Archive for Concepts

This is GM’s “Bare Necessity” Car concept, which was the result of them asking themselves: what are people willing to trade off for efficiency’s sake? And this is what they think is the car with the lowest cost per mile of any four-seater on the road.

They’ve conceptually designed it with some interesting stuff like retractable wipers to improve aerodynamic efficiency, and on the slide detailing the interior you can see that the default is pretty bare but they’ve already pre-planned various add-ons such as a reconfigurable touch display, modular HVAC systems, etc.

I’m pretty sure it’s an EREV with a hybrid system like the Volt too, since the instrumentation panel features both fuel levels and a battery level. GM thinks the best way to go about car propulsion now is what they call an Extended Range Electric Vehicle, which means the vehicle runs primarily on a battery and an electric motor, but a combustion engine is available to run to produce power to charge the battery only, not drive the wheels.

Look after the jump to view all the slides they’ve published. There’s also a video where they interview some of the team behind the concept.

Click here to read the rest of GM’s Bare Necessity Car Concept – a perfect trade-off between creature comforts and efficiency?

This covered-up BMW concept was snapped by the lucky guys over at E90Post.com. BMW has talked numerous times about a new sustainable sports car concept that they will unveil at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2009 and this is most likely it.

It’s supposed to be some kind of electric sports car called the Z Vision Concept or Vision Z Concept. Technically, kidney grilles would be needed in this car since there would be no internal combustion engine at the front to cool down and yes, you can see this reflected in the seemingly lack of lower bumper air intakes, but its a BMW trademark and it’s even been given a shark nose kind of look to it.

They say this new concept previews the next generation 6-Series design cues, and if that is true it looks pretty damn good. An additional rumour is that BMW may add a RX-8-esque 4-door variant to the 6-Series range and call it the 6-Series Gran Turismo, thus reflected in this concept – it will be a four-door with small rear-hinged rear doors.

Look after the jump for a full photo gallery.

Click here to read the rest of BMW’s Frankfurt sports concept spied under covers!

Mazda will be exhibiting the car above called the Mazda MX-5 Superlight version Show car at the Frankfurt show this September. It’s basically Mazda’s very own club racer speedster – more weight reduction, no windscreen, think Lotus 2-Eleven, Pug 207 Spider or even the expensive SLR Stirling Moss Speedster. Right now Mazda says its only a show car at the moment, and no engine details have been unveiled though its probably the standard Mazda 2.0 engine, but who knows, if the response at the show is good they might go ahead and build it. Can’t be that hard.

Mitsubishi unveiled a new revision of the Mitsubishi Grandis with updated equipment when they unveiled the new facelifted Lancer 2.0 GT today. The Grandis now comes with the following extra features:

• A bodykit – front and rear lips and side skirts
• Door visors on all four doors
• Scuff plates on the interior
• Combination black leather for all 7 seats and door inserts
• Black leather for the steering wheel and gearknob
• 2-DIN 6.2 inch Kenwood DVD receiver with touch screen interface, USB connectivity as well as iPod and Bluetooth support

The Grandis continues to be powered by a 165 PS 2.4 liter MIVEC engine. The engine is the 4G69 which produces peak power at 6,000rpm and 217Nm of torque at 4,000rpm. This engine is mated to a 4-speed INVECS-II automatic.

The updated Mitsubishi Grandis is priced at RM160,557.80 OTR without insurance and is available in White Pearl, Black Mica, Cool Silver and Gray Mica. This is roughly a RM2k increase over the previous price when the facelifted Grandis was launched in 2007.

Look after the jump for more photos from the Grandis launch.

Click here to read the rest of Mitsubishi Grandis updated with extra equipment!

While the Proton Saga EV Green Propulsion Concept stole the lime light in University Putra Malaysia for the “Proton Exora – The Making” seminar, the national car maker also took to the opportunity to showcase the Proton Exora Prestige Turbo Prototype.

It is basically the Proton Exora Prestige Concept which was first previewed at the Exora’s official launch event, but now fitted with a prototype turbo powerplant.

The turbo engine based on the 1.6 liter CamPro powerplant was built in-house, without the input of Lotus. Which means, the engine mostly features aftermarket parts to turn it from a normally aspirated motor to a turbocharged one. It’s useful to test the durability and reliability of a Campro block when force inducted.

The production turbocharged powerplant for the Exora is being co-developed with Lotus, and sources reveal that powertrain engineers will soon leave for the UK to intensify the development.

Notice the aftermarket boost meter and various other extra monitoring gauges

The powerplant featured in the Prestige Concept shown above is said to produce up to 270 horsepower, and with a torque figure that is rated at about 350Nm. (UPDATE: Now that I think about it, this quoted figure seems a little over the top. While no doubt it is possible especially if you strengthen the engine enough, it is not practical for production use so the production car will not likely be tuned to such extents as there is a high possibility for lots of turbo lag and the 4-speed Mitsubishi automatic transmission must be struggling with the torque.)

A source revealed that the turbocharged Proton Exora MPV could most probably hit the market by between end 2010 to mid 2011. Honestly for me despite many customers eagerly waiting for a more powerful Exora, later is better as it means more time for testing, and a turbocharged production engine is something very new for Proton.

