Automotive
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Downloading music at the Pump
January 10, 2007 The gas station has always been one of those universal outlets which touches everyone in industrialised countries where every home has a car – so it was only a matter of time before the world’s smartest marketers began to take advantage of this. Now fuel dispenser manufacturer Dresser Wayne is joining with the Microsoft Automotive Business Unit to demonstrate how consumers can wirelessly transfer music to their car while pumping gas.The Dresser Wayne Ovation iX fuel dispenser is an Internet-ready, WiFi-capable gas pump with a 15-inch touchscreen and speakers, which enables the transfer of media content to other WiFi-enabled devices. (read more...)
Jeep Trailhawk open-air concept
January 9, 2007 The Jeep Trailhawk concept, unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show overnight, merges the spectrum of the Jeep brand by combining the core off-road features of the four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with the refined sophistication of an all-new on-road open-air concept vehicle, providing a unique and fresh expression for Jeep. Built off the new Wrangler platform, the Jeep Trailhawk is a more refined highway cruiser without sacrificing any of Jeep’s legendary off-road capabilities. (read more...)
Mazda Ryuga Concept captures the spirit of motion
January 9, 2007 As we’ve previously mentioned, Mazda does great show cars, and the promise of the Nagare concept was more than fulfilled when the metallic manifestation of those sketches we previewed became a reality. The word Nagare is one of a hundred or more Japanese words that describe the embodiment of motion – such as how wind shapes desert sand, the way currents stir the ocean’s floor or the way waves lap at the shores of a lake. van den Acker explains, “Nagare is purposely emotional and expressive. Anyone who sees it is drawn for a closer look; they’re moved to caress surfaces inspired by nature, to understand how they could work on an automobile. (read more...)
Acura “Advanced Sports Car Concept” - Next Generation Exotic
January 7, 2007 Honda’s next generation exotic sports car was previewed for the first time last night, when the Japanese giant showed the Acura Advanced Sports Car Concept at the 2007 North American International Auto Show. The concept provides a preview of the design direction for the successor to the Acura NSX and some quite granular detail, with a front-mounted V-10 engine and a new high-performance, rear-wheel-drive based version of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD). (read more...)
The Nissan Bevel advanced design study for male empty-nesters
January 8, 2007 Nissan’s latest concept car, the Bevel Concept is a dynamic, multi-purpose vehicle designed for an increasingly common target user - male empty-nesters actively engaged in hobbies, recreation and community service. Bevel offers unique, function-inspired asymmetrical styling, a high-utility three-zone interior and technology ranging from glass roof-mounted solar panels to drive-by-wire steering, throttle and braking. (read more...)
Ford Airstream Concept – the Crossover model of the future
January 7, 2007 The crossover vehicle is growing rapidly in popularity in most world markets, particularly in the United States where the market segment is projected to top three million units annually by the end of the decade. Accordingly, Ford staked a claim for market leadership in the green end of the segment today at NAIAS when it showed its plug-in hydrogen hybrid fuel cell Airstream Concept. The drivetrain – called HySeries Drive – operates under electric power at all times. This advanced fuel cell system is half the weight and cost of today’s fuel cells and can even operate when the mercury dips below freezing. (read more...)
Chevrolet Volt Concept Electric Vehicle
January 7, 2007 The Chevrolet Volt concept sedan, powered by the E-flex System – GM’s next-generation electric propulsion system – could nearly eliminate trips to the gas station. The Chevrolet Volt is a battery-powered, four-passenger electric vehicle that uses a gas engine to create additional electricity to extend its range. The Volt draws from GM’s previous experience in the form of the EV1 in 1996. The Volt can be fully charged by plugging it into a 110-volt outlet for approximately six hours a day. When the lithium-ion battery is fully charged, the Volt can deliver 40 city miles of pure electric vehicle range. When the battery is depleted, a 1.0 litre, three-cylinder turbocharged engine spins at constant rpm to create electricity and replenish the battery. (read more...)
Chevrolet Camaro Convertible concept
January 6, 2007 The Chevrolet Camaro concept was one of the stars of the 2006 auto show season, so it’s not such a stretch to understand where the Camaro convertible concept came from. The original Camaro was introduced to the Baby Boomer generation in 1966, offering this large individualistic group access to an affordable sports cars for the first time. As Boomers transitioned into larger vehicles to accommodate growing families, younger drivers embraced used Camaros as their first cars, and third- and fourth-generations of the Camaro continued to deliver affordable fun and performance to a new generation of enthusiasts. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of owners of all walks of life have found driving fun in a Camaro during the past 40 years. The new concept will be shown for the first time at the NAIAS Show which starts Monday. (read more...)
