The 16 coolest concept cars revealed in 2015

EDAG
Arnd Wiegmann/ Reuters

Car makers are getting more tech savvy lately. Or at least their concept cars are making them appear that way. 

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Automakers have designed some very inventive concept cars this year, some of which seem to have the sole purpose of simply looking cool (and that they do).

But others really explore how automobiles could change with the advent of driverless technology, from steering wheels that retract to seats that recline all the way. They give us a taste of how our driving experience could dramatically change in the next few years.

Here are 16 of the coolest concept cars that give us a taste:

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Porsche's all-electric Concept Mission E can drive 310 miles with a full charge. Production begins in the next 5 years.

porshe mission e doors
Porsche

The basics: The car is powered by an advanced lithium-ion battery technology that can be charged at a conventional charging station or via a plate that can be stored in your garage. In 15 minutes, the car can charge up to 80 percent, giving it a range of 250 miles.

How fast it goes: The car can go from zero to 62 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds, with a top speed of 150 miles per hour.

What else it offers: It has cameras instead of exterior mirrors that captures your surroundings and displays what they see on the lower corner of the windshield. 

The car also has eye-tracking technology that will detect where the driver is looking on the dashboard and open the corresponding instrument. The driver can then confirm the selection by pressing a button on the steering wheel.

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The EDAG's body was inspired by the leaf of a plant. It has a 3D-printed structure and is about 25 percent lighter than traditional vehicles.

EDAG
Arnd Wiegmann/ Reuters

The basics: A lightweight outer skin, which is made from waterproof jersey fabric, is stretched over the structure.

How fast it goes: There is no powertrain for the vehicle and it is not likely to go into production. Instead, the company wanted to showcase how 3D printing could be used to make a much lighter vehicle. 

What else it offers: LED lights underneath the skin lets you see the skeletal frame.

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The Torq is windowless but cameras provide a 360-degree view projected on screens.

Torq
Dong Liu/ Shutterstock

The basics: The car, designed by Italian engineering and design company ED, does not require a driver, but the company does not delve into how it would drive autonomously. ED hopes to create a self-driving racing car in the next 17 months.

How fast it goes: It's advertised as having 429 horsepower and 1,328-feet of torque. 

What else it offers: It is a fully electric car with four engines over each wheel.

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Nissan's Teatro for Dayz is basically a giant, driveable tablet.

Nissan Teatro for Dayz
Nissan

The basics: The car is essentially targeted at Millenials, or as the Japanese automaker calls them, the "share native" generation. The seats are covered with touch screens and an in-car camera allows passengers to take selfies.

How fast it goes: There's no powertrain for the vehicle. Its design is meant to show how cars can serve the "share native" generation.

What else it offers: You can change the car's interior aesthetic using the displays. For example, you get make the seats look like leather or like they're covered in grass.

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The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo hit 278 miles per hour in a simulation of Le Mans. It sure looks good, but you won't be seeing this car on the road.

Buggatti
Jens Meyer/ Associated Press

The basics: It uses the Bugatti Veyron's 16-cylinder, 8.0-litre quad turbo engine. The engine itself was producing 1250 bhp when production ended earlier this year, GQ reports.

How fast it goes: Aside from its simulation speed, we have no way of knowing how fast the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo goes. The car itself has a hypothetical interior with a steering wheel, some upholstery and digital displays.

What else it offers: It has a drag reduction system (DRS) rear wing to reduce drag that can be increased for some downforce when turning corners. 

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Mitsubishi released an electric, driverless concept car that looks like the Batmobile. Look out for it in 2020.

Mitsubishi concept car 800px
Mitsubishi

What it is: Called the EMIRAI3 xAUTO, the car can assist with driving and parking, detect driver fatigue and recommend a nearby rest stop, and show objects on a screen display that are 10 meters ahead.

How fast it goes: Specs have not be released regarding how far it can go on a single charge, the time it takes to charge, or anything relating to speed or horsepower.

What else it offers: It can park itself, stay in a lane, merge, and detect objects even in darkness in order to brake. The car can detect driver fatigue by measuring your heart rate.

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The BMW M4 MotoGP injects water into the engine's intake plenum or cylinders to reduce combustion. It appeared in the 2015 MotoGP World Championship. BMW said its technology could be seen in future models.

BMW M4 MotoGP
Sergey Kohl/ Shutterstock

The basics: The water injection system reduces the consumption of combustion engines and increases performance. The water is stored in a 1.3-gallon tank in the trunk that is sent to the intake plenum via an electric pump.

How fast it goes: BMW has not released specs for the car's powertrain, but Gizmag reports that the water cooling system frees up 10 percent more torque and power than a standard car.

 

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This concept car by Lexus has a human heartbeat.

Lexus heartbeat car
Lexus/YouTube

What it is: Lexus hacked a custom RC-F coupe to reflect the heartbeat of its driver so that vehicle glows in sync with every pulse.

