Designers at GM’s new Advanced Design studio in Pasadena have created a pair of electric concepts that shrink the classic HUMMER size while opening up far more ways for owners to shape the vehicle around their plans. The HUMMER X truck and its SUV counterpart land in the midsize category yet deliver serious off-road geometry and a fresh approach to building and modifying them over time.
Photo credit: Vitaly Batalka and Valentin Komkov
Compact cars from the late 1980s hold a special place for many drivers who value nimble handling and simple fun. One model in particular draws lasting attention from that era. Designers Vitaly Batalka and CG artist Valentin Komkov recently completed a digital project that updates the second-generation Honda CRX from 1987 to 1991 with battery power.
Photo credit: Amaan Mukadam
Crowded streets across Europe pack in far more people than parking spots can handle. Freelance designer Amaan Mukadam from the UK looked at that daily scramble and built the MicroFold, a four-wheeled electric vehicle meant for exactly one rider at a time.
The JP4x4 is a new take on two of the original Renault 4s: the Plein Air version, built in 1969 for open-air fun, and the JP4 from 1981, which seemed to channel carefree days by the sea. The name JP4 is derived from Journée à la Plage, which translates to “a day at the beach.” The new name JP4x4 incorporates the four-wheel drive feature, which is self-explanatory.
Hyundai just revealed its Boulder concept at the New York Auto Show. This body-on-frame SUV is a true head turner, with a bold and upright posture and panels in Liquid Titanium that give off a stunning matte finish. The California design firm had a precise vision in mind when they created every crease and curve, pulling inspiration from the company’s own materials knowledge and the Art of Steel concept. The end result is a vehicle that appears stable and capable from all angles.
Photo credit: Yanko Design
Apple’s MacBook Neo has clearly struck a nerve, and it isn’t hard to see why people are already wondering what those same ideas might look like in a desktop form. Designer Sarang Sheth had exactly that thought, and the result is the Mac Neo concept, a compact desktop that takes everything that makes the laptop so compelling and reimagines it for the desk
Slim laptops, as expected, promise the world in terms of portability, but all too frequently they sacrifice something important in the process, namely consistent performance. Heat accumulates in these little chassis faster than you’d expect, and the fans have to spin faster to compensate, all before the processor has a chance to throttle back at the worst possible time. Inventec chose to tackle this issue front on with the VeilBook, a 14-inch prototype laptop that manages to stay under 10 millimeters thick while providing adequate cooling and typing comfort.
Compal Electronics, the company that makes many of the laptops you see under famous brand names, has introduced a concept called the AI Book. This design replaces the traditional palm rest and trackpad with a color E Ink touchscreen. You can rest your hands on an active display that shows information, allows you to tap it in, and even accepts stylus input for handwriting or sketching.
Isuzu Australia unveiled the D-Max Concept X in 2018 as a highlight drawcard at the National 4×4 Outdoors Show, and it all started with a pretty casual chat at a 4WD event, when someone spotted these enormous tires and thought, “we’ve gotta take it to the extreme,” which eventually turned into two seriously over-the-top vehicles, one D-Max Ute and a MU-X SUV, but only the D-Max is still kicking. You can now find the D-Max advertised for AU$65,000 on my105.com in Welshpool, a Perth suburb in Western Australia, which is AU$14,000 less than the top-of-the-line D-Max Blade, which costs AU$79,000.
Nissan engineers thought it would be a good idea to explore a concept that combined electric mobility with renewable energy. They chose the Ariya, an all-electric crossover noted for its silky smooth performance and ample interior capacity, and added some solar panels to it. This concept vehicle stands out because it has solar cells all over the hood, top, and rear, and you can’t tell they’re there because they don’t interfere with the elegant lines that make the Ariya so sleek.