Concept Cars

After the stunning R8 TDI Le Mans, which boasts a 6.0-liter V12 diesel engine that produces 500 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque, Audi is presenting yet another diesel-engined race car concept. The A3 TDI clubsport quattro is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter, common-rail inline-4 diesel engine. It produces 224 horsepower and a stump-pulling 332 lb-ft of torque, and is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. All this power is directed to all four wheels via Audi's quattro system.

Before being purchased by the Indian conglomerate Tata, Land Rover created this - the LRX Concept. Not just another consumptive SUV, the LRX is a two-door that gathers vitality from both diesel fuel and electricity. Few diesels are offered in North America, fewer still in sports-utility guise. Consumer concerns over high(er) diesel fuel prices, due to global demand, are outweighed by fuel economy benefits.

This is it, the best-looking product ever put forward by Kia - the KOUP. Although just a concept vehicle, it's passionate products like this that drive brands by first injecting attention and then hopefully enhancing overall sales. Boosting the KOUP's potential is a twin-scroll turbocharger planted on a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with direct injection.