The 2009 Los Angeles International Auto Show is just around the corner and in preparation for the last big auto show of the year every manufacturer is polishing up their masterpieces so that they will shine bright under the lights of the L.A. Convention Center. The Japanese automaker Honda has just released the information that their Personal-Neo Urban Transport, or P-NUT, design study will be sitting front and center in their booth. With the American market making a shift towards smaller and much more efficient vehicles, the concept is a look forward at what a futuristic ultra-compact coupe would look like complete with a few aggressive designed cues from Honda. It is only fitting that the P-NUT say hello to the world at the L.A. Auto Show, after all the concept was conceived right there in the heart of Los Angeles at Honda’s Advanced Design Studio where they conduct their research and development for the import automaker’s overseas market. Honda is keeping tight lipped about the new P-NUT, after all they don’t want to s----the beans before the big show.
Press release after the jump.
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Nissan is the last automaker set to enter this year’s LA Design Challenge, but they are certainly not the least. In a look forward at what we will be driving in the year 2030 suggests that every car on the road could be zero emission electric vehicles, that is if Greenpeace gets their way, that will travel on an ultra efficient high speed network called the GRID. Nissan’s entry is appropriately named V2G, or Vehicle to Grid, and will be an affordable entry level automobile that offers the same build quality and fun to drive nature of the automakers current lineup.
However while the other forward thinking design teams are focusing mainly on vehicle to vehicle communications and keeping up with Facebook, Nissan has highlighted on a more traditional approach to car customizing. The coolest feature about Nissan’s V2G is that they recognize that their futuristic electric vehicle will eventually be taken Off Grid. Just like the Silvias and Skylines that made the Japanese automaker such a desirable sports car maker in the last decade, the Japanese automaker is anticipating the hot rodding hopes of future consumers and has readied their 2030 electric car to allow for modifications in much of the same way. Although we would hate to see the internal combustion engine go the way of the dinosaurs, but if future electric vehicles can be as fun as the V2G, we say bring on the electrons.
Official details after the jump.
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The Japanese automaker Toyota has also entered the 2009 L.A. Design Challenge with the LINK, playing up on the increasing college enrollment rate, Toyota has positioned their car of the future an affordable customizable, mass transit vehicle for students with high social networking demands and a continuously evolving list of likes and dislikes. Even if you have never gone to college you might be familiar with scraping by with little to no disposable income snacking on ramen noodles. The goal of the LINK is to allow these students to once again enjoy the freedom of an automobile and the ability to go where they want when they want, something that is becoming more and more difficult in the current environment where personal transportation has become more costly and a bit more taboo.
Perhaps the cleverest part of the Toyota from the year 2030 is its name. That is because once the operator climbs inside, the vehicle will seamlessly link up to a transportation based social network, allowing connections with other drivers to share the commute, trade music, or compare class schedules.
More information after the jump.
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Another automaker set to enter the 2009 L.A. Design Challenge is General Motors with their play on the popular Guitar Hero video game brand that get gamers in touch with their musical sides. The 2030 OnStar Car Hero from GM is a driver training device that is packaged to look like a video game of today, the Car Hero features three stages of automotive instruction. The unit will take users from piloting a somewhat traditional four wheeled machine used for teaching the rules of the road all the way up to a gyroscopically controlled single wheeled vehicle with upgraded maneuverability that will challenge the driver’s skills against the car’s autonomous system.
Aside from being a learning device, once fully unlocked GM’s car of the future will also be full of features like P2P applications like Friends and Fantay Drive. The first is a futuristic take on Twitter that lets your companions come along with you on your journey and opens up a direct line of communication with them from wherever you are on the planet. The Fantasy Drive feature is the perfect alternative to tiresome and lengthy commutes allowing the driver to virtually escape the traffic and much like a bonus level in a video game experience unique and fantastic alternative driving environments. The GM Car Hero blurs the line between driving and gaming, and if the next generation of automotive consumers have anything to say about it, General Motors’ car of the future is guaranteed to be a hit.
Official details after the jump.
