Concept Cars

With all car manufacturers being pressured ever further to reduce their cars emissions, Mitsubishi faces a challenge in the 2013 Evo XI. The current Evo X, while massively entertaining and one of the best drivers cars available, is not particularly kind to the daisies and butterflies, and if Mitsubishi have any hope of getting another Evo out of the design room and into production then it needs to be much kinder to our fragile friends.

To that end the wonder kids at Mitsubishi have come up with a new plan for the Evo XI, namely dumping the legendary 2.0 turbo unit that has helped make the Evo such fun, and slotting in a diesel alternative with an electric motor attached.

How many green Evo's can you see...? That's soon to change.

While this new plan may be seen as a traitorous act by Mitsubishi among die hard Evo fans, the truth is it was never going to be possible to get another Evo out that could keep a powerful petrol engine in place whilst getting the emissions down to an acceptable level.

Going diesel, and making use of a self recharging electric motor is probably the best option, keeping the tree huggers at bay, and keeping the Evo family in production, given the choice of no new Evo at all, or a diesel/electric version, we know what we would rather choose, and most Evo fans would probably admit the same.

We understand the layout will use the electric motor to drive the front wheels, and the diesel power plant to drive the back wheels, with the option for the driver to switch to all electric mode for small drives and thus helping drastically reducing overall emissions, Evo fans will obviously be hoping the changes don’t also drastically reduce performance too, but we think the Evo team will know well enough what is expected of them and we’re sure what they deliver wont disappoint.

The Evo XI is due out in 2013, cant come quick enough for us, but in the meantime we look forward to hearing more details seep out of Mitusbishi’s secret lab as the months roll by.

The Current MINI is somewhat larger than the 60's original

Apparently BMW are busy working on a concept for a small version of their popular Mini. Despite the fact the original version of the Mini from the 60’s could almost fit in your pocket, BMW’s incarnation is massive by comparison, and a small version of the car would probably prove to be extremely popular among Mini fans.

We don’t have any pictures as yet of how the car will look, word is the small Mini concept will be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva Motor show, our guess would be it would follow the design lines of the current “big” Mini so as to ensure it still looks like a Mini should, if BMW veer away from the traditional Mini look then it would probably sell half as many, so it makes sense for them to keep the style so that when people see it they know its a Mini.

We’re all looking forward to seeing this one, we think BMW might well give it the real feel of the original Mini, it’ll be just like being in the 60’s, only with airbags, 60mpg and a cup holder.

While the spirit of MG may have long been lost, the marque lives on, and here we have something of a departure from what we usually associate MG with, i.e. low volume performance cars for the man on the street.

This concept, and we think it may not actually be so much of concept rather a model on the way as rumor has it this and the MG2 are one and the same thing, is aimed squarely at the volume small car market, will this pay off for MG, probably not would be our guess, there is so much competition in the sector, and incredibly strong competition, that taken on the existing players at their own game might well be a bullet or two in the foot.

That said, the car looks OK, but we have no other details upon which to make any judgements, not yet at least. We think, to be honest, it will be a typical MG in terms of quality, refinement and reliability, China are still playing catch up in these areas of automotive design and production, and we can see this car getting some critical reviews, still the chance is there for this to be a great car, as long as no corners are not cut.

That being said, if it uses the Fiat Punto platform as we believe it may do, then it should at least do the basics very well, and then just the finishing will be the area under scrutiny.

Anyhow, good to see the MG name still around, it could have disappeared forever if things had gone differently, just hope that something is left of the soul, but that is maybe wishful thinking.

The car that caused a sensation in the early nineties is finally bidding fairwell. The Dodge Viper first appeared in 1992, and at the time was both praised and critisised for its oulandish styling, although quick, it wasnt the fastest car around, and much scorn was poured on its handling, which kept you buzy when you started getting into the twisty stuff.

Later versions improved both in performance and handling, and the sight of a Viper still makes everyone around stare in amazement as one crusies past, but now the party’s over (at least for the current model).

Dodge Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles (right) and plant manager Shelly Brown Gordon (third from right) welcomed more than 400 hundred loyal Viper owners at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit today to present the ultimate factory customized 2010 Dodge Viper coupe to proud new owner D’Ann Rauh (second from right). Rauh and her husband Wayne from Arp, Texas, own more than 40 Dodge Vipers – the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world.

A member of the Mid-South Viper Club of America, D’Ann Rauh worked exclusively with the Dodge Design team to select the personal touches she wanted on her car. The custom bronzed gold exterior paint was supplied by House of Kolor. The custom interior features various leather appointments, which were crafted by Tony Spampinito from Venzano, who has worked with the Rauhs on previous Viper projects.

Bob Soroka, from Chrysler Group LLC’s Street and Racing Technology team, airbrushed layouts of Viper-significant race tracks into the custom-painted copper stripes applied by Prefix. The five-spoke forged-aluminum wheels are custom painted in dark graphite.

Members from both the Motor City Viper Club and the Viper Club of America participated in the celebration.

Rauh’s Viper is the last of the current-generation Vipers built at the plant. Dodge has created more special-edition Viper models for the 2010 model year than all other model years combined. Production on the Dodge Viper started in 1992.

More details have been coming from Ford about the 2011 Ford Edge. Along with a revised interior and exterior, the powertrain is also getting a rework, to include the same 3.7-litre V6 engine from the 2011 Mustang V6 that boasts 305bhp (compared to 265bhp in the current model), along with a six speed auto with paddle shift (nice for all your F1 fans).

Obviously the higher weight and increased drag factors of the Edge compare to the Mustang will mean somewhat lower fuel economy than the Mustang gets, we don’t know what exactly yet, but our guess would be approx 25mpg.

Along with the uprated engine, the new 2011 Ford Edge will also get a beefed up suspension to cope with the increased performance, and pretty decent 22″ alloys for everything to sit on.

Honda continues to lead the way in green automotive technology with the soon to be released CR-Z. Its shape and style are clear homages to the massively successful (and quick) CRX of the 1980’s, but this time around its a lot more friendly to the environment.

We think it looks great, has a really nice wedge profile and looks like it will go quick even before you step inside. Like the CRX, this model has a tiny (almost unuasable) rear seat, and behind that under the boot floor lies a lithium-ion battery pack that powers a 14bhp electric motor thats placed between the petrol 1.4 liter, 114bhp engine and its six speed gearbox.

At their maximum the engine and motor combine to produce 124bhp, not massive by any means, but it should be enough to get you around the city streets with some urgency, and for that you only put 117g/km CO2 which isnt bad at all for a sporty hatch.

Honda enthusiasts should love it, and it can only be a matter of time before they get to work increasing the outputs of both the engine and the motor… 200bhp anyone?

Images: Honda