1) A90 Toyota Supra
Toyota actually unveiled the stunning FT-1 concept—which married influences from old Supras and the 2000GT—at the beginning of 2014. At this point, there were no firm plans for a new Supra, so when it came to redressing a BMW Z4 a lot of the concept car’s drama was lost.
2) Pontiac Sunfire
Built on GM’s J-body FWD platform, the 1995 Pontiac Sunfire was a woeful thing in coupe, cabrio or saloon form. And yet, at the start of the decade, Pontiac got everyone excited with the futuristic Sunfire concept. Heck, it even had carbon fibre body panels and a voice-activated phone inside.
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3) Chrysler PT Cruizer
Before Daimler came along, Chrysler was planning on selling the PT Cruiser as a Plymouth. Same retro 1930s hot rod styling as the Prowler, you see? Oh, and the PT Cruiser could have actually looked pretty cool too—just see the original three-door Pronto Cruizer concept from the late 1990s for proof. Shame.
4) Mercedes-Benz EQS
The Vision EQS concept from back in 2019 had us thinking big electric Mercs of the future would be full of tech but also hugely dramatic to look at. We were correct on the former, but when the production EQS arrived in 2021 it looked more like a flabby pebble than an executive saloon.
5) Suzuki Kizashi
You probably don’t remember the production version of the Suzuki Kizashi. Why would you? It’s hard to forget the first concept that previewed it, though. The Kizashi 1 was a gloriously 2000s slammed estate concept with an Alfa Brera bum and massive 21-inch wheels.
6) Renault Captur
Making its debut at the 2011 Geneva show, the Captur concept was a sporty two-door SUV with 22-inch wheels, a removable hard-top roof and a centre exit exhaust. It even had a twin-turbo four-pot engine. The 2013 production car was basically just a bloated Clio.
7) Kia Niro
Another crossover concept that promised much and delivered...a crossover, was the Kia Niro. In late 2013 Kia used Robert De’s surname for the first time on a show car that featured a stainless steel roof, butterfly doors and rally style spotlights.
8) Jaguar XJ220
At the British Motor Show in 1988, Jaguar showed a monstrous V12 supercar. It promised 4WD, four-wheel steering, adjustable suspension and scissor doors. The production version was signed off just as the recession hit, and customers withdrew their deposits upon finding out it had none of the concept’s features.
9) Chevrolet Volt
How good does the 2007 Chevrolet Volt range extender concept look with its chunky arches, chopped roof and windows reaching into the doors? Unfortunately, a financial crash meant what we got instead was a Prius-shaped plug-in hybrid that you might better know as the Vauxhall Ampera.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