Corsa VXR Supermini - 140 mph and 44 mpg
January 5, 2006 The new Vauxhall Corsa has already caused quite a sensation with its bold styling and impressive road manners, but now the wraps have come off the long awaited performance flagship VXR version – the lightweight turbo 1.6-litre engine of the VXR produces 192PS (189.3 bhp) and more than 260Nm to give it a top speed of 140 mph (225 km/h) and acceleration of 0-60 in 6.8 seconds. Despite its wild performance, the Corsa VXR promises to be an affordable car to run, with surprising fuel economy on extra-urban routes of 44.1mpg (5.3 liters/100 km) according to official figures and the combined fuel economy figure is 35.8mpg (6.57 liters/100 km). (read more...)
Subaru selling made-to-order, race-ready rally cars
January 5, 2007 There was once a time, and it wasn’t very long ago, that going rallying meant having a detailed knowledge of every aspect of construction and repair. As major manufacturers become more adept at catering to an array of marketplaces, those manufacturers with a proud sporting heritage are beginning to make complete race cars available, and Subaru Australia is now offering a complete service to race drivers, producing a range of custom motorsport vehicle packages based on the popular Impreza WRX STI spec.C – the Group N FIA homologated car developed by Fuji Heavy Industries in Japan. Customers can order the car to any desired specification, from the base Impreza WRX STI at AUD$69,990 (US$55,000) to the full Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) version at AUD$195,000 (US$153,000). So now all you need an ingenious support crew and someone crazy enough to sit beside you and read you instructions while you point the 230 kW projectile at the horizon. Finally, just to be clear, the WRC cars of Solberg and Atkinson are a slightly higher spec again – if they were available, they’d cost US$1.5 million apiece. (read more...)
Toyota's 400 bhp FT-HS Hybrid Sports Car Concept
January 12, 2007 UPDATED PHOTO GALLERY Toyota’s FT-HS hybrid sports concept to be shown at the 2007 North American International Auto Show next week seems to have a lot more of the real world in it than your normal concept car. Sporting hybrids are coming to mainstream consumer land very soon, if we’re reading the signs correctly. The two-plus-two concept is a front-engine, rear-drive sports car with a projected 0-62mph acceleration in the four-second range. A powerful V6, 3.5L-engine is coupled with a sports hybrid system for a total of 400 bhp. The press release specifically prices the FT-HS in a mid-priced market position, making it a truly attainable exotic should it be produced. The Japanese company will achieve it’s Everest this year when it will become the world’s top selling automobile manufacturer – our bet is that this baby will be in the 2008 model range. (read more...)
Jaguar C-XF - more than a concept car
January 3, 2007 Jaguar will be hosting the global debut of its new C-XF concept car at Detroit Auto Show this coming Sunday and is clear that the car signals the onset of a new era for the marque. The four-door sports saloon concept blends design purity with unmistakable dynamism, and the company is making sure that everyone knows that it’s way more than just another concept car - the C-XF is a clear indication of the design direction that the next generations of Jaguar saloons will take. Designed by the same teams that produced the award-winning Jaguar XK sports GT range in 2005 – headed by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum and Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson – the C-XF concept is a precursor to cars that “will become recognised for their ground-breaking exterior looks and innovative interiors.” "Great Jaguars turn heads in the street,” according to Callum. “They make people stop and pay attention. They evoke instant desire. That’s what the C-XF does and that’s what the next generation of Jaguars will do.” (read more...)
US$400 device (plus US$50 a month) turns your car, home, or hotel room into a personal WiFi Hotspot
January 4, 2007 The era of permanent internet connectivity moves a step closer at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week when Autonet Mobile launches its new wireless service that turns any car into a WiFi Hotspot. The company also plans to announce an agreement with a world leading car rental company (thought to be Avis) to offer a portable, wireless Internet service in its rental vehicles by the end of the first quarter. The rental availability of this service looks particularly enticing for road warriors travelling to distant cities and their ability to stay in 24 hour contact with the company network. With the first Wireless Broadband Mobile Network, Autonet Mobile provides access to new entertainment and infotainment possibilities for passengers - they can check email, surf the web, play massive multi-player games and communicate via any WiFi-enabled device. The service is optimized for the in-car experience, and is specifically designed to work on 95 percent of U.S. roads, regardless of driving conditions or location. Simply plug the unit into a cigarette lighter or standard wall plug and go. The US$400 Autonet Mobile Unit comes with a monthly service charge of US$49 and turns your car into a secure mobile hotspot, allowing multiple WiFi-enabled devices to connect, and giving passengers unparalleled access to data, music, games, chat, and anything else they might like to access in their second home—the car. Moreover, the device can easily be removed from the car and put into a small bag. Thus, users can shuttle between the car and a residence, hotel or vacation spot, extending the usability of the Autonet Mobile Service beyond the car. For business travelers, families on vacation or couples on the go, bringing connectivity out of the car and into the hotel room is an additional benefit. This is a killer app in our humble opinion! (read more...)
