Top 5 concept car designs of 2024

We continue to review 2024's top designs - this time it is the 'best' concept designs.

Today we are considering which brands are making the most effective use of advanced design activities to signal future strategic directions and preview next generation production designs.

Below is a list of the top 5 concept car designs debuting in 2024 that we have complied by reviewing the Design Trend Reports we produce through out the year (presented to the design groups of many of the world’s car brands) and a few headlines on each.

As last year, we are interested to see which of these are most highly rated, so please reply to this story with which concept design from the list (break the list if you have to!) you rate as the best from 2024 (please don’t choose designs from the brand you are working for) and ideally a line on why you chose each too — we are very curious to see your responses!

1. Jaguar Type 00 Concept - Spearheading the brand’s polarising relaunch and purporting to speak to a new and younger customer through contemporary materials, a reductionist aesthetic, and a quite severe design identity — if with classical automotive proportions too. THE most talked about car design of 2024. Image © Jaguar.

2. Fiat (Panda) concepts - A different take on the concept car being four designs (and multiple drive-trains; EV, ICE and PHEV) across one theme, each with a clear reason-to-be and unique appeal, but the Pick-up perhaps offering the most unique offer. Image © Fiat.

3. Pininfarina Enigma GT concept - A return to form for Pininfarina under new Chief Creative Officer Felix Kilbertus: luscious, with a connection to the brand’s heritage, pioneering in exterior, interior, UI, CMF design (and in aerodynamics). Image © Pininfarina.

4. Lotus Theory 1 concept - Striking design with strong, simple, graphics and form realise a new yet refreshingly modest take on ‘supercar’. Innovative use of materials (designed with only 10 A-surfaces (Lotus claims most cars have c.100) using a spectrum of composite materials) and exploration of a Lotus UI also. Image © Lotus.

5. Alpine A390 β (Beta) concept - A sweet-spot for the market in its design typology and proportions (if maybe lacking some thematic distinction). But a wildly creative interior design — almost over-full of intriguing storied design details. Image © Alpine.

We are also having this conversation on Linkedin and Instagram!