11 Great Concept Cars That Automakers Dumbed-Down and Ruined

There is nothing cooler than a great concept car. That is until the brand takes away everything cool about the concept to push a slightly face-lifted model of what they already make instead.

By Daniel Bonfiglio

Published 3 weeks ago in Facepalm

There is nothing cooler than a great concept car. They inspire the child-like wonder within all of us, while providing concrete examples of what engineering in the future might look like.

That is until a brand takes away everything cool about their concept to push a slightly face-lifted model of what they already make instead.

Here are 10 great concept cars that automakers completely dumbed down and ruined.

1
Chevy Volt
The first GM electric vehicle of the future.

2
Chevy Volt
The most boring of all electric cars in production. (Except for the Leaf.)

3
Toyota GT86 / Scion FR-S
An affordable and reliable MX-5 rival made by Toyota? And it looks this good?
4
Toyota GT86
A fun but underpowered little coupe.

5
Dacia Duster
One of Europe's most common family cars.
6
Dacia Duster
It could have looked cool. Instead it looks like a Ford. And even this version is an upgrade on previous generations.
7
Chrysler Crossfire
A 2002 concept ready to bring Chrysler into the sport coupe market.

8
Chrysler Crossfire
An afterthought of a two-door, begging to not be a convertible.
9
Toyota Supra
One of the most highly anticipated concepts ever made.
10
Toyota Supra
And while this real version looks good, it can't match the Supra legacy. Perhaps the concept could have.

11
Volkswagen T-Roc
A neat crossover coupe.
12
Volkswagen T-Roc
And a stock-standard compact SUV.
13
Renault Captur
Sleek and sporty.

14
Renault Captur
A "hot hatch" without one shred of "hot."
15
Mercedes EQS
A German technological marvel of the digital and electric age.
16
Mercedes EQS
A weirdly shaped sedan just begging to be normal.

17
Mercedes EQS SUV
A pretty cool SUV.
18
Mercedes EQS SUV
Just any other Mercedes.
19
Kia Stinger GT
While slightly fish looking, this Kia was ready to turn some heads.

20
Kia Stinger GT
While decent looking, this M5 wannabe was sure to be even less reliable than the German sport saloons.
21
BMW Z4
A Z4 that steps up BMW's convertible game. Maybe even a partnership with the new Supra?
22
BMW Z4
Why would anybody pay for this over a Boxster?