Concept Cars
One of the stars of the Australian International Motor Show this week is this piece of automotive sculpture called the Lexus LF-LC Blue. We covered an earlier Red version of this uniquely styled concept vehicle back in January when it was shown for the first time at the Detroit show. I quote Lexus public relations; “The all-new Opal Blue exterior is inspired by the lustrous base color found in the naturally occurring semi-precious opal stone of outback Australia.” Total nonsense of course but it does look spectacular and some new details of the project have emerged. Read More
A joint project with Korean aftermarket performance parts manufacturer ARK Performance and several other partners, the Veloster Alpine proves that Hyundai has more than one SEMA vision. This ode to the extreme winter sports lifestyle gets upgrades under the hood and around the interior and exterior. Read More
Four-wheeled Carnivàle: Nissan reveals EXTREM concept in Brazil
A few days ago, Nissan teased not just a new car, but a new genre of cars. That car is the EXREM, and the genre is something that Nissan calls an urban compact sports car. Nissan designed the new concept car specifically for the Brazilian market and introduced it at the São Paulo Motor Show. Read More
The Hyundai Veloster is a sporty hatch, but it's far from the most aggressive car on the road. Or is it? With a few engine upgrades and new components, Hyundai shows just how mean and race-ready the Veloster can be. Read More
Volkswagen unveils Taigun compact SUV concept in Brazil
Volkswagen has taken the wraps off its latest concept vehicle at the São Paulo International Motor Show in Brazil. Built around the Volkswagen Group’s New Small Family (NSF) platform used on the Volkswagen up!, the Taigun is a compact SUV concept vehicle styled after its bigger brothers, the Tiguan and Touareg. VW plans to gauge public reaction to the Taigun before making a decision on whether to put the vehicle into production. Read More
Chrysler Group will be bringing two dozen customized vehicles to this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas. The show doesn't get underway until the end of the month, but Chrysler has provided a sneak preview of eight of its models. The Jeep Wrangler Sand Trooper and Dodge Charger Juiced are among the vehicles that get "Moparized." Read More
Automakers have been toying with the idea of single passenger vehicles in an attempt to reduce emissions in urban centers, and Toyota's Coms is one such example. The company is showing off a new concept version based on this ultra-compact, single passenger electric vehicle dubbed the "Smart INSECT" at CEATEC JAPAN 2012 this week. Short for "information network social electric city transporter," it would connect the home, vehicle, and people in new ways through Toyota's cloud services. Read More
Audi's "dual-mode hybrid" crosslane coupé concept
Audi has provided a hint at what to expect from its upcoming Q models with the unveiling of its crosslane coupé concept at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Packed to its removable roof with technology, the angular plug-in hybrid combines two electric motors with a purpose-designed three-cylinder TFSI engine for a total output of 130 kW (177 hp). This gets the 2+2 seater to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.6 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 182 km/h (113 mph). Read More
BMW Concept Active Tourer combines comfort and sustainable driving
BMW is bringing its BMW Concept Active Tourer to the 2012 Paris Motor Show, which takes place September 29 to October 14. The four-door plug-in hybrid concept car showcases technology that combines fuel efficiency and comfort in a design aimed at the premium compact market. Read More
Taking a number of cues from the LF-LC Hybrid Sports Coupe Concept unveiled in Detroit in January – which isn’t a bad place to take some cues from in our opinion – the Lexus LF-CC Concept Car is a mid-sized coupe concept featuring a new 2.5-liter full hybrid powertrain that will soon be introduced on the Lexus model range. The vehicle will be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show that kicks off at the end of the month. Read More
