Articles tagged with "Concept Cars"
Compact Honda Step Bus Concept - man maximum, machine minimum philosophy
November 30, 2006 Our automobiles reflect who we are, and the Honda Step Bus Concept is designed specifically for high energy lifestyles, representing the ultimate expression of Honda packaging prowess with a mid-engine design and a fully maximized and quickly adaptable interior. The highly configurable, high-tech interior provides ultimate urban utility from the outside in. Sliding front doors with a space efficient design let people enter and exit in tight spaces. Although micro in exterior size, the cavernous interior can harbor large amounts of band equipment, sports gear and other bulky items. (read more...)
Honda REMIX Concept mixes sports car attitude with everyday functionality
November 30, 2006 The Honda REMIX small sport concept vehicle made its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show yesterday. The REMIX explores the shape and design of a two-seat sports car focused on agile and fun-to-drive performance that can also provide exceptional practicality as a daily driver. Sports car in shape and design, the low-slung REMIX features a wrap-around canopy that adds a fighter jet-feel to the driving experience. The aluminium-color exterior accentuates every line and curve in the geometric, yet fluid styling. Capable of delivering more than just driving performance, the rear storage area supplies generous cargo room. (read more...)
VW’s Concept Tiguan makes debut at Los Angeles Auto Show
November 30, 2006 The launch looked more like a nighclub than an automotive debut but Volkswagen was intent on selling the sizzle as well as the sausage. The sausage in question was the Concept Tiguan compact 4x4, and the venue was the Los Angeles Auto Show, with the whole affair topped off by the announcement that the first examples of the SUV will be delivered to customers by the end of next year. The first news of the Tiguan’s development came with the debut of Concept A in Berlin earlier this year. This was followed by the naming of the model in July, the result of a poll of more than 350,000 readers of magazines of the AutoBild group. This latest development in Los Angeles takes the Tiguan one step closer to production and hints strongly at how the final version could look. (read more...)
Mazda Nagare Concept: Capturing the Emotion of Motion In New Surface Language
UPDATED NEW IMAGES December 1, 2006 Mazda does good concept cars. In the 2005-2006 global auto show season, Mazda’s Sassou (2005 Frankfurt Motor Show), Senku (2005 Tokyo Motor Show) and Kabura (2006 Detroit Auto Show), Mazda’s global design team kicked butt. Mazda’s design division has invented a new surface language called Nagare for introduction at this year’s Greater Los Angeles International Auto Show. It looks like a Grand Slam to us! NAGARE (pronounced “na-ga-reh”) is Japanese for ‘flow’ and the embodiment of motion. Under the direction of Mazda’s new global design director, Laurens van den Acker, the challenge given to the team was to invent a novel means of registering motion in vehicles whether they’re moving or still. Nagare achieves that goal while also signaling a fresh design direction for future Mazda vehicles. Nagare is the first of a series of design concepts – some closer to actual production vehicles than others – that Mazda will showcase this global autoshow season, including Los Angeles, Detroit, Geneva and Tokyo. We can’t wait. (read more...)
The Ford Mustang by Giugiaro – a one-of-a-kind concept
NEW IMAGES POSTED December 4, 2006 The 2005 Ford Mustang captured the hearts and minds of millions of fans and future owners when the all-new model debuted. But the proportions and design of Ford’s first purpose-built muscle car in 30-plus years caught the eyes and sparked the imaginations of a pair of the world’s leading coachbuilders in Italy as well. (read more...)
Volkswagen Neeza Concept Car
November 19, 2006 With the Chinese automotive market now the second largest in the world and growing like topsy, the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition is become one of the world’s premier automotive showcases in very short order. Few of the world’s non-Chinese automotive companies have debuted concept cars there for a variety of reasons that will no doubt change over the next year or two – one of the first to launch an entirely new concept car is Volkswagen which has just taken the wraps off the Neeza concept, a crossover between a sports coupe and an estate with an off-road appearance. Significantly, it was designed in China for China, combining Chinese and German design philosophies. The concept intentionally has neither a radio, navigation system nor other form of infotainment equipment. Instead a ‘Magic Box’ serves as an interface for radio and navigation systems, mobile phone, personal organiser and other devices. And the roof is entirely glass. (read more...)
