Detroit Motor Show 2014: the 7 coolest cars in the show

Volkswagen Beetle Dune

A concept sure to fire the imaginations of VW fans, this Beetle is rigged for off-road activity thanks to 19in wheels and high ground clearance. It’s based on the current Beetle R model and comes with the same 2-litre engine, but the body is longer, wider and taller and equipped with more powerful Xenon headlights, LED fog lights and, inside, a 7.7in touchscreen display. Volkswagen has not said yet whether or not it’ll move from the concept stage into production.

[Via: Uncrate]

Toyota FT-1

We covered the FT-1 a few days ago, marvelling over the fact that Toyota built it and ‘drove’ it within Gran Turismo 6 before making it a physical reality.

The front-engine, rear-wheel drive FT-1 is just a concept and will likely never make it into production, although we expect to see its muscular form – all vents and sculpted bodywork – inspiring future generations of Toyota racing coupés.

Kia GT4 Stinger

What’s this – Kia making a desirable motor? Stranger things have happened, and the Korean manufacturer’s profile is undeniably higher in 2014 than ever before.

The GT4 Stinger is a coupé with a race-inspired design and a stirring 315hp turbocharged engine paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Designed in California, it features transparent A-pillars to aid front visibility.

This is one concept that may become a reality. Designer Tom Kearns told Auto Express that “if we decide to make it, we don’t have to change it too much.” In fact, it could be on sale by 2016 and priced at under £30,000.

[Via: Autocar]

Volvo XC Coupé

Volvo has evolved far beyond its image as a maker of safe-yet-boringly-boxy family cars, and this concept is as pretty an SUV as you could find anywhere on the Detroit show floor.

The XC Coupé, says Volvo, is “willing to bring you into the adventure zone and back” (references to safety still loom large in Volvo’s press release, it has to be said). It’s designed to appeal to extreme sports enthusiasts (hence the roof-mounted ski storage) and features 21in wheels.

While the concept may never come to market, it’s likely that some of its aspects will inform future Volvos like the next iteration of the XC90 SUV.

[Via: AutoBlog]

Audi Allroad Shooting Brake

Audi’s Allroad Shooting Brake is another concept car significant mainly for how its design language might be recalled in future models. The next TT will almost certainly borrow heavily from what you see above, albeit with the Allroad bits shorn off, obviously.

Aside from that, the Shooting Brake is noteworthy because it’s an E-Tron hybrid with a 510-mile range but also Quattro four-wheel drive and the ability to go from 0 to 62mph in 4.6 seconds.

It’s almost as exciting as the Audi Sport Quattro Laserlight unveiled at CES 2014 a couple of weeks back.

Ford Mustang 1 Concept

We know, we know: this one isn’t a new car, but it is a concept being shown off at this year’s Detroit Show. The Mustang, that most American of cars, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Ford has brought back its original Mustang concept (first seen in 1962) to celebrate that fact. And in the company’s home town, no less.

The first production Mustang actually looks very different to this concept, which features a sloping bonnet and pop-up lights. There’s something distinctly Jetsons-esque about it – an early ’60s musing on what a futuristic muscle car might look like.

Porsche 911 Targa

The only model we’ve picked which isn’t a concept, the 2014 Porsche 911 Targa harks back to the original 1967 Targa – a compromise between the safety and stability of a hardtop coupé and the excitement of a cabriolet – by featuring a removeable roof and metal-plated rollbar.

It will be available in four-wheel drive Carrera 4 and 4S variants, the latter costing US$117,195 and going from 0 to 60mph in 4.2 seconds.

[Via: Autocar]