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Not much has been heard from Jeep in recent months, but that hasn’t stopped the brand from showing up at SEMA to unveil the Jeep Lower Forty concept. The off-road vehicle, which is based on the Jeep Wrangler, was fine-tuned by Mopar Underground and is powered by a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine with a Getrag six-speed manual transmission that uses a Dana 44 axle in the front and a Dana 60 axle out back with both being fitted with 5.38 gears.
Jeep also took the liberty of adding mammoth 40-inch tires to the Lower Forty concept, which was done by taking away a number sheet metals from the vehicles and increasing the width of the fender by an inch and raising it up four inches higher to make room for the 40-inch tires.
Jeep also included a slew of other features for their Lower Forty concept, including the addition of a carbon fiber hood, a chopped windshield, a custom bikini top, and a new rear tailgate.
Additional features include a carbon fiber hood, custom bikini top, a chopped windshield, and a color-matched interior with Katzkin leather seating. You can read more details after the jump, and we have plenty of high-res photos in the gallery below.
Press Release after the jump.
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General Motors is heading in a new direction with the scheduled production version of the Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle that is set to come out sometime in the near future, however it was the luxury version of this economical EV, the Cadillac Converj, that most recently stole the spotlight at the 2009 Miami Auto Show, taking home the Concept Vehicle of the Show award. The Converj is set to be built upon the same platform as the Chevrolet Volt, and it was back in January at the 2009 North American International Auto Show where the Converj made its debut, GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said if the luxury EV was approved, that the production model would resemble the concept, much like the Camaro did.
The Converj concept is a strict four seater, and although it has a swept back coupe like profile which is used to give this car a sportier image, the seating arrangement is also necessary because a large part of the car’s center section is taken up by the "T" shaped battery used to power the car. The battery pack contains more than 220 lithium ion cells that can power the car for up to 40 miles. After the battery runs out, the electric will be replenished by a gas powered engine that exclusively charges the battery. Just like the Volt, the car is designed to be fully charged after plugged in for eight hours on a normal household 120 volt outlet, or in as little as three hours if you have a high capacity 240 volt socket.
Continued after the jump.
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When revealing the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor R, Ford announced that for the 2011 model year the company will offer the FR Raptor XT. But until then Ford presented a concept version of the car at SEMA Show.
The production version will be powered by a 500-hp (est.) 6.2-liter naturally aspirated engine mated to a Six-speed automatic transmission. There will only be 50 units built, ad each will be priced at $99,950.
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Of course that this days in Las Vegas SEMA Show got all the attention. But Shelby Auto decided not to bring their cars to SEMA. Instead they went to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In here the company brought the Super Snake Ford F150, a concept car with design inspired by the Shelby GT500 Super Snake.
Shelby Autos, in collaboration to Ford Racing started with a red 2007 F150 regular cab truck and added a custom functional hood and fascias, black Super Snake stripes and Alcoa Shelby wheels.
The engine was also tuned to deliver a total of 475 hp and the suspension was lowered 3 inches and tightened up to improve handling.
Press release after the jump.
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Renault revealed today the ZOE Z.E concept electric car - a preview of the Renault production vehicle set for launch in 2012. The Zoe Z.E. is a 100% electric, zero-emission city car.
The car can be fast recharged in 20 minutes, while a standard charge takes between 4 to 8 hours. The concept features an exclusive "Quickdrop" system that allows an empty battery pack to be swapped with a fully-charged pack in a matter of minutes.
The roof has been designed as an intelligent protective membrane that insulates against heat and cold, optimizes climate control, and recovers energy using honeycomb photovoltaic cells. The car features a
shield of polyurethane gel at the front and the back, acting as a second skin that protects vulnerable parts of the body in the event of mild urban impact.
Press release after the jump.
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For those who love both driving and cooking, Scion is offering a special solution: the Kogi xD Mobile Kitchen by MV Designz. The xD concept features a MV Designz front fascia, MV Designz rear fascia, MV Designz side skirts and MV Designz Hood.
As about cooking, the concept features a fridge and a cutting board on the left rear door, ice chest and sink with reverse osmosis system, tailgate with barbeque grill, hatc glass featuring Dual Alpine 10" LCD Monitors, cooking ustensils on the left tail light and condiments on the right tail light.
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