A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle or show vehicle) is a car made to showcase new styling or new technology. Concept cars are often exhibited at
motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not be
produced.
General Motors designer
Harley Earl
Harley Jarvis Earl (November 22, 1893 – April 10, 1969) was an American Automotive design, automotive designer and business executive. He was the initial designated head of design at General Motors, later becoming vice president, the first ...
is generally credited with inventing the concept car, and did much to popularize it through its traveling
Motorama shows of the 1950s.
Concept cars never go into production directly. In modern times, all would have to undergo many changes before the design is finalized for the sake of practicality,
safety
Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
,
regulatory compliance, and cost. A "production-intent"
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
, as opposed to a concept vehicle, serves this purpose.
Design
Concept cars are often radical in engine or
design
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
. Some use non-traditional, exotic, or expensive materials, ranging from paper to
carbon fiber to refined
alloy
An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metal, metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have prop ...
s. Others have unique
layouts, such as
gullwing doors, three or five (or more)
wheel
A wheel is a rotating component (typically circular in shape) that is intended to turn on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machin ...
s, or special abilities not usually found on cars. Because of these often impractical or unprofitable leanings, many concept cars never get past
scale models or even drawings. Other more traditional concepts can be developed into fully drivable (operational) vehicles with a working
drivetrain and accessories. The state of most concept cars lies somewhere in between and does not represent the final product. A very small proportion of concept cars are functional to any useful extent, and some cannot move safely at speeds above .
Inoperative "
mock-ups" are usually made of wax, clay, metal, fiberglass, plastic, or a combination thereof.
If drivable, the drivetrain is often borrowed from a
production vehicle from the same company or may have defects and imperfections in design. They can also be quite refined, such as
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
'
Cadillac Sixteen concept.
Notable concept cars
See also
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Concept art
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List of Alfa Romeo concept cars
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List of Audi concept cars
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List of BMW concept vehicles
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List of Citroën concept cars
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List of Dodge concept vehicles
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List of Lamborghini concept vehicles
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List of Lancia concept cars
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Pre-production car
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Production vehicle
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Product lifecycle management
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Proof-of-concept
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Show car
References
Works cited
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External links
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{{Authority control
Articles containing video clips
Automotive terminology
Automotive design