The GMC Safari Gets Resurrected As A Gorgeously Slick Electric Van Concept

It’s as if GMC’s classic vehicles met Polestar and Canoo!

The GMC Safari (also marketed under GM’s sub-brand Chevrolet as the Chevy Astro) was easily the most iconic van of the 90s, not just as a passenger minivan but even as a cargo transport van. Known to an entire generation as the ultimate carrier of goods and humans, GMC and Chevrolet gradually phased out the vehicle in 2005 following dwindling sales – some of which get attributed to the fact that the car was known to be such a durable work-horse it just lasted long enough for people not to end up buying new models.

However, nearly 20 years later, vans are clearly making a comeback. Volkswagen, Canoo, Ford, and Toyota have all jumped on the electric bandwagon (or should we say van-dwagon!) and now couldn’t be a more perfect time for GMC to issue a redesign for the Safari… after all, VW did exactly the same with its ID.BUZZ microbus.

Designer: Jordan Rubinstein-Towler

This modern-day GMC Safari is just as reliable and spacious as its predecessor but comes with an electric heart in its rib cage instead of a gas-powered one. The 2023 GMC Safari concept comes from the mind of automotive designer Jordan Rubinstein-Towler, who decided to modernize one of the most iconic vans of yesteryear, reviving it as a contemporary electric vehicle that can handle the demanding cargo and performance conditions of the spacious van category.

The updated van concept features a slick, no-nonsense design that borrows its essence from the original Safari series. Smooth paneling gives the van an incredibly clean look, setting it up perfectly against its urban utopia. Edge lines on the side enhance the van’s dynamism, and a trailing roof and rear bumper overhang ever so slightly from the back, making it look like the car’s creating a motion blur. The lack of visible pillars reinforces the motion-blur aesthetic too, and just to drive home the reliable robustness of this secure van, the doors come with shield-shaped cutouts.

The car’s modern overhaul is also expressed through its redesigned front, which features more sleek, streamlined headlights as well as taillights, along with a glowing GMC logo against a flat panel where the Safari would originally have its radiator grill. The absence of the grill is almost a defining symbol of electrification, a symbol that the Safari wears proudly. The glowing GMC logo, however, feels a little too similar to the DMC logo seen on the DeLorean. Finally, the van ditches conventional rear-view mirrors for innovative, razor-thin rear cams that beautifully emerge from the base of the A pillar.

The rear is filled with interesting details too. The vertical bar headlights from the original get a minimalist makeover, featuring a continuous light-strip that goes from the left to the right. A roof taillight adds to the car’s safety, ensuring that everyone sees the lights flash when the van slows down or brakes.

Designer Jordan Rubinstein-Towler even detailed the van’s interiors, focusing on a futuristic driver dashboard with a digital speedometer as well as a sprawling infotainment system. The rear of the car, given that it’s a van, is designed to be incredibly spacious too. Jordan mentioned that the Safari would feature a front-facing battery unit, allowing the van to have a lower floor in the rear, giving extra head-room for people as well as for storing cargo. Compact dual rear motors placed at the outer widths of the vehicle also help provide a larger space at the back.

It’s a commonly known fact that GM would often market similar models with slight tweaks in design under its different sub-brands. The GMC Safari had a twin in the Chevrolet Astro, which was sold in other parts of the world as well as in America. Notably, the Astro had the same chassis and design, with a few cosmetic changes. Given that the Safari and Astro were soul-siblings, designer Jordan Rubinstein-Towler decided to redesign the Astro too. Shown here as a cargo van (as opposed to the Safari passenger minivan), the Chevy Astro features the same design details but with an updated pair of headlights, a Chevy logo on the front as well as the wheels, and the lack of rear windows.

The post The GMC Safari Gets Resurrected As A Gorgeously Slick Electric Van Concept first appeared on Yanko Design.

LEGO 1961 Chevrolet Corvette convertible longs for your miniature garage

The 1961 Chevrolet Corvette defines the American automotive evolution with small but significant design changes to the earlier models. The transition from the single headlamp to a pair of lights on each side, the striking circular taillamps (aka ducktail) and tailfins for the rear are some good examples.

