Concept cars: a glimpse into the future.
You may find them synonymous
with outrageous designs, exaggerated interiors,
and features that have never been seen
in a production car,
like this floating key.
They're typically revealed at auto shows
where enthusiasts and the media "ooh" and "ahh"
at the future of mobility.
It's no secret that these one-off designs
can be expensive to build,
sometimes with a seven-figure price tag.
With so much invested in these cars,
why does it seem like we rarely see
these concepts make it to production?
And why does it seem like the coolest elements
are stripped away when they do?
We spoke with the design department
of some of the top automakers
to find out why automakers spend millions
on concept cars they don't plan on making.
Ralph: First of all,
people don't realize that concept cars, yes,
we would show them at auto shows typically,
and they're there for the media to enjoy.
But long after the media is gone,
the auto show's around for a couple weeks,
and the public comes around,
and they may not know much
about the brand sometimes,
and they go, "Whoa,"
and they come across this concept car
that makes an unmistakable statement
about where the brand wants to go with technology.
Narrator: That's Ralph Giles.
He's the head of global design
for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
He's worked on the design
of the 2005 Chrysler 300,
2014 SRT Viper,
and many more.
Ralph: So vehicles like the Prowler,
the Jeep Rescue, and the Challenger,
and even the Viper,
all of those were concept cars at one time.
And what happened there is again
the public reacted to them in a visceral way,
in a way that says, "You have to build that car."
Sometimes, people will mail us checks,
deposits to see this car through
and very passionate letters.
None of that would've happened
had the concept not been there.
So when we see that,
we think we might've struck something here.
Narrator: Concept cars can also be used
to hype up a model
that is actually planned for production.
David: If we have a new launch of a new version
in our portfolio,
we would tease that
with a specific type of concept
that would be a slight exaggeration
of the production car.
So it would be slightly more idealized.
And of course that's to generate interest
but also awareness that this product
is coming to market a year or two later.
Narrator: Like the Lincoln Navigator concept,
it boasted gull wing doors
and steps that deployed
when the door lifted open,
almost inviting the passengers in.
These exaggerated features didn't make it
to the 2018 production car,
which had standard doors
and a single retracting step.
But the concept did capture attention
and brought excitement for the production version
of the car.
David: Those really extreme ones are the hardest,
but they would still have an influence
on the market ahead.
So you might not have seen them
in the first couple of years
after you first experienced them,
but maybe the longer run,
10 years down the line, maybe they had
a big influence on the trend
of automotive design.
Narrator: Like BMW's Vision EfficientDynamics
concept car in 2009,
it was designed to be a high-performance hybrid,
balancing speed and fuel efficiency.
Five years later,
it became the BMW i8.
The design stayed intact,
but some of the flashy features
like the see-through doors and moving grill
didn't make it to production.
The i8 was a success for BMW,
and now we're seeing performance hybrids
from almost every brand.
But concept cars aren't just
to gauge consumer interest
or create excitement for a version of the concept
that will be released.
There's yet another reason.
Car companies use concepts to test out
how new technology might work
in cars of the future,
even if the exact concept will never hit the market.
Taro: We are approaching, as I discuss,
a more interesting technology innovation era,
and then we will try out future potential.
Using that technology
means we are not just making the show car
for the marketing purpose.
Narrator: Take driverless cars for example.
That technology is popping up
in almost every concept,
yet the technology itself seems so far away.
Turns out these concepts are testing out
how driverless technology could respond
to the way people interact with cars in the future.
According to Volkswagen's Klaus Bischoff,
the way people interact with cars today
is already different than how they used to.
We have ride-sharing services like Uber
and on-the-go rental services like Zipcar.
Driverless cars could be the next step
in the evolution of those services.
Klaus: We are at the transition
of a new era of mobility.
Electric cars will only be the beginning.
The concept cars today are the pioneers
of this new age of mobility.
Narrator: So concepts today are paving the way
for how we ride in cars tomorrow.
Take the Renault EZ-GO concept as an example.
The designers imagined a future
where passengers hopped in a driverless car
and take them to their destination.
Will the car of the future look exactly
like this concept?
Probably not,
but we know automakers are working on a future
where these types of services could be possible.
Ralph: I think many of what you see
will ultimately make it into production.
Again, elements, it'll take time.
Concept cars are a great way for designers
to explore the ideas and in a way compare notes
'cause as more and more competitors
show their work,
they travel the internet.
But at the end of the day,
I think it keeps...
it raises the bar.
It really does make us go back
and wanna compete that much harder.
Narrator: Concepts are complex.
They come in many shapes and sizes
and are made for a variety of reasons.
From testing public opinion
to testing the latest technology,
concept cars are the first step
in moving the auto industry forward.
Without the opportunity to explore innovations
and see what other automakers are experimenting with,
cars would simply stay the same.