How fast it goes: It's soley a concept car, and you won't see it on the road anytime soon. But you can learn more about how they made the car reflect a heartbeat here.

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The Mercedes IAA has an aerodynamic mode and a design mode. When its aero aids are deployed, it is more aerodynamic than a Tesla Model S. There's no word yet on if it'll go into production, but its aerodynamic qualities could be seen in vehicles in the future.

Mercedes IAA
Michael Probst/ Associated Press

The basics: The Mercedes IAA is a plug-in hybrid that puts out 279 horsepowers (205 kW engine). When the car reaches 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour), it switches from design mode to aerodynamic mode by extending flaps at the front and rear, employing active rims and moving the louvre in the front bumper.

How fast it goes: It has an electronically limited top speed of 250 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour). In aerodynamic mode it has an all-electric range of 66 kilometers (41 miles) and a range of 62 kilometers (39 miles) in design mode.

What else it offers: The steering wheel has touch-based operating functions.

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The Nissan Gripz is meant to show sports cars can be tall. It has a gasoline engine that powers an electric motor.

Nissan Gripz
Jens Meyer/ Associated Press

The basics: Drivers can select an EV mode for day-to-day driving, four-wheel drive for snow or going off road or a drift mode that uses the electric motors for the feel of driving a sports car. The car was inspired by a racing bicycle. 

How fast it goes: Nissan hasn't provided details about the power behind the car. It is a hybrid system with a gas engine and electric motor. 

What else it offers: It has four doors and swing out and up. It also has forward facing cameras to record your journey.

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Mitsubishi unveiled a concept car that can parallel park itself. The automaker hopes to start selling it in 2020.

Mitsubishi car
Mitsubishi

What it is: The car can respond to road and traffic conditions on its own and uses high-precision motion control to navigate.

How fast it goes: Specs have not been released.

What else it offers: It also had high-definition 3D mapping and can park itself with the tap of a remote control.

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Audi's e-tron quattro can go 310 miles on a single charge. It'll enter production in 2018.

Audi e-tron concept car
Audi

The basics: It can be charged with a DC or AC electrical current, and can fully charge in 50 minutes when hooked up to a DC current outputting 150 kW. The car can also charge wirelessly over a charging plate.

How fast it goes: Audi claims it can go from zero to 62.1 miles per hour in just 4.6 seconds, with a top speed of 130.5 miles per hour.

What else it offers: It has five doors and can sit up to four people. Rearview mirrors are replaced by cameras — the driver can see by looking at displays built into the front section of the doors. The car has a solar roof that can help power the car on sunny days, providing up to 320 watts of additional electric power.

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Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo will debut at the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship at Rallye Monte Carlo.

Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo
Kai Pfaffenbach/ Reuters

The basics: The car is powered by hydrogen fuel cells for 670 horsepower.

How fast it goes: The two fuel stacks (which provide 670 horsepower) are augmented by a supercapacitor that stores electrical energy conserved during breaking for another 201 horsepower, for a total of 871 horsepower. The car has four engines over each wheel hub.

What else it offers: A carbon fiber composite structure to keep weight down. The car has a hexagonal grille that connects to a duct to direct air out the back in order to minimize air drag underneath the body.

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Volkswagen's Tiguan GTE is a plug-in hybrid with 31 miles of electric range. Its sunroof feed electrical energy directly into the battery.

Volkswagen Tiguan
Jens Meyer/ Associated Press

The basics: The Tiguan GTE can be plugged in to charge. Energy captured by the sunroof allows for up to 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of zero emissions driving. The car arrives on the market April 2016.

How fast it goes: It has a system output of 215 horsepower. The car can run for up to 31 miles on electric power alone, which is powered by a 13 kWh lithium-ion battery. 

What else it offers: The new Tiguan is 60 millimeters longer and 33 millimeters lower than the outgoing model giving it extra interior and trunk space. Its weight is also reduced by more than 110 pounds.

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This Toyota concept car is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell in an attempt to make an eco-friendly, city car.

Toyota FCV PLus
Toyota

What it is: The vehicle can generate electricity from hydrogen that's stored in its tank, as well as from hydrogen stored outside the vehicle, though Toyota didn't specify how it would go about doing this.

How fast it goes: The car isn't going into production so there are not specs.

What else it offers: The car may not be available for purchased, but the hydrogen fuel cell technology may make an appearance in other Toyota vehicles. 

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Rinspeed's self-driving concept car comes with its own drone. It'll debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas January 6-9.

Rinspeed sports concept car
Rinspeed

What it is: Known as the Ʃtos, the car comes with self-driving technology, a drone with its own landing pad, and a Siri-like "personal assistant" to help provide entertainment and perform other tasks.

How fast it goes: Specs haven't been released, but we may learn more about it at CES in January. We'll keep you posted.

What else it offers: When the car is in autopilot mode, the steering wheel folds up and retracts into the dashboard. 

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