FRANKFURT -- A two-seat Jaguar with an electric-power-boost button, a Mercedes sedan that runs on hydrogen and a modern reincarnation of the blocky Land Rover safari mobile are among the futuristic cars on display at the Frankfurt motor show.
Not all concept cars become future years' models. But deciding which of the latest crop eventually make it into showrooms will depend in part on audience reaction at the Frankfurt show, which runs until Sept. 25, and on consumer feedback online.
Auto makers sometimes use auto-show concept cars just to let their young designers play around. Other times, including this year, they are more interested in what consumers think to settle a competition among design ideas for a model that's core to the product lineup.
Companies are serious these days about getting concepts that score with consumers into production. The current hot-selling Chevrolet Camaro, for example, is a spitting image of the show car General MotorsGM -0.84% unveiled in Detroit in 2006. Last week, Volkswagen AG VOW.XE -0.05% 's Lamborghini said it would market a limited number of ultra-light, carbon-fiber-body Sesto Elemento super cars patterned after a demonic concept shown last year in Paris.
Here's a look at some of the latest concept cars from European auto makers, and some reasons to Build It or Bag It. What should the auto makers do? Go online to WSJ.com/Autos to cast your vote.
Jaguar C-X16
Remember the iconic Jaguar E-Type two-seater? Yeah, baby, that's the Austin Powers car. Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum has led a revitalization of the British brand's sedans. Now he is proposing a sleek, compact, two-seat sports car in the E-type's spirit, but with a lightweight body, six-cylinder engine and a hybrid system that uses a boost button to vault the car around slowpokes on the highway.
Build It: Elegant exterior makes the C-X16 look fast standing still. This could make Jag a contender in the sports-car segment led by Porsche.
Bag It: Show car's over-the-top red interior should be a bespoke option.
Mercedes F125
Mercedes calls the F125 a "research vehicle" to explore "emission-free driving in first class." Daimler AG DAI.XE +0.15%Chairman Dieter Zetsche calls it: "The S-Class for the day after tomorrow," referring to the auto maker's top-of-the-line sedan.
Build It: An S-Class that looked like this car—a big sedan with a long, arcing roof line and low stance like a sports coupe—would be a dramatic statement in the executive garage.
Bag It: The F125's combination fuel-cell/plug-in hybrid power system, if it could be built, would launch S-Class prices into interstellar space.
Land Rover DC-100
American fans of the Land Rover brand have had to make do since the late 1990s without the best-known of the brand's models: the fearless Defender, the square-fendered star of African safari dramas. Land Rover still sells Defenders elsewhere, but it's badly outmoded. The brand is road-testing a series of prototypes to find out whether people want an updated Defender.
Build It: The DC-100 looks big, but is in reality light enough to be powered by a four-cylinder engine.
Bag It: Does the world need another flashy SUV?
Volvo Concept You
After its recent acquisition by China's Geely Holding Group, Swedish luxury brand Volvo Cars needs to re-establish its credibility as an alternative to the big German brands and Japanese rivals Acura, Lexus and Infiniti. The Concept You proposes a big sedan with Scandinavian-style wooden floors, suit fabric on the seats, and a sound system that uses fresh air from outside the car to power the subwoofers.
Build It: A technologically-current luxury sedan with tasteful Swedish furnishings would be a welcome alternative to the German-Japanese duopoly.
Bag It: Another concept car with clamshell doors? There ought to be a law.
Audi Urban Concept
This concept car weighs just 1,058 pounds, has seating for two, and runs on battery power.
It's designed to respond to the question: How much car do you need to get around in a congested megacity?
Build It: The pod-meets-open-wheel-race-car look is way cooler than a Smart car.
Bag It: You get in through the roof? I'll call a cab.
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