Owning the iconic Corvette from the late 50s and early 60s – which truly signified America on Wheels movement – is not everyone’s privilege. First of all, they are very rare to find, and then they come at an understandably steep price tag running into $50,000 to $100,000 depending on condition. For those who want to revere the cult following status of the cult favorite convertible without breaking the bank, Chevrolet has teamed up with LEGO for an intricate version for collectors.

Designer: LEGO

The 10321 Corvette LEGO Icons set pays an ode to the first-ever Vette that rolled out of production lines on June 30, 1953. Choosing the 1961 Corvette convertible as the reference model is a logical choice given its radical design language. The bright red damsel mirrors the key details of the original version including the hard or open-top configuration, opening hood and truck that houses the V8 engine replica with its own spinning radiator fan.

Other clever touches include a radio, rearview mirrors, a working tie-rod steering set-up in the engine bay, gear lever, and even a set of brake, gas and clutch pedals. To take the nostalgic element a notch further, the 1210-piece LEGO set comes with three different sets of license plates to traverse millennials to a different era.

Truly a worthy inclusion to the LEGO Icons line, the classic Chevvy measuring 13 inches in length, 6 inches in width and 4 inches in height will be a pleasant weekend task to piece together for the living room shelf or geeky den. For that, you’ll have to wait till August 1 (for LEGO VIPs) or August 4, when the LEGO Corvette set will be finally released for a price tag of $150.

The post LEGO 1961 Chevrolet Corvette convertible longs for your miniature garage first appeared on Yanko Design.

Insanely modified Chevy Camaro looks like something from a futuristic cyberpunk universe

In a world without the DMC DeLorean, Saleem’s Chevy Camaro concept could be a suitable replacement in Back To The Future.

Incredible body kit. Check. Wild LED lights. Check. Transparent hood panels. Check. Airless tires? Also, check. On a scale of one to ‘Would embarrass a Hot Wheel car designer’, Khyzyl Saleem’s custom Camaro build hits a solid double-digit, with its wild build quality that we’ve come to expect from the automotive concept designer.

Designer: Khyzyl Saleem

Saleem’s reinterpretation of what seems like a 1969 Camaro, believe it or not, was originally created for his music venture, Carbon Citizens. However, the car’s design deserves much more credit than simply serving the role of album art. The car’s gun-metal paint job and wide body kit give it an incredibly bold presence – a presence that’s simply accentuated by the car’s razor-thin ‘I see through your BS’ headlights.

Saleem’s Camaro concept does a great job of knowing where to be curvy, and where to be edgy. It retains its retro stylings, however, the car isn’t afraid to show off some unique details, including the inverted hood that also sports four cutouts that let you peer into the belly of the beast. Move your eye a little further to the side and the tires are, in fact, airless (they look a lot like the Michelin ones).

The rear, believe it or not, proves to be more interesting than the front (yes I’m still talking about the Camaro). An oddly placed vent on the top feels highly reminiscent of the engine air intake seen on F1 automobiles… while the area right below the taillight is entirely bare. It seems like Saleem’s Camaro completely ditches the boot, exposing the car’s incredibly wide rear treads and those two deadly exhausts.

The post Insanely modified Chevy Camaro looks like something from a futuristic cyberpunk universe first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Best of Tokyo Auto Salon 2022

To really appreciate a car’s styling and market impact, you really have to see it—in the flesh. I mean, online car launches and briefings are good, but they cannot hope to substitute for the real thing. Seeing is believing, as they say, right? That’s why I made a beeline for the Tokyo Auto Salon last weekend— with my vaccinations, face mask, and hand sanitizer under my belt—to check out the latest offerings from the car industry.

But before we look at the highlights from the three-day Tokyo Auto Salon, we should first note that Japan’s biggest car customizing show has gained significant importance over the past few years thanks to the dwindling reputation of the more traditional Tokyo Motor Show as major foreign brands reallocate marketing budgets away from traditional motor shows, preferring to spend advertising money on brand-centric launches.

