concept cars
concept cars, cars and trucks, green day time of your life, maximum motorsports, concept cars of the future, hybrid car information, coupes, hatchbacks, motorsports, concept cars 2007, concept cars 2008, concept cars 2009,
Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Paris Motor Show, Hyundai
Hyundai ix20 Concept - Click above for high-res image
When it comes to designing an MPV, it's difficult to move beyond the standard two-box form. That's where Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language comes into play. Penned by the automaker's European R&D studio in Rüsselsheim, Germany and set to debut at Paris Motor Show at the end of the month, the ix20 attempts to add a level of style to the utilitarian MPV segment.
There's no word on an engine or output, but Hyundai says the soiree in Paris will have a heavy focus on the brand's BlueDrive drivetrains, and joining the ix20 on stage will be a refreshed i10 city car, complete with a new 1.0-liter engine. Full details in the press blast after the break.
Continue reading Paris Preview: Hyundai ix20 MPV sketched
Paris Preview: Hyundai ix20 MPV sketched originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Specialty, Design/Style, Quick Spin
FireBreather Camaro - Click above for high-res image gallery
Hollywood movies are chock full of kick-ass superhero cars. There are radical vehicles, like the Batmobile and Mach 5, and then there are the gussied-up street cars like Eleanor, Greased Lightning and Austin Powers' Shaguar. Aside from the extreme styling, most of the mechanized celebrities from Hollywood are only capable of conjuring their supernatural performance on-screen. Step aside Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and make room for FireBreather.
Getting a jump on Jinn, a film due to be released next year by Exxodus Pictures, Classic Design Concepts is introducing its own superhero car. Unlike the aforementioned movie props, relegated to static displays in museums or car shows, the satin-black hero in the upcoming supernatural thriller will make it into limited production and offer enough performance to back up its enhanced persona.
Autoblog caught up with the wickedly-styled Camaro coupe at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance a couple weeks ago. While the venue is hardly an ideal setting for putting any car through its paces, there was plenty of time to take in the FireBreather aura and persuade its supercharged 600-horsepower engine to remove more than a few layers of rubber from the rear tires.
As expected, there were many questions in need of answering. How was it transformed? Who's behind the styling and what's the logic behind the name? Most importantly, what's it like to drive this real-life superhero car? These answers and more, after the jump.
Gallery: FireBreather Camaro: Quick Spin
Photos copyright (C)2010 Michael Harley / AOL
Continue reading Quick Spin: FireBreather Camaro
Quick Spin: FireBreather Camaro originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, SUV, Videos, Jeep, Design/Style, Off-Road
Jeep shows off Fiat-based CUV - Click above to watch video after the jump
There have been plenty of murmurings about how Fiat's partnership with Chrysler will impact the Jeep brand. Exactly how much platform sharing will occur between the Italian automaker and the Pentastar's globe-roaming purveyor of SUVs has been a hot topic amongst the Jeep faithful for some time. Now it appears that a video posted on YouTube by user thejeepchannel has given the world its first glance at a new Fiat-based crossover set to wear the famous seven-slot grille. In the video, a Jeep intern learns a bit about the company's design process, all while hovering around a clay model of one very CUV-looking creation.
Chrysler has made no qualms about the fact that it will produce an SUV on the C-Evo platform, and has even made noise about which of the company's manufacturing facilities will build the vehicle.
Our guess is that the clay model in the video is none other than that very high-rider. Judging by the clay, the CUV will wear a host of typical Jeep design cues, including squared-off fender arches and overhangs. Follow the jump to see for yourself.
*Update: Chrysler has released the following statement concerning the vehicle in the video:
"While we certainly appreciate the interest, the clay model and sketches in the YouTube video represent past design studies, not the future of Jeep design. This and similar videos are targeted toward college students and the youth market in general, to build excitement about the Jeep brand, and to provide a glimpse into some of the processes we go through to create iconic Jeep vehicles."
[Source: YouTube]
Continue reading Video: Jeep accidently shows off Fiat-based CUV *UPDATE
Video: Jeep accidently shows off Fiat-based CUV *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Performance, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Jaguar, Rumormill, Luxury
With the Paris Motor Show a mere month away, automakers from around the globe are unleashing a barrage of teasers and rumors that hint to what will be on display. According to Auto Express, Jaguar is the latest company to let slip what it has planned. The murky report says the Leaping Cat will pull the covers off of an XK-sized sports car inspired by the Porsche 918. While that likely means the concept will boast a fantastical hybrid drivetrain with more torque than sense, it doesn't mean that Tata is going to fast-track this car for production. Auto Express says the car is more to flex the company's styling muscles than anything else. While that means we likely won't be seeing another sultry two-door in the Jaguar stable any time soon, the new concept will give us some insight into what's coming down the pike in terms of Jaguar design. That may include some new, oblong grille language to replace the slinky oval of the E-Types of old. Supposedly the company's designers are having a hard time maintaining the oval grille's proportions on the company's new widebody platforms.
