Vision Gran Turismo: The Virtual Concept Cars That Shaped Real Designs

The Vision Gran Turismo programme is a series of virtual concept cars that car makers designed for the Gran Turismo racing games. The first cars arrived in Gran Turismo 6 in late 2013, and each later title added its own batch. Several of the designs went on to shape the styling and technology of production cars at their brands.

What is the Vision Gran Turismo programme?

Vision Gran Turismo, often shortened to Vision GT, is a set of concept cars that appear in the game, and several designs were also built as full-size models for motor shows. Most of them use present-day technology and materials, although a handful explore unusual propulsion and aerodynamic ideas. Full-size models of several cars have been displayed at shows in Japan, Canada, Germany, England, the US and Switzerland.

The name first appeared in 2006, when it was used for a Gran Turismo HD trailer. The formal programme followed in 2013, when the franchise marked its 15th anniversary with a project that invited manufacturers and coachbuilders to create cars for the series. Each car was built so that players could own and drive it in the game.

A set of digital show cars that players can drive, and a handful of designs that later reached the road.

Where did the Vision GT idea come from?

The programme grew out of the franchise's 2013 anniversary. Makers and coachbuilders were asked to design original show cars for the game, so each entry carried a brand's own design language. The early list included Alpine, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Honda, Infiniti, Italdesign Giugiaro, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Peugeot.

The list kept growing. Toyota, Subaru, Chevrolet, Genesis, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ferrari, Skoda and Xiaomi all joined later, and in 2023 Bulgari became the first non-automotive brand to reveal a car for the programme.

Some Vision GT designs also reached the road. Bugatti Chiron, McLaren Sabre and McLaren Solus GT share design cues with their brand's Vision cars, and the McLaren Ultimate directly influenced both the Sabre and the Solus GT. Hyundai has cited the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo as an inspiration for its N Vision 74.

Which cars arrived with Gran Turismo 6?

Gran Turismo 6 received the first wave of Vision GT cars. It began with the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo on 20 November 2013 and ended in June 2015 with three SRT Tomahawk variants. Between those dates the sim gained coupes, a plug-in hybrid, a widebody racer and a fictional racing prototype from Chevrolet and Chaparral.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW

The Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo was a long-hooded coupe with no rear window, styled after the 300 SL and closely related to the SLS AMG. Its twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre M157 V8 produced 430 kW (580 hp). A Racing Series version followed on 28 January 2014 with 441 kW (591 hp) and a weight saving of 85 kg (187 lb).

BMW released its own car on 14 May 2014 in update 1.07. The coupe was modelled on BMW touring cars from the 1970s and used a 3-litre twin-turbo inline-six that made 404 kW (542 hp).

Mitsubishi, Volkswagen and Toyota

Mitsubishi's Concept XR-PHEV Evolution arrived on 30 May 2014 in update 1.08. It was a plug-in hybrid with rally-oriented widebody styling. The Volkswagen GTI Roadster followed on 18 June 2014 in update 1.09, a low open-top car with a 3-litre twin-turbo VR6 producing 375 kW (503 hp).

Toyota released the FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo on 16 September 2014 in update 1.11. It was a virtual reworking of Toyota's original FT-1 concept, given aerodynamics closer to a GT3 racer. The Subaru VIZIV GT followed on 19 November 2014 in update 1.14, combining a flat-four and all-wheel drive with electric motors and torque vectoring.

Nissan, Aston Martin and the odd ones out

The Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo was the seventh car in the programme. British designers sketched it before Nissan's engineers in Japan developed it further, and its hybrid system combined a V6 with three motors. A full-scale replica in Fire Knight paint was shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2015.

The Aston Martin DP100 Vision Gran Turismo came with 800 kW (1,100 hp) from a twin-turbo V12 and was released in the same month as the Nissan. The Chevrolet-Chaparral 2X, released on 17 December 2014 in update 1.15, was operated in the prone position and claimed speeds of up to 417 km/h (259 mph) using a fictional light-based propulsion unit.

The Infiniti CONCEPT Vision Gran Turismo was built to be a pure Infiniti GT car, with a 4.5-litre naturally aspirated V8. The Mazda LM55 arrived on 24 December 2014 and was first found by players before its official announcement. The Mini Clubman, added on 26 February 2015 in update 1.16, was a widebody hatchback designed for racing.

Which Vision GT cars came with Gran Turismo Sport?

