Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Volkswagen XL1
Recently unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show the above is the Volkswagen XL1 Concept, design to travel incredible distances on little fuel thanks to its lightweight and highly developed aerodynamic properties.
Keeping the weight down is accomplished, among other things, by the use of a carbon fibre body using some new techniques to reduce weight and increase strength, the car stands at 795kg, which is incredibly light for a modern car of these proportions.
The car runs from a lithium-ion battery pack supplying a 20kw electric motor that is designed to be charged from a standard household socket, the battery power alone provides around 20 miles of driving. Once the battery power is exhausted, the XL1′s tiny 48 horsepower 0.8 litre (yes… zero point eight!) TDI engine takes over responsibility for propelling the car.
To provide some feeling that the car really is designed to go a long way on little the fuel, the fuel tank holds a measly 2.64 gallons, giving the the car a max range of 341 miles when used with a full charge. Overall CO2 output is obviously low too, producing only 24 grams per kilometer, compared to the best current low CO2 models available which produce around 80-100 grams per kilometer.
While the XL1 is not destined for production, its clear Volkswagen is working towards a production car with these kind of efficiency figures, which while not impossible, is going to be hard to achieve for sometime due to the cost involved in producing lightweight, and strong, body shells. Nobody is going to pay $50k+ for a slow, small, city runaround, and right now that is the problem Volkswagen, and all other manufacturers face, how to produce these efficiency figures in a sensibly priced car.
Volkswagen XL1 - Interior
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Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
Smart Roadster
During the early days of the Smart car there was a limited run version of the car called the Crossblade that was basically a Smart car without any of the usual items required to keep you safe from the elements, such as doors and a roof. The Crossblade was produced only briefly, with 2000 cars being built before production ceased, and seemingly with it the chance of Smart having any form of open top Smart from which to enjoy the sunshine (or rain depending on your preference).
The vehicle you see pictured above is not the Crossblade, as fans of the icon will know, what it is is a trademarked design drawing produced by Smart and seemingly a vision of a future version of their fun little runaround, but with the unmistakable feel of a Mercedes (Smarts parent company) roadster, what more could you want for a summertime trip to the local store?
We don’t know when, or indeed if, Smart will actually produce this roadster or some variation of it, but its intriguing the designs have been trademarked and would certainly suggest production is at least a possibility. It also seems possible that a concept of the Smart Roadster may make an appearance at one of this years big auto shows, given the timing of the trademarks was in November 2010, so don’t be surprised to see it appear in some form sooner rather than later.
Posted in Concept Cars | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
Peugeot EX1
Well, what can we say about this Peugeot EX1 Concept, its errrm… quick. This car follows a pattern set by the Tesla but pips the Tesla example in several areas, though sadly, unlike the Tesla, you will never (probably) be able to buy the EX1, its simply a one off to celebrate 200 years of Peugeot.
When we say quick, that phrase may not quite be enough, this cat gets to 60mph in 3.58 seconds, beating the Tesla by a smidgen, but from there things go absolutely bonkers.
The Peugeot EX1, rather then start to lose its rate of acceleration as the speed builds, it actually increases it, unbelievably hitting its top speed of around 160mph from a standing start in just 6.6 seconds… think about… 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds, then the next 60-160mph in 3 seconds… 3 seconds to increase velocity by 100mph… that has to be one hell of a rush.
To give you some perspective on just how fast this rate of acceleration is, a Formula One car will typically hit the same 160mph marker in around 7.8 seconds, and while that is incredibly fast, and not that far behind the time of the EX1, it belies the distribution of the acceleration, as a Formula One car will go to 60mph in 1.7 seconds, destroying the EX1 to that speed, but then from the 60-160mph takes around 6 seconds compared to the EX1′s 3 seconds.
Amazingly the claimed ranged for the Peugeot EX1 is 280 miles on a single charge, that seems somewhat optimistic given the performance but then with the light weight and high power batteries it might well be possible providing you were to drive with the very lightest of feathery touches on the accelerator, how you could drive for 280 miles in this car without giving in to the urge to floor it though is beyond us.
Its a fine example of what can be achieved with electric power, and a great peek at the high performance supercars of the future, there is no doubt that in 20 or 30 years the likes of Lamborghini and Ferrari will have electric models available, and it will be cars like this Peugeot EX1 that lead the way many years before.
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Sunday, September 19th, 2010
2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Front
Here is BMWs 2011 6 Series Coupé that will be BMWs main draw at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. The car follows familiar BMW lines as would be expected, with one of the most notable differences being more steeply sweeping headlamps than previously seen on BMW models and a much sleeker over all look.
Along with this Coupé model will be a convertible set for launch in March 2011 just in time for the summer market. Engine-wise expect to see both 4 liter and 5 liter petrol variants along with a 4 liter deisel too which should give a decent MPG return for those interested in lower running costs.
The usual BMW high end in-car entertainment and electronic system controls feature, this time around with a massive (for in car purposes at least) 10″+ screen which should keep all the “look what it does” fans happy.
While this car is being labled as a concept, we understand that the new 2011 BMW 6 series coupé will more or less look just like this, so if you like the look of it you can rest assured you will actually be able to get your hands on one sometime next year.
2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Side
2011 BMW 6 Series Concept - Rear
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Tuesday, September 14th, 2010
Lamborghini Indomable Concept - Front
The Paris Motor Show is nearly with us, and thus so will be the new Lamborghini concept that many (including us) have been itching to see. Until we get to see that undoubtedly beautiful piece of art in a few weeks time, others have been getting busy developing concept Lamborghini’s of their own, and the knockout pictured above is from Daniel Chinchilla Ochoa and Alberto Fernandez Albilares in collaboration with Lamborghini.
This concept was inspired by the lines of modern stealth military hardware, such as the F22 Raptor jet fighter, this inspiration is clear to see from the styling, and in the flesh it looks pretty striking, really eye catching and certainly its angular design could not slip by unnoticed as its combat counterparts are designed to do.
Obviously enthused by his creation, Daniel states that “Soft transitions between the surfaces with hard cuts are the main design cues. These create the functional elements of the car.”
Were not sure the surface transitions are quite so soft, but for whatever this Lamborghini Indomable Concept is, it is certainly a dribble inducing sight, and we can only implore the decision makers at Lamborghini to look favorably upon this concept and get to work setting this thing into production… as soon as possible… before Ferrari do it.
Lamborghini Indomable Concept - Rear
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Monday, August 23rd, 2010
2011 Corvette Stingray Concept Convertible set to appear in Transformers 3
With another Transformers movie also comes another great looking muscle car, this time around we get the Corvette Stingray Concept from the 2nd movie… only this time it’s a convertible!
Set to appear in the 3rd edition of the hit Transformers movie series (due for release in July 2011) in this convertible guise, this example yet again shows just how great car designers can make a car look when they have no restrictions set up on them by the bosses.
This Corvette Stingray convertible looks superb, and is sure to be a hit with all fans of the Corvette, and of course Transformers, we can only hope, along with all the other fans, that somehow some of this Corvette Stingray’s design cues make it through to a production model sometime in the future, it sure would make an awesome sight cruising down the highway and we are already salivating at the thought of something that looks like this actually being available in the showrooms.
Of course GM have given us no clues on when, or indeed if, this car or anything like it will ever be put into production, and our guess is most likely some styling elements from this Corvette Stingray Concept may may make it through to a production model someday, but the entire package is sadly never likely to be put together for the masses, but then who knows… they may one day surprise us.
The Corvette Stingray 'Sideswipe' from Transformers 2
Posted in Concept Cars, Muscle Cars | 4 Comments »
