Frankfurt Motor Show
Volkswagen announces its first electric production car – the e-up!
Volkswagen may be a bit late to the electric vehicle game, as far as major global manufacturers go, but it's making up for it quickly. Hot on the heels of the world premiere of its e-Co-Motion electric van concept and the revolutionary XL1 hybrid, the company is introducing its first electric production car – the e-up! – which made its debut at its Annual Press and Investors Conference. The electric up! is a city car that can travel up to 93 miles (150 km) per charge. Read More
The move from concept vehicle to production vehicle is almost becoming standard practice for Mini. So much so that when the company first unveiled the Mini Coupé concept vehicle alongside the Roadster concept vehicle at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, it was made clear the Coupé would be going into production. Mini subsequently announced a 2011 release date and, true to its word, the Coupé will be hitting showrooms this year, while the soft-top Roadster topless version is set to be released early next year. Read More
Lotus Engineering has announced plans to develop its Range Extender Engine for series production. First shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Range Extender is a 1.2 liter, three-cylinder engine designed specifically for series hybrid vehicles. Read More
Since Nicholas Negroponte first came up with his landmark teething ring visualization of the coming together of communication, computing and content, the term convergence has become the uber buzzword. Now there’s convergence going on in the personal transport industry, with the car and the motorcycle morphing as car makers attempt to downsize their vehicles to make them better suited to the world’s increasingly crowded roads. This article begins with Nissan’s tandem two-seat, half width tilting car, the Landglider, and examines all the other work being done around the world as narrow track vehicles seriously begin to make their case. Read More
Renault announces production sites for Z.E. electric cars
Renault's Zero Emissions (Z.E.) range really captured our attention at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show and now the company has confirmed plans to unleash two of the radically designed EVs onto the streets from 2011. Read More
With electric powered vehicle development picking up pace in a big way, German based company e-Wolf is looking to take things one step further after unveiling its “e-2” EV prototype. Boasting an expected acceleration of 0-60mph in under four seconds, e-Wolf is set to deliver an Italian-inspired electric “supercar” that puts the mean in green. Read More
The term convergence normally refers to the merging of consumer electronics, entertainment and media, but if recent trends are anything to go by, it could equally apply to the melding of the car and the motorcycle. BMW’s enclosed C3 motorcycle is now emerging as a road safety pin-up vehicle and at the Frankfurt Motor Show last month both Volkswagen and Renault exhibited tandem half-width cars that looked for all the world like four-wheeled motorcycles. Now comes news that Nissan is to unveil an electric tandem four-wheeled “Land Glider” concept at Tokyo Motor Show, and the wording of the press statements looks like Nissan is very confident the vehicle will reach showrooms. Read More
It’s not all glitz and glamor at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year and rather sensibly many manufacturers are focusing on practicality and economy as well as style and finesse. Ford is traditionally a safe bet when it comes to family-oriented motors and has introduced a new two-model C-MAX compact MAV (Multi-activity vehicle) range, which made its global debut at the show. Read More
The Can-Am Spyder gets a trio of fully-faired touring versions
Bombardier Recreational Products has had a remarkable success with its three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder since the roadster’s launch more than two years ago, and the big news is that the Spyder is to be developed into two streams – one for sports riding and one for touring. The existing GS model will now be designated the Spyder RS (roadster sport) and the new touring range will be designated Spyder RT (roadster touring). There’s also a new special edition Spyder RS-S model, with a host of additional features as standard, three RT models and a purpose-built 622 liter trailer. Read More
German performance vehicle manufacturer Brabus has done it again with the “world’s most powerful high-performance sedan”. Brabus has a history of churning out high performance sedans, but the new Brabus E V12 'one of ten' unveiled at IAA 2009 outdoes all previous efforts. Dubbed the 'Black Baron', the car features a newly-developed SV12 R Biturbo 800 12-cylinder displacement engine boasting a rated power output of 800hp (788bhp), which is able to propel the car to a ridiculous top speed of more than 370kmh (230mph). Read More
