We’ve been seeing an influx of some cutthroat and drool-worthy automotive concepts at Yanko Design. Each automotive was innovative, bringing to us something we had never seen nor experienced before. From killer speed to dashing good looks, to impenetrable safety standards, every automotive we featured at YD broke some design barrier for us, and hopefully, they did the same for you as well. Hence, we’ve curated a collection of automotive designs that we feel were the best of the lot! From a Honda Ridgeline EV Concept that makes the Cybertruck look like child’s play to an autonomous Tesla HGV that brings the vision of the Tesla heavy goods vehicle to life – each of these conceptual designs is mercilessly pushing the boundaries of the automotive industry! Automotive enthusiasts will be itching to see them on the road, and hopefully one day we will.
The Honda Ridgeline EV concept comes from the mind of California-based Rene Garcia, a concept designer at ILM who’s previously worked on The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok, The Avengers, and the Transformers anthology. Garcia began designing the vehicle as a Dakar rally truck, but gradual iterations slowly turned it into a conceptual pickup truck for Honda. Designed to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it, the EV comes with its own winch-hook on the front, a frunk behind it, suicide-style rear doors that give you access to the car’s spacious interiors, and an expandable truck-bed on the back that even comes equipped with tools and emergency medical kits. A standout feature of the car’s design is in its use of hollow spaces. The Ridgeline is bulky to look at, but negative spaces in its design help cut its volume manifold, still making it look like a chiseled, mean machine.
Industrial and transport designer Jeremy Dodd take the vision of the Tesla heavy goods vehicle to the next level with the Tesla Autonomous E-Rig semi. This ultra-futuristic Tesla concept identifies the basic problem with HGVs that have an average speed of 50 mph, and have to drive for virtually 9 hours of the day, 5 days a week. This creates an environmental impact, and a pure, purposeful, and functional method of hauling heavy goods is the need of the hour. This Autonomous trailer in a way is destined to solve this with even more to make it highly useful. The HGV has an extendable extension to adapt to the needs of the client, the geographic location, and the nature of the cargo to be hauled. The driving cockpit’s top and the bay of the trailer are solar powered to charge the battery reserve on the go.
According to the designer Ivan Marin Lopez, complete autonomous technology will not be an overnight change – rather it will be a gradual process that’ll take a significant amount of time. When the technology is fully proofed, autonomous cars like Volvo 360c concept will be able to tackle mixed traffic situations without any human intervention. Passenger safety is at the forefront here, and the car is loaded with advanced sensors to ensure it is ready for any unforeseen situation on the road. The gull-winged 360c will have a clutter-free interior that focuses on passenger comfort and an air of openness with the panoramic glass windshield. The boxy design of the electric concept is dominated by a balanced proportion of design that takes into account the crowded city streets.
Automotive designer David Gallego takes a hard detour into uncharted territory with this Audi Skeleton concept. The automotive concept is something more than the usual passive driving on the streets or circuits. It is based on the lines of the Skeleton winter sliding sport wherein the rider maneuvers a small sled commonly known as skeleton bobsled on speedy frozen tracks. In part, it also has the reminiscences of karting and sidecar racing competitions. The head-first lying position is what this concept draws inspiration from in a four-wheeler iteration, of course, meant only for the true daredevil racers! The designer combines his inspiration with the Bauhaus philosophy to give this niche Audi concept a definitive linear and geometric form. The aesthetics of the concept reveal the nature of objects – such as an inhaler, bicycle’s front frame section, and even a modern door handle.
Being more than just a mere cool toy, this electric two-wheeler is a futuristic yet simple solution for urban mobility, focusing on city tours to be precise. According to the head of vehicle design, BMW Motorrad, the bike is a skateboard on wheels, developed for anyone who likes to be mobile and independent. The Concept CE 02 has a very minimalist footprint and a low center of gravity – in line with the company’s aspiration to bring a level of design innovation honed by the emotional element, and most of all, the riding fun. The CE 02 ebike comes with an 11kW belt-driven motor that hurls the two-wheeler to a maximum speed of 56 miles per hour and a range of 90 kilometers on a single charge.
The wide stance of the Porsche GTE here, conceptualized by Sreenath Sundaram is a perfect example of concept 3D modeling done right. The inspiration comes from the hugely popular Porsche 917 (Le Mans winner in 1970 and 1971) which has been the design inspiration for other concept cars as well. The reason, the man maximum – machine minimum philosophy that’s been strong at Porsche all these years. The Porsche 917 is the ideal icon of that vision, and so is this creation. This concept follows an eye-like design on all fronts – the core design, exterior form, and interior form. The warm expression of a hug on the front section radiates a friendly charisma. On the rear, the car’s design is characterized by converging muscular surfaces towards the end. The motive is to have an elegant surface transition from rear wheel arches to the tail. The interior follows suit with a spindle that evolves to create a dual lounge-inspired seating arrangement connected at the center.
Meet The Razorite, an all-electric BMW I8 sports car concept envisioning the iconic i8’s rise like a phoenix from the ashes after going out of production in 2021 and looking for a strong comeback if the German automaker brings it back to life. Rather than completely revamping the visual dynamics of the i8 into an outrageous concept that defies reason, the designer has mindfully made those cohesive changes and additions to retain the original’s slick aura. The all-carbon black paint job highlighted by the Alpine, Yokohama, AEM, and ADVAN livery makes this sports car concept something that’s destined to be the dream car material – one that you desperately want to take control of behind the wheel.
All these great iterations by Ford were built in the 90s and this concept by Antoine Crobe is a living image of the no-limit thinking of the second largest American auto manufacturer founded more than a century ago by Henry Ford. Ford Dystopia is a sweet blend of the mecha sci-fi and robotic influences. The latter attributed to Ford’s keen investment in the Esports video game division. Essentially, this car is indeed the rightful machine to dominate a dystopian future where the sky is the limit for experiencing the adrenaline rush of driving four-wheelers. It has an open-wheel set up to keep the center of gravity very low and the Indigo influence is rather obvious with the wheel arches and nose section. The overall shape is a true testament to the GT90 Concept’s design that was ahead of its time. According to Antoine, the car acknowledges the pure automotive spirit with an overwhelming feeling of strength brought to the fore by “hard surface and technical details.”
Designed for the year 2040, the i Vision Circular Concept comes with a design featuring parts that are completely detachable (thanks to the use of intelligent fasteners like cords and press-fit joints instead of glue and welding) and easy to fix/repair. The car’s body is made from recycled aluminum, its interiors use fabric made from recycled plastic, and even the tires are made from a “sustainably cultivated” natural rubber. As one would expect with any eco-conscious automobile, the i Vision Circular Concept runs on an electric powertrain too… and while managing to balance all those bits of innovation, the i Vision Circular Concept looks like an absolute stunner.
This concept is designed by Gael Buzyn and his team to bring an unparalleled driving experience to the streets. The highlight of this concept is its transforming design, featuring an expandable wheelbase that transforms a two-seater convertible into a four-wheeler sportscar, giving you the best of both worlds. The shape-shifting character of this car is akin to the caterpillar’s morphism to a butterfly. There are actuators behind the front axle that move the car’s front section back and forth to give it 10-inches of shape-shifting advantage. In addition, the steering wheel and pedal shifters retract under the dashboard panel for added luxury while being highlighted by the touchscreen interface panning across the dashboard in the long-wheelbase GT mode. This helps transform the car from a stable GT model to the power-oriented aggressive Sport mode.
