Automotive
The second incarnation of the MINI Convertible
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The second iteration of the front-wheel-drive MINI Convertible broke cover last week and did so with a spectacular set of numbers behind it. Three convertible versions of the iconic vehicle will be available: a 90 bhp 109 mph MINI One, a 115 bhp 120 mph MINI Cooper and a 170 bhp 134 mph Cooper S derivative. With emissions and running costs now a key buying criteria, all three deliver frugality at the bowser compared to their performance – 40.4, 38.7 and 34.0 mpg respectively. All come with an alphabet soup (EPS, ABS, EBD, CBC and DSC, not to mention AIRCON) of standard technologies, but the showpiece is the fabric roof which operates in two stages – press the button once and the roof slides back 40 cm to create a unique ‘open sunroof’ effect. Press the button again and the roof retracts fully, folding itself behind the rear seats inside 15 seconds. Read More
GM HydroGen4 fuel cell vehicle to begin European testing
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GM’s HydroGen4 fuel-cell vehicles will hit the road in Berlin as part of the company's extensive global zero-emission test program. Having already completed over 400,000 miles of testing in the U.S. (where its known as the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell), the tests in Germany will be the first European outing for the hydrogen EV which is capable of 0-62mph in around 12 seconds, has a top speed of 100mph and a range of around 200 miles. Read More
The car key of the future - with integrated credit card
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November 27, 2008 A few weeks back we reported that BMW was working on a smartkey, and now we have images too. Contactless transactions and the cashless society are moving inexorably closer and BMW’s Research and Technology division has now released information relating to the development of a prototype for a multifunctional car key which enables cashless payment and personalised vehicle access. Clearly, car keys are one of those things you carry with you almost constantly, so it makes sense. Read More
Smart body kits: the smorsche, smerrari, smorvette, smaudi and smamborghini
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November 25, 2008 Got yourself a Smart and the fuel bills and environmental conscience under control, but yearning for something a bit edgier and more reflective of your high-testosterone self image? Here’s just the ticket! Some of the nicest work we’ve seen in a long time are these inspired Body Kits for Mercedes’ miserly smart. That’s the smaudi AWD at top left, and clockwise, the smorsche Targa, smorvette and smerrari. There’s also a smamborghini and a smorsche 911 in the image gallery. Read More
Mazda Kann wins LA Auto Show Design Challenge
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The Mazda R&D team has fended off some very impressive competition to take out the Los Angeles Auto Show's 2008 Design Challenge. This year's Challenge posed the question - "How will auto racing look in the year 2025?" - and Mazda responded with this rakish three-wheel design that utilizes a patented electronic tire system to draw energy from an electro-conductive road surface and achieve speeds of 250 mph with no harmful emissions. Read More
Volvo S60 Concept with Orrefors Crystal Interior
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November 25, 2008 In offering the world the first glimpse of the Volvo S60 Concept car which will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show in early January 2009, the Swedish auto manufacturer is giving an indication of what the all-new Volvo S60 will look like when it is launched in 2010. Little information is available at this time, but Volvo has indicated the car will “deliver a sporty drive like no Volvo before.” The only other significant information released with the accompanying image is that the interior features a floating centre stack made of hand-crafted Orrefors crystal, “shaped in a graceful, transparent wave from the instrument panel all the way to the rear seat backrest.” Clearly a first in automotive interiors, the crystal panel “appears to float above the centre stack's ergonomically designed functionality and rests gently on rubber pads.” Can’t wait! Read More
First photos of Porsche Four-Door Panamera GT
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It seems like forever since we knew it was coming, and it’s still nine months before the launch but finally, here are the first images of the new Porsche four door, the Panamera. Porsche has developed several new V-configuration six and eight cylinder power units for the Panamera that range in power from 300 to 500 bhp. Some of the engines use turbocharger technology and Direct Fuel Injection making them both fuel-efficient and powerful all in one. The flow of power to the wheels goes either through a manual six-speed gearbox or the new seven-speed Double-Clutch Gearbox, the so called Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK). Read More
Toyota CNG-Powered Camry Hybrid
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November 23, 2008 At a time when America’s auto manufacturers are going cap in hand to the Government for donations to secure their survival, how can there still be such large gaps in the marketplace? Toyota showed a CNG-Powered Camry Hybrid Concept at the LA Auto Show, portending the filling of a gaping hole in the market for a compressed natural gas hybrid. Put simply, in the near future, the demand for liquid petroleum will exceed supply and thanks to one of those immutable laws of commerce, when that happens, petrol will cost a lot more than it does right now. Apart from the potentially reduced running costs and environmental benefits afforded by using CNG over petrol, worldwide natural gas reserves should last until at least 2100 and widespread adoption of CNG could reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil and reduce vehicle operating costs. Read More
Lamborghini’s new 200mph Gallardo LP 560—4 Spyder
