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The 25 coolest concept cars revealed this year so far

Automakers are pushing bold, innovative ideas forward with their latest concept cars.

Faraday Thumb23
Faraday Thumb23

Rob Ludacer

Whether it’s a car with nothing inside but a sofa and TV or an electric car resembling the Batmobile, concept cars give us a glimpse of how technology will shape the future of driving.

Scroll down for our round-up of the 25 coolest concept cars released so far this year:

1. Volkswagen unveiled an electric microbus concept meant to give a modern spin to the classic Volkswagen bus at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The microbus can drive up to 373 miles on a single charge, according to Volkswagen.

The whole microbus is extremely connected. You can open the door by waving your hand in front of it, and also control the microbus’ massive display with hand gestures.

The BUDD-e‘s interface also allows drivers to control things like the temperature and lighting in their house. The main purpose of the BUDD-e unveiling was to show Volkswagen’s modular electric MEB architecture that will be exclusively used on the company’s electric vehicles going forward.

2. Faraday Future also showed off its electric concept car, the FFZERO1, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Faraday claims the concept car can accelerate to 60 mph in under 3 seconds.

Faraday also said the car can reach a top speed of 200 mph. The car is capable of learning the driver’s preferences and automatically adjusting the internal settings to his or her liking.

Faraday Future plans to show its production car at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2017, but the FFZERO1 is just a show car. Faraday Future has faced setbacks, such as halted construction on its $1 billion factory.

3. LeEco, a Chinese tech company, unveiled its electric concept car in April. Called the LeSEE, the car has a top speed of 130 mph and comes with an autonomous mode.

Chinese billionaire Jia Yueting, the founder of LeEco, has also invested in Faraday Future. LeEco is considered a strategic partner of Faraday Future.

The LeSee is meant to be used in a fleet setting so you can summon it with a smartphone to autonomously pick you up. The car comes with a host of advanced features, like a steering wheel that can retract into the dashboard and infotainment displays for rear passengers.

LeEco has raised $1.08 billion to develop the electric car. The company is planning to build an electric-car plant in eastern China with eventual annual production capacity of 400,000 cars.

4. The Lincoln Navigator concept car comes with giant gullwing doors. It was unveiled at the New York Auto Show in March.

We won’t be seeing those doors in the production model of a Lincoln Navigator anytime soon, unfortunately.

Lincoln didn’t share any specs for the car, but did highlight features like its six seats that can be adjusted 30 different ways. There’s also entertainment consoles on the back of four seats so passengers can watch TV or play games.

There’s even a built-in wardrobe management system in the trunk so you can turn your car into part walk-in closet.

5. BMW’s Vision Next 100 was unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It comes with an AI system called Companion that can learn your driving preferences and adjust accordingly in advance.

The side panels of the Next 100 are made of carbon fiber. Volkswagen didn’t provide any specs for the car.

The steering wheel will retract into the dashboard when the car is in autonomous mode. There’s also a heads-up display that will show information about your route on the windshield.

6. BMW added to its Vision 100 line in June. Here we see the Mini Vision Next 100 that was built for ridesharing.

The car can recognize who you are when it comes to pick you up and will greet you with personalized lighting.

The steering wheel will shift into the center of the console when the car is in autonomous mode. The car also comes with a heads-up display that will show information about your route on the windshield.

7. BMW also added a futuristic Rolls-Royce to its Vision 100 line over the summer. The car is completely autonomous, which is why…

The Rolls-Royce is also completely autonomous.

The entire interior consists of a two-person, silk sofa, and a giant OLED TV.

The Rolls-Royce also a secret compartment in the car for storing your luggage. BMW didn’t provide any specs for the car.

8. McLaren unveiled a stunning concept car called the 675LT JVCKENWOOD at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The McLaren 675LT comes with a wireless networking system so it can communicate with other cars on the road about traffic and upcoming accidents.

The car comes with a steering wheel that looks like a video game controller! The wheel can be used to control a heads-up display while in motion.

Specs for the concept car weren’t provided.

9. Italian automaker Pininfarina unveiled a beautiful hydrogen-powered concept car at the Geneva Motor Show. It has a top speed of 186 miles per hour and can accelerate to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds.

The car, called H2 Speed, refuels in just three minutes.

Pininfarina is doing a limited production run of 10 cars, scheduled for completion before the end of 2017.

10. Audi unveiled its connected mobility concept car in April. There’s a longboard integrated in the bumper in case you want to roll from the parking lot to work.

The car’s infotainment system can calculate the fastest route based on real-time data and will suggest using the longboard if that seems faster.

11. Aston Martin showed off a beautiful concept car in May called the Vanquish Zagato Concept.

All of the body panels in the Vanquish Zagato are made of carbon fiber.

