The souped-up, tricked-out Super CC "Eco Performance" concept Volkswagen brought to the big
SEMA auto trade showthis year highlights the automaker's commitment to sleek, understated design, but what's really cool is it's more powerful
andmore fuel efficient than the production car it's based on.

As you can tell from our furious posting frequency, there's a lot of stuff at SEMA. Often, you encounter some well-publicized car and your reaction is "Oh... harumph." And then there are the sadly infrequent times when you make your way to the back of a ginormous hall and turn the corner to find a tiny booth holding one of those "Oh... wow..." treasures. That's what happened when we dropped by the Helios Coatings booth and discovered the Cadillac-powered VRS (V Sport Rod).

The year's SEMA is as much about economical performance as it is about out-and-out performance. VW threw its hat Passat CC in the latter ring with the Super CC Performance Concept, created by the VW Design Center with the aid of APR, Recaro, H&R, and Brembo. The Super CC gets a grey pearl coat and blacked-out chrome, and pinstripe graphics from the hood to the rear spoiler that actually looks tasty in person.

If there's anything even more cool about the current crop of concept cars, it's that we can actually see a bridge to the technology in a lot of them. Not that we expect them to be on the roads soon, but the thought of something like the solar skin on Mark Kruse's Saab Blackbird concept making it to an actual production car doesn't sound as crazy as it did in 1990.

Looks like the all-electric Porsche that
German tuning haus Rufis building is the real deal, and the early indication from someone who's spent some time behind the wheel is the E-Ruf will reach frightening velocity, but takes its sweet time getting there.