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November 23, 2008 Lamborghini appropriately held the worldwide debut of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560—4 Spyder at the Los Angeles Auto Show – Southern California accounts for approximately 30 percent of all Lamborghini sales in the United States, the brand’s largest global market. As the successor to the best-selling Lamborghini of all time, the new LP 560-4 Spyder combines the Coupé’s design, performance and handling characteristics with the open-air pleasures of a soft top super sports car. The 560-4 Spyder offers a new 5.2 liter engine with 40 additional horsepower than its predecessor; allowing it to sprint from 0-62 mph in only four seconds with a top speed of 201 mph. Read More
Rossi still eyeing Formula 1 drive
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November 23, 2008 Only one person has ever reached the pinnacle in both MotoGP and Formula 1 (John Surtees), the respective motorcycle and motor racing premier championships, and for the last three years, the greatest ever motorcycle racer (Valentino Rossi), has been teasing us with the prospect that he might switch to four wheels and attempt to emulate Surtees. Though he insists he’ll be staying in MotoGP for another five years, he spent two days punting the Kimi Raikkonen’s F2008 Ferrari this week and got within a second and a half of Raikkonen’s best time (see extensive image library). Fingers crossed! Read More
Honda FC Sport Design Study demonstrates Hydrogen Fuel Cell performance potential
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November 23, 2008 Honda pulled the wraps off a Fuel Cell Sport design study model at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week, The hydrogen-powered, three-seat FC sports car concept emphasizes the design flexibility and potential of Honda's V Flow fuel cell technology - already deployed in the Honda FCX Clarity sedan - and reconfigures it into a lightweight sports car design with an ultra-low center of gravity, powerful electric motor performance and zero-emissions. The design study concept is claimed to offer supercar levels of performance through low weight and a high-performance, electrically driven fuel cell powertrain. Read More
MINI E unveiled in Los Angeles
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Following a preview a few weeks back, the all-electric MINI E has hit the boards at the LA Motor Show for its world premiere. With its lithium-ion powered 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor driving it from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.5 seconds, an electronically limited top speed of 152 km/h (95 mph) and a range of 156 miles, the MINI E will make an impressive test bed for the BMW Group as it heads towards series production of all-electric vehicles. Read More
James Bond's aqua-car up for sale
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November 20, 2008 The release of Bond film number 22 - Quantum of Solace - has again made the uber-cool British secret agent the flavor of the month, but of all the iconic scenes from the long running series, the sight of Roger Moore as 007 navigating the briny deep in his white Lotus Esprit come submarine in the 1977 flick The Spy Who Loved Me must rate as one of the most memorable. Now the car in question is set to cross the block in London where auctioneer Bonhams expect it to fetch upwards of £100,000. Read More
Porsche’s next generation Boxter and Cayman
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November 20, 2008 Porsche has unveiled its second generation mid-engined Boxster and Cayman sports cars at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The highlights of the new generation are the new flat-six boxer engines which offer both more power, and greater fuel efficiency than their predecessors and the new double-clutch gearbox which will be known as the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK). Read More
Reinventing the wheel – the airless tire
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UPDATED November 20, 2008 One of the more fascinating developments in the history of the automotive tire is the modern concept of the airless tire. Dunlop produced the first pneumatic tire for bicycles in 1888 and Michelin did likewise for cars in 1895, and for the last century, pneumatic tires have ruled. Michelin announced its airless Tweel technology three years ago (Gizmag’s biggest story ever with more than a million page views) and won the Intermat Gold Medal for Innovation in 2006, though we have yet to see a commercially available automotive product from the French giant. Now a new airless tire using a flexible, honeycomb-like internal structure could again prove to be a disruptive technology in one of the world’s largest industries. With development funded by the U.S. DoD, the initial aim of the project was to replace the Achilles heel of the military vehicle, but now the technology looks like going commercial for the rest of us. Read More
New system for Overweight and Overheight Vehicle Photo Enforcement
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November 19, 2008 If you are already beginning to yearn for the days when road law enforcement and vigilance on the roads was merely token, the long term prognosis is not good. Attendees at this week’s World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems in New York City had a sneak peak of a new photo enforcement technology that is designed to help cities solve the problems associated with overweight and overheight trucks. American Traffic Solutions’ (ATS) Axsis WIM-300 (Weight-in-Motion) system uses a combination of quartz weight sensitive sensors embedded in the road and a roadside system that automatically monitors and isolates heavy vehicles. The sensors read the weight of a vehicle and can detect an overweight vehicle while the Overheight photo enforcement system uses a laser to measure the vehicle’s height and detect violations. Read More
Gordon Murray's T.25 wins Idea of the Year