The Geely Fengying Concept
November 17, 2006 The scarily large and growing Chinese automotive industry will impact everyone on the planet in more ways than just rising fuel prices and greenhouse gas emissions – it will also significantly influence design, so don’t be surprised to begin seeing new brand names you’ve never heard of on some pretty dashing automobiles … like Geely f’rinstance. The Chinese auto maker will introduce the Fengying concept car at the Beijing Auto show, complete with styling borrowed from the aero industry and scissor doors. (read more...)
Jay Leno’s Turbine-Powered EcoJet Concept
IMAGE LIBRARY UPDATED November 8, 2006 What would keep a group of automotive designers up all night? "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno, for starters, but not by his monologue or parade of Hollywood guests. This time it's because the late-night talk show host invited the General Motors Advanced Design Studio to help design a mid-engine, turbine-powered supercar called EcoJet. Leno and Ed Welburn, GM vice president of Global Design, introduced the car yesterday at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show. The 650-horsepower (400 lb.-ft. of torque) Leno original is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine that runs on bio-diesel fuel. The engine sits in a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components. The vehicle's shell is an advanced construction of carbon fiber over Kevlar. (read more...)
Ground testing begins for X-48B Blended Wing Body Concept
November 1, 2006 Ground testing of the X-48B Blended Wing Body (BWB) concept will start in the near future in preparation for flight testing early next year. The X-48B ground and flight testing will take place at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, where two high-fidelity 21-foot wingspan prototypes have been delivered. The prototypes were produced to explore and validate the structural, aerodynamic and operational advantages of the BWB concept and were designated X-48B by the U.S. Air Force based on its interest in the design's potential as a future military aircraft. The X-48B's three turbojet engines will allow the 500-pound, composite-skinned, 21-foot wingspan prototype to fly up to 120 knots and 10,000 feet in altitude during flight testing. (read more...)
Futuristic Nanospyder Concept (psst - it’s a Volkswagen)
November 1, 2006 A team of highly creative Volkswagen designers based in California have unveiled their own unique take on the future of modern transportation. The result is the Volkswagen Nanospyder. Futuristic nanotechnology supported by hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, wheel-mounted electric motors and inflatable organic body panels combine to form the unusual shape of the two-seater concept. (read more...)
Transportable HD Radio receiver, Dockable Entertainment featuring Game Boy Advance, and Wireless Charging Concept on show at SEMA
October 31, 2006 The Specialty Equipment Markets Association (SEMA) Show opens in Las Vegas today and one of the stars of the show will undoubtedly be the extensively modified 2006 Scion xB on the Visteon stand which incorporates several new and pretty important technologies in not just automotive entertainment but mobile entertainment in general. Visteon is using the Scion to showcase the first transportable HD Radio receiver (pictured with docking stations in the car and the home), an in-vehicle portable entertainment system that plays movies, music, Nintendo Game Boy Advance video games and a Wireless Charging Concept (main picture), that allows users to charge handheld devices such as an iPod, cellular phone or PDA and does not interfere with the operation of other electronics. (read more...)
Fiat Adventure Concept Car changes colour
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...)
Volkswagen Atacama 4WD van concept
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...)
Renault’s Twingo communicating city car concept
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...)
Ford iosis X concept
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...)
