Flawed Concepts: The Porsche Kia Carnival Competitor, The Forgotten Defender Land Rover, The Audi Jeep Competitor And Other Concept Cars That Never Had a Chance
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The Porsche Vision "Renndienst Study" concept car is a sports car that no one expected to see.
Concept cars serve many purposes, from demonstrating a new design language to previewing technology or just thinly disguising the next production model.
But for every meaningful concept that gives us a glimpse of what's to come, there are often as many previews of...well...nothing. We thought these were concepts that would be interesting to explore; the ones that never had a chance to hit the showroom floor.
Porsche Vision "Racing Service Research"
The Vision "Renndienst" was inspired by the Volkswagen Kombi utility vehicle from the 1960s.
In 2020, the German giant published many previously secret concept projects in the Porsche Unseen book. Among them was the Vision 'Renndienst' (Race Service), a small van inspired by the 1960s Volkswagen Kombi utility vehicle.
More recently, he showed the Vision "Renndienst Study", a human version that was used to experiment with some interior design elements.
The idea that the brand will create a competitor to the Mercedes-Benz Viano or Kia Carnival is as controversial as it is implausible.
After all, some purists are still upset that the brand is selling the popular Cayenne and Macan SUVs, so even something as elegant as the Renndienst would be too far.
Land Rover DC100
The DC100 was meant to be a preview of the all-new Defender.
Sometimes when a concept comes off the cover, it hits the mark right away and the masses start asking when it will go into production. And here's what happened to the DC100.
Land Rover faced the unenviable task of replacing the iconic Defender in the past decade, but as history will show, the DC100 concept, meant to be a preview of an all-new model, was so poorly received that it pushed the entire program back five years.
Unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the DC100 was intended as a preview of the production version due in 2015. In fact, it was so poorly received that Land Rover's designers went back to the drawing board and the all-new Defender won't arrive before 2020.
Lexus LF-30 Electrified
The LF-30 Electrified was a preview of Lexus' planned electric powertrain.
Unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, this creation showcases an entire sub-genre of concept cars – explorations of futuristic design.
Car companies have developed a habit over the years of giving their designers free rein in envisioning cars a decade or more into the future, which history has shown is rarely accurate.
The LF-30 Electrified embodies this type of concept perfectly, below the surface is a preview of the brand's planned electric powertrain, but the body and interior are just the designer's dreams and visions.
In other words, you may soon be able to buy an electric Lexus UX, but there will never be anything like the LF-30 Electrified in the showroom.
Mercedes-Benz Vision Tokyo
Vision Tokyo featured elements such as "innovative algorithms", "deep machine learning", and "intelligent prediction engine".
Back in 2015, Mercedes believed Generation Z (those born after 1995) wanted a new type of luxury... a weirdly shaped van with glowing blue wheels and tech.
The Vision Tokyo (so named because it was unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show that same year) featured elements such as "innovative algorithms", "deep machine learning" and "intelligent prediction engine" that allowed the car to recognize passengers and adapt to their needs. needs.
Obviously, some elements of this technology have begun to make their way into the Mercedes we buy today, such as the "Hey Mercedes" voice command system. But the radically designed Vision Tokyo has been packaged in a way that's probably very different from anything we've ever seen on a showroom floor with a three-pointed star.
The German giant used phrases such as "monolithic construction" and "powerboat glass cockpit" to describe a car that was not a sedan, was not a station wagon, and was not a van. In other words, a vision of a future that we will never see.
Audi AI: Trail quattro
AI:Trail Quattro is an upgraded autonomous off-road buggy.
Audi is a brand known for its SUVs, rich heritage of tracked vehicles, mud rigs and beach buggies… no wait, that sounds wrong.
No, Audi is a brand known for its prestigious and powerful cars, often with all-wheel drive, but not hardcore SUVs. That's why the 2019 AI:Trail Quattro is on our list of unlikely concepts.
Not only is this jaded, beefed-up off-road buggy completely out of character for the brand, it's also standalone. The idea of a self-driving car seems to go against the spirit of off-road enthusiasts. It was part of the brand's multi-concept automotive strategy to begin showcasing its autonomous and electrified future models.
Needless to say, the chances of seeing something remotely similar to this are estimated to be somewhere between negligible and zero.
Infiniti Prototype 9
The Prototype 9 was fitted with the same electric transmission as the Nissan Leaf.
Building a new brand is hard, but trying to launch a new luxury brand is doubly hard. This is because brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz can trade in their history and heritage to attract buyers; the idea of buying an image or lifestyle, not just a car.
So, Infiniti tried to create its own story in 2017 with the introduction of the Prototype 9 concept, which was based on a theoretical vision put together by Infiniti head of design Alfonso Albaisa and the marketing department.
As Mr. Albaisa explained at the time, “It all started with a simple thought: what if we find a car at the southern tip of Japan, buried deep in a barn, hidden from prying eyes for 70 years?
“What if in this car we found the seed of passion planted during our first Japanese Grand Prix and the strength and craftsmanship of Infiniti today? What will this opening look like?
Except that Infiniti didn't exist 70 years ago, but the concept was powered by the same electric powertrain as the Nissan Leaf, so it's hardly the type of motivation you'd find in a 1930s Grand Prix racer.
Despite its stunning looks, the Prototype 9 didn't really seem to serve any purpose, it didn't showcase a production model or new technology, and probably didn't help sell Infiniti on showroom floors, creating a "fake heritage."
