May saw a downpour of some cutthroat and drool-worthy automotive designs at Yanko Design. Each automotive was innovative, bringing to us something we had never seen nor experienced before. From killer speed to dashing good looks, to impenetrable safety standards, every automotive we featured at YD broke some design barrier for us, and hopefully, they did the same for you as well. And we’ve curated some of our absolute favorite automotive trends from the month of May for you – from a Cybertruck-inspired rover concept to a Honda electric pick-up truck concept, we’ve got some mean machines for you!
The Honda Ridgeline EV concept comes from the mind of California-based Rene Garcia, a concept designer at ILM who’s previously worked on The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok, The Avengers, and the Transformers anthology. Garcia began designing the vehicle as a Dakar rally truck, but gradual iterations slowly turned it into a conceptual pickup truck for Honda. Designed to handle pretty much anything you can throw at it, the EV comes with its own winch-hook on the front, a frunk behind it, suicide-style rear doors that give you access to the car’s spacious interiors, and an expandable truck-bed on the back that even comes equipped with tools and emergency medical kits.
The Pandemax Concept by Radek Štěpán is unconventional, to say the least. It has a distinct Star Wars-inspired aesthetic and those all-terrain tires and that high ground clearance really implies the car could easily work on the roughest of alien terrain. Designed to be a sort of explorer vehicle or manned rover, the Pandemax comes with two seats that are at the absolute front of the vehicle, with a panoramic windshield that lets the explorers get a full view of the terrain and landscape ahead of them. Sure, there are a few questions that come to mind too, especially regarding driver safety and also the center-of-gravity, given that the drivers are sitting outside the car’s wheelbase. However, it’s a neat aesthetic exploration of an interplanetary vehicle if you ask us. I’m especially loving the Cybertruck vibe, and I’m sure the driver gets a hell of a view!
The Boat Tail, a coupé born from the patrons’ enduring love for the sea and taste for nautical design, was designed specifically to celebrate the hand-craftsmanship and relative history of yacht building. Three coupés inspired by nautical shipbuilding design have been built under the modern coachbuilding department at Rolls-Royce. Merging today’s advanced technology with the trusted bespoke coachwork of yesteryear, the Boat Tail’s hand-formed chassis cradles a 19-foot bonnet that covers the car’s 6.75-liter V-12 engine. The stone azure coat of the Boat Tail slopes to a wisped finish around the rear and borders the motorcar’s painted pantheon grille.
If Maserati builds a futuristic superbike, it would undoubtedly catch eyeballs, and this concept design truly deserves the Maserati badge. This superbike design by passionate motorhead Tomáš Klečka – a student from Brno, the Czech Republic – is certainly one that’s so ride-worthy. The electric two-wheeler looks inspired by the Xenomorph XX121 alien for its mean machine character. On the flip side, the superbike is just more than its flashy Trident logo. The air vents on the sides are so reminiscent of the Maserati brand and the cars we’ve seen all these years. Big hubless wheels lend the Maserati electric concept bike the signature Tron bike character – and one can say – the ride is a striking image of the legendary superbike. A badass-styled set of wheels with the Xenomorph XX121 and Tron bike styling.
Meet the Marzal a conceptual off-roader designed to be just about as brutish and powerful as the ‘fighting bull’ brand it represents! Its profile certainly captures the signature Lamborghini silhouette, with its iconic wedge-shaped design… however with higher ground clearance, a larger rear, and bigger tires designed to handle rough roads. It’s quite rare to see a Lamborghini with a rear windshield, and the Marzal boasts of that too, although it does get blocked when you include the storage unit. With its aggressive design styling and that iconic yellow color, the Marzal looks every bit like something Lamborghini would make – a testament to the company’s strong visual language. It also sports a rather interesting Y-shaped taillight, often seen in Lamborghinis, but not like this. In the case of the Marzal, the Y-shape is a prominent, defining feature on the rear, and I personally think it gives the vehicle character.
Ziggy Moto has created the cool-looking bike for Anthony Partridge and they are working with Olliminium Auto Fabrication to further fine-tune the mechanics. Since Ziggy Moto doesn’t have an official name for the ride, I like to call it the Iron Man Streamliner. The sectional vents on the front look just like the armored layers of the Iron Man suit. Going by the design blueprints, this bike is destined to be a drag racer and not much of a practical two-wheeler for circuit racing or for that matter even twisted sections of the road. The Low ground clearance at the front and the extended lower section like that of the Streamliner will make it hard to tilt the bike on corners with the assurance of not losing the balance.
Habib designed the blueprint during the quarantine time in February 2021 for this Type 57 SC Atlantic-inspired concept highlighted by the vertical division with a raised seam running from the hinge to the bonnet. He imagines the futuristic electric-powered coupe in 2036 when the technical improvements make it easier to use carbon fiber for the chassis structure design. The spaceship-like C-shape (adapted from the Bugatti Ventoux Coupe) and the engine housed inside the wheels (yes, that’s not a typo!) give sneak-peak into the reimagined vehicles of the future. The concept maintains the proportions of the GT series for luxurious and emotional touch while incorporating a modern, sporty look. Bugatti Hommage 100 2036’s tail design pays homage to the Atlantic with a riveted middle to make the car lighter. The same goes for the bonnet, which preserves the natural GT feel.
Designer Shuvoneel Chakraborty has created the blueprint for Monster in Shell 2 from the inside out – thus giving it the inherent modularity, utility, and minimalism aspect. He imagines it to be powered by a 100 kW battery with regeneration. This allows to stretch the ride distance massively sans any frequent halts for recharging. The power is transmitted to the wheels through the dual hub motors on the inside of the front and rear wheels. To make sure the riding experience is as smooth as possible, this monster has adaptive suspension and balance assist. Take it for a spin at hair-raising speeds and you won’t have to give in to the subconscious fear since all your feel-good hormones are in overdrive!
Building on its vision to reinvent urban mobility by ushering it into an emission-free future, Husqvarna just launched the Vektorr, an electric scooter concept with an almost BMW Motorrad Concept Link-inspired heavy-body design that projects confidence and dominance on the road. The launch of the Vektorr comes just days after Husqvarna announced the E-Pilen electric motorcycle, and one can even notice a homogeneity in their design language. The Vektorr embodies Husqvarna’s agile, edgy design aesthetic while still judiciously using tight curves to create an automobile that looks sinewy and muscular. The e-scooter relies on a familiar silver, black, and lemon yellow paint-job as seen in the E-Pilen, and has the iconic circular headlight that’s signature to the Husqvarna brand.
Meet the CyberX electric bike by XION, which is good as a street café racer, dirt bike, daily commuter to the local store, or your perfect accomplice for a winning date. The eBike has got it all in one package to impress any user. Straight from a Cyberpunk future, carrying a semblance of the neon colors that became a cult favorite with the Tron bikes – this ride is unlike anything on the roads yet. Those fat wheels contrasted with a slim profile, the tricked-out LED lighting, and laser printed, fully customizable side panels – all add up to make it a dazzling ride one would want to flaunt around. The two-seater configuration (in a bench-like leather saddle setup) of the electric bike is another highlighting feature, not most performance bikes can boast. The sharp LED headlight gives it a moped-like feel, while the color-changing body and the wheels give it enough road presence in the dark, so other motorists remain aware.
