Concept cars are a wonderful thing. They provoke creativity and try to steer the public towards what the future may hold for a specific automotive brand. However, sometimes, they’re not all that great.
Car and Driver has compiled its list of the 20 worst concept cars from the past 20 years, and General Motors was well represented here. We’re sure this will be hotly debated, but here it goes.
1997 Pontiac Rageous
The excitement division was not very much exciting at the turn of the century. However, the Rageous concept turned a few heads. It pulled all the Pontiac performance design cues of the time into one Hot Wheels-looking machine. Whether it has aged well or not is in the eyes of the beholder.
1998 Buick Signia
Before crossovers were truely a thing, there was the Buick Signia concept. The tall wagon has long been criticized for its strange shape, including the bulbous rear fenders and giant grille. The Signia concept would preview the production Buick Rendevous, itself an easier-on-the-eyes Pontiac Aztek. Maybe.
1999 Buick Cielo
The Signia concept wasn’t deemed quite the success many thought it would be. So, Buick decided to stick to sedans. Enter the Cielo concept. However, once again, strange body lines and a massive, drooping grille led to puzzled looks rather than an eye pleaser. The grille was supposedly supposed to reference the Buick Y-Job, the industry’s first concept vehicle. However, the Y-Job certainly wore it better. Thankfully, recent Buick concepts have gotten it oh so right. We’re looking at you, Avenir and Avista.
1999 Pontiac Aztek
How could this not land on the list? The Aztek is nearly a household name now, thanks to numerous pop culture references. To be fair, the concept variant looked much more handsome than what would come. Still, its awkward shape never found much love. Maybe it has a shot at being a future collectible? We’ve thought about it.
2002 Chevrolet Bel Air
It probably would have been best if Chevrolet left the Bel Air name to rest in peace as a cornerstone to the brand. The coveted Bel Air nameplate is synonymous with a simpler time and is about as American as apple pie. However, when the 2002 Bel Air concept debuted, it was a far cry from yesteryear. Retro was in, and the Bel Air tried to capitalize on the trend. But, the fact it was built on a Chevrolet Trailblazer chassis was no help for its awkward proportions.
Comments
I saw each one of these cars in person and they only got worse in person.
This era of GM really had little going for it. This was before Welborn being in charge.
I pretty much agree… the only one I like at all is the Rageous, the Buicks are especially hideous.
The Bel Air was Bob Lutz’s cry for help that was later answered with Zeta.
The Rageous was ahead of its time in terms of utility, as much as Aztek was ahead of its time in terms of design. Rageous is likely the future of the sport car – as sport cars will need to become more SUV-like to survive.
Imagine a Camaro liftback with AWD, that could haul 2×4’s… that’s what Rageous would look like today. And judging by Camaro sales, it’s not a bad time to try again.
The Rageous and the Signia were the attempt at a SUV like car. Both failed as they were more car than truck. +
Make them tall and make them look like an SUV and people buy, You make them look like a car people walk away. The Buick was much worse than it appears here. The Pontiac was not as bad compared to the others but in person it was just not producible and while it had good point it had many weak points.
The Bel Air was Lutz trying to bring excitement to GM when he arrived with no money to do anything. This car if I recall was based on the same frame as the SSR from a Trailblazer. He wanted RWD and that was all he could do till he could get the Zeta as pointed out here.
The Aztek was not ahead of its time. It was just ugly and rejected soundly in the market. It may be a collectible in the way a Pacer is but don’t bet the kids collage fund on one. It will be no Shelby.
The Rageous is still hot looking. I would take one in a heartbeat, provided it actually looked like the concept and not a Sunfire Sedan.
And now Buick is producing some of the prettiest stuff out there (that we’ll never be able to buy).
Hey, if Ford produced the 2002 T-Bird (and it wasn’t bad) I’ll take the retro-looking Chevy Bel Air anyday!
The t bird in 2002 has been viewed as a failure. Building
The Belair On the Trailblazer/SSR frame just was not a good idea at time GM could not afford to do it right.
If you have ever driven an SSR you would know the SSR had a lot of flex and cowl shake.