Concept

Kia No 3 concept with unconventional panoramic roof

By Mike Hanlon

13:46 February 24, 2009 PST

There are few details available just yet but you don't need to look hard to see the Kia No3 concept is quite different to anything you've seen before. The concept features a unique extended windscreen and panoramic glass roof with a diagonal supporting bar and an automatic sun visor. If the vehicle follows Kia tradition of turning its concepts into production vehicles, we suspect this is the first foothold for a new niche in the small car market. Read More

Mitsubishi close to releasing i MiEV in Europe

By Mike Hanlon

18:44 February 12, 2009 PST

Mitsubishi appears to be getting very close to releasing its i MIEV electric car in Europe. Just a fortnight ago we ran the news that the i MiEV SPORT AIR concept would debut at the 79th Geneva International Motor Show on March 3. Now comes the late news that another prototype i MiEV will also debut at the Geneva Palexpo complex, that it will have left-hand drive, the wider track and longer overhangs of a European specification and that feasibility testing in Europe is already underway. Read More

Foiljet MR1 hydrofoil: the motocross bike for water

By Paul Evans

00:55 February 10, 2009 PST

The Foiljet MR1 is a new personal watercraft concept that takes the best features of a motocross bike and jetski, throws in two hydrofoils plus a silent, energy efficient electric motor to create what would have to be a surefire recipe for outrageous fun. The design looks something like a motocross bike, but instead of wheels there are beams with small hydrofoil wings mounted at the ends that can be raised or lowered. The concept would use a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor housed at the end of the rear beam with its instant electric torque lifting the craft out of the water to become "foil borne". Read More

Learn guitar using laser guidance

By Darren Quick

19:56 February 9, 2009 PST

Guitar Hero and Rock Band have allowed masses of people without the time or patience to learn the guitar to become Rock Gods in their own living rooms. For those looking to take the next step and pick up a real guitar, this concept for a guitar learning aid from designer Eugene Cheong promises a faster transistion. The “Maestro” would attach to any guitar and get budding guitarists jamming in record time by using lasers to guide their fingers. Read More

Robotic Electric Motorcycle concept capable of MotoGP speeds

By Paul Evans

17:11 February 8, 2009 PST

We're familiar with the soccer playing exploits of intelligent machines in Robocup and have been treated to a taste of what autonomous robotic systems are capable of in events like the DARPA Urban Challenge, but could a rider-less motorcycle robot compete with the speed demons of MotoGP? That's the vision of Japanese computer graphics designer Yutaka Igarashi who has conceived a new robotically controlled motorcycle design aimed at beating the lap time of a MotoGP bike around a circuit. Read More

Mitsubishi i MiEV SPORT AIR Concept with transparent removable roof

By Mike Hanlon

14:42 January 26, 2009 PST

Mitsubishi has just announced i MiEV SPORT AIR concept, which will be shown at the Geneva Motor Show in March. The i MiEV SPORT was announced at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show (announcement/show report/gallery), weighing 970kg with 107 kW (143.5 bhp) and a whopping 680 Nm of torque – compare that with the 2009 Tesla’s 185 kW, 375 nm and 1238 kg. Now a brief cryptic press release indicates that the new i MiEV SPORT AIR will be a "proper sports car", inferring the i MiEV SPORT was not. So we’re expecting some pretty special performance to match the stunning good looks and the transparent removable top. Read More

Lincoln's vision of a luxury compact includes Eva, the talking car computer

By Loz Blain

08:23 January 15, 2009 PST

The 2008 oil price bonanza seems to have given the U.S. auto industry a much-needed kick in the pants - pity it was closely followed by a crippling recession. While last year's petrol prices in America still seemed outrageously cheap to many Europeans, the spike was enough to finally put fuel economy and smaller cars on Big Auto's agenda. Take this concept from Lincoln, Ford's luxury brand, better known for its enormous presidential limousines. The 'C' Concept is Lincoln's vision of a luxury compact. Its 4cl, 1.6l, 180-horsepower Ecoboost engine gets 43mpg on the highway, 25% better than the Ford Focus manages - and its reconfigurable dash, hubless steering wheel and spooky KITT-style omnipotent conversational computer ("Eva, I need the most fuel efficient route to Luciano's") combine to make it one of the most unabashedly "futuristic" concepts shown at this year's Detroit Auto Show. Read More