Tokyo Auto Salon is 70% customized cars and 30% new cars

On the global stage, the Auto Salon is one of the top customizing events behind America’s SEMA and Germany’s Essen shows. In the wake of the Tokyo Motor Show’s demise, the 40-year old Salon has taken on a double role—it’s a 70% world-class customizing and tuning show and 30% new car launch venue.

Spread across four cavernous halls at the massive Makuhari Messe complex some 30 minutes east of Tokyo, the 3-day Salon saw new cars and concepts debut from Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Daihatsu as well as Japan premieres of the Lotus Emira and the Alpine A110 S.

As for the customizing specialists, all of Japan’s biggest names were there including HKS, Top Secret, Greddy, TOM’s, Blitz, Endless, Liberty Walk, Cusco, Autobacs, Varis, Rays and RE Amemiya among others.

To give you a flavor of what was on the salon floor, we’ve decided to focus on the highlights—so we chose our 3 best new car and concept debuts plus our 3 best-customized cars.

Three Best New Cars and Concepts

1. Nissan Z

By far the most anticipated unveiling at this year’s Auto Salon was the domestic premiere of the all-new Nissan Z, or the ‘Fairlady Z’ as it’s called in Japan. Expressing just how much this launch means to Nissan, the company’s CEO, Makoto Uchida joined champion Nissan Super GT500 racer Tsugio Matsuda, who collaborated with the car’s cockpit design, and pop star and race team principal Masahiko Kondo to give the Z the unveiling it deserved.

First launched in New York City in August last year, the Z boasts a silhouette that harks back to the original 240Z of 1969 while the tail light design draws inspiration from the rear combination lamps of the 300ZX of three decades ago. The huge rectangular grille first generated controversy when it debuted last year, but after seeing it in real life, I must say that the shape and size of the grille complement the dramatic exterior styling. However, to seemingly appease potential buyers wanting a slightly more subtle traditional front end, Nissan also unveiled the world premiere of the ‘Z Customized Proto’ concept.

Painted in bright orange, and fitted with orange 4-piston brake calipers and Dunlop tires adorned with bespoke ‘Nissan Z’ white lettering this Z was one of my personal favorites at the Salon.

Speaking with Nissan’s chief product specialist for the new Z (and the GT-R for that matter!), Hiroshi Tamura, I could quickly tell that this next-generation sports car was a labor of love for him and his team. As he explained its ‘retro-modern design’ and how the design team had leaned heavily on Z styling from the past 50 years, he also stressed that the car is a traditional rear-drive sports car that incorporates the latest state-of-the-art technologies.

Apart from its impressive 400-hp 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo matched to a 6-speed manual transmission (9-speed auto optional), the cockpit gets a new interpretation of the traditional Z-style three analog pod gauges set up on top of the instrument panel while the race car style shift-up indicator located directly above the tachometer will no doubt become a much talked about the feature when the car lands in showrooms later this year.

2. Toyota GR GT3 Concept

At the Toyota Gazoo Racing (GR) stand, the covers came off another Salon highlight. Arguably one of the most aggressive manufacturer concept cars to ever feature at Makuhari Messe, the GR GT3 Concept interestingly borrows nothing from the brand’s huge range of road-going vehicles, but instead, offers a driver-focused, track-only coupe concept at first, with, perhaps, production car aspirations further down the road. Whether the car is destined for Japan’s Super GT series is yet to be confirmed, but with that “GT3” reference, you’d expect as much.

With its extra-long nose, long wheelbase, straight beltline, sharp sleek front end, huge rear wing, and a rear brake light design that resembles that of the Porsche Taycan, the GR GT3 looks more than ready for the race track as is. One aspect of the car that stood out when viewed from the side is that its proportions almost mirror those of the gorgeous Mazda RX Vision concept of 2017.

Details are slim at present. Toyota officials made no reference to a powertrain in any way, but given the fact that the car has exhaust pipes, we can expect it to pack a hybrid powertrain, most probably a V6 married to a turbo and a plug-in hybrid system that would develop upwards of 600-hp.

