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Ascari debuts 625bhp A10 supercar
By Mike Hanlon
October 30, 2006 The latest Supercar contender made its first appearance at the 2006 MPH show in Birmingham (UK) late last week in the form the A10 from British manufacturer Ascari. Announced last December, and billed as a performance equivalent to the Ferrari Enzo FXX, the 225 mph A10 has a 5-litre V8 engine, with a six speed gearbox as standard and an optional sequential gearbox. Designed and hand built in Banbury, the 625bhp A10 weighs in at around 1200kg, thanks to its lightweight six-piece carbon fibre body. Unlike the EUR1.5 million Enzo FXX, the A10 is road legal and will sell for EUR522,000 (US$665,000). Reaching 60mph in just 2.8 seconds and 100mph in less than 6 seconds, the manufacturer claims the A10 will become the fastest road going production car around a race track. Although it was announced that 50 of the remarkable vehicles would be built, latest information suggests only ten of the species will be created, so better get the chequebook at the ready. Read More
Dual-speed supercharger for the Hummer H3
By Mike Hanlon
October 27, 2006 European automotive technology company, Antonov, will be showing its innovative 2-speed supercharger drive system at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show next week in Las Vegas with two mouth-watering implementations. A Hummer H3 (that's a stock H3 pictured) incorporating the patented technology will be presented at the show by Antonov’s US distributor Wheel to Wheel Powertrain and the system’s performance enhancing characteristics will be demonstrated at the show proving grounds in a Ford Mustang GT. Read More
Citroen’s new C-Crosser SUV
By Mike Hanlon
October 27, 2006 Citroen has announced first details of a new Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) that will go on sale in Europe from summer 2007. The versatile Citroen C-Crosser boasts four-wheel drive capability, exceptional levels of space and comfort and will will be available with a new generation 156bhp 2.2HDi engine mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Capable of producing a whopping 380Nm of torque, this diesel power plant also boasts impressive green credentials, offering low fuel consumption, the ability to run on 30% bio-diesel and a Diesel Particulate Filter System that reduces particle emissions to virtually immeasurable levels. Read More
Adrenalin Murtaya Turbo heading to USA
By Mike Hanlon
October 25, 2006 Immediately it was launched this month in the UK the Murtaya by Adrenaline Motorsports of Cornwall was pronounced “Awesome…a true automotive landmark” by often blase automotive journalists and gurus of sports car design and development. With underpinnings from the Subaru Impreza WRX and featuring AWD powered by a turbo flat four in various states of tune from 150 to 395 bhp this lightweight (between 850 & 925 kg dependent on spec) can easily be encouraged to sprint to 62mph in sub three second times, making it one of the quicket accelerating cars in the world. Read More
NISSAN electric vehicle for the elderly
By Mike Hanlon
October 25, 2006 The world’s largest Electric Vehicle symposium, the 22nd International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition (EVS22), opened this week in Yokohama, Japan. First EV off the rank was Nissan with a line-up led by the X-TRAIL FCV 2005 (pictured top left). Nissan has a long EV association, having built its first electric car, the Tama EV (bottom right), in 1947 and the world’s first lithium-ion battery powered vehicle, the Prairie Joy Electric Vehicle, in 1996. Two interesting EV concepts on the Nissan stand were the Hypermini (top right – an ultra-small two-seater 100 km/h urban commuter with an aluminium space-frame, neodymium magnetic synchronous traction motor and high-performance lithium-ion batteries with a 115km range) and the Micro UV. The Micro (bottom left) is almost a story in itself, as it was developed by Nissan subsidiary Autech under the sponsorship of NEDO (the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization established by the Japanese government in 1980 to develop new oil-alternative energy technologies) specifically for Japan’s aging population. With the increase numbers of elderly drivers, this ultra-small electric vehicle is fitted with an active interface technology to support drivers with failing motor-ability and response-time that may impair their driving capability. Read More
The Rocket Truck
By Mike Hanlon