The production turbocharged variant will very likely offer less than the 270 hp and 350Nm performance figures mentioned above, but even if it ends up producing anywhere in the region of 170 horses and 240Nm of torque, that would be a big leap already as it would be equivalent to a normally aspirated 2.4 liter engine, but with peak torque coming in at a much lower RPM.

It wipe out one major issue that the current Exora has, which is a lack of go. The 1.6 liter Campro CPS that is currently being offered with the Exora produces 125 horsepower and 150Nm of torque. Proton also revealed that the Exora Prestige Concept is being sold to selected VIPs that have placed orders for the extra-luxury variant.

Look after the jump for more photos of the prototype turbocharged Exora.

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Mercedes-Benz has just released a couple of more photos of their Concept BlueZERO, which many say is most likely a preview of what the next generation B-Class will look like.

But like the name indicates, the BlueZERO is not just a showcase of future production models. The 4220 x 1890 x 1590mm vehicle uses a sandwich floor construction, much like the current A-Class and B-Class, but it’s been modified a little to accomodate electric drive. There are three versions of the Concept BlueZERO but with one commonality, all are front wheel drive with an electric motor at the front axle.

With the BlueZERO E-CELL, two lithium ion battery packs (liquid cooled 35kWh capacity battery) are placed in the sandwich floor behind the electric motor. The other two variants are the BlueZERO F-CELL which is fuel-cell-powered with a battery and hydrogen tank in the sandwich floor.

Finally there is the E-CELL PLUS which is a range extender electric car, with some form of combustion engine used to recharge the batteries, like the Chevy Volt. Right now the proposed combustion engine is an inline-3 turbocharged petrol engine from the smart fortwo, producing 50kW.

Anyway check out the full gallery after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of New Photos: Mercedes-Benz Concept BlueZERO

Perhaps all those Myvis going around town sporting a faux E60 5-Series look had the right idea all along. The car above is not a joke – it’s the Aston Martin Cygnet, which is basically a Toyota iQ with Aston Martin design cues.

“Now is the right time for Aston Martin to take this first bold step to embark on this special project – made possible with the support of an organisation of Toyota’s stature and capability and the intelligent design and perfect city car package of the iQ. Much work is still required, but I am confident that this project could become reality in the not too distant future. This concept – akin to an exclusive tender to a luxury yacht – will allow us to apply Aston Martin design language, craftsmanship and brand values to a completely new segment of the market,” says Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulrich Bez.

I think the whole idea is that for Aston Martin drivers to buy a Cygnet and use it for short commutes, perhaps keeping the Aston Martin for longer trips that call for a GT car, or weekend drives to the golf course, that sort of thing. Well, that’s the official story they’re feeding us anyway. An alternative would be that Aston Martin is trying to reduce its overall average CO2 emissions ratings in order to comply with CO2 laws for its fleet of cars on sale. A low emissions iQ would be able to reduce the overall higher score of its more powerful sports cars. Maybe we’ll all get used to it later but for now I think Aston Martin design cues on a Toyota iQ looks ridiculous.

“The offering of a ‘Cygnet’ with a DBS, DB9 or Vantage is a unique combination of opposites and a novel transport solution allowing intelligent and sensitive mobility on an exclusive and innovative level,” Dr Ulrich Bez added.

Words are being exchanged that French auto maker Citroen, will unveil the production version of the DS3 three-door as early as September this year, at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The production DS3 will be inspired by the DS Inside Concept which was showcased at this year’s motor event in Geneva. A number of design elements will be carried over into production, and rumor has it that the vinyl roof option may be offered as well.

According to Autocar, Citroen also revealed that both the DS4 and DS5 models will arrive in 2011, as 2012 models. The DS4 would be a coupe-ish MPV with a crossover touch, that will be based on the C-Sportlounge Concept, first shown in 2005.

The DS5 on the other hand is expected to compete with the BMW X6, but with a cheaper price tag as one of it’s benefits over the German offering. The DS5 will be based on the Hypnos Concept, showcased in Paris last year. It is expected to be powered by, among others, a diesel-hybrid engine. The DS range, including all the above mentioned vehicles will be part of Citroen’s new up market vehicle line up.

Click for enlarged image

We’ve seen some pretty aggressive Porsche Cayenne bodykits around and people are actually buying them and slapping them onto their cars, even here in Malaysia. But really, this is possibly the most outrageous bodykit of all. Just look at that Enzo-like nose cone! This kit was developed by Status Design, a company based in Moscow, Russia. If you ever want your Cayenne to look like some kind of bizarre Enzo-Peugeot hybrid, this is your solution. Right now it’s all just on paper as a preview, but the company aims to put the kit into production.

Here’s another car for the Wörthersee Tour 2009, and just like the Polo concept it’s going to be called the Volkswagen Golf GTI Wörthersee 09.

It’s more of an aesthetics modification, with the paintwork done in a shade that Volkswagen called “Firespark Metallic”. The wheels are high-gloss black 19 inch alloys. The rear gets smoked tail lamps. The interior gets some nice detailing too – brushed aluminium trim, glossy black painted frames around the air vents, red borders on the floor mats which echo the red on the front grille, and new combination seats with black and red Nappa. Under the hood is the same 210 PS TSi engine in the Golf GTI.

Look after the jump for more pix.

Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Golf GTI Wörthersee 09 Concept