[Source: Auto Express | Image: Zach Bowman / Copyright (C)2010 AOL]
Report: Jaguar sports car concept bound for Paris originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Performance, Ferrari, Design/Style
That didn't take long. As soon as the Ferrari 599 Spyder post went live this afternoon we started hearing from multiple sources that Ferrari did indeed preview a 599 "Roadster" in Monterey a few weeks ago and that the letter posted on Luxury4Play is authentic. It shouldn't be that surprising, after all, we did a post predicting the unveiling a while back.
Apparently the invitees had to negotiate a tricky path after clearing a security gate to get to the venue. They all had to sign NDAs and their phones and cameras were confiscated. The car that was presented to them was a 599 convertible with a part-time fabric roof that included a removable glass panel for the back window. It was described as an occasional use roof, making this more of a barchetta than a spider in Ferrari parlance. Actually one person described it as nothing more than a piece of fabric that connected to both sides of the body. We're thinking a Porsche Boxster Spyder-type arrangement.
This particular 599 roadster was rosso fuoco - a rare and expensive multi-layer red - and had silver buttresses. It also had a new wheel design. The best news about this new model was that the engine will come from the recently unveiled 599 GTO and that the convertible will weigh no more than the current 599 GTB coupe. It will be priced at a premium over the GTO and will be limited to just 100 units. There was no indication of what this new model will be called, but Barchetta and SuperAmerica were used on the 550 and 575 convertibles, so maybe one of those will be resurrected...or possibly another name from Ferrari's past, like Monza. Sales were tentatively promised for Summer 2011.
That was quick - Ferrari 599 Roadster preview confirmed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Performance, Mazda, Design/Style
Mazda Shinari Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
When Mazda invited us to Milan to see its new concept car, we knew it must be something important. Normally concept cars get their 15 minutes of fame at an auto show, and then it's off to the next press conference to see what the following automaker will introduce. Not so with Mazda's latest styling endeavor. The Japanese automaker wanted our full and undivided attention, with the center of international design and fashion in Italy as a fitting backdrop.
The Shinari concept, which roughly translates to "resistance to being bent," will serve as a the basis for Mazda's new design language, and many of the styling cues will make it to future production vehicles. That means that the Shinari will essentially affect the design of every vehicle coming from the Japanese automaker for the next several years. An important car for Mazda? You bet.
The Shinari was officially unveiled earlier today, and we spent several hours talking with Mazda's artists about the design and how it will affect the automaker's forthcoming vehicles. Follow the jump to learn more about the Shinari and what it means for the brand's future.
Gallery: Mazda Shinari Concept In Detail
Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL
Continue reading Mazda Shinari Concept debuts new face of the brand in style
Mazda Shinari Concept debuts new face of the brand in style originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Convertible, Crossover, Nissan
Yes, the Nissan Murano convertible is going to happen, and not only is it coming to the LA Auto Show, but now it has a name: The Murano CrossCabriolet.Billed as the world's first four-seat, all-wheel drive convertible crossover, the chop-top CUV will only sport two doors and - contrary to the renderings floating around - it won't come with PT Cruiser-style roll hoop.
According to Inside Line, joining the CrossCabriolet at the So. Cal. show this November will be a new Nissan sedan concept that, is said to be "a new dimension to traditional sedan design - a dimension named innovation." Ridiculous hyperbole aside, the four-door concept has been dubbed Ellure, and hopefully the "new dimension" it creates will swallow the CrossCabriolet into oblivion.
[Source: Inside Line]
Report: Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet (convertible) joining Ellure concept in LA originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Paris Motor Show, Mazda
Mazda Shinari Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
With the departure of Laurens van den Acker to Renault, Mazda's loved or loathed Nagare design language has been dispatched, and in its place is a new designer (Ikuo Maeda) a new theme, a new concept and a new name: Kodo.
Set to debut at the Paris Motor Show later this month, the Shinari concept is our first glimpse at the future of Mazda styling. The four-door design exercise evolves the Nagare theme into a more cohesive and - dare we say - production-ready form, toning down the massive grin currently found on the Mazda3 and other models, while incorporating new aluminum accents that are expected to proliferate through Mazda's future products.