Vantastic Ford Transit Concepts
January 3, 2007 Though Ford’s Transit Van has now been around since 1965, it’s very much like Grandpa’s axe, in that the head has been replaced many times and the handle many more than that. With the seventh complete redesign of the classic workhorse, Ford picked up the International Van of the Year 2007 and the euphoria of the win seems to have inspired some remarkable custom engineering from Ford Europe's Commercial Vehicle development team. Two stunning new Transit-based concepts have resulted: one is the Transit XXL, a stretched Transit Tourneo passenger vehicle and the other is the Transit X-Press, a modified version of the normally sedate Connect model fitted with the power train, suspension and brakes of Ford’s high-performance Focus RS. Remarkably, neither are planned for production, though we’d warrant the queue would stretch further than the XXL. Perhaps lobbying your local Ford dealer might help convince them that their engineers are indeed not bonkers, but have identified a lucrative niche market. (read more...)
Fourth Peugeot Design Competition - remarkable source of automotive ideas
January 2, 2007 The Peugeot design competition looks set to become one of the most important such competitions in the world. Now in it’s fourth year, the latest competition is now in the voting phase, with internet users being asked to vote on the thirty selected projects prior to January 23 to determine the 10 finalists. As with previous winners such as the Moonster (2001 winner), 4002 (2003) and the incredibly popular Moovie which won the 2005 competition, Peugeot will reward the winner by building a full size version of the car to be shown at the Frankfurt 2007 Motor Show and everyone will be able to drive the car virtually as it will be incorporated into an XBox 360 game. For example, here's the story that the Moovie had won the competition, and here's the story and image gallery of the finished working model. This year the theme for the contest was “P.L.E.A.S.E. Innovate” with the acronym standing for Pleasurable (to drive), Lively, Efficient, Accessible, Simple and Ecological. With the internet being used to make the entry into the competition more accessible, a record 4,000 entries from 113 countries were received this year, pushing the standard of the final 30 to a new high. We won’t bias the judging by saying what we voted for, but we’ve picked our top ten and they are all interesting an inspiring in their own right. The contest is well worth a look for motoring aficionados. (read more...)
Lincoln MKR Concept
January 2, 2007 Lincoln is pulling the wraps off a new concept car at the North American International Auto Show next week, signaling its design strategy for the next-generation of premium American vehicles and launching a new engine family. The Lincoln MKR concept introduces the company’s new “elegant simplicity” design language on a four-door coupe that also features environmentally friendly amenities and fuel-saving technology, including its TwinForce engine. The concept’s 3.5-liter gasoline twin-turbocharged direct-injection V-6 performs comparably or better than V-8 engines, delivering 415 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque on renewable E-85 ethanol. (read more...)
Ford Interceptor: four-door muscle car based on a sixties sedan shape
January 1, 2007 Building on its muscle car legacy, Ford is introducing an all-American sedan concept that combines “Built Ford Tough” attitude with the sporty elegance of its iconic 1960s sedans. The Interceptor has a manual six-speed gearbox mated to the 5.0-litre V-8 Cammer engine that won the 2005 Grand-Am Cup Championship in its first year of competition, though it has now been modified to run on E-85 ethanol and produces 400 bhp. The Interceptor also incorporates Ford’s patented four-point “belt and suspenders” design in the front and rear seats. In addition, inflatable safety belts are included for rear seat passengers. (read more...)
Rolls-Royce to unveil Phantom Drophead Coupe
December 31, 2006 Rolls-Royce is set to unveil its new Phantom Drophead Coupe at the Detroit Motor Show on Sunday 7 January. Production of the new two-door, four-seat convertible will start at Goodwood on the South Coast of England in Q2 of 2007 where it will be hand built alongside the Phantom. The less formal interpretation of classic Rolls-Royce design employs the lightweight rigidity of an all-aluminium spaceframe, married to a sleek, streamlined convertible body and will be priced roughly equivalent to the UKP260,500 Phantom Extended Wheelbase. (read more...)
Retractable hardtop for new BMW 3 Series Convertible
December 30, 2006 Retractable hardtops are fast becoming part of every major automotive range – having the option to turn your sensible and quiet sedan into an open-top sports car at the press of a button might turn out to be an appealing functionality capable of growing a sizeable share of the market. The latest recipient of this capability is BMW’s fourth generation open four-seater 3 Series Convertible which will be shown to the public for the first time at the 100th North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on 7 January 2007. The new retractable hardtop closes in 23 seconds and closes in 22, offering open top motoring in the summer months and interior comfort in inclement weather and at high speeds. Boasting an advanced chassis and body with torsional stiffness exceeding any previous BMW Convertible, the range-topping 335i Convertible is powered by an all-aluminium 3.0-litre straight-six with twin-turbos and direct gasoline injection, giving it a maximum output of 225 kW/306 hp (300 hp in the USA). (read more...)