EuroCombi – innovative commercial vehicle concepts unveiled at IAA
September 25, 2006. The International commercial vehicle industry has opened up a new chapter in truck history at the IAA, where it has presented the innovative commercial vehicle concept “EuroCombi” to the public for the first time. The modular and road-friendly combinations are designed to transport 50 percent more goods per vehicle while reducing the amount of traffic. As such, they represent one way of dealing with the expected 20 percent increase in freight transport by 2015. The EuroCombi consumes 15 percent less fuel for each ton of transported goods, and ideally could replace 23 percent of conventional truck trips and thereby reduce long-haul traffic in Germany alone by 2.2 billion vehicle-kilometers a year. In international transport, EuroCombi can generate economic savings of more than 10 percent, and cut operating costs by 16 percent per palette area. The EuroCombi consists of a truck (tractor) with a semitrailer attached to a dolly, or of a tractor truck with a semitrailer to which a trailer is connected. Two EuroCombi variants are being presented at the IAA: a volume-oriented concept with a length of 25.25 meters and 48 tons of GVW, and a weight-oriented variant of the same length and up to 60 tons of GVW. (read more...)
Kia pro_cee’d concept car previews all-new Kia cee’d hatch to launch in 2007
September 20, 2006 The custom of Asian manufacturers giving ridiculous names to their export offerings was taken to new levels today by Korean auto manufacturer Kia in naming its latest concept car the pro_cee’d, complete with an underscore and apostrophe. Set for a Paris Motor Show debut later this month, the strikingly styled, pro_cee’d showcar is based on the forthcoming three-door ‘sporty hatch’ version of the all-new Kia cee’d C-segment model. This five-door family hatchback has its world premiere (in production-ready form) at Paris and will be manufactured at Kia’s first European assembly plant in Slovakia from November 2006. (read more...)
Hyundai C-Segment Arnejs concept
September 15, 2006 Hyundai has released the first pictures of its stunning Arnejs concept; the best clue yet as to what the company’s all new C-segment car will look like when it arrives next year. The Arnejs, pronounced Ar-nez, will be formally unveiled the Paris Motor Show, on 28 September 2006. Designed at Hyundai’s European Research and Design centre in Russelsheim, Germany, the Arnejs builds on design elements first seen in the Genus concept at Geneva Motor Show earlier this year. And it marks a further significant milestone in Hyundai’s development of a stronger brand identity. (read more...)
Peugeot 207 EPURE fuel cell concept car tipped as future model
September 9, 2006 Peugeot is clearly talking up its latest Paris Motor Show concept car as a glimpse of a future 207 model and the prospect is very exciting – the 207 EPURE concept car uses an electric motor combined with PSA Peugeot Citroen Group’s new 20 kW GENEPAC experimental fuel cell which has been designed in partnership with the French AEC (Atomic Energy Commission). The electricity produced by the fuel cell is used to provide extra power and operating range to the lithium-ion battery and hence the 50kW electric motor. The combination fuel cell - electric powertrain gives the 207 EPURE a range of around 218 miles while still providing a maximum speed of 81 mph. The pearl white exterior of the 207 EPURE highlights the purity of the concept car’s lines while strengthening the ecological credentials of the technology that powers it. (read more...)
Citroen's spectacular C-Metisse Concept
September 7 2006 Citroen seems to save its best concept cars for its home Paris Show and this year it has unveiled a beauty. The C-Metisse Concept will be seen in the flesh for the first time at the 2006 Paris Motor Show. With its elegant proportions, flamboyant bodywork and spectacular door design, the C-Metisse is an elegant 4-seater 4-door coupe reminiscent of the most prestigious Grand Touring vehicles. The car has a high-performance diesel hybrid drivetrain, excellent aerodynamics and a weight of just 1400 kilograms complete with batteries. C-Metisse is based on the same future-oriented solution as the C4 HDi hybrid demonstration vehicle apart from one key difference: the electric motors are installed in the rear wheels. Looking at C-Metisse is a visual shock in itself. Long (4.74 m), wide (2 m) and low (1.24 m), the car is sculptural and almost intimidating. (read more...)
