Archive for Concepts

Four motors – two on each axle – take the Audi e-tron from 0 to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds. Collectively, the motors put out 313 horsepower but check out the torque figures – 4,500Nm! That looks like a seriously insane number but remember that the concept of gearing for an electric car is totally different (most only have one gear) so you don’t exactly have multipliers like the first few low gears on a regular stepped transmission.

The torque that each electric motor produces can vary as required to create a torque vectoring effect. Perhaps you can call this e-quattro or something, but Audi doesn’t have a name for it. The car’s water-cooled lithium ion battery pack will allow a maximum range of about 248km but don’t expect that kind of range if you’re really gunning it on the B-roads. The rated range is for the NECD driving cycle.

Yes, it’s an electric R8 and all, that is very interesting. But I feel the most interesting part about this e-tron concept is the car-to-x communications system. It’s basically a wireless communication system where the Audi and various other data feed providers (traffic lights, other cars, etc) around the car are able to help the car make intelligent decisions on various systems. For this to really work, such a system really needs a standardised protocol but it’s very very interesting to hear what can be achieved.

For example – a car has spun out on a slippery road in a blind curve. Other vehicles are approaching quickly. The stuck vehicle uses car-to-x to send out a warning signal reporting the precise location of the hazard (itself). A corresponding warning then appears on the navigation system display of the approaching cars.

Look after the jump for a full press release with full details on the e-tron as well as some very hi-res images which you can use as wallpapers etc.

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Here’s yet another concept car in the up! range of cars. We’ve previously seen the up! and the larger space up!. Here comes the 3+1 seater E-Up!, which as you can probably tell is powered by an electric motor. The electric motor is rated at 40kW continuous with a burst power of 60kW, and torque is rated at 210Nm. Although this is a concept car for now, Volkswagen confirmed a production EV version will be launched in 2013. Quite interestingly the 3+1 seating is similiar to the Toyota iQ.

This is how VW’s Martin Winterkorn sees mobility in the near future. Cars with pure petrol and diesel engines – which in the foreseeable future will continue be unbeatable for mid- to long-range distances – will be supplemented by cars like the E-Up! in upcoming years, especially in the city. This can be a reality in 5 years time. But production numbers of an electric car can only match that of a Polo in current times only in 2020, and that’s earliest!

The E-Up! weighs just 1,085kg, and out of that the lithium ion batteries housed in the underbody (protected by a crash-protected tray) alone takes up 240kg. The electric motor is lighter at 140kg. The E-Up! is meant to be charged at home in the owner’s garage, or on the road when a charging infrastructure has been set up.

Volkswagen predicts that quick charging infrastructure could possibly allow the E-Up! to be charged up to 80% of its battery life within an hour’s time. At home, a regular 230V outlet can do the same in 5 hours tops.

So in terms of cost according to European electricity rates, the E-Up! can go 100km for 2 Euros (actual range has not been revealed by Volkswagen). The charging port is hidden behind the Volkswagen logo at the front. The solar panel on the roof can generate a small amount of electricity, enough for some auxiliary electrical systems and to cool the interior by powering the car’s ventilation system.

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Remember those Electricity Untamed (what’s with German carmakers and the word untamed for their Frankfurt exhibits) teaser videos that Audi released earlier this month? Still don’t know anything about what kind of electric motor(s) will power the Frankfurt car but an initial set of photos of the Audi e-Tron concept have surfaced.

It’s quite clearly an R8 (though without “side blades”, making it end up looking like a large TT) but likely in the interest of aerodynamics most of the intake openings have been closed off. Perhaps electric motors run much cooler than a regular combustion engine. And check out those radical wheels!

It’s interesting how all three premium German manufacturers are exhibiting very powerful sports cars with alternative combustion engines at the Frankfurt show. Mercedes-Benz will showcase its electric-powered version of the SLS AMG while BMW has its Vision EfficientDynamics concept car.

Look after the jump for the rest of the e-Tron photos.

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If you think the Veyron was exclusive enough, apparently this new Bugatti 16C Galibier Concept (previously teaser to us as the “Bordeaux”) is so exclusive that us mere plebians won’t get a chance to view it at the Frankfurt show coming up in the next few days. Instead, it will get a ‘private unveiling’ at an event in France. The is pretty much the embodiment of the word excessive, but I am really glad that they’ve come up with this and not yet another boring Veyron special edition with a different paint job.

The body of the new 16C Galibier Concept has a two-tone colour scheme that reminds me of the last special edition Veyron – the Grand Sport Sang Bleu. Like the Sang Bleu, most of the car is decked out in a special carbon fiber weave that’s painted dark blue, while the doors and wings are made out of polished aluminium. The Veyron styling has been translated to a larger more stately 4-door form quite well though I must say.

Under the hood mounted up front is a 8.0 liter W16 engine. I don’t see any mention of quad turbos here – instead Bugatti says it uses “two-stage supercharging”, and is flex-fuel capable, which means you can feed it ethanol.

Power is sent to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive system, but although most people are quoting an output of 800 horses and above, we’re not exactly sure how much power we’re talking about as the official press release was more interested in telling us about how this new concept brings back cues from Bugatti’s past glory.

