lifestyle drag.

Interior: High-Tech Expedition Lounge

Inside, the CRATER swings in the opposite direction from brute-force exterior toughness. The design theme—The Curve of Upholstery—wraps technical surfaces in soft yet durable materials. The cabin blends the warmth of adventure-wear textiles with the precision of industrial metalwork.

A full-width dynamic head-up display replaces the traditional cluster and, clever as ever, includes a real-time rearview camera feed. Hyundai’s decision to lean into a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) user interface suggests a future where the vehicle’s digital experience adapts to personal devices rather than relying solely on built-in screens.

The crash pad resembles a bent metal sheet, its perforations glowing with ambient light. Orange accents provide visual energy, while a structural roll cage outlines the cabin and doubles as both protection and grab-handle system.

The seats skip the usual bucket-seat tropes in favor of a wraparound design with rich padding, cylindrical cushions, and heavy bolstering meant for off-road movement. A four-point harness gives the entire seating experience an almost rally-car character.

Hidden Easter eggs—like the playful CRATER MAN iconography—appear throughout the cabin, one of Hyundai’s signatures in recent concept interiors.

Off-Road Controls With Real Mechanical Intent

Hyundai didn’t stop at aesthetics. The center console houses a gear-type multifunction off-road controller, giving drivers access to traction, braking, and differential management. Terrain modes include Snow, Sand, Mud, Auto, and XRT, further reinforcing that the CRATER Concept isn’t merely a design exercise.

Additional off-road tools—compass, altimeter, trailer-brake controls, downhill control—round out the ready-for-anything narrative.

Color and Material Story: California Outdoors, Distilled

The exterior’s Dune Gold Matte paint blends green and gold hues inspired by California’s dry coastal hills and desert canyons. It’s not flashy, but it’s full of character, especially when paired with the anodized orange accents.

Inside, the Black Ember palette prioritizes durability. Materials such as Alcantara, leather, and brushed metal create a tactile mix meant to age gracefully, like well-used gear. Topographic patterns etched into surfaces add another storytelling layer—literal map-like textures honoring the idea of a journey logged over time.

So What Is Hyundai Really Showing Us?

The CRATER Concept telegraphs Hyundai’s ambition to carve out real credibility in the adventure and overlanding space. It’s not trying to be a Bronco or a Wrangler competitor—not yet—but it suggests a future Hyundai product line that leans harder into capability, authenticity, and visual drama.

While Hyundai hasn’t hinted at production intent, the CRATER Concept feels like more than a wild styling exercise. Its proportions, hardware cues, and tech—minus the more fanciful elements—aren’t far from plausible. And with the XRT lineup growing across Hyundai’s SUVs, the CRATER’s design language could easily inform the next generation of rugged trims.

For now, it’s simply one of the most striking concept SUVs at Automobility LA 2025—part off-road tool, part sculpture, and entirely Hyundai.

Source: Hyundai