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November 18, 2008 Celebrated automative designer Gordon Murray was last night awarded the prestigious ‘Idea of the Year’ accolade at Autocar magazine’s annual awards ceremony for the T.25, a radical, innovative design for a new type and class of personal transport vehicle. Autocar’s editor Chas Hallett said, “Gordon Murray is looking to completely reinvent the cars that we buy and the way they are made. And from what we’ve seen it doesn’t get a much better idea than that”. Three of Murray's diminutive T.25 vehicles will fit in a single parking space. Read More
24 carat Gold- and Platinum-leafed Aston Martin DB7
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Gold leafing vehicles isn’t new - the Egyptians mastered the technique more than 3000 years ago and Tutankhamun’s chariot was decorated with gold leaves. Gold plating your car is however, new and a sure-fire way to differentiate your ride. London-based Alchemist created a unique 24-carat gold and platinum-leafed Aston Martin DB7 for the recent MPH Prestige and Performance Motor Show at London’s Earls Court. Read More
The Bentley Azure T – top down for four at 180mph
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Readers will no doubt find it surprising that the time-honoured Winged-B Bentley brand, which had its heyday in the thirties, had its most successful year in history last year measured in either profitability (EUR155 million) or production numbers (10,000). One of the models in the ever broadening range that has driven the company’s success is the Azure T, billed by Bentley as “ world’s most elegant convertible.” The new T is much faster than its predecessor, delivering 500 horses from the twin-turbo 6.8 litre V8. The characteristic Bentley “wave of torque” now peaks at 1000 Nm. If you like thunderous performance, driving a Bentley and experiencing being flung at the horizon whilst surrounded in absolute luxury is a treat – and with the Azure T, you can have the top down and share the experience with three friends, all the way to 179 mph. Read More
BRABUS customized Tesla Roadster gets space-age soundtrack
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The era of the electric car is dawning and BRABUS isn't about to be left behind. Often gracing these pages with its high-performance adaptations of Mercedes Benz and other vehicles, the German tuning specialist has announced the formation of a new Zero Emission division which, as its first order of business, has produced a customization program for the Tesla Roadster EV that sets out to "define a potential limited edition as well as an individual tuning program for the Tesla driver". For the pilot concept, the electric engine and drive-train remain untouched but almost everything else gets a dose of cosmetic surgery - new matte white paintwork, new wheels, splashes of carbon fiber bodywork and yes, a sound-generator that not only simulates the noise of a V8 or racecar engine, but also gives drivers the option of cruising to truly 21st century sounds dubbed ‘Beam’ and ‘Warp’. Read More
World first imaging system to shed light on engine lubrication
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Yesterday we looked at the promising future of liquid crystal based lubricants in dramatically improving engine efficiency, now the other side of the equation - how to improve engine design. A neutron imaging system developed by Nissan and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) that can see through lightweight metals may help uncover some of the answers by providing researchers with unprecedented visualization of oil flow in an engine operating at high speed.
Liquid crystal lubricants promise close-to-zero frictional losses
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November 12, 2008 Lubrication enables all of the world’s machinery to function, but even then, at least a quarter of all the energy is lost to friction. Despite some ingenious lubrication methods, at least 15% of the power made in a car engine is lost to friction. In most machinery, frictional losses are much higher than 15% and the heat resultant from friction generates trillions of dollars of repair and maintenance every year. Now a breakthrough in lubricant design employing liquid crystals promises a vast reduction in friction and some quite remarkable lubricants are about five years from market – oils that could reduce friction to almost zero. Read More
Caterham’s new Superlight R300 delivers 339bhp-per-tonne
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British lightweight sportscar manufacturer Caterham has released details of a new addition to its ‘Superlight’ family. The new Superlight R300 is an update the previous R300, which was originally launched in 2002 and fitted with a Rover engine. The new model offers chassis developments and increased engine performance that see the R300 go from 0-to-60mph in 4.5 seconds courtesy of a new 2.0-litre Ford Duratec engine, tuned by Caterham Powertrain (CPT) to deliver 175bhp. The latest 515kg interpretation of Colin Chapman’s ‘lightweight minimalist’ philosophy balances power and chassis to deliver an impressive 339bhp-per-tonne. Read More
London takes delivery of hybrid-drive double-decker
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London's iconic double-decker buses may soon add a green heart to their familiar red exterior. Having already made an impact in North America, buses equipped with BAE Systems’ diesel-electric HybriDrive propulsion system are soon to be trailed on the other side of the Atlantic. The first of 17 evaluation units built by Britain’s Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) and BAE Systems was delivered this week to bus operator Transport for London and Metrobus. Read More
Fiat Bugster Concept Car
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November 7, 2008 Looking something like an off-road version of the KTM X-Bow, this little green bug has attracted plenty of attention since rendered images first appeared a couple of weeks back. Aptly called the Bugster, Fiat's cute two-seater is more than green in color, featuring body panels made of renewable natural fibers and an all-electric power-train. Read More
Seatbelt add-on enhances driver control
