This is a proper, old-fashioned showcandy courtesy of new BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk. The radical Vision EfficientDynamics’s most striking visual feature belongs to the massive gullwing doors and roof, which are made from a polycarbonate glass that darkens according to the surrounding light. 

This Bangle-free concept car doesn’t provide a direct link to any single upcoming BMW, instead it give clues to future cars. The new twist to traditional BMW kidney grille looks promising too. 

BMW claims that the tiny 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged diesel with two electric motors – one up front and one at the rear axle – is capable of 351bhp and 590lb ft of torque. Wow!  

Despite being a green car, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics will hit 100 km/h in just 4.8sec and a limited 155mph top speed. Even more remarkable would be the CO2 emissions of just 99g/km and a claimed fuel economy of 75.1mpg. Here’s hoping that the Bavarian boys can back these up soon.  

The Vision EfficientDynamics concept car’s 25-litre fuel tank allows for a 400-mile range solely under diesel power. And a further 435 miles if under full EV mode. BMW says that the car takes two and a half hours to recharge when plugged into domestic power mains.

Audi E-tron electric concept 

Looking rather like a prop from The Jetsons is the Audi E-tron concept car, an electric version of the R8 supercar. Minimalist is the order of the day when it came to designing the Audi E-tron concept car. To achieve less aerodynamic drag, the R8’s famous sideblades have disappeared, resulting in a bloated TT-like appearance. 

The E-tron’s minimalist interior features a shallow dash and the lack of a transmission tunnel gives way to a clutter-free design. The MMI system is controlled by a touch-sensitive scroll pad in the centre of the car, and ahead of it is a small gear selector that rises up when the E-tron is started. Easily, this is the most refreshing Audi interior design in recent memory. 

There are four electric motors driving all four wheels to produce a staggering 3319lb ft of torque. In comparison, the Audi electric supercar has over three times more torque than a Bugatti Veyron (922lb ft), along with 309bhp, it gets the E-tron from rest to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. The power is normally distributed 30:70 front-to-rear to balance the 42:58 weight distribution.

Despite the 470kg lithium-ion battery, the E-tron only weighs around 1600kg – an R8 V10 tips the scales at 1620kg. Its 42.4kWh storage capacity gives the E-tron a range of over 150 miles. The E-tron can be fully charged with a domestic main inside of eight hours. Incidentally, Audi is also working on a wireless inductive charging system similar to that used by electric toothbrushes. 

Renault is aiming to become the biggest mass-market zero-emissions (ZE) vehicles manufacturer in Europe. Hence, Renault has unveiled four electric concept cars at this year’s Frankfurt motor show, including the radical Renault Zoe ZE concept. 

The Zoe ZE hints at an electric Clio hatchback that will go on sale in 2012. The show car has gullwing doors at the front, butterfly doors at the back that open to expose the entire interior of the Zoe ZE.  

A 95hp electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries gives the 1400kg a top speed of 88mph and crucially a 100-mile range. The air intakes ahead of the rear wheels ventilates the batteries. 

And with the help of cosmetic giant, L'Oréal, the Zoe ZE has a new climate control system that can spray essential oils to suit the occupants’ mood, cut out harmful exterior smells, or hydrates the interior to prevent dry skin. Now, do they come with the options of day moisturizer and night cream?

Visually, the new Mercedes SLS AMG is a stunner with a long, low nose, stubby tail and incredible gullwing doors. The ultra-wide front grille, side vents and gullwing doors are all designed to mimic the 1954 Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing, while the rear features LED lights and spoiler that pops up above 75mph.

Is this a rebodied Mercedes SLR McLaren? Nope, not at all, The SLR had a carbonfibre chassis, supercharged 5.5-litre V8 and five-speed automatic gearbox. But the SLS has aluminium underpinnings (at 1620kg it’s actually over 100 kg less than the old SLR), a naturally aspirated 6.2 litre V8 that produces 563bhp and an all-new seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box.

Armed with a launch control system, the SLS will storm to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 197 mph. As with the old SLR, the Mercedes SLS AMG sadly comes in LHD only. An eco SLS is on the cards in 2012; it will have an electric motor powering each wheel, producing a total of 526bhp.