Until the Paris show, these leaked image are all we have to go on, but judging by the hit-or-miss nature of Nagare, we like what we're seeing thus far. And if you're wondering, "Kodo" translates roughly to "soul of motion."
Gallery: Mazda Shinari Concept
[Sources: Autoblog.it, Autoblog.nl]
Paris Preview: Mazda debuts new Kodo design language with Shinari Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 10:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Spy Photos, Minivan/Van, Wagon, Crossover, Hyundai, Design/Style
Hyundai HED-5 prototype captured by Rich Truesdell of Automotive Traveler
Our buddy Rich Truesdell over at Automotive Traveler was out at one of his favorite spy shot locales and came across some Hyundai prototypes under wraps. Among them was a hatchback that Rich initially figured was the new Accent. It turns out it's more likely the production version of the Hyundai HED-5 undergoing testing.
The Elantra-based competitor for the Mazda5 and the forthcoming Ford Grand C-Max - was first shown as a concept at the Geneva Motor Show back in 2008, and then again in Los Angeles where Hyundai quickly confirmed it for production. Things got a bit quiet after that until February of this year when an alert reader sent us pics of a cloaked version of the production microvan undergoing testing in Scandinavia.
The three-row space wagon shows signs that it will be blessed with Hyundai's new Fluidic Sculpture styling, a design language that we are finding very appealing, despite the kooky name. We're not sure what's under the hood, but Hyundai did mention its new 286-hp, 2.0-liter Theta Turbo GDI engine as a possibility when the concept was on the stand in Los Angeles back in '08. That would certainly shake things up in this increasingly popular class, but such a powerful motor doesn't seem likely. However, were it to recceive the force-fed motor, who knows? It could singlehandedly force a business case for a Mazdaspeed5 as well. Hmmm.
Click on over to Automotive Traveler for more pics of the cloaked Hyundai HED-5.
Gallery: Spy Shots: Hyundai HED-5
Gallery: Hyundai i-Mode concept
[Source: Automotive Traveler]
Spy Shots: Hyundai HED-5 making the rounds originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Budget, Sedan, Hyundai, Russia, Design/Style
Hyundai RB Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
Hyundai has dropped its new RB concept on the crowd at this year's Moscow Motor Show, and according to our Spanish-speaking sister site, the car you see above is likely to evolve into a genuine Russian-market production model with one of two engines.
On the base side of things, buyers can opt for a 1.4-liter four-cylinder with around 109 horsepower, while those looking for a bit more grunt will be able to snap up a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with around 124 ponies. Both engines should be available with either a five-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic.
The mechanicals aren't the kind of hardware we typically get excited about, but we do like the compact sedan's lines. The design borrows plenty of cues from the similarly sultry Sonata, and the look wears well on a smaller craft. So far, it looks like the RB will stick to its Russian borders, but that doesn't mean we won't see a similarly handsome mug on our shores. From what we can gather, the next-generation Accent will be very similar to what you see above. Small things like fascias and tail lights may change, but the overall car is the successor to the Hyundai compact throne. Hit the jump for a look at a video of the concept as well as the full press release.
Gallery: Hyundai RB Concept
[Source: Autoblog Spanish]
Continue reading Hyundai RB concept for Moscow revealed [w/video]
Hyundai RB concept for Moscow revealed [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, GM, Holden, Australia
The internets are aflame with word that General Motors will unveil a new Cruze hatchback at this year's Paris Motor Show. According to Go Auto, the concept was worked up by none other than The General's Down Under contingent at Holden. Now, before you start hoping for a more functional version of the Chevrolet Cruze to show up in a showroom near you, know that the production version of the car will be built in Australia and sold to, you guessed it, Australians. Chances are looking slim that the long-roof Cruze will ever make it to the Land of the Free in any official capacity.
Shucks.
GM has made it clear that it will debut no less than four new models in Paris, including production versions of the Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Orlando. While the Orlando is another piece of forbidden fruit from the General, buyers in the U.S. can look forward to getting their hands on the Ford Fiesta-fighting Aveo sometime soon. From what we've seen of the new subcompact, the car looks galaxies better than the outgoing model - of course, that's not hard...
[Source: Go Auto]
GM to show Cruze hatchback at Paris Motor Show? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Podcasts, Etc., Ford, GM, Hyundai, Jaguar, Toyota, Electric
Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!