Aston Martin made the car with Italian auto design company Zagato. The two have worked together since 1960.

Aston Martin didn’t release many details about the car, including its specs, but it sure is pretty.

12. Jeep showed off a crazy looking wrangler in March at the Easter Jeep Safari, an off road rally.

The monster car includes racing seats from a Dodge Viper.

The Wrangler Trailcat concept had to be stretched to 12 inches to accommodate the massive engine providing 707 hp.

13. Toyota unveiled a strange-looking, electric concept car dubbed the uBox to appeal to Generation Z in April.

The interior is entirely customizable so the seats can be moved to transform it into a mobile office or fit more people.

The car also comes with a curved glass roof that lets in plenty of light. Toyota didn’t provide any specs for the concept.

14. French automaker Renault showed off a stunning, high-tech sports car dubbed the Alpine Vision in February.

The Alpine Vision is a two-door, two-seater sports car.

Renault said the car can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.5 seconds. The interior is decked out with an LCD gauge cluster in the center console.

15. Croatian automaker Rimac designed a stunning, all-electric concept car for the Geneva Motor Show. It can reach a top speed of 185 mph and accelerate to 62 miles per hour in just 2.6 seconds.

There’s no word on the car’s range, but Rimac said it has more than 8,000 battery cells to ensure “optimal conditions for a long battery life and long-term performance.”

Only eight units of the Concept_One were produced and put up for sale.

16. The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept car unveiled in August is a stunning 18.5-foot-long car designed to operate on electric propulsion.

The concept is capable of hitting 60 mph in less than 4 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph, according to Mercedes. It boasts a range over 200 miles.

Take a closer look at the car here.

17. Citroën showed off its hybrid concept car with a 37-mile electric range at the Paris Motor Show earlier in October. The car is designed to appeal to the large saloon segment.

The concept comes with rear-hinged doors and a large display for controlling navigation and media. The hybrid can produce between 250 to 300 hp.

Take a closer look here.

18. Lexus showed off its UX concept at the Paris Motor Show, which comes with a massive set of wheels.

But more intriguing is the concept’s interior that replaces the driver’s instrument with a hologram globe.

The car also features a removable soundbar and a hologram display where the center console normally is. Specs for the concept weren’t provided.

19. Mercedes showed off its electric SUV concept with a 310-mile range at the Paris Motor Show in September. A production version of the car is slated to hit the roads in 2019.

The interior comes with a massive, 24-inch display that shows speed, range, driving data, and navigation information.

The car can automatically adjust the speed and driving dynamics when approaching curves.

20. Volkswagen unveiled its ‘revolutionary’ electric concept car, the ID, that it says can get a range between 248 miles and 372 miles at the Paris Motor Show. The production version of the car is coming in 2020.

Volkswagen is also planning to add autonomous features to the 2025 version of the car.

The car is part of Volkswagen’s plan to introduce more than 30 electrified vehicles by 2025, and to sell two to three million of them a year. The plan was released in response to the Volkswagen emissions scandal.

21. Cadillac showed of its luxury concept car, the Escala, in August. It’s a four-door sedan with a lot of space in the trunk.

A curved OLED display composed of three separate screens takes up the entire dashboard. The displays can be controlled by voice command or hand gestures

The Escala’s displays will serve as prototypes for future Cadillac models. The car’s specs weren’t provided.

22. Renault showed of its Trezor concept car at the Paris Motor Show. It can accelerate to 62 mph in less than 4 seconds. Its electric motor has maximum power of 350 hp.

The canopy doors of the Trezor lift up so you have to climb into the car.

Take a closer look at the stunning concept car here.

23. Mercedes showed off two versions of its X-Class concept truck in October. The one pictured here is dubbed the “Stylish Explorer” and comes with 22-inch wheels and a luxurious interior with wood and aluminum accents.

The other is called the “Powerful Adventurer” and is a bit more understated. It fits five and comes with chunky tires for off-roading. As an added bonus, it comes with a fire extinguisher!

There’s no word yet on specs, but the trucks will enter production in 2017. However, they won’t be made available in the US.

24. Acura showed off its Precision Concept at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year. The concept, with its long silhouette, is meant to guide the future Acura designs.

The car also features suicide doors and comes with a massive, curved display on the inside.

You can read more about the car’s design elements here.

25. Lastly, Subaru unveiled a new SUV concept, dubbed the VIZIV-7, in November. The car will serve as the foundation for a three-row production model coming to the North American market in 2018.

There aren’t many details on the concept, but it’s 72 inches tall with a 117.7-inch wheelbase.

You can read Subaru’s comments on the car’s design here.

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