Mercedes-Benz Concept Ocean Drive design study
December 21, 2006 Mercedes-Benz will be showing its new Concept Ocean Drive four-door convertible design study at the NAIAS in January. The one-off creation is built in the tradition of large luxury convertibles, and is based on the twelve-cylinder Mercedes-Benz S 600. One of the technical highlights of the car is an AIRSCARF neck-level heating system, which is featured on all four seats, allowing occupants to enjoy top-down motoring even in the colder months of the year. Few details have been released beyond the images, and the design brief that the car should be the world's most comfortable and elegant convertible. (read more...)
No more foggy windscreens
December 20, 2006 On cold winter mornings, car drivers often encounter moisture precipitating on the inside of the windscreen. This happens when warm, humid air comes into contact with a cold surface. At a particular temperature, known as the dew point, the moisture in the air condenses and forms a layer on the colder surface; irrespective of whether this is a glass containing a cold drink, the bathroom mirror after a shower, or the windshield of a cold car. Cold air is not able to contain as much moisture as warm air and this fact is much more noticeable in small spaces. Condensation can be prevented by increasing the volume of air (opening the windows), by heating the whole of the vehicle’s interior, or by heating at least the windshield to a temperature above the dew point. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Technology Development Group TEG in Stuttgart favour a third option. His new process warms up the windscreen – though not with costly copper heating elements, but instead with a transparent coat of carbon nano tubes (CNT). (read more...)
EFIJY Concept to make North American Show Debut
December 20, 2006 Australia’s General Motors subsidiary Holden had a worldwide hit with its one-off 21st Century hot rod, EFIJY, at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October 2005, making news everywhere cars were the topic and a lot of places they weren’t. Remarkably, the acclaimed concept car will be shown at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month – the first time it has been seen outside Australia. EFIJY is a contemporary reincarnation of an iconic Australian-made 1953 Holden FJ sedan, restyled as a low-slung hot rod with a supercharged six-litre V8 engine. The car has been featured in magazines, websites and television programs around the world. Its most critical acclaim came from the United States when it was named Hot Rod of the Year by the influential Hot Rod magazine. (read more...)
Spray-on ceramic coating dramatically reduces external temperatures
December 19, 2006 A high-technology ceramic coating originally developed for the nuclear industry and already used by five Formula One teams is now available for automotive applications. Applied to the exhaust manifold using a high-temperature plasma spray, the Zircotec coating greatly reduces the release of heat, helping to protect the finish of the manifold, the engine and other components in the engine bay. The coating can also be applied to turbo housings, cam covers, heat shields and other metal components. Testing by race teams has shown a reduction in under-bonnet temperature of up to 25ºC and power improvements, from the lower air induction temperatures, of up to six percent. One motorcycle racing team that employed the system used a laser-guided thermometer and found that while the exhaust can have an internal temperature of around 150 degrees Centigrade, the outside temperate can be low enough for the exhaust pipe to be removed WITHOUT using gloves. (read more...)
Original Dodge Firearrow concepts to be auctioned
December 19, 2006 The only two Dodge Firearrow convertible s in the world will be going under the hammer in mid-January, giving someone a unique opportunity to own a piece of history. In an effort to create consumer excitement during 1953 and 1954, Chrysler produced four cars under the Dodge nameplate, naming them Firearrows. Each penned by Virgil Exner, the dream cars were built in a series from Firearrow I to Firearrow IV. Barrett-Jackson will feature the Firearrow II and IV models, representing the instrumental progression of the classic concept vehicle. This reprint from Special Interest Autos has the full story on the Firearrows and how they eventually went into very limited production as America's first four passenger sports car, the Dual Ghia. In their day, they were very sought after, with owners including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Debbie Reynolds and big band leader Hoagy Carmichael. One of the original four Firearrows was used by stuntperson and model Betty Skelton to set a Women’s Closed-Course World Speed Record of 143.44 mph in 1954, so you can rest assured that the Firearrows won't get left behind at the traffic lights. (read more...)
Rinspeed’s Transparent eXasis Concept
December 19, 2006 We just luuuuv Rinspeed – every year the Swiss engineering futurists produce one or more remarkable automotive ideas which we feature and they never fail to produce something stimulating and thought-provoking about the future of transportation. The 2007 installment is the fully transparent creation eXasis. The insect-like body and even the floor pan of the seemingly “glass” concept car actually consist of a transparent high-tech plastic with a tinge of pale yellow. The eXasis has open wheels, a cigar-shaped body with fore and aft tandem seating, and has elements of the legendary Auto Union race cars from the first half of the last century combined with a modern Baja-1000 off-road vehicle. The car will be shown for the first time at the Geneva Auto Show next March. (read more...)
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