Taking a page out of a design that was made over four decades ago, Honda has released the first look at the retro-looking EV-N Concept. If you think you’ve seen that front design before, you probably have; it looks like the N360 micro car.
A small four-seat, electric car, Honda created the EV-N with an attempt to bridge old-school flavour with new-school technology. The car, which is set o be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in a few weeks, comes with a solar panel roof, door-mounted U3-X personal mobility devices, and the all-new car-communication technology, the Honda Electric Mobility Loop (HELLO) -
it’s a technology that allows Honda’s outfitted with it the chance to ‘communicate’ with each other, hence the name HELLO.
That’s as much as we know about the EV-N for now. We’ll keep you posted on anything new that comes up leading up to Tokyo where the car will be introduced along with the CR-Z concept and the Skydeck concept.
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The design house Pininfarina is responsible for some of the most beautiful four wheeled creations throughout the history of the automobile; however the Italian design studio has also been an innovative force, constantly adapting to the needs of the day in order to ensure the continuation of personal transportation. One thing that any Italian based manufacturing facility is known for is an outright sense of style and the ability to instill beauty into everything they do. That is why Pininfarina has just unveiled their latest concept, the Nido, an attractive, small and safe vehicle geared at replacing densely populated urban environments with a low emissions vehicle that was designed from day one to not only look good but provide peace of mind to the occupants inside.
In Italian, the word Nido means nest, however we see the compact city car concept as what is usually being safeguarded in a nest, eggs. Some of the design sketches show the early concept as being a round egg shaped vehicle with the passengers occupying a yellowish yolk like protected space in the middle. So the Nido is a 21st century attempt to solve the age-old high school science project, how to keep the insides intact upon impact. Pininfarina’s engineers have designed the Nido with a separate passenger compartment built inside the concept’s frame and body that is connected to the outer shell with energy absorbing cushions placed around the passenger’s compartment. The bright orange polymer cushions would act like springs upon impact, absorbing the forces exerted by the instant deceleration, however unlike energy storing metal coils that would spring back returning all that pressure onto the passengers, a cushion simply acts like an oversized pillow in a briefcase.
Pininfarina knows that no matter how great a car is, it has no chance at being remembered if it is unattractive. So that is why the designers worked with the safety focused engineers from the beginning to create the Nido city car concept. The Nido follows the traditional rules of automobile styling rules with four wheels, two headlights and a large grill in the middle of the front bumper that almost looks back at you. One place where the Nido concept brakes from ordinary cars is the lack of a hood; this begs the question, what is going to power the compact city car and which wheels will be driven? The most likely answer is that similarly to the Smart and Nano, the power plant will be placed behind the two passengers, however the Pininfarina Nido’s lightweight construction would make it an ideal candidate to be a battery electric vehicle.
Press release after the jump.
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The great American automaker, Ford, is invading their competitor’s markets by introducing the new Figo into the Indian market. The compact Figo is an all new car that features a fresh, contemporary shape that offers a distinct alternative to the traditional offerings in the city car segment with a shape that exudes the spirit of energy in motion with its bold fender flares and swept back headlamps.
Like all of the blue oval’s new car, the Ford Figo was designed with their consumers in mind. The all new body features lots of fresh fun elements like a large mouth front bumper, sporty alloy wheels pushed to car’s four corners, squared off rear end and subtle rear spoiler. Despite its compact size, the Ford Figo has a spacious interior with plenty of room for both passengers and cargo thanks to its taller roofline and more upright stance. Ford feels that this is the perfect car to combat the ultra affordable Tata Nano that is produced in the developing nation. The Figo’s size makes it the perfect car to navigate the narrow stretches of the Indian bazaars and markets without scarifying an ounce of style.
With Ford planning on bringing the equally compact Fiesta to the U.S. in the near future, the question that remains is whether or not Americans will have a soft spot in their hearts for a more spacious city car offering.
Press release after the jump.
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Sometimes, patience does pay off in the end. After years of waiting, all of us can now giddy-up in excitement after hearing news that Mazda is now set to bring the Mazda 2 in North America.
The news was revealed by no less than Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda’s North American operations. In a statement he said to a number of Mazda dealerships across the continent, O’Sullivan said that after years of evaluating the shifting markets in the region, now looked like the best time to introduce the compact vehicle to a market that has long starved to see it out on the roads.
"As consumers’ tastes and attitudes toward small vehicles have changed, we now believe strongly there is a place in our lineup for a car below our current least-expensive car, the Mazda 3,” he said.
“The Mazda 2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value. In short, it will be Zoom-Zoom."
Zoom-Zoom, indeed.
Off the bat, we’re already excited about the Mazda 2’s impending arrival on North American soil and we certainly can’t wait for the 2009 LA Motor Show later this year. Why, you ask?
Well, a certain car from Japan will be zoom-zooming its way to the show. Care to venture a guess what it is?
The Italian automaker Alfa Romeo has just unveiled the new revolutionary MultiAir system, that is being made available for the first time on the compact MiTo hatchback. The new 1.4 Liter MultiAir engine will be available at the vehicle’s launch and will come in two different versions: the first is a 135 HP 1.4 Liter variant as well as a more economical 105 HP version. The MultiAir MiTo will also be offered in a high performance 170 HP MultiAir Turbobenzina offering later on this year.
Compared to the conventional gas burning engine of the same displacement, FPT guarantees that the MultiAir system will increase power up to 10% and torque another 15%; as well as a significant reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, both up to 10%. At the same time particulate contamination is reduced by as much as 40% while NOx is reduced by up to 60%.
