They introduce head-turning concept cars that promise great things when all is not well under the surface. These design studies occasionally reach production and successfully turn around a brand; that’s the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is when a concept breaks cover a year or two before the company that built it goes into a slump or shuts down entirely.

Join us for a look at some of the concept cars that could have saved a nameplate, a segment or an entire brand.