October 20, 2006 Orion Propulsion President Tim Pickens, worked for several small aerospace start-ups before launching his own company. Along the way he was the lead propulsion developer for Burt Rutan on the X-PRIZE-winning SpaceShipOne at Scaled Composites, and he has worked on engine programs ranging from 100lbf to 50,000lbf thrust (a regeneratively-cooled rocket motor for NASA on the Fastrac Block II engine program). He also was a Project Engineer leading the design and construction of a prototype Space Shuttle Main Engine combustion chamber utilizing advanced aerospace materials and manufacturing processes. We could go on, but you get the picture. He knows his stuff, so it’s particularly interesting to see what Senior Propellant Specialist Pickens built when he decided to employ his expertise to build a 2750 lb thrust nitrous-oxide rocket-propelled truck. The engine is controlled by a hand-held gaming controller and dash-mounted LCD screens allow the pilot and co-pilot, (passenger) to watch the engine and add to the thrill of the ride. A video of the engine he is using firing up is available here. The truck will be on display this weekend at the X PRIZE Cup Read More
The gorgeous Audi open-top TT
By Mike Hanlon
October 20, 2006 The new Audi open-top TT sports car will go on sale next month with first delivery dates in November 2007, and judging from the spec announced this week, the queue will be long … very long. The fully automatic ‘hands-free’ roof operation on the sister car to the world’s most beautiful car comes with improved sound insulation and the Advanced Audi Space Frame construction blends 58% aluminium and 42% steel (Coupe 69% / 31%) for outstanding weight distribution, excellent torsional rigidity and a kerb weight of just 1,295kg, the TT Roadster 3.2 quattro will sell for UKP 31,535 OTR. There’s a retractable spoiler to maintain downforce and maximise stability at speed but the real killer-app contained within these sleek lines is the futuristic magnetic ride system. The sophisticated dampers are filled with magnetorheological fluid containing minute magnetic particles that are influenced by an electromagnetic field. By applying a voltage to the system’s electromagnets, the viscosity of the fluid is altered by the affected magnetic particles, increasing resistance to damper movement to iron out pitch and roll when necessary, and reducing resistance when ride comfort takes precedence. Read More
Fiat Adventure Concept Car changes colour
By Mike Hanlon
October 19, 2006 Not a great deal of information has been released in English about the newly revealed Fiat Adventure Crossover Concept Car shown at the Sao Paolo Autoshow to celebrate Fiat’s 30th anniversary in Brazil. Designed by Centro Estilo Fiat do Brasil, the Concept Car Adventure is powered by a 167 bhp five-cylinder 2.4 litre engine from the Fiat Stilo Abarth. The two-seater Adventure is painted in color-changing paint and accordingly varies in appearance from yellow to red. Read More
Wild thing – the Hummer GT
By Mike Hanlon
October 18, 2006 The HUMMER GT from GeigerCars.de is certainly an eyecatcher, whether it’s at a standstill with its gullwing doors ajar, rolling at walking pace on its giant 30-inch seven league boots or exercising its 556 bhp supercharged engine hurtling the GT along the nearest autobahn at 225 km/h. The cockpit of the car is like the pilot’s console in the low flying aircraft it so very nearly is. There’s everything from color-coded instruments and a multimedia system including a navigation system, DVD player, TV receiver and two LCD-screens which are integrated in the dashboard and a specially designed roof console. It’s the high tech hamburger with THE LOT – for you, EUR133,900 (US$168,000). Read More
i Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (i MiEV)
By Mike Hanlon
October 12, 2006 Mitsubishi will display a new research vehicle, the Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) at the 22nd International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Expo (EVS-22) in Yokohama later this month. The next-generation "i MiEV" electric vehicle will be used for joint research programmes with power companies that will conduct field tests, gather data and evaluate the commercial viability of the vehicle. Based on MMC's "i" mini-car, it is powered by a compact and lightweight motor and high-energy density lithium-ion batteries which replace the i's rear-midship combustion engine and surprisingly few modifications were required in the conversion. Unlike previous Mitsubishi elevctric vehicles, the I MiEV uses a single 47 kW motor to drive both rear wheels instead of four in-wheel electric motors. The car has a top speed of 130 km/h Read More
SmartCODEC image compression for automotive apps
By Mike Hanlon
