concepts

KIA, which showed off new concept cars at the recent Frankfurt and Tokyo auto shows, brought another one out at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. The KND-4 shows off KIA's exploration of what a future compact SUV might look like. The front of the car, with its raked windshield, is reminiscent of the Mazda CX-7, and uses LED headlights in true futuristic concept car style. The rear of the car is squared off, maximizing cargo room. The entire vehicle sits up high on 20-inch wheels, but it is less than 15 feet long. It seats four in individual … Read more

One of the more ridiculous concepts at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show is the Suzuki Makai. This car started life as an SX4 Sport edition, but its top was cut off, making it a converted rather than a convertible. A couple of surfboards are mounted on top and might offer some of the protection of a real roof. Surfboards and car are painted a shade of orange suitable for road construction equipment.

The interior features what are probably the most uncomfortable car seats ever devised. They consist of leather belts stretched across a tubular frame, making it a step … Read more

This year's Los Angeles Auto Show is notable for its conspicuous lack of exciting new models and concepts. One automaker to buck the trend, however, is Hyundai, which took the wraps off the best-looking car of the day when it unveiled its Concept Genesis Coupe.

The coupe is the second car to get the Genesis designation, following the Genesis Concept sedan unveiled earlier this year in New York and scheduled for production as a 2009 model.

Like the sedan, the Coupe is rear-wheel drive, and is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 that's making north of 300 horsepower.… Read more

Audi unveiled one of the few concepts at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Cross Cabriolet Quattro. This car is an attempt to combine a convertible coupe with an SUV, exploring untapped ground in the design world. The car gets Audi's off-road equipment, including Quattro all-wheel-drive and ride height adjustment, along with the latest cabin gadgets, such as navigation integrated with Google Earth and a Bang & Olufsen audio system that can play Internet radio.

Click here for photos of the Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept.

Everyone seems to be jumping into touchscreens after the huge success of the iPhone, as seen in the HTC Touch and Nokia's Series60 touchscreen version. And now it seems that LG's in on it too.

The picture here shows a concept design of the LG Touch, a mobile phone and PDA with an equally cool docking station. Like the Prada phone from the same company, this concept handset has no noticeable protrusions, which makes it look like a small monolith. It has a secondary LCD along its top edge that displays essential information like new message alerts. The … Read more

The Tokyo Motor Show 2007, the biggest car expo in Asia, doesn't kick off until Saturday. But two CNET News.com galleries offer sneak peeks at what will be showcased, based on press previews this week.

With exception of a few hot sports cars, most of the debuts are quirky environmental options and high-tech concepts, ranging from mini-minivans to personal transporters. Click here for related gallery.

The more basic four- and two-wheel concept cars are featured here.

BMW showed an interest in mining its past with the CS concept, first shown at the 2007 Shanghai auto show. The company follows this theme with the tii concept here at the 2007 Tokyo auto show. This concept is based on the very real and very exciting 135i Coupe, BMW's new small car with the very big engine. If the 135i Coupe isn't enough car for you, the tii concept should certainly be. BMW didn't bother to change the engine or interior electronics for the concept, instead opting for some bodywork. The tii gets a lightened load … Read more

Where do you draw the line between a motorcycle and a car?

Toyota's iQ Concept, a concept car that debuted in Frankfurt and will be at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, might be better suited for the next rally in Sturgis, SD.

Toyota is in collaboration with two Japanese companies to develop a 1-liter engine for the iQ that will be based on a Yamaha motorcycle engine, according to reports from Auto Blog and Automotive News Europe.

Toyota plans to produce about 80,000 iQ cars for Europe by 2009 and possibly more for the Indian and Chinese markets. … Read more

Imagine this scenario. You've had a bad day. You get home ready to do bodily harm to inanimate objects. That's where designer Jin-Sook Kim's "Weeble Wobble" concept steps up to the task.

It's really a lamp, but it's also anger management in an airbag. Punch the bag hard enough and, voila, the energy activates the light. To turn it off? Well, no instructions on that, but a couple of high kicks ought to do the trick. Even the "lost in translation" instructions on the Weeble Wobble--"Punch! And then the … Read more