According to Toyota, the GT3 concept follows a pattern initiated by the multiple award-winning GR Yaris hatchback. The company plans to commercialize motorsport models first, instead of taking road-going cars and modifying them for racing. Even if Toyota does not make a road-going version of the GT3 concept, we hope that signature design elements of this awesome-looking machine make their way into production cars.

Like Mazda’s RX Vision concept, which appeared in Gran Turismo, one definite possibility is that we will see this car feature in Polyphony Digital’s best-selling driving game in the not too distant future.




3. Subaru STI E-RA Concept

As I roamed the Subaru STI stand, I noticed a BRZ STI concept and a WRX concept, but then, plonked in an obscure corner of the stand, behind the fully electric Solterra STI Concept was one of the most radical Japanese cars I’ve ever seen—the Subaru STI E-RA Concept.

While the Nissan Z was the most anticipated car of the Salon, the STI E-RA Concept was the biggest surprise. It literally appeared out of nowhere. “We told no one about it, not even Subaru of America,” said a Subaru staffer. In the world of social media and instant news and leaked teaser images, it’s extremely refreshing to see something that you did not know existed suddenly appear.

Subaru Tecnica International developed this low-slung 1,072-hp electric race car for one purpose—to set a new lap record around Germany’s famed 13-mile long Nurburgring Nordschleife race track. Propelled by 4 powerful 200kW electric motors, one on each wheel, the E-RA (short for ‘Electric Record Attempt’) is hellbent on setting a time of ‘400 seconds,’ or 6 minutes 40 seconds, according to Hiroshi Mori, STI’s general manager who green-lighted the project.

So why attempt such a radical move now? “We are a little behind with our introduction of EVs, so we decided to up the ante and create an extreme study model, and set a lap time that will help us develop fast, efficient EV race and road cars for the future,” answers Mori.

As Mori so aptly pointed out, the record STI is chasing is not the 6:05 time set by the single-seater Volkswagen ID R, but a slightly more leisurely 6:40 time for twin-seater electric cars. That ‘400 second’ that STI is however targeting a time that would outperform the two-seat Chinese NIO EP9 electric supercar that posted a 6:45 in 2017. Everything about the E-RA, from its 197-inch long frame to its 79-inch wide carbon fiber body to its perfect aerodynamic profile, huge chin spoiler, massive rear wing, roof air intake and race car tuned diffuser, all scream ultra-performance.

According to Mori, the 60kWh battery powering the E-RA should last just one lap, providing just enough juice to set one lap time. “Hopefully a record lap time,” says Mori. STI will test the car in Japan this year before heading to Germany sometime in 2023 for the record-breaking attempt.

Honorable Mentions For New Cars and Concepts

Honda revealed its next-generation Civic Type R wearing a rare camouflage. From a distance, it just looks like a generic red, back, and white covering, but up close this camouflage is a tapestry of Type R logo designs from all of the past Civic and Integra Type R models. As for engine specs, Honda was remaining tight-lipped but we can expect it to generate over 320-hp and offer a manual transmission.

Over at Mitsubishi’s stand, it was great to see their motorsport and tuning arm ‘Ralliart’ making a comeback through their ‘Vision Ralliart Concept.’ Based on the latest Outlander, the modified SUV is finished in a matte black paint job and employs a bold, muscular body kit and rear diffuser, 22-inch wheels, and 6-piston calipers.

And who could ignore the domestic launch of the Lotus Emira First Edition? Distributed by LCI in Japan, this sexy-looking coupe is powered by a 400-hp, 3.5-liter supercharged V6 with either 6-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

Three Best Customized Cars

1. Liberty Walk Aventador SVJ Carbon Fiber Body

Housed inside a high chain-link fence-enclosed stand that seemed inspired by a Mixed Martial Arts arena, the star of internationally-known customizer Liberty Walk’s display was a dark grey Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. And the customizing had nothing to do with its 770-hp V12 engine, which incidentally is how the car comes from the factory.

Arguably one of the most extreme customized cars at this year’s Auto Salon, this Aventador SVJ’s claim to fame is that it is covered in a totally new body kit made out of dry carbon fiber. Looking like a modern-day Batmobile, Liberty Walk engineers removed the car’s body, made bespoke carbon fiber molds of every part, and then replaced the standard body parts with the newly created lightweight carbon fiber pieces.

