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.
At any point in the future where you see yourself in front of a 2013 Jaguar XE, you should know that it was well worth the wait.
Despite the fact that it’s still a few years from now, the new Jaguar compact sports car is poised to take the XE line to new and unprecedented heights. With a lightweight, 3.5-liter V6 engine that’s capable of churning out as much as 450 horsepower, Jaguar is wasting no time in preparing the world for the new two-plus seater 2013 XE.
Together with the new XK, Jaguar is set to release a canvas top roadster of the XE, which will then be followed by a coupe version, allowing for prospective buyers to choose what style of the XE they prefer.
As it stands, the company is expected to release 60,000 units of both the
2013 XE and the XK, an optimistic number for a company that struggled to make any kind of dent on car sales this year.
After struggling with sales for the better part of the 2009, Jaguar is pegging 2013 as a big year for them and releasing a preview of what’s in store for customers is a sign that the Tata-owned luxury brand is hell bent on returning to its rightful place on top of any car enthusiast’s wish list.
Judging from the way the car looks – and the rumored engine it’s
supposed to come in – the 2013 XE just may be the car Jaguar is looking for to jumpstart its fledgling brand.
If you were sill hopping to see a new generation Honda NSX sports cars is time to stop dreaming. In an interview at Tokyo Motor Show, Honda chief executive Takanobu Ito sweep any dreams you might have had: there will be no successor for the NSX, not even in a hybrid version. Instead Honda plans a smaller city car placed under the current Jazz.
Also Honda has no plans for a pure battery electric vehicle and plans to build clean-fuel diesels for the US market had been canceled also.
Talking about hybrid cars, Takanobu Ito said Honda will use two hybrid systems: small cars like Civic will use a single-motor part-electric system, while bigger hybrid cars would use two electric motors.
There will also be no Acura on the European market.
Just like their luxurious Japanese rivals at Lexus, Infiniti is also preparing a competitor for other premium compacts like the Audi A3 and BMW 1-Series, the only difference being that the Inifiniti will be electric. Ever since the high end arm of Nissan unveiled the Infiniti Essence concept back in March at the Geneva Motor Show, the automaker has been looking on upgrading both the styling of their lineup as well as their power trains. This particular example should arrive sometime in the next two years.
The difference between the Lexus Lf-Ch and the future Infiniti compact car is that the latter will still feature a conventional internal combustion engine, just like the Essence. According to an inside source at Nissan, the next generation model might be built on the same platform as the automaker’s current electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf by saying that: "A small electric Infiniti is definitely on the horizon, as are larger electric models too."
Nissan completely redesigned the Skyline model when they introduced the GT350 back in 2001. Gone was the classic boxy shape of the 1990s models which gave way to a 350Z inspired curvilinear Infiniti G35. The luxury car was well appointed and like all of Nissan’s VQ35 powered vehicles, the new Skyline had an exhaust note to die for. The next update for the R35 Skyline came in 2006 when Nissan’s engineers sharpened up the design and bumped displacement up to 3.7 Liters for the world renowned V6 engine. Although the current Infiniti G37 is still a very attractive sports car, the now classic two swoop shape is due for a major update in preparation for the 2012 model year.
When the Japanese automaker unveiled the Infiniti Essence concept car at the Geneva motor Show, they were laying out the floor plan for their future model lineup both aesthetically and mechanically. So with no better inspiration for the future Skyline in sight, it would appear that the new Nissan Skyline could be the first production model to speak the Essence concept’s design language. However it is not expected to adopt the working show car’s hybrid drive train. Instead the 2012 Skyline will feature a 3.7 literV6 to produce a total of around 450 HP. However we won’t find out any time soon because Nissan is rumored to be preparing a Skyline Coupe prototype for the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show with a production version slated to go on sale in the 3rd quarter of 2012.
Now that the fuel efficient Japanese automaker Toyota has officially announced that the FT-86 Concept will bring the highly anticipated AE-86 successor to life, we are eager to see what the other half of the Toyobaru alliance has planned for the new sport compact. We know that Subaru must have some iteration of the new two door sports coupe awaiting in the in the wings and the rumors are saying that their in house tuner Subaru Technica International is working on something special for 2011.
While the Toyota is powered by a gas sipping 2.0 Liter flat four that makes 150 HP, the STI version will be powered by Subaru’s 2.5 Liter EJ25 turbocharged boxer engine that will be tuned to around 250 HP. It is also expected that the new car’s design will be heavily inspired by the current Impreza WRX STI with wider front and rear fenders to house wider rubber and an increased track along with an STI tuned suspension as well as a unique front bumper and a bespoke rear wing.
As a short reminder, the Flash Red FT-86 Concept is inspired by the Toyota Corolla based AE-86 sports coupe from the 1980s. The car’s rear wheel drive layout, lightweight construction and economy car status made it the vehicle of choice for both grip and drift drivers alike and is one of the few cars today that is worth more currently than it did when it rolled out of the showroom.
Pages: 
Picture Gallery
Post a comment
RSS -
Webmaster free news |