Tuesday 07 March 2017 4:21 pm

Geneva Motor Show 2017: Six of the craziest concept cars, from VW’s driverless pod to Toyota’s electric city car

One of the most exciting aspects of the Geneva Motor Show is the slew of concept vehicles unveiled: from the fantastic to the downright bizarre.

Here are some of the more exciting ones revealed at the 2017 showing…

1. VW's Sedric

You may not even be sure this is a car at first, but Volkswagen calls its first concept, Sedric, a "trailblazer and idea platform for autonomous driving". Apparently it highlights the importance of self-driving vehicles to the firm's future.

"We believe in the future of this technology and in its long-term revolutionary potential”, said boss Matthias Mueller.

You can call the car with a special button which changes colour and vibrates when it arrives, so those with impaired vision can find it more easily. The car also has no wheels, steering wheel, pedals or cockpit.

2. Toyota's I-Tril

This is the self-driving electric city car of the future, according to Toyota: the car is a model to "help change the way people perceive electric vehicles", and is geared towards parents who live in small to medium-size towns who need an "agile and urban-friendly" family vehicle that is workable for both chores and social trips.

The I-Tril has a one-plus-two seating layout and, like the VW Sedric, it has no pedals. Instead it's controlled by drive-by-wire tech which is operated through left and right-hand control nodes that work like "game controllers".

3. Bentley's EXP 12 Speed 6e

The name might not be as catchy as Sedric, but Bentley's concept is a sleek number that will surely win over anyone reluctant to embrace electric cars. Sadly, it's not ready for production, but it's a sign of where the luxury car giant is headed. This two-seater comes with inductive charging and some very snazzy interior details in a range of materials, including copper and red leather.

Bentley is all ears for customer feedback to shape its "future luxury strategy" so you know where to go if you'd like to offer up ideas for an electric sports car.

4. Renault's Zoe e-sport

Renault's concept draws on "three years of success" in the Formula E Championship – yep, it's an electric racer.

The two-seater Zoe has a lightweight body structure made of carbon fibre and, naturally, excellent aerodynamics, with power close to 460bhp and toque of 640Nm, so the car can accelerate from standstill to 62mph in 3.2 seconds. Phew.

Stéphane Janin, director of concept car design, said the vehicle is midway between a production model and a racing car – "perfect for lovers of extreme driving sensations".

5. Mercedes-AMG's GT

Mercedes-AMG is celebrating its 50th birthday, so what better way to celebrate than by wheeling out a flashy concept that provides some hints at a production version due to hit the road in 2019?

"With the Mercedes-AMG GT concept we are giving a preview of our third completely autonomously developed sports car," said Tobias Moers, chairman of Mercedes-AMG.

"With our AMG GT concept, that means a combination of an ultramodern V8 petrol engine and a high-performance electric motor."

It will power from 0-100km per hour in under three seconds, which apparently puts it up on super sports car level. And it's also got some hallmark AMG GT features including the Panamericana grille with vertical ribs painted red on the side.

6. Hyundai's FE Fuel Cell

Hyundai's latest hydrogen fuel cell, where the only byproduct is water, is lighter and more efficient than the fuel cell version of the ix35 crossover. This has portable battery packs charged by the car's output to power passenger devices. And to top it all off, there's also a boot featuring storage and charging space for an electric scooter.

The FE concept also hints at the next phase of Hyundai's eco-vehicle programme, where it aims to create 14 or more new environmentally-focused models by 2020. These will be five hybrids, four plug-in hybrids, four electric cars and one fuel-cell vehicle to be launched next year.