While Mazda of America is busy working on its SkyActiv system, back at home in Japan, it is hard at work creating a new micro-mini vehicle. This latest micro-mini to hit the Japanese market is the Mazda Flairwagon, which is a relatively appropriate name given this new wagon has plenty of flair to show off, with its odd-shaped body.
Underneath all of the Mazda badging is a car that is not even related to Mazda in any way, as this new micro-mini wagon is really nothing more than a Suzuki Palette with Mazda badges. Unlike other rebadged cars like the Cavalier and Sunfire, Mazda didn’t really bother changing anything but the badges, which is pretty strange. Then again, this Suzuki also prowls the streets bearing the Nissan Roox name. In the Roox’s case, Nissan at least changes the headlights a little to separate it from its Suzuki donor.
Is this compact and odd-looking wagon something that will actually sell and will it ever find its way outside of the Japanese market? To find out the answers to these questions and learn all about this “new” micro-mini by Mazda, click past the jump.
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We have seen the supercar, supertruck, and we are just starting to get into the superSUV, so what else could engineers possibly put “super” in front of? Well, the engineers at the Delft Institute of Technology have a new one for you, the Superbus.
The Superbus has been a long work in progress and we have brought you several updates. First we broke the news to you about the designing of such a machine, back in 2006. In 2011, we alerted you that the machine was finally complete and could hit top speeds of 155 mph on electric power only.
Well, here we are, six years after its initial conception and we finally have and a purpose for this Lamborghini-meets-school-bus electric mass transit system, as well as a road-legal model. According to Fox News, a license plate was finally issued for this creation, which makes road testing legal, allowing its engineers to see how well it performs in real life.
You may wonder what in the world anyone would need with a 50-foot-long, 23-seat, six-wheeled Superbus. Well, the United Arab Emirates have your answer. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, two UAE members, are separated by about 75 miles of highways and want a way to connect the two cities with as little travel time as possible.
The two cities plan to build a stretch of highways connecting them and purchasing a fleet of these Superbuses to trek this journey in just 30 minutes. That’s some serious ass haulin’. We are at least three years away from seeing a production version of this all-electric Superbus, but the issuing of a license plate is a promising site. We will keep you updated on this slow development project as news becomes available.
You can catch a glimpse of this Superbus in the above video.
Apart from the Beetle, no other Volkswagen model can claim ’iconic’ status as the venerable Volkswagen "Type2 T1" Microbus. Back in its glory years, the Microbus was one of the most popular vehicles on the planet, used in more ways than anybody could have anticipated. Remember the 70’s and those ’Love Buses’? Yeah, those were the days, right?
It’s been a while since we last saw an iteration of the Microbus so you can imagine our surprise - and excitement - when Volkswagen unveiled the Bulli Concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Finally, the latest spiritual successor to the Microbus of yesteryear has arrived. Measuring 3.99 m in length, 1.75 m in width, and 1.70 m in height, the Bulli Concept is far from being green-lighted as a production vehicle, but now that a concept version has come out as a development model of the last Microbus concept that was unveiled back in 2001, it bodes well for those people that have been clamoring for a new Volkswagen Transporter to be released.
Whether we see one or not is all up to Volkswagen. But if we had a say on it, we’d be sending this vehicle to the production line in the blink of an eye.
UPDATE 08/15/11: It took a while, and it’s not set in stone yet, but if recent rumors are to be believed, it looks like the iconic Microbus will finally get its long awaited successor. Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but it appears that they’re seriously considering building a production version of the Bulli concept by 2014. We won’t draw any conclusions here, but at this point, we’d be very surprised if the Bulli doesn’t hit production anytime soon.
Details on the Volkswagen Bulli after the jump.
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After Porsche unveiled the Panamera luxury sedan at the Frankfurt Motor Show to a rousing reception, the general consensus was that a a convertible version is already in the works, that is until rumors started circulating that decisions regarding the convertible version was still to receive an official decision.
Now, it seems that the cat is finally out of the bag after a series of patent applications on the Panamera convertible have recently surfaced.
The patents reveal that the future convertible will retain the same layout as the four-door sedan, offering the same interior space and a fabric roof.
It is expected that the convertible will feature the same V6 and V8 engines with power ranging from 300 to 500 bhp.
Based on the Volkswagen Caravelle van (not currently sold in the U.S.), the Claer T5 Bi-turbo is powered by a Porsche 996 engine. This van delivers 680 hp and a top speed of 186 mph. For a VW Caravelle fan this represents a wish come true because after all, it’s still a bus! Of course, in order to obtain these numbers Claer modified the chassis and installed a new suspension system, which has lowered the car almost 75 mm in order to improve the stability.
The most important thing regarding this car are the brakes! The tuner had to prove that its customized VW is able to stop in time and due to the Claer brake system the T5 Bi-turbo can stop now from 0-60 mph in just 128 feet.
This may just be the ultimate stealth sports car. After all, what cop would believe that a van would do almost 190 mph? No words about the price yet.
To appeal to young drivers, Toyota launched a complete line of vehicles in 2004. This new brand is called
Scion. Their hope was to repeat the Lexus success story with the Scion. Don’t ask me what Scion means or where it comes from, but after only 4 years in the US,
you will have a hard time to find a teenager who doesn’t know or want a Scion.
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According to
AutoExpress, yes it will! The magazine reports that Volkswagen has joined forces with British rock group The Who on creating the future camper van.
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Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Viano hold their value better than any other vehicle in their respective segments Eurotax-Schwacke calculates depreciation after three years Viano and S-Class boast highest resale values In the latest Schwacke Automobile Forecast Index (F-SAX) – published twice a year – the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the top luxury car whilst the Mercedes-Benz Viano leads the field in the MPV category. The F-SAX looks at models with the same mileage, comparable (...)
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Transforming a carrier van into a powerful luxury van: That is the guideline for BRABUS for refining the new Mercedes Sprinter. The extensive program comprises powerful engine tuning, an exclusive appearance upgrade, custom-tailored light-
alloy wheels and interior options that include fully customized business and multimedia packages.
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Master, a benchmark in the segment with 100 variations. With more than 250,000 units produced since it was launched in November 1997, Master increased sales by a record 26.5% in Western Europe in 2000.
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