October 9, 2006 There is an increasing need to use multiple video channels in automobiles, such as for video images from multiple surveillance (rear vision, backing and parking cameras), navigation system images and video for passengers watching on rear-seat monitors. Analog signals have been used thus far but require a separate cable to be wired for each channel, a process that has become complicated as the number of channels has increased. This has resulted in demand for a technology capable of multiplex transmission of images on a single in-vehicle LAN. Fujitsu has developed image compression specifically for automotive use with a compression rate of one-third (1/3), and a compression-decompression time of just 2 to 3 milliseconds that enables compression and multiplex transmission of images to inside the vehicle, such as images from multiple automotive cameras located externally on the vehicle. This not only makes for a safer car, but a cheaper car as it will reduce the amount of cable required within a vehicle. Read More
Siemens VDO control centre for vehicle fleets
By Mike Hanlon
October 9, 2006 The vice-like grip of increasingly competitive pressure is forcing every aspect of business to become as efficient as possible and one area where there is plenty of fat to be pared away with new technologies is in the operation of automotive and trucking fleets. To help fleet operators increase efficiency, Siemens VDO recently unveiled its new Vehicle Control Center (VCC) at the IAA Commercial Vehicles 2006 show in Hanover, Germany. This forward-looking hardware and software platform bundles numerous functions inside the truck and networks them externally, opening up many possibilities. With new services such as truck-specific navigation, innovative remote vehicle diagnostics and intelligent fleet management solutions, fleets can optimize operation of their vehicles. On the other side, commercial vehicle manufacturers can meet their customers’ needs easier and therefore gain a competitive advantage. In addition, they can integrate new functions into future generations of vehicles more quickly, more simply and more economically. Siemens VDO’s VCC will be ready for series production by the end of the decade. Read More
Volkswagen Atacama 4WD van concept
By Mike Hanlon
October 7, 2006 Ooooh, we really like this one - VW has revealed a striking off-road vehicle based on the recently-launched Crafter van. Named Atacama, after the desert in South America, the four-wheel drive concept is the product of the Volkswagen Design Centre in Wolfsburg, Germany, and shows further potential for the Crafter in the leisure and fun segment. ’could become a limited production vehicle. VW Sales Manager, Harald Schomburg, is very enthusiastic and is seeking customer feedback. "If it is positive", says Schomberg, "we will build a series of up to 100 vehicles." So there you have it folks - email your local distributor if you think this is a good idea. Read More
Four channel, multi-camera, automotive Digital Video Recorders
By Mike Hanlon
October 4, 2006 As digital imaging becomes cheaper to implement, one wonders to just what extent we’ll see security video systems deployed around our homes and that other piece of costly travelling real estate, the automobile. When we saw this new 4-channel DVD quality mobile digital video recording system we weren’t thinking about its intended market of police cars, public transportation, and school buses, but where we might get to a decade from now when video systems might well become an integral part of every automobile. Apart from being readily available to assist with parking and reversing (analog rear vision mirrors don’t zoom), they could also verify insurance claims, sense nearby cars and people and alert the driver, and bear faultless testimony to any accidents. Who knows, as digital storage becomes a legitimate part of the automobile's entertainment armoury, we may eventually find multiple camera systems keeping records of every business-related trip. Read More
Caparo completes build of first T1 prototype
By Mike Hanlon
October 3, 2006 We’ve been writing about the Caparo T1 since it was first announced in April of this year as a 500bhp, 500 kilogram road car with the cornering ability of a Le Mans prototype and one of the fastest 0-60mph times of any roadgoing car in the world (2.5 seconds). We wrote about its debut at the prestigeous Monaco Top Marques Show, it’s appearance at Goodwood Festival of Speed and we’re now pleased to bring the first piccies of the lightweight tandem two-seater’s first running prototype and the news that the order book for the first year's supply, which begins in March 2007, is already half gone. The car’s creators – design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead – climbed into the high performance two-seater last week to start the engine and complete the first trial run. Read More
The Peugeot 908 V12 HDi DPFS
By Mike Hanlon
