Japan's concept cars - the craziest of the noughties

By Alex Michaelides Motor Shows 19 August 2009 10:00 Here we are, celebrating the best cars that Japan has produced, but what about the ones it hasn’t? At many motor shows – and particularly ones in its back yard – the Japanese industry serves up some wild concept cars which boggle the brain and tickle the ribs. It’s hardly surprising that few of them hit the mainstream.

Hyundai heading for more dual clutch gearboxes instead of CVT

Hyundai are planning to offer more dual clutch gearboxes in their cars rather than going the CVT route. There’s an argument that somehow CVT gearboxes offer better fuel economy than an automated dual clutch ‘box, even though logic says otherwise. Toyota insist on using a CVT ‘box on their hybrid cars when they’d feel much better to drive with an auto or dual clutch ‘box.

VW GTI Roadster Concept Gran Turismo (2014) first official pictures

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 29 May 2014 17:07 VW has revealed this wild-looking 190mph GTI Roadster Vision Concept. After showing sketches last week, it has unveiled an in-the-metal version of the 496bhp machine to VW devotees at the annual GTI-fest at Worthersee, Austria. It hasn’t – this is VW’s virtual competitor in Sony’s Gran Turismo 6, joining the likes of the Toyota FT-1, shown at the Detroit motor show, and the BMW Vision Gran Turismo.