12 Concept Cars Headed for the Dealership

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At the end of auto-show season there's a typical letdown. Lots of fancy sheet metal was shown, but when the cars don't make it to the dealership, it feels like a hot date called off at the last second. Sometimes, though, show cars aren't just pretty teases, but harbingers of real, viable automobiles. Here are the concept cars we expect to come to the showroom (though in an altered form), with our best guess on timing, specs and, when possible, price.

2013 Alfa Romeo 4C
Pray that Fiat gobbling up Chrysler is a gamble that pays off, so that nothing scuttles the plan to bring this car to our shores. The Alfa is nothing short of a mid-engine Italian masterpiece. While the horsepower figures don't jump off the page (250 from a turbocharged, 1.75-liter four-cylinder), the show car weighed less than 1800 pounds. That would make the 4C plenty quick, and at least as entertaining as the present Lotus Elise. For handling, think of the long-departed Toyota MR2 with, we'd wager, a far more gorgeous exhaust note. And, yes, there will be a convertible version too, likely in 2013.

2013 Jaguar C-X75 Of all the cars at the Paris Motor Show last September, we thought Jaguar's C-X75 seemed the least likely to see production. Well, we were wrong, but if you want to pick one up it'll cost you a cool $1.1 million. Formula One maker Williams will help to develop the chassis and supposedly the hybrid system as well. We won't see the twin gas-powered turbine system that was originally shown in Paris. Rather, there will be a conventional gasoline-powered motor (with specs yet to be determined) mated to a hybrid-drive mechanism. Still, if the C-X75 (it will get a new name, too) features four electric motors (one at each wheel), it will offer all-wheel drive and extremely high torque. Jaguar promises a run to 60 mph in under 3 seconds, a top speed of 200 mph and a range of 31 miles in electric-only mode.

2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

The Evoque will go on sale this summer in most of the world, but American buyers will have to wait for an October debut in October. The engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged unit developed by Ford (yes, post-divorce) with power in the 240- to 250-hp range. The "terrain response" system that's integrated so nicely in the Ford Explorer will be stock here, as will AWD. In Europe there'll be diesel options and (the horror!) FWD-only editions. The Evoque marks Land Rover's need to get both more eco- and more tarmac-focused, so expect a vehicle that handles more like a sports sedan than a tank. Land Rover will offer a magnetically controlled damper setup, but only one transmission: a six-speed automatic. This crossover will come with a choice of three or five doors; both configurations seat five. Expect pricing to start around $45,000.

2012 Mazda6
When Mazda showed off the sexy Shinari concept at the 2010 L.A. Auto Show last December, it signaled a strong directional change. The Shinari is sexy; It looks less like a competitor to the Altima and Camry crowd and more like a Lexus fighter. The Shinari will lose some of that show-car edge when it goes on sale as the Mazda6 this December. But word is that it will sport an unconventional 2.2-liter diesel boasting 310 lb-ft of torque and a 40-plus mpg highway rating. The car's free-revving, 5200-rpm redline is especially unusual for diesels, but Mazda's goal was to emulate the character of its gasoline-powered cars, so this twin-turbocharged diesel seems less foreign to buyers who know the brand for quick-revving gas motors. Expect Mazda to offer an upgraded interior with more of a luxury feeling, too. If Mazda can pull all this off it has a motor to rival the Germans and a unique look to rival its Japanese competitors.

2013 Cadillac ATS

The Urban Concept Cadillac shown at last year's L.A. Auto Show was a head fake. Yes, maybe at some point Cadillac will do a small people-mover, but Caddy won't do a small-volume niche vehicle before it builds a genuine rival to the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and C-Class Mercedes-Benz (the Cadillac CTS is a bigger and heavier car than those Germans). The forthcoming ATS would rival the A4 and its ilk in size, but we have questions about how well it could compete. For cost reasons, the ATS's Alpha platform has to serve for both this smaller sedan, the next-gen CTS and the Chevy Camaro. That's not likely to lead to a great deal of success, as the goal with the ATS was to stick with a light chassis and smaller, high-boost motors. Whether that plan is still feasible is a good question, and the answer could decide the success or failure of the small Cadillac. And it's not just a question of performance; even luxury carmakers are scraping hard to find better fuel economy. With BMW ditching in-line-six engines for turbo fours, you can bet Cadillac has to find a way to dance to a similar tune.

2014 Audi Quattro Concept