(CNN)This may sound odd, given that they"re the foundation for a multi-billion-dollar industry, but car manufacturers just love to play.
Sometimes they have technical theories they want to prove. Sometimes they want to gauge customer reaction to an idea or a change of direction.
Sometimes (and whisper this) they just want the column inches and headlines.
The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about, right?
The firm"s luxury sub-brand, Lexus, had a less experimental but no less defined goal when it put one of its new NX crossovers onto ice tires back in 2015.
After three months of research and planning from an ice sculptor, the NX did actually drive down a London street on its frozen "rubber" -- following a five-day deep freeze in preparation for the stunt.
Lexus described the event as "an unprecedented fusing of art and engineering"; the reality was that it was designed to boost the brand"s public awareness in the UK, where it has to work hard to win over traditional premium customers who prefer Mercedes, Audi and BMW.
That"s the joy of the concept. They can be as relevant as a manufacturer wants -- a clandestine attempt to gauge reaction to something that"s actually sitting on the drawing board awaiting a green light for production. Equally, they can be utterly irrelevant fantasy, a piece of art, a gift to the company from itself or an attempt to hoist a flag and get some public recognition.
And with that sort of freedom, designers are always going to come up with something special.
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/24/autos/worlds-best-concept-cars/index.html
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