The Italian designer Umberto Palermo has unveiled these days at the Bologna Motor Show a teaser video of the Vittoria - a future concept car that will be unveiled at the upcoming Qatar auto show. These will be the first steps made before we will finally see a production version vehicle built in limited edition. Of course will take some time until then.
The car will combine sportiness and elegance with futuristic lines and cutting edge. The production version will offer interior room for two persons and will measure 4750 mm in length, 1250mm height and 1960mm width. Under the hood there will be a V8 engine, but there are no info just on its source or final power. Also we don’t know just yet the transmission that will be used or the performance figures, but from the teaser images we can promise you that this car looks pretty promising.
Stay tuned, we will keep you posted!
UPDATE 12/13/11: UP Design has released the very first teaser video of the Vittoria concept car. Not much of the car was shown, with the exception of what appears to be trail lights running in and around the concept. We’re not sure exactly what that means, but we are pretty excited to see this car in the flesh real soon. Check out the video by clicking on the photo above!
UPDATE 01/25/12: UP Design has unveiled the Vittoria supercar at the Qatar Motor Show and now we have the first images. Find them in the picture gallery provided!
The launch of the New Beetle has given Volkswagen the opportunity to open its doors with new concept iterations for the car. At the 2012 NAIAS, we’re getting a look at the first of these concepts in the form of the E-Bugster Concept.
The E-Bugster is based on the New Beetle, albeit dressed in a far more aggressive manner than that of the production model. The profile features a lower roofline, wider C-pillars, blacked-out A-pillars, and a new set of fancy 19" alloy wheels.
If you recall back in 2005, Volkswagen introduced a similar-looking concept in the Ragster. That car also came with a low and flat roofline and was being pegged as a pre-cursor to the eventual production model. In the case of the E-Bugster, the German automaker is introducing the concept as a way of showing a new powertrain system that could eventually translate to future production models.
That propulsion system features an lithium-ion battery pack-powered electric motor that will be mounted just under the boot and rear bench of the car. The motor is capable of producing 114 horsepower (85W) with a range of 100 miles while also producing zero emissions. The pack can be charged through a plug that can be found just under the Volkswagen logo with an 80-percent charge being achieved in just 30 minutes.
So while it’s unlikely that we’ll see the E-Bugster Concept past this stage, we could very well see this new "Blue-e-motion" propulsion system in future Volkswagen models.
UPDATE 01/20/2012: Turns out, all of this concept stuff isn’t for show. Volkswagen has announced that the E-Bugster was specifically built to judge the auto world’s reaction and if it’s positive, then V-Dub may be adding a third version to its Beetle lineup: a Speedster model.
"This is a serious proposal for a speedster Beetle and I am sure it will come for production", says designer Mark Lichter, "we just need to find the business case. A Beetle Speedster is the perfect car for the US."
Yep, our morning just got better! Hit us up with your thoughts on a future Speedster Beetle!
It doesn’t take long after the Detroit Motor Show closes its doors before automakers start dishing out details on their lineup for the Geneva Motor Show. Mitsubishi is ready to jump into the kitchen with the first teaser image for a new global product set to be unveiled in March. This project takes another step towards the company’s "Jump 2013" business plan for a greener and more global Mitsubishi.
The yet-to-named concept features a re-focused design language that will be used for all the future models and has been designed as "an open design concept, meant to be flexible enough to suit specific vehicle requirements whilst staging Mitsubishi’s famous Three Diamond logo accordingly."
No other details have been provided yet, but Mitsubishi did confirm that the concept will feature a new 4N1 Clean Diesel engine and Green Plastics, as well as benefit from the innovative PHEV technologies.
More details about this new global product will be revealed in the upcoming months, so stay tuned!
The Toyota Vitz, or the Yaris as it’s known in a lot of international markets, isn’t exactly the type of car that would receive a sports concept program. Apparently, Toyota and GRMN, thought that it would be a pretty good idea. Thus, the Vitz/Yaris Turbo Concept was born.
Prepared by GRMN, which stands for "Gazoo Racing Master of Nurburgring," the three-door Yaris received some pretty impressive bodywork, complete with Gazoo Racing’s signature livery, a new grille set-up, a redesigned front bumper, a front lip spoiler, widened front and rear fenders, side skirts, a roof spoiler, a new rear bumper and diffuser, and a new set of 18" wheels wrapped in high-performance tires. In terms of performance, the Yaris Turbo Concept received an improved engine, courtesy of a modified 1.5-liter supercharged engine that produces 180 horsepower and 162.3 lb-ft of torque. The engine was then combined with a five-speed manual transmission, a new lowered sports suspension, and a high-performance braking system.
It wasn’t surprising to see Toyota and GRMN pull out all the stops with their Tokyo Auto Salon contingent. What raised our eyebrows was the impressive detail Toyota and GRMN went through to build a sporty and aggressive Toyota Yaris.
Friday the 13th isn’t typically considered a good day for those that are a tad superstitious, but the people behind the Tokyo Auto Salon aren’t in the least bit paraskevidekatriaphobic (plague with a fear of Friday the 13th) because that’s when they decided to open their doors. Lucky for us (pun intended), because Toyota has chosen this setting to reveal their TES-ERA EV - a concept car developed by the Toyota Engineering Society that proves that even electric vehicles can be extremely cool.
The work on this project began back in March 2011 with a team of 20 members doing their best to produce a spectacular electric concept. This concept features an innovative design with sweet gullwing doors, a rich Dark Blue Mica exterior paint finish with 18-inch aluminum wheels, and height adjustable double wishbone suspensions. The interior of the concept gets a built-in touch-shift steering wheel, a rear and side view camera monitor system, an instrument panel, door trims with decorative illumination, and 4-point seat belts.
Joining the ranks of the beautiful exterior is the power setup. The TES-ERA is powered by an electric 4JM motor that delivers a total of 164 HP and 247 lb-ft of torque. The motor takes its power from a lithium-ion battery and is mated to a rear-wheel-drive system and the F1 "KERS’ system. With a total weight of 2535 lbs, the TES-ERA EV can hit a top speed of 124 mph.
All we can say is: we want it!