Gran Turismo Sport opened with the Hyundai N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo, which launched on 14 September 2015 and promoted Hyundai's N performance division and its fuel cell ideas. The Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo followed on 24 September 2015 with a W16 engine and a racing-oriented take on the Chiron. It paid tribute to the Type 57s that won at Le Mans in 1937 and 1939.

The later years of Gran Turismo Sport brought more manufacturer entries. The Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo by Pininfarina was revealed on 7 March 2017 at the Geneva show, with a planned run of 39 track-only cars. The project was a collaboration between Fittipaldi Motors, Pininfarina and HWA, and owners were eligible for race coaching from Emerson Fittipaldi himself. Production never happened because the company became inactive in March 2019. The McLaren Ultimate Vision Gran Turismo was teased on 20 September 2017, with a prone driver inside a closed cockpit.

The 2017 season also produced the IsoRivolta Zagato Vision Gran Turismo, added in update 1.06 with a Chevrolet-supplied V8 making 559 bhp (417 kW; 567 PS). Honda debuted its Sports Vision Gran Turismo on 9 November 2017, a smaller version of the NSX with a mid-mounted 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

Audi teased its e-tron Vision Gran Turismo on 4 April 2018 and revealed it four days later. A second Audi car, with a 3.4-litre turbo V6 hybrid, exists only in the game. Jaguar unveiled its Vision Gran Turismo Coupe on 25 October 2019, with three electric motors producing 750 kW (1,010 hp), and it was added to Gran Turismo Sport on 28 November 2019.

How did Gran Turismo 7 continue the programme?

Gran Turismo 7 carried the programme into the 2020s. Lamborghini revealed its Lambo V12 Vision Gran Turismo on 24 November 2019 at the FIA GTC World Finals, and it shares the V12 hybrid powertrain of the Sian FKP 37. The single-seat design was first seen in the release trailer for the game.

Porsche unveiled an electric two-seat sports car on 5 December 2021, and its design was the first Vision GT car to appear on the game's cover. A Spyder version followed with Update 1.23 on 29 September 2022. Suzuki's roadster was teased on 21 May 2022 and revealed five days later, with a 1,340 cc Hayabusa engine and three electric motors.

Ferrari's Vision Gran Turismo was designed by Flavio Manzoni and uses the V6 derestricted from the 499P Le Mans car. With three electric motors it achieves a combined output of 1,356 PS (1,337 hp; 997 kW), and Ferrari claims a lap of Fiorano under 1 minute 10 seconds, almost ten seconds faster than the SF90. Italdesign's Exeneo, revealed on 20 February 2023, pairs a V10 with four electric motors for 910 kW (1,220 hp).

Genesis added its Gran Berlinetta in January 2024, powered by a twin-turbo 3.3-litre V6 with electric supercharger technology, producing 798 kW (1,070 hp). Bulgari's Aluminium followed in update 1.42 that January, and Skoda's single-seater became available in version 1.46 on 25 April 2024. Xiaomi was announced in June 2025 in London as the first Chinese marque in the franchise, and Chevrolet's CX.R was added in the August 2025 update.

Xiaomi's car was officially revealed at its February 2026 launch event and was shown at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March 2026. Its sculpted body has a 0.29 drag coefficient, and the release date is still to be confirmed. Opel's Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo was revealed in August 2025 as a preview of the next Corsa and was shown at IAA Mobility in Munich in September 2025.

Which brands never delivered a car?

Ford, Jordan, Nike and Tesla are listed as confirmed participants with no entries, so their names appear without any cars in the game. Alfa Romeo and Bertone had both been listed at launch. Alfa Romeo planned a 6C Biposto, but it abandoned the project and was quietly delisted around 2014. Bertone also planned an unnamed car, and it filed for bankruptcy later in 2014 without the car entering the game.

What did the programme achieve?

The programme's biggest recognition came when Gran Turismo received the Golden Marker Special Award at the Japan Car Design Awards on 23 January 2016. The award recognised the contribution the Vision GT project had made to car design, and the trophy was presented by a group of journalists and car designers. The cars have also been praised for their novel approach to aesthetics and performance, and some of their designs have become real road cars.

Which Vision GT cars are worth knowing?

Is there a Vision GT car from Fittipaldi in Gran Turismo 7?

No. The Fittipaldi EF7 was absent from Gran Turismo 7 after the company became inactive in March 2019. Its planned run of 39 track-only cars never went into production, and the car stayed as one of the programme's unfinished chapters.

Why do Vision GT cars matter for car fans?

The programme gives car makers a place to show designs inside a game, where each car can be driven by players. A few of those designs have been linked to production models, including the Bugatti Chiron and the McLaren Solus GT.