Automotive

At the worldwide preview of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Super Trofeo Stradale at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Automobili Lamborghini President and CEO Stephan Winkelmann also announced the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento (Sixth Element) will be going into production. But don’t bother counting your pennies because the production run is limited to just 20 cars and all have already been spoken for. Read More

Hong-Kong-based Innotrends has unveiled its Ca-Fi Android 2.3-based infotainment system for in-car use. Tailored for 2-DIN dashboards and running on a 1.2GHz Cortex A8 CPU and 512MB of RAM, Ca-Fi features 6.2-inch 800 x 480 (resistive) touchscreen, a 3G modem to surf the web, GPS to handle in-car navigation apps, Bluetooth support for hands-free calling and 4x45W audio output. Read More

To celebrate 125 years of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz has provided a glimpse of where it sees things heading in the future with its F 125! research vehicle. Although it isn't so ambitious as to attempt to predict what cars will look like in another 125 years, the German automaker has decided to look a little further afield than usual. Previous research vehicles have generally looked ahead one vehicle generation, which is roughly seven to eight years, but with a newly developed hydrogen fuel cell system, gesture controls, and range of 1,000 km (621 miles), Mercedes says the F 125! looks forward more than two generations to the year 2025 and beyond. Read More

Shown for the first time at IAA in Frankfurt last week, the Fisker Surf is a luxury/sports "shooting brake" or station wagon, built on the same base as the Fisker Karma (electric drive with gas-engined range extender), though the Ferrari FF look makes it a lot easier on the eye. The Surf can be expected in showrooms in the first half of 2013 with a price tag in the low six figures. Read More

Toyota is gearing up for a worldwide onslaught of hybrid vehicles in 2012 - part of a strategy to put out no less than ten new hybrids by 2015. The company has already begun launching hybrid versions of the Yaris light platform, the Auris/Corolla hatch and the medium Camry sedan in larger markets across the world - Japan, Europe and the US. But the most prominent (and branding wise the most important) is the expanded Prius family - Prius, Prius+ and Prius Plug-in Hybrid. Read More

Among the huge list of Concept Cars taking to the revolving stage in Frankfurt this week is Volvo's Concept You. Put forward as a design study for the company's next large sedan, the You takes on an elongated "fastback profile" and crams some ambitious tech ideas into the cockpit while piling on the luxury trimmings, from suede roof lining all the way down to wooden floors covered in hand-tufted carpet. Read More

We covered Maserati's new sport luxury SUV prior to the announcement at IAA in Frankfurt earlier this week, but there's bit more info plus a lot more pics available. Read More

Land Rover has taken the wraps off its already controversial DC100 Concept in Frankfurt ... and it has a stablemate - the convertible DC100 Sport. The Concepts are intended to float new ideas and spark debate on the design of the next-gen Defender which is slated for production 2015. Land Rover has also tossed-up some interesting possibilities as to what sort of high-tech kit might find a home in future models. Read More

Charged with the task of getting the fuel economy of the 2011 Chevy Equinox down to 32 mpg on the highway and beat out the 28 mpg-rated Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape, GM engineers employed some rather unconventional fuel efficiency technology – active noise cancellation (ANC). By using the same technique used in noise cancelling headphones, the team was able to let the Equinox’s engine run at a more fuel efficient rpm without the associated low frequency noise and achieve what GM claims is segment-leading fuel economy. Read More