Category Archives: CONCEPT CARS

CONCEPT CARS

Škoda Reimagines the 110 R Coupe as a Futuristic EV Concept

Sometimes the smartest way forward is to look back. Škoda has done just that with a new digital concept that channels the spirit of its classic 110 R coupe, the cult-favorite two-door that once brought a whiff of sports car glamour to Eastern Bloc roads. Now reinterpreted for the electric era, the project is the latest in a series of design studies that use heritage as a springboard for future ideas.

The original 110 R debuted in 1970 as the sporty sibling to the Škoda 100 sedan. It wasn’t powerful—just 62 hp from a rear-mounted 1.1-liter four-cylinder paired with a four-speed manual—but its rear-wheel-drive layout and sleek fastback shape made it a beloved, attainable coupe for enthusiasts behind the Iron Curtain.

Fast forward more than 50 years, and designer Richard Svec, who joined Škoda in 2023 after a stint at Italdesign in Turin, has reimagined the 110 R for the EV age. Rather than leaning into retro pastiche, Svec focused on proportion, stance, and form to capture the coupe’s essence while pushing its style into the future.

The result is a compact two-door, two-seat electric coupe with a low roofline and fastback tail. Its face nods to the past with headlamps that echo the “melancholic” look of the original, now rendered as sharp rectangles with retractable, body-colored covers. A recessed front end incorporates Škoda’s new “Tech Loop” design language, previewed on the Vision O concept.

Performance cues abound. Inflated fenders wrap around large center-lock wheels with aero covers, while hood ribs, a visible protective cage, and deep side intakes reference the original’s racing pedigree. Out back, hidden taillights and a thin LED strip mirror the car’s front-end graphics, giving the coupe a unified look from every angle.

Škoda has yet to disclose powertrain details, but speculation suggests a rear-mounted electric motor—true to the original’s layout—would be the logical choice. If it borrows from the brand’s current EVs like the Elroq or Enyaq, output could hit around 286 metric horsepower, a number that would make this lightweight coupe plenty quick.

As with most digital concepts, Škoda has no plans to put the 110 R Coupe into production. Still, the design exercise hints at what could be possible if the company’s bread-and-butter EVs continue to succeed. With mainstream profits secured, Škoda could have the flexibility to indulge in halo products like this—cars that connect emotional heritage with a forward-looking identity.

For now, the 110 R digital coupe remains a tantalizing glimpse of what might be: a reminder that heritage can still guide the future, even in the age of electrification.

Source: Škoda

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