A few weeks after it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Audi e-Tron Concept has finally received the ‘go’ signal for production.
The announcement was made by Johan de Nysschen in an interview done with Autonews. Among other things, the Audi of America president said that the overwhelmingly positive response to the concept car at the IAA has resulted in the brand to release an electric version of the car, which is expected to make roll out in the US sometime in 2011 or 2012.
Powered by four electric motors on each axle, the e-Tron Concept can travel a distance of 154 miles by only using the packed lithium-ion battery inside the car. As far as performance goes, the car is capable of producing 313 horsepower and around 4,500 Nm of torque.
This one caught us by surprise, not because the car was given the green light, but because it happened sooner than we expected. Nevertheless, you can’t keep a good idea down, and judging from the response the e-Tron Concept received in Frankfurt a few weeks ago, we can safely say that Audi may have hit a goldmine with this one.
In the event that the Bugatti 16C Galibier concept goes into production – which a lot of people seem to believe – don’t expect it to come cheap.
And by cheap, we mean less than a million dollars.
As the successor to the omniscient Veyron, the 16C Galibier is shaping up to become a worthy ‘replacement’ to Bugatti’s record-breaking super car. Though not as powerful as its 1001 horsepowered predecessor, the 16C Galibier does adopt a few things from the Veyron, particularly it’s ginormous 8.0-liter quad-turbo W16 engine.
Despite the same engine powering the two supercars, the Galibier is expected to come short of the Veyron’s record-setting speed, mainly because the former is a little bit bulkier than the latter and, at the same time, will only carry with it a relatively pedestrian ‘800 horsepower engine.
As a result, the Galibier is expected to reach speeds of ‘only’ 220 mph, compared to the 250+ the Veyron has been known to achieve.
Nevertheless, the Galibier is still expected to fetch quite a hefty price. According to Autocar, in the likelihood that Bugatti’s newest toy reaches production in 2013, expect it to be sold for around £900,000 – that’s a mind-numbing $1.3 million in the US.
Told you it wasn’t cheap.
Mitsubishi’s attendance at the Tokyo Motor Show next month should come with a bevy of concept cars in tow to unveil to the automotive world. One of its newest – and Tokyo-bound – showcase vehicles is the PX-MiEV, a next-generation hybrid crossover CUV that the Japanese automaker says was created to maximize fuel efficiency, decrease emissions, all while keeping the Mitsubishi standard of performance at a high level.
The PX-MiEV comes with a 1.6-liter inline-four powerpack for the front wheels and a revolutionary auto-volt plug-in system. Similar to previous Pajero models, the PX-MiEV is capable of running on either front or all-wheel drive, only this time the CUV also has a hybrid mode plus a parallel hybrid system when the PX-MiEV is running on heavy. Mitsubishi also gave some of its Evolution X configurations to the PX-MiEV, including the S-AWC and E-AYC systems, which is capable of triggering power shuffling in any part of the car whenever the need arises.
As far as the car’s interior is concerned, Mitsubishi installed a bevy of technological features, including what looks like two touch-screen configurators found in the front and rear of the car. The PX-MiEV also comes with a revolutionary safety system that – by all accounts – should make its way to a number of Mitsubishi vehicles down the road. The system, which in all appearances looks just like a camera, warns the driver of any potential problems through visual or audio warnings, in addition, of course, to alerts of the vibrating persuasion.
The CUV is set to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show where it is expected to be one of Mitsubishi’s meal tickets during the two-week event.
Press release after the jump.
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The Tokyo Motor Show is shaping up to become a personal showcase of Japanese car brands after most of the international delegation decided to skip the event.
One local brand that’s expected to participate in the event is Suzuki, where the brand is already on tap to unveil a Swift-inspired plug-in hybrid concept. The concept’s hybrid drivetrain is similar to that being used on the Chevy Volt – a drivetrain that houses both a small gasoline engine and a lithium-ion battery pack.
The car, which is being pegged to be exclusively electrically-powered, runs after it’s charged from any electrical socket and as soon as the battery runs low, the engine revs up to power a generator that charges the battery.
If that confused you, look at it this way: the gasoline engine isn’t used to make the car run. It’s used to charge the batteries SO the car can run.
Pretty nifty, don’t you think?
Further details behind the Swift hybrid have yet to be disclosed, but as soon as any new information becomes available about the car, we’ll definitely provide more updates.
Looks like a regular next-generation van doesn’t it? The truth is, there’s nothing ordinary about Honda’s new concept MPV, the Skydeck.