October 3, 2006 Over the years, we’ve often had emails from technology fans asking what motorsport has to do with our primarily advanced technology menu and our response is always that new technology is not just about doing it different but doing it better. Motorsport is different – motorsport requires doing it best. That means that you won’t even be competitive unless you have world’s best practice or thereabouts in every single aspect of a race team, let alone the design of the car and the quality of driver. So when one of the world’s top manufacturers sets out with a goal of starting from scratch and winning a world class event, we figure that’s a smorgasbord of fascinating technologies and organization worth exploring. In June 2005, Peugeot announced its decision to accept a new technological challenge: to win one of the world’s most prestigious and demanding motor races, the Le Mans 24 Hours, with a car powered by an HDi diesel engine equipped with a diesel particulate filter system (DPFS). This week, the company unveiled the race car and a lot of the details. Read More
The world’s first commercially-available electric-solar hybrid, and a sporty one at that
By Mike Hanlon
October 2, 2006 It’s not often we get lead stories on consecutive days from the same company (never before in fact) but French transportation futurists Venturi have done it again – this time with the first solar electric hybrid to be commercialised in the world. Named Astrolab (latin astro = star, labe = to take) because it takes its energy from the sun in order to move, the solar commuter is capable of working with very little energy (16 kW engine) and of recharging even when in motion, and does not need to be permanently exposed to the sun in order to move. The car’s performance is remarkably close to that of a petrol-engined vehicle as it has a top speed of 120 kmh and a minimum range of 110 km. To attain this level of performance while using very little energy, the Astrolab has been designed like a Formula 1 car with an ultra-light carbon monocoque chassis serving as an oversized protection cell in the event of a collision and at the same time offering a large surface for the 3.6 square metres of photovoltaic cells. Its profile recalls the aqua-dynamic design of great racing yachts and Venturi draws the parallel between Astrolab and a sailboat : both advance silently while making best use of the elements and both offer sensations unlike any other. Its designer Sacha Lakic describes Astrolab as “a flying wing set on four wheels.”Astoundingly, it’s not just a show car - EUR92,000 will buy you one and the first vehicles are scheduled for delivery in January, 2008. Do be sure to see yesterday’s equally remarkable story about the world’s first energy-autonomous vehicle. Venturi, we salute you! Read More
Renault’s Twingo communicating city car concept
By Mike Hanlon
October 2, 2006 After previewing its spectacular Nepta Concept with motor-driven gull wing doors in the weeks leading up to the Paris Show, we figured Renault had played all its cards, but we were very wrong. At the opening of the show, Renault trotted out the youth-culture-inspired Twingo Concept, the most wired and desirable city car we’ve yet seen. The centre console features a USB port as well as sockets for devices like an Apple iPod and the Nokia Smartphone. A mixing deck built into the dashboard is ideal for partying with friends. The tiny city car is no slouch – powered by a turbocharged 1.2-litre engine delivering 73kW (100hp), the Twingo combines efficiency, response, power and environmental friendliness. Read More
Honda shows next-generation diesel engine
By Mike Hanlon
October 2, 2006 Honda has developed a next-generation diesel engine that reduces exhaust gas emissions to a level equal to a petrol engine and expects to have the engine available in its U.S. market cars within three years. The engine employs an NOx catalytic converter that enables a reduction in NOx emissions sufficient to meet stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier II Bin 5 emission requirements. This catalytic converter uses the reductive reaction of ammonia generated within the catalytic converter to “detoxify” nitrogen oxide (NOx) by turning it into harmless nitrogen (N2). Read More
The first energy-autonomous vehicle
By Mike Hanlon
