Toyota’s participation at the Tokyo Motor Show will feature three new concepts. One of these concepts is called the Fun-Vii Concept, a futuristic take on a vehicle that that represents the Japanese automaker’s vision of seeing a future where "people, cars, and society are all linked."
If those words were a little hard to imagine, the first official photos of the Fun-Vii Concept will pretty much tell you what the car is all about. While official details behind the Fun-Vii are still being kept under wraps, the company has stated that the concept will have one unique quirk: a body that can be used to display images on BOTH the exterior and the interior.
Try picturing this scenario: the exterior of the Fun-Vii Concept will be able to display messages, images, and what-nots while the interior of the vehicle will feature ambient lighting that can match the "mood of the moment."
Other features of the Fun-Vii Concept include a cabin that can accommodate up to three people, a navigation information system that blends with the interior, and a network update function that pretty much allows you to keep all your software systems up to date. The concept also has a "memory" of its own, one that can connect to other vehicles, as well as friends driving nearby.
Talking about a concept that’s built specifically for the future, the Toyota Fun-Vii Concept fits all that to a tee. It’s like an extremely smart computer on wheels.
Honda is intending on providing a little padding for the winter months by bringing back a couple of models for their future lineup. It was already announced that the company would be unveiling the Small Sports EV Concept - the concept that is said to preview the revival of the S2000 - at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, but word has it that the company is also bringing a new Super Sports concept set to be revealed at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show. This new concept is said to preview the future NSX supercar.
The two concept cars provide proof that Honda is in fact working on two new sports cars: a small daily driver for those who want to drive in style and a bigger, more powerful model for those who are looking for greater performance. During a recent interview, President of Honda Motor Europe, Manabu Nishimae, said that Honda "knows that there are customers who want Honda sports cars, and we are developing and intending to deliver products for them."
It is believed that both sports cars will be feature a high-performance hybrid or electric powertrain and both are expected to go on sale by 2013.
Image is a rendering of the future Honda NSX.
The 2011 LA Design Challenge produced some pretty interesting and futuristic Hollywood rides. But after the dust had settled, we had a repeat winner taking home the 2011 title.
The Smart 341 Parkour, which was designed by folks from the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios in Sindelfingen, Germany, won the LA Design Challenge, on the back of a clever Hollywood story involving Annie Angle and her super sleuthing skills in Carntpark City.
This is the second year in a row that Smart has won the LA Design Challenge. Last year, the Smart 454 WWT shared top honors with the Cadillac Aera after judges declared a tie on a four-passenger car being built under the premise that it tips the scales at just under 1,000 lbs.
This year’s theme involved not just developing a perfect Hollywood car of the future, but also about inventing a story that puts the car in the forefront. With the 341 Parkour, Smart conveyed the theme to a tee by designing a car that combines innovation and functionality with an exciting film plot.
Just in case you’ve forgotten the capabilities of the 341 Parkour, the designers envisioned this revolutionary ride using parkour as an inspiration. So instead of people jumping in and around whatever obstacles in a given location, the 341 Parkour does all of that itself.
Congratulations to the Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studios for their back-to-back LA Design Challenge titles. Now the pressure’s on to hit a "three-peat" in 2012.
For the longest time, we have been treated to Volvos that have the cutting edge design of a loaf of bread. It’s been one of the biggest knocks on the Swedish brand, and it appears that the company is determined to introduce a new generation of vehicles that will be a lot edgier than what we’re used to.
One of the next-generation models that’s expected to be introduced in the coming years is the Volvo XC90 crossover. Despite its popularity, the XC90 has been around the block for almost 10 years with very little changes being done on it. These design sketches of the future XC90 that the company recently released shows that Volvo may be serious in re-defining the way their vehicles look. Maybe there’s more to their "Scalable Platform Architecture" design language than we previously thought.
As for the rest of the information surrounding the next-generation XC90, not much has been laid out on the table except that we might be seeing the car in full form by 2014.
That should give Volvo enough time to really follow through on their desire to be up to the times as far as the design of their cars are concerned. If the new XC90 is remotely close to what these sketches are showing, then we’ll give those guys props for heading in the right direction.
Earlier this month, we reported on a tidbit that Jaguar was going to the Frankfurt Motor Show with a new sports car concept in tow. Now, thanks to full specifications released by the company ahead of the show, we have a clear picture of what the British automaker is bringing to the biggest auto show in the calendar.
The concept is called the ’C-X16’ and has been described as a production concept that will serve as the prototype for future Jaguar sports cars. This car "aims to set new class benchmarks in design, vehicle dynamics and technology."
Some have speculated that this model will serve as the successor to the XK while others have reported that it’s a completely new model that has the Porsche 911 in its sights. These new specifications, while impressive, don’t exactly spell worthy competition for the new 911.
UPDATE 09/15/11: Jaguar has unveiled a new video for the C-X16 concept just after its official debut in Frankfurt. Also, for those of you who can not be in Germany these day for the show, you should check www.jaguarfuture.com to learn more about the C-X16.
UPDATE 11/18/11: The smokin’ hot Jaguar C-X16 Concept made its North American debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. To our surprise, as well as many others we presume, the car that Jaguar brought to Frankfurt was different from the concept we just saw at LA with the latter sporting a new Neuron White exterior paint finish to go along with all the fancy digs the C-X16 already has in its fold. This, dear friends, is the epitome of a drop-dead, gorgeous Big Cat. Check out all the shots of the Neuron White C-X16 in the photo gallery!
UPDATE 11/29/11: A Jaguar insider has confirmed to TeamSpeed that the C-X16 concept is inches closer to mass production. The same source has told that Jaguar is currently working on the seat frames "to ensure the car will pass stringent crash tests."
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