And the cost of this car? According to a spokesman, if you take a fully optioned SVJ’s costing around $700,000 and add the full dry carbon fiber (which is more expensive than wet carbon fiber) body kit fee of just over $200,000, and then add on a few extra options, you end up with a total price tag of just over $1 million. Given the quality of the work, I was not surprised to hear that Liberty Walk has customers in the U.S., Europe, and Brazil. The specialist customizer says that it will make around 20 of these body kits and nearly half have already been sold.

2. HKS Driving Performance GR86

As we’ve seen, the Tokyo Auto Salon does double as a stage to launch new manufacturer models and concepts. But it is still basically a customizing show and a big one at that. Without a doubt, the main base car for the vast majority of customizers and tuners is the recently launched second-generation Toyota GR86. At this year’s show, I counted no less than 30 heavily customized GR86s, but the one that stood out the most was the HKS GR86 which is no surprise given that HKS is one of the best known—domestically and internationally—customizers in Japan.

In Japan, customizing, racing and racecourse time attacks at the well-known Tsukuba Circuit go hand in hand, and this time was no different. Donning a startling triple color livery, the HKS GR86 has basically been race-prepped to challenge a sub-minute lap time around Tsukuba.

While the standard GR86 is fitted with a 230-hp 2.4-liter boxer engine, the HKS GR86 has a supercharger fitted that lifts power to a rumored 300-hp although HKS did not release this detail. But that’s not all. Fitted with a full battery of bespoke HKS modified parts that include a special lightweight body kit, HKS sports muffler, and exhaust system, a HKS heavy-duty clutch, an HKS oil cooler, and air filter, HKS Hipermax S sports suspension, Endless branded brakes, and Yokohama 18-inch wheels and Advan tires, the HKS GR86 knocked out a rather quick lap time of 1:01 making it the fastest GR86 around Tsukuba so far.




3. Pandem Widebody V8 GT-R ‘Hakosuka’

Saving the best till last. This heavily modified Nissan Skyline GT-R could just be our favorite customized car at this year’s salon. Notable customizer Trail Motor Apex Racing displayed a one-off ‘Pandem Widebody V8 Hakosuka’ (with ‘hako’ meaning boxy and ‘suka’ refers to Skyline) based on a 1970 Nissan Skyline GT-R. Now while the ultra-wide blacked-out, flared fenders look totally bonkers, those fenders house oversized tires that are more than necessary for this orange beast. Why? As if those 8 suspicious pipes poking out of the hood don’t give the game away. That’s right, this first generation GT-R packs a thumping NASCAR-spec 5.7-liter V8 engine pumping out an incredible 1,145-hp through the rear wheels.

While the car cannot be driven on public roads, TMAR says they will be doing some testing in the near future with the goal of ‘racing it.’ However, exactly where and when they will race it is still under wraps.

Nissan only made 1,945 so-called ‘Hakosuka’ GT-Rs and word on the street is that around one-third of them survive today. Compared to the Pandem Widebody V8’s 1,145-hp, the original GT-R C10, which won multiple touring car races, was powered by a 2.0-liter straight-6 engine generating just 160-hp, but still considerable power for those days. Race versions of these cars today can fetch upwards of $300,000 due to their rarity and race-winning history. Just how much this one-off V8-fitted GT-R would cost is anyone’s guess.




Honorable Mentions For Customized Cars

Okay, so we’ve featured our three best new cars and three best-customized cars. But of the hundreds of other tuned models on display, these ones also impressed no end.

One of the long-time heroes of the Auto Salon is the legendary rotary engine tuner RE Amemiya. These guys normally modify Mazda rotary-powered RX-7s and RX-8s, but this year, the highlight of their stand was a specially prepared Ferrari Testarossa powered by a 4-rotor rotary engine, which incidentally is the same number of rotors that powered the Mazda 787B race car to victory in the 1991 Le Mans 24-hour race.

