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Wild, wonderful and wacky concepts at the 2015 Geneva auto show (pictures)

Ranging from the near-production-ready Infiniti QX30 compact SUV to the robot-friendly Rinspeed Budi, concept cars at the 2015 Geneva auto show stretch the imagination.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept
1 of 23 Josh Miller/CNET

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept

The Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept gives a potential look at a new generation of Continental.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept
2 of 23 Josh Miller/CNET

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 concept

A 12-inch touchscreen runs down the console, while an LCD panel shows the instrument cluster.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Kia Sportspace
3 of 23 Antuan Goodwin/CNET

Kia Sportspace

Sporty and spacious, Kia's Sportspace concept for the 2015 Geneva auto show is exactly what's said on the tin.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Kia Sportspace
4 of 23 Antuan Goodwin/CNET

Kia Sportspace

Wagons may not be very popular in the States, but they're a massive market for the rest of the world. Kia needs to leave its mark in this space.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

infinitiqx30concept-001.jpg
5 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Infiniti QX30 concept

Infiniti took the wraps off its compact SUV concept, the QX30.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

infinitiqx30concept-008.jpg
6 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Infiniti QX30 concept

Although the design is unique, there is nothing particularly radical about the QX30's tech, meaning it is unlikely to change much before production early next year.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

edtorq-001.jpg
7 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

ED Torq

Design firm ED bills the Torq as a self-driving race car, and wants automakers to use it to develop autonomous cars.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Quant F
8 of 23 Josh Miller/CNET

Quant F

The new Quant F with Nano Flow Cell technology has a range of 800 km with the help of ionic liquid, powering its electric drive motor.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Quantino
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Quantino

Quant's little coupe, shown earlier, uses the same ionic liquid technology to drive its electric motor.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II
10 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II

Mitsubishi describes the XR-PHEV II as a "small urban crossover," a popular type of car in European markets, and it uses a plug-in- hybrid system for efficiency.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II
11 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Mitsubishi XR-PHEV II

Unfortunately, the back end of the XR-PHEV II looks too much like the Pontiac Aztek.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Suzuki iK-2
12 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Suzuki iK-2

Although defunct in the US, Suzuki is still selling cars in the rest of the world. The iK-2 is a new platform and an impressive design for a small car.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Suzuki iM-4
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Suzuki iM-4

The iM-4 runs a 1.2-liter engine aided by an electric motor, and Suzuki specifies all-wheel-drive for this little concept.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

EDAG Light Cocoon
14 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

EDAG Light Cocoon

German engineering company EDAG came up with the Light Cocoon concept, showing off advanced materials in the car's skin.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

EDAG Light Cocoon
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EDAG Light Cocoon

The textile exterior shows changing light patterns and colors, and includes an automatic spoiler that doesn't break the exterior skin of the car.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE
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Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE

The Sport Coupe is a large, C segment car, and uses a powerful and efficient plug-in hybrid drive system.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE
17 of 23 Josh Miller/CNET

Volkswagen Sport Coupe GTE

Volkswagen envisions this concept syncing with a driver's smartwatch or fitness band, sensing his mood and reacting with appropriate route guidance in navigation.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Nissan Sway
18 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Nissan Sway

With Sway, Nissan takes a look at a dynamic hatchback design. LED headlights allow smaller headlight apertures, while Nissan's signature V-Motion grille shows off a more compact treatment.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Nissan Sway
19 of 23 Wayne Cunningham/CNET

Nissan Sway

Instrumentation on the dashboard looks fairly conventional, and the Sway gets a rectangular infotainment screen.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

lexuslfsaconcept-1492.jpg
20 of 23 Antuan Goodwin/CNET

Lexus LF-SA concept

Measuring just over 11 feet long, the LF-SA concept is a design study in an extremely compact luxury car.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

lexuslfsaconcept-1499.jpg
21 of 23 Antuan Goodwin/CNET

Lexus LF-SA concept

Lexus exaggerates its current design language in this concept car, and fits the cabin with what it calls a "hologram-style digital display incorporated in the instrument panel."

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Rinspeed Budii
22 of 23 Josh Miller/CNET

Rinspeed Budii

No Geneva auto show would be complete without a concept car from Swiss design shop Rinspeed. This year we have the Budii, based on a BMW i3, with the tag line 'Reach out to robots'.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

Rinspeed Budii
23 of 23 Josh Miller/CNET

Rinspeed Budii

Rinspeed's Budii can drive autonomously, but if a human  wants to take over, a robot arm hands the wheel over to either the right- or left-front passenger.

Read more CNET coverage from the 2015 Geneva auto show.

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