What can be smaller than the BMW 1-Series? Well apparently the 0-Series. BMW’s future baby will be a front-wheel-drive supermini, placed between Mini and 1-Series. The BMW 0-Series will debut in 2012 in both three and five-door versions as a competitor for the future Audi A1.
It will be built on the next-generation MINI platform, becoming the first-ever front-wheel-drive BMW. But besides dropping the rwd system, the 0-Series will crealy be a BMW: twin kidney grilles, front apron inspired by the 1-Series, a sweeping tailgate and subtle spoilers.
It will be offered with a wide choice of petrol and diesel engine, including a new version of the 161bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbodiesel, which debuted as a range extender on the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept.
Another Japanese automobile manufacturer interested in coming up with the car of the future is Honda with their Helix designed for the 2009 L.A. Design Challenge. The Helix is made out of adaptive polymers, capable of changing everything from shape to color and even properties. Just like the DNA that makes up every living being, the Helix can adapt to three distinct driving situations: A, B and Z. The Honda Helix is capable of adapting, evolving, and conforming to the driver’s needs using insight gained from the human genome, biotechnology and environmental forecasting making it the perfect vehicle for environments ranging from the congested city streets of Japan, to the wide open highways of America.
The "A" configuration is short and wide for cities that have very tight and interwinding roads, where agility and speed allow the vehicle to easily negotiate chaotic traffic patterns. The "B" layout is long and low for the sprawling cities of the world, where the long stretches of road allow for high speed commuting. When in the "Z" configuration the Helix transforms into a tall and thin automobile for congested cities of the world, where occupants sit vertically giving the 2030 Helix the most volume per square footage of any vehicle that has come before.
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The Japanese automaker Mazda is also entering the 2009 L.A. Design Challenge with the Souga, a minimalist lightweight sports coupe that is made up of experimental shapes, ornate detailing and a dramatically proportioned exterior. The Souga is the next step in Mazda’s Nagare design language with its flowing exterior and sweeping lines. The Souga is designed around VMazda, a virtual reality website that acts as a design playground for young automotive enthusiasts allowing them to experiment, build, and share their four wheeled dreams in a virtual world at no cost. The car would be sold as an affordable shell and monthly payments would be made for the electricity it consumes much like a cellular telephone bill, and because most modern digital devices have become integrated into automobiles, this eliminates the need to clutter the driver’s concentration with a host of accessories and add ons, thus simplifying the Souga driving experience.
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Every year the L.A. Autoshow asks the manufacturers to envision the car of the future. This year’s Design Challenge is all about coming up with what we will be driving in 2030. The German automaker Audi is entering the competition with two very unique vehicles: the eSpira (the Aspiration) and the eOra (the Essence).
The eSpira uses next generation vehicle control logic that will take even the most minimal of body movements and gestures from the driver and interpret them to deliver the most direct driving sensation of any machine in the history of the automobile in an effort to show that the most direct, fluid form of vehicle control is only a few thoughts away.
On the other hand, the eOra is a pure sports car that has been designed to share the same control logic as the eSpira and make an extremely dynamic and efficient vehicle that is only aided by the Audi eOra’s small footprint and unmatched agility. Like a downhill skier, the eOra leans into turns and carves up the curves in the road scape with previously unseen precision. By constantly adapting to the driver’s movements and intentions, the eOra and its driver are able to move harmoniously as one, with unrivaled dexterity and superior sports car performance.
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There’s no secret that Porsche is already developing the next generation 911. But according to the German magazine Autobild, we are not talking just about a number change like with the 996 and 997. The next 911 will be the car that will "rewritten history." It will debut in 2011 at the Frankfurt motor Show and will come with lots of changes.
First Porsche will stop offering Targa models, Turbo Cabrio, the GT2 and the speedster models. Instead the company is preparing the GT1, a supercar with 700 hp that will replace the Porsche Carrera GT.
The next-generation 911 will feature a completely new design with radical different proportions: the driver will be moved further forward, the front of the car will be shorter and the wheelbase will be 100 mm longer. There will also be a completely new chassis, dynamic engine mounting, ceramic brakes, an exhaust valve and a sports suspension with lowered suspension and adjustable dampers.
The base trim models will be powered by a 3.4-liter boxer engine that develops 350 hp and achieves a maximum torque of 350 Nm. In the S version the engine grows to 3.8 liters, resulting in a power upgrade to 400 hp and a torque of 440 Nm. The dual-clutch transmission with seven speeds will also be new.
We first saw this car when it made an appearance as Sideswipe in the hit movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and while we had an inkling as to what car would eventually be, it wasn’t until a few days ago when GM officially lifted the covers off to introduce its real name: the 50th Anniversary Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Concept.
Developed mainly to infuse and combine design elements from iconic Stingrays of the past to create a more cutting-edge version for the future, the 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept is an eye-catcher in every sense of the word.
