Name:
Volkswagen Beetle Dune concept

Debut:
Detroit Motor Show 2014

Appearance:
Taking a small pinch of inspiration from the classic Dune Beetles of yestercentury, the Beetle Dune concept ups the regular car’s ante – and ride height – with taller suspension, chunkier tyres and some funky styling around the bottom of the bodyshell and wheel arches. There’s a neat spoiler over the boot, too, while at the back of the roof there’s a rack for attaching skis or a sandboard.

Prediction:
VW has all but committed to making this, which isn't such a bad thing. It’s a great looking thing, if a little unsuitable for any kind of driving on sand. It’s likely to find a fair few wealthy owners who want a Beetle that’s a little more special than the regular car. Next year has been earmarked for production, so in the meantime you can expect the marketing bodies to be working on plenty of ways of selling it to you.

Name:
Alfa Romeo Mito by Marshall

Debut:
Digital release

Appearance:
At first glance it’s just a normal high-specification Mito, given away by its big wheels and chunky body kit. But look closer and you’ll start to see plenty of Marshall logos, special seats, door sill add-ons and interior details. What’s more, open the boot and staring back at you will be two 12-inch 75-Watt speakers. All you need to supply is your own electric guitar – it should plug straight into the setup – to turn the Mito by Marshall into a mobile sound stage.

Prediction:
Given how annoying it is when youngsters prowl the streets playing music at full volume through their mobile phones, turning this one-off concept into a mainstream model could create a fairly epic scourge on society. Imagine hordes of them parked up on residential streets everywhere, playing whatever racket was in the charts at the time. No thanks! Fortunately, there are no plans to turn the Marshall dream into a full reality, despite this concept actually looking rather good.