Chris, Sam and Dan return for Episode #192 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the reinstatement of GM's high performance division and its new focus on small cars, the Ford Edge Sport being out-dragged by its lesser SEL sibling, and the BMW Megacity electric car. It's an hour and eleven minutes, bookended by what's in our respective garages and your questions/comments. See you next week!
Autoblog Podcast #192 - Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity
In the Autoblog Garage:
Toyota Sienna LE
Jaguar XFR
Hyundai Azera
Hosts:
Dan Roth, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Shunk
Runtime: 71:11
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly
Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)
Review the show in iTunes and take our survey
Autoblog Podcast #192 - Slow Edge Sports, GM High Performance, BMW Megacity originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Technology, UK, Luxury
Morgan LIFEcar 2 diesel-electric hybrid - Click above for image gallery
We suppose it was only a matter of time before mighty Morgan threw its cap into the electric car realm. With everyone from Mercedes-Benz to Audi toying around with motor-powered supercars, the eclectic purveyor of long-hood wonders was bound to follow suit. According to Autocar, we can expect to see a pair of new models to emerge from Morgan in short order. The first, called the LIFEcar 2, is especially mouth watering. The svelte coupe supposedly gets its power from a diesel-electric powertrain and will pack a range of around 1,000 miles. Despite its city car name, the LIFEcar 2 will be a sports car above all else.
As for the second model, Autocar was able to drum up very few details, other than it will be more extreme with a focus on entertainment.
If you're thinking this sounds like the standard Brit-pub rumor mongering, think again. Morgan says it will bring the LIFEcar 2 from prototype to production, and that it will weight a scant 1,700 pounds when it hits the road. Hit the jump for the press release.
Gallery: Morgan LIFEcar 2
[Source: Autocar, Morgan]
Continue reading Report: Two new models coming from Morgan
Report: Two new models coming from Morgan originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Performance, China, Lamborghini, Rumormill, Luxury
Lamborghini Estoque - Click above for high-res image gallery
Hold on to your lugnuts, kids, because here's a rumor that's so far out it practically qualifies as science fiction. Taken straight from Gasgoo.com, which has provided plenty of worthy news in the past, is this nugget: Lamborghini "will import its super luxury four-door sedan, Lamborghini Estoque to China for local production in 2012 with a price tag of around 4 million yuan ($589,000)."
To be fair, it appears as though Gasgoo is just reporting on what's being reported in other Chinese media. However, in case you haven't been keeping up with the Estoque's flirtations with production reality, first Lamborghini planned to make it after it was introduced two years ago, then the economic implosion supposedly killed it in early 2009, but Lamborghini quickly said that wasn't true, then this month company CEO Stephan Winkelmann hinted about how a third model would help the brand.
To us, none of that means the 2008 Paris Motor Show traffic-stopper is going to be built at all. Somehow, though, the Chinese media have heard that not only is it going to be built, but it will be built in China as soon as 2012. On top of that, even though it hasn't been developed, it's already been priced, and at that price you could buy almost three Aston Martin Rapide sedans. Or, more accurately, three Rapides and an infinite number of leprechauns, gorgons, drop bears and the latest creature of fable, a Chinese-built Estoque.
Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque LIVE
Gallery: Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque Concept
Live photos copyright (C)2010 Jonathon Ramsey / AOL
[Source: Gasgoo]
Crazy Rumor of the Day: Lamborghini Estoque to be built in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Europe, Electric
Izaro GT-E - Click above for high-res image gallery
With the generous and quixotic assistance of Google Translate we've been able to cobble together random bits about the Izaro Motors GT-E. The brand itself is a resurrected name founded in Madrid in 1922, the Izaro Electric Car Factory. This new company is said to be run by the original founder's grandson, and in keeping with that continuity, his new creation is a sports car that will use either electric or hybrid propulsion.
Originally developed on a Factory Five chassis, at least one source claims that Izaro no longer has any relationship with said company. Izaro explains that the roughly 2,200-pound chassis they're using is fabricated from basalt fiber, magnesium and high-strength steel, and will hide one of two engines: a 495-horsepower electric motor or a 416-hp hybrid combo.
Since current fashion dictates that planned electric supercars need to be accessorized with whopping projected specs, Izaro doesn't disappoint: 0-to-62 miles per hour in under four seconds, a 150-mile range in the electric variant and 428 miles in the hybrid, with a €60,000 ($76,089 U.S.) starting price. Since you probably won't see it anywhere else for a while (if ever), you can check it out in the gallery of high-res photos below.
Gallery: Izaro Motors GT E
[Sources: Izaro Motors (translated), Autoblog Spanish (translated)]
Izaro GT-E eco-minded supercar takes shape originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments