These wild concept cars turned heads in 2015

Chris Woodyard | USA TODAY

LOS ANGELES — When it came to the wildest concept cars of the year, they ranged from the sublime to the out-and-out wacky.

Concept cars are visions of the motoring future. At their best, they allow designers to explore new ideas and stretch the limits of their creativity. The results are shown at auto shows, where auto executives can gauge the public's acceptance.

Relatively few make it to production. These days, however, fewer concepts fall into the fantasy category. Many are idealized versions of coming models that have already received their green light. Automakers put them out before the public to try to generate excitement.

Some automakers try out crazier designs than others. Japan's Toyota Auto Body had the "Coms Connect" concept, an "electric personal mobility vehicle" shown at the Tokyo Motor Show that looked like a big triangle on wheels. One German maker, SUSI & James, showed off a gleaming roadster with a polished wooden body at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It had big, dark wooden fenders like a car from the 1930s, but the overall effect appeared to be like trying to take your dining-room table for a spin.

This year, Toyota showed the FCV-Plus, a fuel-cell concept with giant windows and little wheels that looks like a giant insect, at the Tokyo Motor Show. But the same automaker showed it could go elegant, with the impressive Scion C-HR concept at the Los Angeles Auto Show last month.

Mercedes-Benz also wowed audiences with its Vision concept car, a super-sleek concept that could point the way to the design future.

With the North American International Auto Show in Detroit coming next month, and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas just before it, more concept cars will be on the way in a hurry.