My jaw dropped when I saw the gold-colored ‘Rocky 3000GT’, which is actually a replica of a 1967 Toyota 2000GT, arguably Japan’s most beautiful sports car. However, in place of the original 2.0-liter straight-6, this 3000GT is powered by an inline-6 3.0-liter Toyota engine. The price on the 3000GT was unclear, but for reference, stock 2000GT’s have fetched auction prices of over $1 million recently.

We also liked the sensational-looking Impulse AE86, which is a tuned 1986 Toyota Sprinter Trueno Corolla AE86 that has huge flared fenders, a carbon fiber body kit, and a modified engine developing 200-hp. Finished in a stand-out red, white, and black paint combination, this is the model of car that hardcore drifters all over the world use for sliding sideways around race tracks.

Speaking of 86s, well-known customizers GReddy and Blitz also outdid themselves with customized versions of the new GR86 that would cause a real stir in the U.S., a place that has been screaming for more powerful turbocharged models. Tuned with bespoke turbochargers, intercoolers, aeroparts, and sports suspension, these cars would be generating over 300-hp.




And who could ignore the other three bright yellow concept cars on display at the Liberty Walk stand. The canary yellow Lamborghini Aventador, Chevrolet Corvette C8, and McLaren P1 all benefited from bespoke carbon-fiber bodywork and were the best-looking threesome of the show.

Meanwhile, the ‘Bad Taste Award’ went to a bright pink Toyota Crown with dark green seats, pink steering wheel, pink seatbelts, and Swarovski crystal beads pasted all over the Crown and Athlete G badges.

Conclusion

One reason for the continued success of the 40-year-old Tokyo Auto Salon is that it has a little of something for everyone. With its new car launches and over-the-top customized machines, it’s a smorgasbord of automotive titillation that never gets old. Bring on TAS 2023.

The post The Best of Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Chevrolet just unveiled the ‘Beast’ Concept, so you might want to get that Cybertruck deposit back

Designed with the same “Drive fast, leave a sexy corpse” bad-boy attitude that the Cybertruck promised back in 2019, the Chevy Beast promises to turn any terrain into a road you can drive on.

Unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas just hours ago, the Chevrolet Beast is the closest thing you’ll probably get to owning a Halo Warthog. Designed to be the crown jewel of Chevy’s already jam-packed roster of trucks, the Beast is a desert-ready mammoth created specifically to “take the popularity of high-performance off-road trucks to the next level,” said Jim Campbell, GM U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports.

Sure, you can’t really compare the Beast to the Cybertruck without acknowledging the fact that they’re both completely different categories of vehicles. One’s a master of terrain, the other’s designed specifically to be a heavy-duty cargo-pulling vehicle… but they do have a common intersectional audience – the people who just want to own a badass vehicle that has ‘big chassis energy’.

Built from a modified Silverado chassis, the Beast concept was created to turn any terrain into tarmac, although the photoshoot heavily hints at desert-driving. Under its hood lies a Chevrolet Performance LT4 crate engine – a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that’s rated at a mind-numbing 650 horsepower, paired along with a 10-speed automatic transmission that sends torque directly to a two-speed transfer case and distributes it to 37-inch-tall off-road tires mounted on 20-inch beadlock wheels.

Although it’s built strictly for performance, the Beast is, as its name suggests, rather intimidating to look at. Aggressive angular lines and slim lights give the truck a mean, no-nonsense demeanor. Tubular doors and a simple clamshell-type front end reflect the functionality and aesthetic of desert running while the rear of the vehicle was intentionally designed with almost no overhang to maximize the angle of attack on steep grades, and an open design, to let dust pass through without it gathering inside your vehicle. Additional unique design cues include a custom front grille, front and rear bowtie emblems, and powerful off-road lighting from Baja Designs®.

On the inside, the Beast’s cabin has a minimalist, functional design, featuring a quartet of seats with four-point harnesses, as well as a pair of 7-inch-diagonal LCD screens that monitor vehicle functions and performance data, including pitch and roll during off-road driving scenarios.

