Concept cars are always exciting, which is why gearheads flock to some of the top automotive events to see them. All our favorite sports cars and supercars started as concept cars that were so good, automakers had to produce them. Concept cars give people a glimpse into the future — they show people some upcoming models to look forward to, as well as some of the revolutionary designs and technologies manufacturers are working on.
Concept cars are a great marketing tool for automakers when used properly. When a concept car is good enough, it typically receives plenty of coverage in the automotive press, giving automakers thousands of dollars worth of free marketing. Manufacturers know this, which is why they create some of the most outrageous concept cars even when they know they'll never put them into production or when the features and technologies they showcase have zero chance of ever being in production cars. This article explores concept cars that broke the internet over the last decade but are not worth the hype for one reason or another.
10 Audi AI: Trail
Audi is mostly known for building some of the coolest German luxury cars. However, with the AI: Trail concept, Audi was looking to dominate the off-roading market.
The AI: Trail is an all-electric autonomous vehicle that looks like it could be exploring the rough surfaces of Mars. It has a futuristic pod that offers a lounge-like atmosphere for occupants, massive 33.5-inch off-road tires, a host of sensors to detect surfaces and obstacles, and drones that fly ahead to illuminate the road. While the AI: Trail looks like the perfect off-road vehicle of the future, Audi is yet to announce production plans four years after its unveiling.
9 2013 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive
A decade ago, the EV industry was still in its earliest stages. Tesla had just introduced its first production car, and people were still trying to understand how EVs work and how to live with them. This is why everyone was excited when Mercedes-Benz unveiled what would have been among the first electric supercars — the SLS AMG Electric Drive.
The SLS AMG Electric Drive had four electric motors making up to 740 hp, making it the most powerful Mercedes-Benz model at the time. The SLS AMG Electric Drive would have been a great addition to Mercedes-Benz's lineup, but the automaker is still yet to build an electric supercar to date.
8 Cadillac Ciel
Cadillac considers itself to be the American equivalent of top European luxury car manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Rolls-Royce, which is why it's always trying to create cars that prove it can compete with them. A decade ago, Cadillac unveiled a concept car that made gearheads believe that it could actually compete with the Europeans.
Dubbed the Ciel, this fantastic concept car looked like the convertible version of the iconic Rolls-Royce Phantom and had many of the cool luxury features you'd find in a vehicle of the Phantom's stature, including the iconic suicide rear doors. Unfortunately, the Ciel never became a reality. Cadillac considered building a Ciel-based production car, but finally decided against it.
7 Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR
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Mercedes-Benz considers itself the industry leader when it comes to automotive design and technology, which is why it's always trying to stay ahead of the curve. We've seen futuristic concept cars before, but none of them are as outrageous as the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR. Introduced in 2020, the Vision AVTR looks like something you'd find in a science fiction film — which isn't a surprise, as its design inspiration comes from the universe in the Avatar film.
The Vision AVTR looks like nothing else on the road — it has a unique body shape inspired by flying creatures found in the Avatar movie, large spherical wheels that illuminate, and 33 individually controlled flaps in the rear to communicate with the outside world. The car is fully autonomous, but should the driver want to control it, it has a weird oval-shaped joystick in the center console that drivers can use instead of a traditional steering wheel. There's a lot to love about this insane concept car, but everything about it is outlandish and too far out of this world to ever be in a production car.
6 Mazda RX-Vision GT3
Of all the wonderful vehicles Mazda has built over the years, the RX-7 is arguably the greatest, particularly the third-generation 'FD' version. The FD has a huge cult following worldwide thanks to its beauty, powerful Wankel rotary engine, and pop culture significance. The FD is currently among the most expensive Japanese collector cars, as some gearheads are willing to pay over $50,000 for it.
Since Mazda stopped producing the RX-7 in the '90s, gearheads have been begging the Japanese marque to build a worthy successor. In 2015, Mazda gave gearheads a glimpse of what a modern RX-7 successor could look like when they unveiled the RX-Vision GT3. Like the FD, the RX-Vision GT3 had a sleek, curvaceous body and a Wankel rotary engine. However, Mazda has not shown any signs of producing the RX-Vision GT3 almost a decade later.
5 Audi Skysphere
Over the last two decades, Audi has been trying to expand its sports car lineup with models like the TT and the R8. Now that electric sports cars are slowly taking over, Audi unveiled an electric sports car that shows they're ready to join the space and compete with the best.
Dubbed the Skysphere, this fantastic concept car wowed gearheads when it debuted in 2021 largely thanks to one design feature — it can extend or shorten its wheelbase by 9.8 inches whenever the driver wants to change how it feels to drive. We love the idea of a shape-shifting supercar, but it just seems too far-fetched for now. Audi is yet to confirm any production plans for the Skysphere and will likely never do so.
4 Lamborghini Terzo Millennio
The Lamborghini name is synonymous with loud V10 and V12 engines. Everyone can tell when a Lambo is coming their way thanks to the sweet roar of their loud engines, but as electric cars take over, that might not be the case for much longer. Lamborghini knows the internal combustion engine's days are coming to an end soon, which is why it partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to start working on electric cars for the future. The result was the partnership was a futuristic concept known as the Terzo Millennio.
The Terzo Millennio impressed gearheads with its futuristic design featuring glowing wheels and the fact that it used supercapacitors instead of batteries to store energy. While the Terzo Millenio did a great job of showing us what a fully-electric Lamborghini would be like, it was more of a show car than a production car Lamborghini was working on. On top of that, the industry is still yet to solve the biggest problem with using supercapacitors to store energy — they are too expensive and bulky compared to lithium-ion batteries.
3 Sony Vision-S
Sony needs no introduction, as it's one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world. The Sony logo is one of the most recognizable in the world as most households have owned at least one Sony product, whether it's a TV, gaming console, sound system, or other electronics.
After decades of dominating the electronics industry, Sony decided to venture into the fast-growing EV space with the Vision-S concept in 2020. Sony plans to build high-quality electric cars under a subsidiary called Sony Mobility Inc. and if it ever joins the Market, it could finally be the Tesla competitor everyone has been waiting for. Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to wait a few more decades for a Sony car.
2 Tesla Cybertruck
In 2019, Elon Musk broke the internet when he unveiled the next vehicle Tesla was working on — a huge electric pickup truck called the Cybertruck. The Cybertruck stole the headlines thanks to its outlandish design that made it look like it belonged in a dystopian futuristic world.
After the Cybertruck's unveiling, Tesla reportedly received 250,000 pre-orders for it in just two weeks.
Despite all the hype, the Cybertruck is yet to go into production with Elon Musk making all sorts of excuses. Tesla recently announced that the Cybertruck's production will start in 2023, but we'll believe it when we see it.
1 Renault Trezor
Renault is not the first automaker that comes to mind when you think of high-performance supercars. The French automaker has a reputation for building everyday cars that don't do much other than get you from point A to B. Over the last decade, Renault has been trying to enhance its reputation and in 2016, the French marque stole the headlines with the Trezor concept.
The Trezor is a fully-autonomous sports car with a sleek, low-slung design featuring a unique clamshell roof that hinges forward on struts to allow access into the cabin. Renault had promised to bring the Trezor to market by 2020, but it's still yet to become a reality. Had it gone into production, the Trezor would undoubtedly have been among the greatest French sports cars of all time.