GM builds the Sequel advanced hydrogen fuel-cell concept vehicle
August 28, 2006 Way back at the start of 2005, the world’s largest automotive manufacturer, General Motors, showed the Sequel advanced hydrogen fuel-cell concept vehicle at the 2005 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), billing it as the culmination of US$1 billion of intensive research it had conducted into fuel cell technology. Like most show cars, the Sequel was not a working model, but now General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner has gone on record as saying “the most technologically advanced car GM has ever built” has actually been built, has an operating range of 300 miles, and will be made available to journalists in the near future. The Sequel is a truly remarkable vehicle, having superseded the AUTOnomy and Hy-wire as GM’s primary showcase of future fuel cell vehicles. See the extensive technical diagrams and photographic library we have assembled here, and read on for all the available detail. (read more...)
Volkswagen Reveals Iroc Sports Car Concept
August 25, 2006 Volkswagen has revealed its Iroc sports car concept at a special event in Berlin last night. The Iroc marks the return of the Scirocco, Volkswagen’s iconic sports coupe, which made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 33 years ago. Under the bonnet, the Iroc features Volkswagen’s TSI petrol technology, which uses a turbocharger and a supercharger to produce diesel-like consumption with impressive performance. Designed to maximise driving fun, the concept has a 210 bhp TSI engine, but a range of TSIs, starting from under 150 bhp, are also feasible. Most distinctive, however, are the gauges and controls in the Iroc’s cabin. Two large and newly-designed round instruments form the visual centre of the cockpit. The driver looks into two cylinders with twelve illuminated bars which create a three dimensional segmentation within the instruments. The Iroc combines practicality with driving fun and expressive design in a car that as a possible series-production vehicle would be “attractively positioned in price” according to VW. (read more...)
All-New Chevrolet Camaro almost identical to NAIAS concept
August 11, 2006 GM CEO Rick Wagoner announced yesterday that GM will build an all-new version of the Chevrolet Camaro sport coupe based on the award-winning concept that stole the spotlight at the North American International Auto Show. The all-new Camaro will begin with early production versions at the end of 2008 and will go on sale in the first quarter of 2009. The new Camaro will be almost identical to the concept, a thoroughly modern interpretation of the 1969 model, considered by many to be the best design of the car’s first generation. The front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sport coupe will feature an independent rear suspension, and will be offered in a variety of models with the choice of manual and automatic transmissions and V-6 and V-8 engines. Extensive image library. (read more...)
Nissan GT-S Concept
July 1, 2006 British Nissan development engineers working in their spare time have transformed a 350Z into a highly tuned ‘Saturday Special’. Called the GT-S, the supercharged super coupe is a performance-focused version of Nissan’s acclaimed ‘Z-‘car’ and is designed to appeal to enthusiastic 350Z owners who simply want more. Its first public outing will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (7-9 July) as an official Nissan-sanctioned entry in the hill climb, a sign the company is giving the GT-S concept serious consideration. Using a Novidem supercharger, power has increased by more than 25 per cent from 300PS to 382PS, while torque rises from 353 Nm to a heady 425Nm. Performance gains include a one second cut in the benchmark 0-60mph time (5.8 seconds for the standard 350Z) with 2.5 seconds slashed from the 0-100mph time. (read more...)
Fiat Truckster Concept
May 26, 2006 Fiat has taken the wraps off the new Fiat Ducato at the Madrid International Motor Show which opened yesterday and in the process has revealed the Truckster Concept, which takes the new Ducato commercial vehicle jointly developed with Citroen and Peugeot, to extremes, demonstrating just how flexible the Ducato is for converters. The Truckster is generously proportioned - 6.48 metres long, 2.55 m high and 2.49 metres wide - and has style that can only be described as modern and “exuberant”, thanks to a strategy which accentuates the concept of sporting performance applied to a commercial vehicle, with features such as 28 inch wheels, LED headlights, hydraulically-controlled gull wing doors, smoked glass windows and an aerodynamic spoiler. The interiors have also been given the same sporty feel, emphasizing its “road racer” personality. (read more...)