As for the name – it is named after the Col du Galibier, which is the name of a mountain pass in the Swiss Alps. Of course that’s yet another homage to an old Bugatti. They say this is a homage to the old Bugatti Type 57 Atlantic. The Atlantic was just one of the few bodystyles that the 57 had, another one was called the Galibier. This car remains a concept for now and should go into production only by end-2012 or early 2013, giving the millionaires who desire this some time and inspiration to become multi-millionaires.

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A German paper managed to get a scoop on a rather interesting concept car that Volkswagen plans to show at the Frankfurt show that’ll open in just a few days time. This concept car is supposedly called the Volkswagen L1 Concept and guess what its rated fuel consumption is – 1.49 liters per 100km! Most people are calling it a 1 liter car, which it actually is not, but nevertheless a “1.49 liter car” is still impressive.

It’s a small 3,800mm long two seater car and you sit in it in tandem – which means the driver at the front and the passenger behind him or her. The L1 Concept is powered by a twin-cylinder diesel engine mated to a 7-speed twin clutch transmission. It’s only got 29 horsepower but at a kerb weight of 380kg, that’s more than enough. CO2 output is rated at just 39g/km.

UPDATE: We now know more information about the new L1. The official fuel consumption has been rated at 1.38 liters per 100km. The 800cc two-cylinder diesel engine is essentially half of Volkswagen’s BlueMotion 1.6 TDI engine and it makes 27 PS (39 PS in “sports mode”) and 100Nm of torque at 1,900rpm, but is assisted by a 14 hosepower electric motor powered by a lithium ion battery situated at the front of the car. The hybrid unit sends power to the wheels via a 7-speed DSG transmission.

The electric motor sits between the TDI engine and the DSG gearbox. This sounds like a motor assist system but the motor is capable of running on its own as a zero emissions EV with the TDI shut off via decoupling from the TDI with an auxiliary clutch. When its time for the TDI unit to be restarted, this electric motor acts as a start-up generator.

To retain the L1’s aerodynamic shape, door mirrors have been eliminated. While they’re at it, they also took out the rear view mirror though since it is inside the car it doesn’t improve aerodynamics. Instead, functions of both the door and rear view mirrors have been replaced by cameras which send images to OLED displays on the left and right of the instrument panel. There are no doors – the passengers get in from the top.

The L1 is built around a safety cell made out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, which itself weighs only 124kg. If you add everything else in, the L1 tops out at 380kg kerb weight, which is pretty damn light. The weight is well acounting for – 122kg goes to teh drivetrain, 79kg for the chassis, 35kg for the interior furnishings, and 20kg for the electricals. The L1 measures 1,200mm wide, 3,813mm long and 1,143mm tall, which Volkswagen says is similiar to the length of a Volkswagen Fox and the height of a Lamborghini Murcielago.

Look after the jump for more shots of the L1.

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Lexus have revealed full details on their Frankfurt concept car – the new Lexus LF-Ch Concept. Previously only one shot each of the front and rear respectively were revealed, but here comes the full press pack with hi-res photos.

A wheelbase of 2,600mm confirms suspicious that this will most likely be a Lexus-ified Toyota Auris. It’s a full hybrid and coincidentally Toyota is also exhibiting a hybrid version of the Auris at Frankfurt. Even with its Auris roots, design is pure L-finesse, which makes the car share a family resemblance with the IS sedan.

All we know right now is the car’s dimensions and the fact that it’ll be powered by a full hybrid, which means the possibility for a EV mode. The LF-Ch measures 4,300mm long, 1,790mm wide and 1,400 tall. Those large concept car wheels are 20 inches in size, wrapped with 225/35R20 tyres.

Look after the jump for hi-res images of the concept car.

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Jaguar’s last wagon was the Jaguar X-Type wagon – remember that Mondeo-based car that was initially offered only in all-wheel drive to distance itself from its front wheel drive plebian heritage? Since then the company has only made sleek sedans.

Yes, the E-Class and 5-Series have wagon versions but Jaguar refuses to be lumped in the same category as those cars, even to the point that they’ve resisted making small-engined versions of the new XF. There will be no E200K or 523i competitor for the XF (for now)… the range starts at the 3.0 liter.

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But still, people can dream, and when Theophilus Chin’s imagination runs wild what you get are the two chops you see above, an XF Estate.

Do you think there’s room in the world for a new catwagon?

BMW’s MINI division released the video above just a few hours ago and its supposed to be a teaser for the brand’s 2009 Frankfurt show exhibits.

From what we know so far, two cars are going to be exhibited, with one being the MINI Coupe Concept. The other is said to be a MINI SUV that’s much closer to production (or perhaps even a production car) compared to the MINI Crossover Concept from last year.

Anyway, more teaser videos will be coming up, building up momentum towards the actual Frankfurt show. I’ll post other teasers up as they are released.

Citroen will be exhibiting the car above at the Frankfurt show but other than this photo we don’t know any other details at the moment, not even whether it is a concept or a production model, though by the looks of it, it should be a concept.

It definitely looks like a small car though, something smaller than the C3, perhaps a new C2 or maybe a C1 (current C1 is a badge engineered Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo from the B-Zero project). It could also be a smaller car in the new DS premium range.

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We’ve already seen how the rear end of the new Lexus concept hatchback looks like, so here’s a few front shot. It definitely shares a family look with the IS sedan, though unlike the IS it is most likely to be front wheel drive and based on the chassis of the Auris. The production version is very likely to be very much toned down.

Look after the jump and you’ll find a photo of the previously unveiled rear end.

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