According to General Motors, the Corvette Stingray Concept was a project undertaken with the sole objective of taking the brand to newer heights, all while retaining its iconic legacy. So in an effort to puts some weight behind their goal, GM left no stones unturned in developing a concept that its predecessors can be proud of. Among the features found in the Corvette Stingray Concept is a clamshell hood, scissor doors, rear-view cameras with night vision enhancement, ergonomic seats, and of course, a high-performance hybrid. In addition to that, the car also comes with a state-of-the-art inertactive touch control system that allows drivers to manipulate the cars power and efficiency depending on their liking as well as use their settings to share with other people via the cars advanced telemetrics and in-car system.
With a brand that’s as esteemed as the Stingray, it would’ve been foolish for GM to not exert any and all efforts in creating a car that can live up to the legend of the iconic brand. Fortunately, GM knows better than most of us that preserving the status held by the Stingray in the annals of automotive lore is something that should never be taken lightly, and the 50th Anniversary Corvette Stingray Concept is proof of that.
Back in 2003 the English automaker Jaguar unveiled the R-D6 concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show. At the time, the concept car served as an indication of Jaguar’s new design direction. Almost a decade later, the shape of the R-D6 concept will finally find its way into production as the basis for a new sport hatch from Jaguar and is expected to appear in 2014.
Currently known as the R-D7, the future sport inspired hatchback will feature a compact footprint and Jaguar’s lightweight aluminum body and chassis that will be shared with the next generation XK sport coupe and an entry level XE, an E-Type for the 21st century, which is already undergoing development as a Porsche Boxster fighting hopeful. The exterior of the new hatch will be inspired by the latest XJ luxury sedan, while under the hood the R-D7 will make the most of a range of V6 gas and diesel burning power plants as well as an extremely efficient four cylinder diesel for the European market. Either way, the new Jaguar will be set impress as far as styling and performance are concerned because after all it is going to be a Jaguar.
Mitsubishi’s plans of releasing a new compact crossover in the UK next year took a bold step to fruition after the company released a design sketch of what the vehicle may look like.
Based on the 2007 Concept-cX show car, the still-to-be-named crossover features a number of design elements and styling touches that have become synonymous with Mitsubishi, including an adapted version of the jet fighter front end that Mitsubishi has been known to use in a lot of its vehicles.
Rumors have also propped up saying that the crossover vehicle will come in a variety of engines, including a clean diesel and petrol capacity, as well as a plug-in hybrid version. The choice of more eco-friendly engines is the latest indication that Mitsubishi may very well be shedding its reputation as a gas-guzzling 4x4 brand and shifting its vehicles to become more environment-friendly, similar to what a lot of its competitors have been doing recently.
The new crossover is scheduled to make its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, a month after the car goes on sale in its homeland of Japan. As it stands, the crossover is in line to drop in UK dealerships towards the latter stages of 2010.
Back before Dr. Ferdinand Porsche became associated with names like 911 and Carrera, he and his son Ferry were hard at work on a high performance hot rod VW known as the 356. The sports car was Porsche’s first production automobile, produced from 1948 thru 1965 and turned out to be a very successful vehicle. With the current trend of downsizing in search of more efficient lineups, Porsche is preparing to bring back the classic 356 as the automaker’s new entry level offering.
The new 356 will be based on the same steel and aluminum platform as the upcoming Audi R4, and contrarily to previous rumors won’t be as much of a bargain as we all thought, with prices expected to start around $55,000. The 356 is expected to be one of the first Porsche models to be fitted with a boosted boxer four cylinder engine, a unit that is currently under development. In an interview with AutoCar, Porsche’s marketing boss Klaus Bening said "That there is a clear trend towards downsizing, using smaller powerplants and supercharging. We will find our own conclusion to downsizing." The new Porsche 356 is expected to be unveiled sometime in 2012 and Porsche hopes to sell over 75,000 units per year.
With rumors flying around that the people’s car maker Volkswagen will cease production of their B segment Passat sometime very soon, that opens the door for future design studies from the forward thinking group of German engineers. This official sketch represents Volkswagen’s new mid size sedan that is planned to be built at their all new production facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee; right here in the good old U.S. of A. The design continues what the automaker started with their Passat CC, considered to be their comfort coupe, the four door sedan gave the impression of a large sporty coupe with its sleek lines and swept back roofline. This new design study continues the theme with a very long and slender sedan.
What we are still in the dark about is exactly what the future four door VW will have hiding underneath the sheet metal. It is almost a given that there will be an Audi Quattro derived all wheel drive version as well as Volkswagen’s DSG gearbox. However what is left to be speculated upon is exactly which power plant VW will choose for their new flagship sedan. As long as VW doesn’t get overambitious and try to recreate the Phaeton, we can’t see where they could possibly go wrong.
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