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Concept Cars
Chevrolet Camaro Convertible concept
By Mike Hanlon
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
Toyota's 400 bhp FT-HS Hybrid Sports Car Concept
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
Vantastic Ford Transit Concepts
By Mike Hanlon
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
Lincoln MKR Concept
By Mike Hanlon
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
EFIJY Concept to make North American Show Debut
By Mike Hanlon
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
Original Dodge Firearrow concepts to be auctioned
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
Mitsubishi Prototype-X concept
By Mike Hanlon
December 18, 2006 Mitsubishi will unveil the Prototype X concept for a next-generation high-performance 4WD sport sedan at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (Detroit Motor Show) on January 7. The Prototype-X concept is an advance development model for the new Lancer Evolution due to be launched in 2007. Prototype-X features styling based on the current Lancer but was developed to project a visibly higher performance image. The concept model is fitted with Mitsubishi's S-AWC*1 (Super All-Wheel Control) vehicle dynamics system and handling control together with a new turbocharged MIVEC2 engine with an aluminium cylinder block and a 6-speed manual transmission. Read More
The Volvo XC60 Concept - a glimpse of the next XC
By Mike Hanlon
December 15, 2006 Volvo’s XC60 Concept is very much a car for the future. It not only offers the world a sneak preview of the next XC model to come from the Volvo Cars, it is also full of design innovation and reveals several design elements that will be part of future Volvos. Volvo Cars Design Director Steve Mattin and his team have designed the XC60 Concept while keeping their eyes firmly focused on one clear goal. “With more expressive, emotive shapes, it will be a magnet for the viewer’s eyes. If you say that you recognise a Volvo from 50 metres today, I want to get to the point where you will instantly spot it from twice that distance in the future.” Read More
Kia reveals sketch of Kue driver's vehicle concept
By Mike Hanlon
December 15, 2006 Like many of the world’s manufacturers do when a major motor show is imminent, Kia has released a preview sketch of one of its stars of the show. The all-new Kue crossover concept car will make its world premiere at the upcoming North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in early January. The Kia Kue concept employs a different approach to the crossover utility vehicle segment by taking the CUV to a new level with performance. While possessing SUV characteristics and capabilities, the Kia Kue focuses more on giving the driver an exhilarating driving experience on the way to the home improvement centre, than on how much it can haul. Read More
Mazda to debut Ryuga Design Concept and New Tribute HEV at 2007 NAIAS
By Mike Hanlon
December 12, 2006 Mazda will unveil an all-new concept car, Mazda Ryuga, and its all-new Mazda Tribute Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) at the 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on January 8, 2007. The Ryuga builds on Mazda’s concept of flow. The remarkable Nagare – Japanese for “flow” - concept vehicle debuted at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show and introduced the company’s new design future. Ryuga – Japanese for “gracious flow,” and the next generation of this exciting concept – will reflect a higher level of sophistication achieved through the use of rich fabrics, engineered fits and hidden details. Mazda Ryuga is elegant and refined, but with spirit and edge, portraying unique Japanese beauty. Read More
Honda Accord Coupe Concept for NAIS
By Mike Hanlon
December 6, 2006 Honda will be debuting a bold new look for the next-generation Honda Accord Coupe at the January 2007 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The Accord Coupe Concept will convey exterior styling cues and design features that provide a first look at the direction the next-generation Accord will take and the company promises to set a new benchmark for Accord and for the segment. Read More
Mazda Adrenaline Concept
By Mike Hanlon
December 6, 2006 Blurring the lines between a sport-utility vehicle and a sports car, Mazda’s Adrenaline Concept is based on a more powerful, more aggressive CX-7 SUV. Designed and built by Mazda Design North America, the 300 horsepower Adrenaline is a truly high-performance sport-crossover vehicle designed to promote the “Emotion of Motion.” To give the SUV a true sports car feel, the CX-7’s stock six-speed automatic transmission was changed for a six-speed manual, and the driveline dropped in from a MAZDASPEED6. Renowned rally driver and drifter Rhys Millen, pushed the Adrenaline engine out to more than 300 horsepower, and ... Read More
HUMMER 02 Concept with phototropic body shell
By Mike Hanlon
December 3, 2006 GM Advanced Design has won the Los Angeles Auto Show’s Design Challenge for the second year in a row. This year’s winning entry is a two-dimensional rendering of a 2015 Blue Sky Concept that addresses environmental sustainability. Called the HUMMER 02, the design was created to demonstrate that daily use of a vehicle could result in a net gain for the environment. The HUMMER 02 Concept features a phototropic body shell that produces pure oxygen throughout the life of the vehicle. Algae-filled body panels transform carbon dioxide into pure oxygen that is subsequently released back into the environment and inside the vehicle. Read More
Tough Compact HCD10 Hyundai Hellion Concept
By Mike Hanlon
December 1, 2006 The Hyundai Design and Technical Center and Hyundai Motor America presented the world debut of the HCD10 Hyundai Hellion concept during a press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show today. Hellion is a compact three-door sport crossover designed with attitude and independence creating its unmistakable character. Hellion’s architecture was inspired by a tough, hardshell backpack that uses ribs to provide structural and visual strength. To support this, Hyundai used three ultra-lightweight structural ribs to create Hellion’s safety cage. These ribs connect to a suspended surfboard-shaped spine. Hellion’s ribcage not only provides protection for its occupants, but also adds visual rigidity and shape. By stretching the sheet metal skin away from the common body surface, the ribs give Hellion a new kind of organic ruggedness. Read More
Compact Honda Step Bus Concept - man maximum, machine minimum philosophy
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
By Mike Hanlon
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
Spirit of 76
- November 27, 2009 @ 05:10 UTC