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What the CG-Lock does is simple, but the benefits it lays claim to - with credentials boosted by its use on Top Gear and the set of the latest Bond film - are worth noting. The three ounce device clips onto your seatbelt and is used to tighten and hold the lapbelt while leaving the shoulder strap loose. In day-to-day use this prevents sliding towards the pedals and improves driver posture, while on track days or during serious off-roading it boosts control and safety. Read More
Roush demonstrates hydrogen conversion system for petrol vehicles
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November 4, 2008 One of the hurdles of cleaning up vehicle emissions is the need for drivers to buy a completely new environmentally friendly vehicle - not exactly a feasible option for most people. Systems like the latest bi-fuel Internal Combustion Engine conversion from Roush Technologies could provide that vital stepping stone between petrol and hydrogen fueled vehicles. To demonstrate the technology, the company has modified the engine of a Ford Transit-based vehicle to operate using compressed hydrogen gas fuel – but it can also operate from its existing petrol fueled system without any adverse effects. Read More
New Nissan Z set for Los Angeles debut
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Nissan has released images of the new 370Z Coupe ahead of its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on 19 November. The 2009 incarnation of the legendary Z represents its first full redesign since its reintroduction in 2003. Read More
Design Los Angeles asks how motor-racing will look in 2025
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After last year being asked to provide a glimpse of what automobiles will look like 50 years into the future, design studios vying for recognition in this year's LA Auto Show Design Challenge are leaving city streets behind and heading for the racetrack under the theme "Motorsports 2025". Throwing away preconceptions of what motor racing should be and incorporating the possibility of cars that never crash or need re-fueling, nine of Southern California’s big-name automotive design houses have submitted entries, and again the results are both outrageous and thought provoking - from vehicles that race over land, sea and air to 8 x 4 wheel-drive ATVs and solar sailing energy-miser's that compete on see-through tracks. Read More
Historic MG TC road racer sells for $313,500
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The sub-prime crisis didn't rate a mention at this month's inaugural Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event in Las Vegas with the auction company reporting sales in excess of USD$29 million. Topping the block at $313,500 was the 1949 MG TC Roadster Race Car driven by the legendary Carroll Shelby in his first road race in 1952. Read More
Ford Kuga gets clever rear-view camera
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Tailgate mounted cameras are nothing new, but Ford’s new miniature rear-view camera system is enhanced by a very simple idea. Two yellow lines indicating the total width of the vehicle including mirrors are superimposed onto the camera image while a third line marks the vehicle’s center line. The lines move to show the path of the vehicle based on the current steering angle and, while the two lines indicating the width of the vehicle help drivers reverse safely and accurately, the third center line assists in lining up a tow hook with a caravan or trailer. Read More
Paris round-up: Nissan's compact future
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In addition to the futuristic Nuvu concept car premiered in Paris, Nissan also provided a taste of what's in store for the more immediate future with the new Pixo - a five-door, four-seater that boasts very low fuel consumption and emissions - a revised version of the Note compact car and the introduction of an all-new combined satellite nav and infotainment system known as Nissan Connect. Read More
BMW working on multi-functional Smart Key
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BMW Group Research and NXP Semiconductors have developed a prototype multifunctional car key that can incorporate contactless payment, personalized access control and even functions like public transport e-ticketing. Creating new usage scenarios for future consumers, the prototype is powered by NXP’s SmartMX security chip and allows drivers to perform quick, secure and convenient electronic payments using their car key. Read More
Faster than a speeding bullet: UK team sets sights on new world land speed record
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Current and former record holders Andy Green OBE and Richard Noble OBE are joining forces in an effort to set a new world land speed mark. The current record of 763 mph (slightly under 1228 km/h) was achieved by Green in the twin turbofan jet-powered ThrustSSC twelve years ago, but the new project, dubbed BLOODHOUND, is aiming to obliterate that figure with a 1000mph (Mach 1.4) bid planned for 2011 - an astounding goal which would also exceed the low altitude speed record for aircraft and be faster than a bullet fired from a handgun. Read More
2008 Peugeot Design Contest: tommorrow's urban commuters
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Peugeot has announced the winners of its 2008 Design Competition with RD, a morphing three-wheeler from 25 year old Columbian designer Carlos Arturo Torres Tovar claiming the top prize in what has once again proved to be an invigorating platform for futuristic automotive design. Now in its fifth year, the theme set down for this year's contest was to "imagine the Peugeot in the worldwide megopolis of tomorrow", a challenge the winning entry meets with a small footprint that gives it the scope to navigate narrow roads combined with the ability to shorten itself by folding upwards at a central hinge point in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Along with the €10,000 prize, the designer will see his vision produced in full-scale model form for the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show. Read More