The six-seater hybrid MPV, the Skydeck is the latest example of Honda’s versatile IMA technology. The car’s innovative design comes with a flat and see-through glass roof, a higher-than-usual rear-end, and scissor doors at the front to complement the sliding doors at the sides. The hybrid MPV runs on a high-powered battery, which is located on the MPV’s center tunnel, as opposed to traditional hybrids whose batteries are usually located behind the car’s rear seats.
The glass roof from which we believe the name ‘Skydeck’ was taken from is another nice touch to the car, in addition to the stylish – and spacious - interior that looks more and more like an office space rather than a car’s interior.
Further details surrounding the car will be revealed in Tokyo. For now, we can give you a first look at what you can expect from Honda’s new hybrid MPV.
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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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While it’s definitely lacking in international appeal, the Tokyo Motor Show still figures to attract a strong local audience all eager to see the latest vehicles from the Japanese auto giants.
One car that’s expected to be unveiled in Tokyo is the concept version of the
production-ready Honda CR-Z hatchback. It’s not a fancy super car or an electric concept, but the CR-Z is just about as good as were going to see in Tokyo.
The car, which has been widely reported to start production by next year, will come with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that has been tinkered with Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist technology as well as a six-speed manual transmission that takes the driving reins away from the car and back to the driver.
With the relatively thin depth of the Tokyo Motor Show this year, you can expect that a lot more people will be paying attention to what Honda - and all the other Japanese car brands, for that matter - has to offer.
And with the announcement that the CR-Z is coming for the show, you can expect a lot of curious eyes loitering around the Honda booth by then.
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The Japanese all wheel drive automaker, Subaru, has just revealed their biggest surprise for the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, a Hybrid Tourer Concept. The gas/electric car of the future features a pair of oversized gullwing doors and is powered by a hybrid drivetrain that centers around a 2.0 Liter horizontally opposed direct gasoline injection turbocharged engine combined with two auxiliary electric motors, one placed at each axle to continue Subaru’s all wheel drive philosophy powered by a high performance lithium ion battery pack.
The gas burning boxer power plant is mated to the automotive arm of Fuji Heavy Industry’s symmetrical all wheel drive system and the automaker’s latest power train invention, a next generation continuously variable transmission that Subaru calls a Lineatronic CVT. The fuel efficient Hybrid Tourer Concept gets the majority of its power from the refined flat four; but the electric motors, making 27 HP up front and 13 HP in the rear, provide an additional boost and make the new Subaru capable of operating round town as a zero emission vehicle.
Aside from the concepts unique design both inside and out, the Tourer Hybrid Concept also features a unique driver assist system called EyeSight that provides the new car with vehicle to vehicle and road to vehicle communication technology. The program includes a collision prevention support system that uses a unique stereoscopic camera that is capable of recognizing a wide variety of driving obstacles with the goal of improving passenger safety and providing drivers with peace of mind touring.
Press release after the jump.
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While most environmentalists are focusing on cleaning up the atmosphere by slowing down cars, other green engineers are working on harnessing as much potential energy as possible in order to create true zero emission super cars. This past Frankfurt Motor Show saw the Germans unveiling both the all new Audi e-Tron concept as well as an electric SLS AMG factory built 21st century super cars. Following up on their open wheeled E-1 electric sports car, the battery powered car builder e-Wolf has come up with a very aerodynamic body for the new E-2 that is light years ahead of the previous generation vehicle.
The e-Wolf E-2 electric super car has a nose inspired by a Ferrari Enzo, the tight tapered rear end of a Lexus L-FL and the stance of a Lamborghini Murcielago made up of sharp creases and bulging air scoops. Underneath carbon fiber composite two seater body are four electric motors that combine to produce a maximum output of 536 HP and 738 lb-ft of torque. The benefit of an electric drive train is that all 1000 Nm of thrust are available right off the line. Even though it will only weigh around 900 kg anyone who has ever owned an electrically powered remote control car can tell you that driving at high speeds drains the batteries. That is most likely one of the reasons why the E-2’s top speed has been limited to 155 MPH and the range is a rather conservative 185 miles.
In order to aid with the lengthy refueling process, the e-Wolf E-2 will feature a rapid recharging mode that will power up 80% of the batteries in about 30 minutes, considerably shorter than what it would take to power up a traditional plug in electric vehicle. It is nice to know that despite the rising price of gas and depletion of fossil fuels that there are still people in the world working on going fast in a green way. The prototype will debut sometime in 2011 and production will commence shortly thereafter. Tesla owners be warned!
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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