October 2, 2006 There is no doubt that if you rated all the automotive companies in the world on their forward thinking and commitment to commercialising new concepts in sustainable mobility, Monaco-based Venturi would win by a country mile. The company which produced the world’s first available electric sportscar (see articles here here and here), recently announced it would partner with Intel to make energy sharing possible via the Venturi Fetish platform and now it has debuted the first energy-autonomous vehicle and despite its non-traditional appearance, production has already begun. The urban 3-seater electro-solar vehicle named the Eclectic goes well beyond anything previously offered by car manufacturers, being the first vehicle powered entirely by renewable energies, the first solar production vehicle and the first car that can be directly recharged with a personal wind turbine. A limited run of 200 vehicles will be available in June 2007 at a price of EUR24,000. The company is shooting for an even higher level of production from 2009 at an estimated base price of EUR15,000. Innovative and astonishing, Eclectic is much more than a simple vehicle ; it is a production and storage plant for renewable energies, either solar or wind based. Charging of these energies, which is intermittent in certain regions, can also be complemented by electrical recharging. Read More
Subaru develops horizontally opposed Turbo Diesel engine
By Mike Hanlon
September 29, 2006 Subaru Europe President Hiroyuki Ikeda dropped an unexpected announcement in his Paris motor show speech when he mentioned that the company was working on a SubaruBoxer Turbo Diesel and that development is nearly complete. The horizontally opposed engine layout made famous by Volkswagen has long been favoured by Subaru and has been the mainstay of its fleet for more than three decades with its latest effort winning first place in the 2.5-liter class of the International Engine of the Year Awards. Though it’s logical that the company would develop the world’s first horizontally opposed diesel engine, there are many technical difficulties to overcome, so it was by no means regarded as a given. Anyway, we have the drawings in high res and we suspect it’ll be a beauty. Read More
Ford’s tricky F-450 Series Super Duty with bed-extender
By Mike Hanlon
September 29, 2006 Ford’s top-selling work truck, the F-Series Super Duty, has been overhauled for the 2008 model year and will go on sale in early 2007 with a new range-topping F-450 pickup as the star of the show. The F-450 can handle payloads in excess of 6,000 pounds, has a towing capacity of more than 24,000 pounds, and can be powered by the well-known 362-horsepower 6.8-liter V-10 Triton gasoline engine, or a new 6.4-liter Power Stroke Diesel that delivers 350 horsepower at 3,000 rpm and 650 lb.-ft. of torque starting at 2,000 rpm. The bit that really caught our eye though, was the ingenious two-piece stowable bed extender. Read More
Sportshift – the automated manual transmission from Aston Martin
By Mike Hanlon
September 29, 2006 One of the genuinely interesting aspects of a major motor show such as the 2006 Paris Motor Show, is just how much genuinely innovative new design gets buried because there is indeed so much information being blasted at the assembled media. One such gem which will probably not get its share of media attention because Ford is looking to sell off the loss-making sports car manufacturer is the Aston Martin automated manual transmission option for the V8 Vantage – Sportshift. Sportshift adds electro-hydraulic control to the existing Vantage 6-speed manual gearbox to offer improved shift times and replaces the conventional manual gear lever with push button controls on the centre console to select ‘Auto Drive’, ‘Reverse’ or ‘Neutral’. Read More
Ford iosis X concept
By Mike Hanlon
Updated October 2, 2006 Ford of Europe's Design team has interpreted the Company's distinctive new 'kinetic design' form language in an exciting new crossover concept - the iosis X – which makes its debut at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. One of the specific purposes of iosis X is to prepare the public for the introduction of a future Ford of Europe niche model. Ford Europe’s CEO John Fleming, President and CEO, Ford of Europe. "The iosis X is intended to send a very strong message that we will be entering this market in around eighteen months from now, and that our new model will be both stylish and individual." Read More
New VW CrossGolf combines SUV and MPV
By Mike Hanlon
September 28, 2006 Volkswagen will be showing a new crossover version of the Golf at the Paris Motor Show which opens today. The CrossGolf merges the can-do qualities of a compact SUV with the versatility of a small MPV into a new model. SUV means “Sports Utility Vehicle”, denoting a significantly more “civilian” stage on the path to the “tough” off-road vehicle. Approximately 480,000 compact SUVs were sold in Europe in 2005. MPV means “Multi Purpose Vehicle”, referring to a van. With its versatile and spacious interior, the CrossGolf also bridges this segment which sold 1.4 million compact SUVs in Europe in 2005. As a combination SUV and MPV, the new CrossGolf is precisely positioned between these poles and has no direct competitor in this class due to its positioning and conception. Read More
Alexis Olson
- November 9, 2009 @ 21:08 UTC
