While everyone is focused on the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, Infiniti is jumping the gun on the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March by offering the first details on their Electric Sports Car Concept. Nissan’s luxury counterpart has described the ESCC as a highly advanced, range-extending electric sports car that was created to extend the potential for high performance, low emission electric cars.
When explaining the strategy behind the concept, Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd and Infiniti said: "At the Geneva show next year, we will present our vision for a totally new kind of inspired premium performance car. Infiniti already has hybrid and clean diesel models on sale. And with an all-electric sedan on the way, the natural next step was to push the boundaries where performance and the environment intersect."
More details about the new Infiniti sports concept will be revealed in the upcoming months. Stay tuned!
UPDATE 02/02/2012: Infiniti has announced that the concept car to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show will be called EMERG-E and that it "will be the first car from the brand to not only have a range-extender drivetrain offering vivid performance with zero emissions capability, but also one mounted in a mid-ship package for optimal handling." Check out the new teaser images in the gallery provided!
The long-awaited Tesla Model S is finally itching and itching closer to production as the California-based electric car maker has released the latest batch of photos for their electric sedan.
Looking more or less the same as the concept version, the newly-designed Model S features a restyled front bumper and new rear lights that resemble that of the Jaguar XF. Despite the minimal changes, the "new-look" Model S figures to be as close to what the production version of this model is going to look like.
If and when this model does see the light of the production block, Tesla has announced that the first 1,000 models of the Model S will be given a unique special edition badging - the North American Model S Signature Series - which will come with some added aesthetic treatments, a bevy of optional upgrades, and a powertrain that features the model’s top-of-the-line lithium-ion battery pack with a 300-mile range.
UPDATE 02/01/12: To say that Tesla has high hopes for the Model S is really an understatement. More than just being the company’s new flagship model, the Model S is also Tesla’s first venture into the world of what could be described as luxury electric cars that boast of features that you won’t find in any other sedan in the market. The company even released a new video, suggesting not so subtly that 2012 will be the Year of the Model S. To that, who are we to disagree? Check out the video by clicking on the image above.
Details on the Tesla Model S after the jump.
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Since half of Europe is facing some extreme winter conditions, it’s the perfect opportunity for automakers to get some extreme testing out of the way for a lot of their models. BMW was on deck today with its i3 electric hatchback and some snowy conditions somewhere in Northern Sweden.
The i3 prototype was still heavily camouflaged, but with all of the details already released by BMW, it wasn’t too much of a bother. We already know that the i3 will be powered by a 170 HP electric engine that will sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in under 8 seconds and up to a top speed of 93 mph. Previous details suggest that the car will be built on a new LifeDrive architecture that will help reduce the car’s weight by 250 to 300 kilos. The coolest part about this little hatchback is that it will sporting suicide doors. That in it and of itself is enough to warrant at least a test drive when the new BMW i3 goes on sale in 2013. Projected price will be about $50,000 (European price). The company plans to build about 30,000 units.
It wasn’t that long ago when Tesla was on shaky ground in the industry, but now that they’ve regained their footing, the American automaker has suddenly become a little more aggressive in reworking and expanding their line-up. We already know about the Tesla Model S succeeding the Roadster as the company’s flagship model, but now we’re getting a first look at Tesla’s other new vehicle, the Model X.
The crossover is scheduled to make its debut next month so Tesla decided that now would be a good time to release the very first teaser image of the Model X.
We love a good teaser any time we see one, and this teaser of the Model X is no different. Taking a close look at the image, the Model X appears to bear some design similarities to the Model S, particularly the distinguishable hood lines, the aggressive fascia, and the headlamp configuration.
According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the Model X will make its official world debut on February 9, 2012, which is less than two weeks away. We’ve waited a long time for the Model X to finally come to fruition so you can say that our excitement for it has been building up for a long time.
We all knew that BMW’s future i line-up would include the i3 hatchback and the i8 supercar - both electric vehicles - but new spy shots have revealed that the company is also testing a prototype for an i sedan. This newest i model will be launched after the i3 and the i8, so don’t expect to see it on the market until early 2014.
We think the mysterious i sedan will also be an electric model because, well, the other two are, but also because it looks like there are wheel hub motors, electric motors, powering the front wheels. There is also the fact that the both the fenders in the front and back don’t exactly fit and the vehicle is sporting some really narrow tires. All of these quirks lead us to believe that BMW is working on a bigger sedan within the i-family. No other details have been provided, but expect to see an electric engine delivering a little bit more power than in the i3 (rumored to have a 170 HP electric engine).
Guess Tesla and Fisker just got themselves a real competitor.
UPDATE 01/26/2012: According to reports from AutoBild, BMW is developing the i5 midsized MPV as a model that bridges the gap between the compact i3 and the high-end sports car that is the i8.
Details behind the i5 have yet to be revealed, but as a mid-sized MPV, we’re making guess-timates that it’s going to feature a high roof, sliding rear seats, and maybe even a large cargo space. It could also carry an electric motor similar to the i3 while featuring a similar futuristic design language that plays right into the elements of both the i3 and the i8.
The BMW i5 is expected to be introduced in the coming years, possibly as soon as 2015. We don’t know if that’s soon enough for us, but we’re definitely interested to see how the third member of BMW’s "i" family looks and what kind of powertrain it carries.
