New York Auto Show 2015: Four Best Concept Cars

Every year, the world’s automobile manufacturers bring some of their best concepts and designs to the New York International Auto Show in the city’s borough of Manhattan. There is a plethora of vehicles on display, but four concepts in particular stood out at the 2015 edition of the show, which runs April 3-12.

Lincoln Continental: Lincoln is the Ford Motor Co.’s frequently forgotten luxury brand, but it has made quite a few headlines in 2015 with this Continental concept. It’s the return of Lincoln’s most famous nameplate. “We wanted to bring back the elegance and beauty [of the brand] with the Continental,” said David Woodhouse, Lincoln’s design director. Making a new one is a huge leap for the brand: If it succeeds, Lincoln is back on the map. If it doesn’t, Lincoln will be in serious trouble. The Continental will go into production in 2016.

Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6: Bentley Motors Inc. hasn’t made a true two-seat sports car in more than 80 years -- not since the original Speed 6. Now it has the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept, a performance-oriented coupe that will give the company a true modern sports car. It will sit alongside its popular Continental GT, with a price starting close to $200,000. “It will not be an entry Bentley,” CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said. The EXP 10 is still three to four years away from production.

Hyundai Santa Cruz: For the mortals among us, there’s the Hyundai Motor Co.’s Santa Cruz: a sort of truck-slash-funky-crossover thing that might fill the gaping hole that is the compact pickup market. It’s not pretending to be anything other than light-duty. “It’s a versatile vehicle,” Hyundai public-relations manager Miles Johnson said. “But it’s not really a rugged, off-road truck.” The Santa Cruz is still a few years away from production, assuming Hyundai actually builds it.

Honda Civic: The Civic used to be a cheap, honest car that was fun to drive, but, during the past decade or so, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. lost the magic. The new Civic concept is supposed to make a statement, namely, that Honda is back. Chris Martin, Honda’s public-relations manager for the Western region, said, “[Honda is] moving back to the roots of what people expect from the Honda Civic.” The Civic is going to be a global platform from now on -- Americans will get the standard coupe and sedan, of course, but also a hatchback for the first time in 10 years. Honda is attempting to convince enthusiasts that it’s finally cool again, and it’ll need to pull it off if it want the customers that Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen have been taking. The new Civic will go on sale in late 2015.

The 2015 New York International Auto Show is under way at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.