The MultiAir system eliminates the need for a throttle body and allows the engineers infinite control over the valves that bring fresh air into the combustion chamber. The design places the lobes for both intake and exhaust on the same camshaft. The exhaust operates as it would in a convention four stroke internal combustion engine, but the third bump actuates a roller rocker arm attached to the MultiAir setup which is then electronically controlled to open and close the intake valve by the flow of pressurized engine oil. As befits a flag-bearer for the downsizing concept, the MultiAir is a versatile system that is easily applicable to all petrol engines that may potentially be developed for diesel engines in the future.
Press release after the jump.
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The next generation BMW 1 Series was recently spotted out and about on the Autobahn somewhere between Salzburg and Munich wearing the digital camera tricking camouflage that keeps unwanted onlookers from examining every detail of the new design. The car is known as the F20 prototype and is rumored to feature some of the more revolutionary design elements and the latest technologies that the German automaker is offering in their luxury vehicles today.
From what we have gathered, the next generation 1 Series will be powered by a range of three and four cylinder turbocharged engines as well as a 300 HP inline six cylinder engine for the top of the line model. In naturally aspirated form the 1.3 Liter engine makes 136 HP and 177 HP with the help of a turbo. The 120i should get a 2.0 Liter turbocharged four banger making 218 HP, while the 135i will continue to use the 3.0 Liter twin turbocharged straight six. You can expect to see a few alternatively fueled diesel and hybrid variants in the future, most likely in the form of the three cylinder hybrid found in the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. There is even talk about a 135i SuperSport, this factory tuned 1 Series would fill in for an M variant and could make use of lightweight materials like a carbon fiber in the roof or even the hood. Along with the upgrade in power, the SuperSport will also get a high performance suspension and stranger brakes to give the car the feel of an M car without the emblem.
Continued after the jump.
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The English automaker Mini had announced that in addition to the Mini Roadster, the new Mini Coupe Concept that is scheduled to go into production by 2011 will also be making it auto show debut at the Frankfurt International Motor Show next month. However there aren’t the only two new cars that will be built atop the compact platform, because Mini’s parent company BMW is currently talking o the Japanese manufacturer Toyota about a future collaboration to produce more compact and fuel efficient vehicles, and it turns out that the new Mini platform is the perfect fit.
While it appears that Toyota’s design team will have access to the new platform, the German automaker BMW will also be able to use the new iQ platform for the return of the Isetta mini-car and it is also a possible candidate for the new Z2 Roadster as well as the future BMW 1-Series.
According to BMW’s newest design director, Adrian Von Hooydonk: "The Coupe and Roadster models could conceivably stand on their own within BMW Group, but there is certainly a chance for BMW to share in it."
Either way, it the automakers can combine the build quality of a BMW with the reliability of a Toyota, it won’t matter what platform it is based on because both teams have a knack for what they do, and when they work together the sky is the limit.
It’s easy to mistake a car like Fiat 500 Abarth as a lightweight when it comes to performance. But don’t tell that to the boys at Karl Schnorr Kraftfahrzeuge.
The German auto tuners took a stab at modifying a 500 Abarth and they did a splendid job of tweaking – both in performance and aesthetics – this particular Abarth right down to the very smallest of details.
The result is a car that now runs on two levels of power. One is a 1.4-liter engine that produces up to 163 hp and 251Nm of torque – a spike in performance from its previous numbers of 135hp at 206Nm of torque. The second power level is – obviously – stronger than the other variant with speeds going all the way up to 200hp, thanks in large part to a bigger turbocharger and a sports exhaust system.
Prices for the two fine-tuned 500 Abarths are €950 for the level I Abarth and €5,050 for the level II Abarth.
It’s worth noting that driving an Abarth with that much power tucked under its hood is sure to surprise a lot of folks. If looks really were deceiving, then we sure won’t mind getting behind the wheel of one of these babies.
Lexus has been a busy bee these days. Fresh of showing teasers of their latest premium hatchback, Toyota’s luxury brand is now announcing that the car, which is set to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, has now been penciled in for a US release sometime in 2012.
While we welcome the addition of the Lexus hatchback in the States, we remain skeptical as to how the car is going to perform in this part of the world, especially when you consider that hatchback cars aren’t necessarily in demand in the US these days.
Nevertheless, Lexus is pushing through with their plans in hopes that their new car can give the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series a run for their money.
Apart from a few renderings loitering around the Web these days, the car is still being kept under wraps before it makes its grand entrance at the Frankfurt Motor Show. From what we’ve gathered though, the car is set to come with the same hybrid drivetrain that’s currently powering one of Lexus’ hybrid vehicles, the HS 250h. If that’s the case, expect Lexus’ new compact car to come with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with a total of 187 horsepower.
Though not yet confirmed, it seems to be in line with what a compact car’s engine should be.
Stay tuned for more updates.
It is amazing what you will find on the Internet. Just the other day we came across this outlandish city car dressed up to look like a McLaren Formula 1 car on the online media sharing site, Flickr. There are times when tuners go a bit too far; this particular Smart car is one such example. Obviously this Smart owner is a fan of McLaren’s F1 efforts from the turn of the century painting his compact city car in the traditional silver and black livery of the car that took Finish Formula One racing legend to back to back world championships, noted by the very exceptional number 1 on the bonnet. Aside from the paintwork, the Smart car is mostly stock, except for the massive aerofoil found at the nose of the car and the blistered fenders in the back.
However, there are a few similarities between the Smart and the McLaren Formula 1 car. They are both powered by an engine that came from Mercedes Benz that is mounted in the mid ship position somewhere in between the front and rear wheels and it is rear wheel drive, albeit a lot less powerful. Come to think of it, the F1 car didn’t have that nice of an interior.
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