Automotive

There are presently several in-car systems that use small cameras and sensors to alert drivers to dangers on the road, or even in their own driving habits. Some of these systems can be quite costly, and are therefore limited to use in fairly expensive automobiles. Now, however, a team of scientists from Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration have developed a new type of sensory system, that's cheap enough to produce that it could be used in economy vehicles. Read More

Brabus specialises in building fast cars - very fast cars. Indeed, it already holds the record for building the world's fastest production sedan and the world's fastest production coupe, so in claiming the title of the world's fastest cabriolet, it's not that much of a surprise. The car begins life as a Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet before the engine is transplanted with a 788 bhp, 6.3 liter, Biturbo V12 (a derivative of the three-valve Mercedes S 600 V12), giving it a top speed of 370 km/h (231 mph) and a price tag of EUR 478,000 (US$682,000). Read More

Aston Martin's new V12 Zagato had quite a spectacular and busy few weeks following its first public showing on May 21 on the shores of Lake Como (Italy) at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este where it won the award for Design in the Concepts and Prototypes class. A week later, two identical prototypes finished fifth and sixth in their class at the Nurburgring 24 Hour race, verifying that the gorgeous handcrafted aluminium and carbon fibre machines were indeed capable of holding their own in any company. So began a period of what Aston Martin termed “overwhelmingly encouraging interest from customers” which has finally resulted in a commitment to a limited production run of 150 examples of the Zagato. Read More

The first of the concept cars we'll see at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show has broken cover in the form of the Renault FRENDZY. It's the fourth Renault concept car based on its design strategy of addressing the needs of the different human “life stages”, the first three being the DeZir, Captur and the R-Space. The all-electric FRENDZY caters to the combined needs of work and family and is an electric commercial vehicle which uses an asymmetrical body and a raft of new technology to be both commercially viable and family friendly. Read More

Nissan has announced it will begin global proving tests of an electric vehicle based on its NV200 compact commercial van this month. Since going on sale is Europe and Japan in 2009, the combustion engine-powered NV200 compact commercial van has picked up numerous awards. It was also also recently chosen as the next generation New York taxi, so the announcement of an electric version offers up the possibility that at least some of New York’s iconic yellow cabs may soon be getting a green tinge. Read More

At its annual U.S. national dealer meeting held in Las Vegas at the end of June, Toyota confirmed the launch dates for its Prius family are still on track despite complications arising following the disasters that hit Japan on March 11, saying production is expected to return to normal levels in Japan after July. The company also raised a few eyebrows with the announcement that the all-electric Scion iQ EV microcar that was on show in Geneva earlier this year is set to arrive in the U.S. sometime in 2012 Read More

Electric vehicles have been a reality for more than 100 years, but it's only in the last decade or so that the world has truly woken up to their potential as a viable, cleaner urban transport alternative to their combustion engined cousins. During this EV renaissance much of the focus has been on developing improved power sources like batteries and fuel cells in order to deliver the range and performance consumers have become accustomed to during the age of oil. Transmissions on the other hand, despite being so important in the ICE space, hardly rate a mention because the wide torque curve of electric motors makes them largely irrelevant. It could be time to rethink that approach according to U.K. based engineering firm Antonov. The company has produced a 3-speed transmission designed specifically for electric vehicles that promises to bring significant efficiency gains and a better driver experience. The company's Business Development Manager Dave Paul outlined these benefits in a presentation at the IDTechEX Electric vehicles conference this week in Stuttgart. Read More

As small, ultra fuel-efficient or electric cars become more popular as urban runabouts, automotive designers are looking for more ways to maximize their interior space. One possibility: get rid of the steering wheel. Of course, you need a steering wheel for driving, but the engineers at Michigan’s TRW Automotive are working on one that folds up and retracts into the dashboard when the vehicle is parked. They claim it would making getting in and out of the car considerably easier, particularly for elderly or disabled drivers. Read More

With a top speed of just 15 mph (24 kph), Thomas Young's Bug-E electric vehicle concept is not likely to be a contender for the next must-have personal transport solution on our roads, but that's not what it's really about anyway. This multi-purpose four-wheeler is more suited to trundling around public parks and gardens, theme parks or the golf course - and it sports four rear storage options to help it fit into numerous usage scenarios. Users would also be able to slide the steering wheel into a left- or right-hand drive position, to share the responsibility of driving without having to swap seats, or to fit in with local conditions. Read More