VW's clean diesel BlueSport concept: more economical than the Prius, with 80% more power

By Loz Blain

00:15 January 13, 2009 PST

January 13, 2009 The latest generation turbo injected clean diesels are already delivering proper sportscar performance at fuel economy levels that beat even the updated version of Toyota's pedestrian Prius hybrid - and Volkswagen's major concept debut at Detroit's Auto Show is determined to ram home the point. Using similar technologies to what VW subsidiary Audi has employed in its Sportback concept, the VW BlueSport concept's 54mpg fuel economy makes a mockery of the third-generation Prius's 50mpg, while delivering nearly twice the horsepower. A compact, corner-carving roadster, the BlueSport looks like a real giggle. Read More

Audi presents its Sportback concept, a preview of the 2010 A7 sedan

By Loz Blain

20:18 January 12, 2009 PST

January 13, 2009 While the firebreathing 5.2-litre V10 R8 supercar is clearly the performance king of Audi's Detroit NAIAS lineup, the Sportback concept unveiled does an excellent job of marrying performance, economy, stunning looks and practicality. Its 3-litre, 6-cylinder direct-injection turbo 'clean diesel' engine puts out 225 horsepower and 550 Nm, for a top speed over 150mph - and yet its average fuel economy nearly tips 40mpg. Ultra-low CO2 emissions are the result of smart decisions throughout the car, from the advanced exhaust emissions control, to electric systems like the power steering that consume no energy when they're not immediately in use, to automatic engine stop-start at the traffic lights and power-smart sunlight-white LED headlights. The Sportback's ultra-clean lines and fastback hatch somehow make this four-door coupe look sportier than some of its two-door contemporaries. Beautiful. Read More

Cadillac unveils extended-range electric Converj concept

By Loz Blain

03:09 January 12, 2009 PST

January 12, 2009 If one thing is immediately and staggeringly obvious at this year's Detroit NAIAS auto show, it's that electric, hybrid and extended-range electric cars have stepped out of the shadowy corners to which they were relegated in 2008, and they're now the main event for a lot of manufacturers. It seems the auto industry's well-documented woes in 2008, as well as consumer reaction to volatile petrol pricing, have galvanized even the most stalwart of old-school Detroit metal makers into action on gasoline alternatives. The extended-range electric seems to offer the most painless transition to primarily-electric motoring, and this is the way Cadillac have chosen to go with the Converj concept we saw unveiled earlier today. Capable of dealing with a typical 40-mile daily commute on full-electric, but with a petrol generator to make long trips possible, the 100mph Converj is a glamorous hint at what Cadillac intend to do with electric engines. Read More

Kia Soul’ster open air concept

By Mike Hanlon

18:57 January 11, 2009 PST

January 11, 2009 Though it’s hard to visualize summer in Detroit right now with two inches of snow in the streets, Kia debuted an interesting open air concept based on the production model Soul, which will be arriving in showrooms in Q2 starting at US$14,000. With such a low starting price, the Soul’ster’s target market of young singles would no doubt appreciate the economical budget-priced front wheel drive concept. Designed to satisfy satisfy “multiple consumer needs”, it could be a very practical vehicle in the real world, with plenty of load space, and a two-piece top that allows passengers to expose the front and back seating areas independently. The roof may be retractable, but there are no fancy automatic mechanisms - this roof runs on elbow-grease technology, which is just fine because we think the Soul’ster looks likely to get the green light for production. Read More

Embrio One-Wheel Concept

By Mike Hanlon

This hydrogen fuel cell powered, gyroscopically balanced, one-wheeled recreational and commuting vehicle provides an extraordinary vision of the kind of personal transport we could be using 20 years from now. Read More