“There’s nothing else like The Chevy Beast,” says Jeff Trush, GM program manager, Pace Car and Specialty Show Vehicles. “It delivers a ton of performance and capability, which makes it adept at conquering rough terrain — and it flat-out flies in desert running.”

You can’t really buy the Beast for now, although the fact that Chevrolet unveiled such a mean machine at SEMA definitely shows what direction the company’s heading in. The Beast is accompanied by 8 other concepts unveiled at the Vegas event, and you can visit Chevrolet’s own SEMA microsite to know more about the vehicles being showcased at the event.

Designer: Chevrolet

This batman-worthy Chevrolet SS concept radiates Batmobile character, sans the all black look!

The 1970 Chevrolet SS is one classic car that serves as the perfect platform for hotrod lovers to modify – and its hot property even to date. The big fat tires, the bulging V8 engine, a distinct street racing character, and the pure joy of driving this mean machine to bamboozle onlookers is something of an addiction. But when the Chevrolet SS gets a makeover that takes it to a god-like level, it is undeniable.

Coming from the designer of the Dodge Demon having a striking Bumblebee character – yes we are talking about Al Yasid – this concept design elevates the muscular charisma of the Chevrolet to a level where it can even be deemed as a Batman worthy ride. Yes, a Batmobile-like extended rear gives it that peculiar crime-fighting machine aesthetic – only if the hotrod could be painted in the signature all-black hue. The look comes courtesy of Yasid’s second layer of modification to the Bandido Chevrolet SS from one of his earlier renders – virtually bettering the remake a step further. According to Yasid, who gave the ride aero feel overall thanks to the over fenders, “The single central fin always work, no doubt about that.”

The mean machine gets a dual-tone color with the hood, front bumper, and front fenders painted in black and the rest of the body getting a light silver treatment. The black dual stripes on the roof and the hint of black on the rear, give this Chevrolet a definite road presence. Of course, the big fat wheels hint at the muscle car’s drag racing DNA, and the presence of a wheelie bar would do this ride the justice. I’m sure it has got the thrust boosters and a fire-spitting exhaust ready for a duel!

Designer: Al Yasid

GM plans to exclusively sell electric vehicles by 2035

GM isn’t just planning to electrify many of its cars in the years ahead — it’s ditching combustion engines entirely. As CNBC reports, GM has unveiled plans to completely eliminate tailpipe emissions from new “light-duty vehicles” (read: everyday cars...

This Chevrolet ATV with a opening windshield was designed for a post apocalyptic world!

Very rarely do you come across a concept car that you actually wished was real, taking command of the steering wheel and take it for a spin! Chevrolet Abyssal Mk2 designed by Giordano Vittorini is one such futuristic four-wheeler that sparks your imagination purely attributing to its well sought-out design for real-world scenarios. The Abyssal borrows some of those beastly elements from the Russian military MRAP with the apparent influences of a ZiL “Karatel” (rare armored vehicle used by Russian security forces) and the futuristic touches of the very edgy Tesla Cybertruck. Mars rover like influences can also not be denied.

To be frank the concept looks tailor-made for a sci-fi flick wherein the world-saving hero needs a four-wheeler like this one to stay clear of the infamous villain. Alright, snapping back to reality! The Chevrolet Abyssal Mk2 gives versatile mobility on tough terrain the ultimate priority with the propulsion system honed by a setup of four electric motors feeding four independent suspension wheels separately. The tires have eight rubber segments for superior control and traction if need be. Since the designer envisions this rugged 4×4 off-roader as a reconnaissance vehicle, it has to be bulletproof and with puncture-proof tires.

To carry all the vital stuff, the vehicle has plenty of space courtesy of the cargo bed. The interior also seems to be quite futuristic with a minimalistic dashboard housing the center console with all the touch-sensitive control buttons and display to have all the important vehicle and other environmental statistics ready. The entry-point of the Abyssal Mk2 is a bit cheeky though – the driver and the pillion enter from the front, as the whole windshield lifts up and the front bumpers slide forward to give to a hidden stepping platform. That is purely due to the very flat aesthetics for a more balanced movement at high speeds.

Designer: Giordano Vittorini