Concept Cars

The recently finalized Double Challenge project required MA students at London’s Royal College of Art to design an ultra-compact electric vehicle for event sponsor Citroën. Not surprisingly from such distilled intelligence, the winning entry is a new type of personal urban commuter positioned between bicycles and cars – light, aerodynamically efficient, cheap to build and economical in its use of energy and hence run. Heikki Juvonen’s “E-3POD Antistatic” is an ultralight, micro segment electric three-wheeler with the driver sitting inside a large hub-less third wheel. Read More

At the dawn of the millennium, Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, who is today Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen AG, set his sights on creating a practical everyday use production car with a fuel consumption of 1.0 liter per 100 km (235 mpg). In 2002 a prototype VW 1-Litre was unveiled, which was followed in 2009 by the second-generation model, dubbed the L1, which boasted a combined diesel fuel consumption figure of 1.38-liter/100 km (170 mpg). As impressive as that figure is, the company has now managed to squeeze a combined fuel consumption of just 0.9-liter/100 km (261 mpg) with its third-generation VW 1-Litre prototype – the XL1. Read More

Mazda will show a new compact crossover SUV concept car dubbed the Minagi at this year's 81e Salon International de l'Auto de Genève (Geneva Motor Show). The Minagi will utilize Mazda's SKYACTIV technologies – a general term the company is using for its "innovative next-generation technologies" – in its engine, transmission, body and chassis to achieve significant weight reduction. Read More

Of the various vehicles that were displayed at this month’s Detroit Auto Show, undoubtedly the biggest crowds were drawn to the cars with the most striking exteriors – witness the Porsche 918 RSR, for instance. Given that we drive our cars from the inside, however, isn’t the interior what’s most important? That’s what Johnson Controls seems to believe, as its ie:3 demonstrator vehicle showcased a number of the company’s innovations for vehicle interiors. According to Michael Warsaw, Johnson’s VP of Industrial Design and Marketing for North America, “Everything that you’ll see in this vehicle is ready for the next generation of automobiles.” Read More

MINI’s track record of producing near production-ready concept vehicles is set to pay dividends again with the MINI Paceman Concept vehicle. The concept car, which made its world debut at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, will be used as the basis for the seventh production model in MINI’s lineup. Described by MINI as the first crossover coupe in the premium small car segment, the Paceman Concept is based on the same platform as the MINI Countryman but with the styling of a coupe. Read More

This Monday at the Detroit Auto Show 2011, Ford introduced the public to its Vertrek compact SUV concept. The vehicle is built on Ford’s new global C-segment platform, which the company states will replace three platforms currently in use, and underpin more than 2 million automobiles (including the ubiquitous Focus) by 2012. Ford describes the Vertrek as its “vision for a utility vehicle that will appeal to customers around the globe; it signals the direction Ford will take in developing a new global utility vehicle.” Read More

Hyundai has unveiled its new 3-door coupe Veloster and Curb concept vehicle at Detroit Auto Show 2011. The Veloster combines the style of a coupe and the functionality of a hatchback with a single driver-side door, two passenger-side doors and a hatch, while the Curb concept is a compact crossover that is also intended as a test bed for Hyundai’s Blue Link telematics system. Read More

Park it somewhere picturesque, unbolt the wheels, dispense with the dash and Kia's KV7 Concept Van would become a comfy little lounge-room retreat ... throw in a decent coffee machine and I'd move in. Unveiled at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show today, the KV7 was developed by Kia’s Southern California design team as a re-think of the segment that attempts to go beyond the notion of a van as simply an A-to-B family troop carrier. The design influences of Kia's recent offering like the Soul is clear, but what really grabs you about the KV7 is the interior – floating tabletop touch-screen computer display, four swiveling single-seats plus a three-seater corner mini-lounge, clever storage compartments, Wi-Fi connectivity and ... what every lounge-room needs ... a grand entrance courtesy of a long gullwing door and pillarless front door on the passenger side. Read More

When Porsche promises a world premiere you expect something very special and as the curtain went up on the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) this morning, it delivered. The company has taken the drivetrain of the 911 GT3 R Hybrid and spliced it together with the silky lines of the 918 Spyder Concept to create the Porsche 918 RSR – a mid-engine coupé that puts out a remarkable 767 hp at peak using the combined forces of its direct injection V8 engine and electric motors on each of the front wheels. Read More