Archive for 2010
Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept #Geneva
Posted by: | CommentsThe Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept presents a breakthrough model created through the innovative evolution of “Grand Touring”.
Subaru has condensed its DNA, developed over many years, around Subaru’s core technology of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) and Horizontally-Opposed engine, into the integration of a luxurious and high-quality cabin atmosphere and a sculpted form that cuts through the air.
In addition to further evolutions in Subaru’s traditional handling agility, riding comfort and superior safety performance recognized around the world, the model proposes a future grand touring car that excels in environmental friendliness featuring Subaru’s unique hybrid system
To further enhance the appeal of the Symmetrical AWD system, this unique hybrid two-motor system features a power/drive motor in the front and a drive motor in the rear.
At startup and extremely low speeds when fuel efficiency is low, such as when driving the car into a garage, the rear motor is primarily used to allow driving without utilizing the power of the engine.
During normal driving, the engine is primarily used. Pleasant and reliable driving is offered through a combination of the direct fuel-injection turbo gasoline engine with the Symmetrical AWD.
During acceleration, the rear motor assists the driving power of the engine to achieve the advanced driving performance that is a feature of the hybrid system.
Further, when accelerating uphill, the front motor, which is normally used as a power generator, assists to drive the front axel for improved performance.
The implementation of a non-idling function that stops the engine when the car comes to a halt reduces unnecessary fuel consumption.
The use of a high-performance lithium battery is based on experience and know-how achieved with the Subaru Plug-in STELLA electric vehicle, launched in 2009. This includes the use of a precise energy management system and regenerative brake controls, for improvements in excellent fuel efficiency.
2011 Jaguar XKR
Posted by: | CommentsJaguar showsoff the latest dramatic evolution of its supercharged Jaguar XKR coupe at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. The stunning new Jaguar XKR Special Edition delivers a significantly raised maximum speed – 174mph (280km/h) – and stunning exterior styling changes that create the fire and brimstone supercharged Jaguar.
The Jaguar XKR Special Edition combines a number of new features and option packs that are introduced to the XK range at 2011 Model Year. Jaguar customers have the option to personalise their vehicle by building on the existing Jaguar XKR package to deliver a car that offers even greater performance without sacrificing the refinement and luxury for which every Jaguar is renowned.
Introduced in 2009, the Jaguar XKR boasts a state-of-the-art 5.0-litre supercharged AJ-V8 Gen III R engine that delivers 510PS (510bhp SAE), 625Nm of torque and propels the coupe to 60mph in just 4.6 seconds. Now, in Special Edition guise, the Jaguar XKR’s top speed climbs significantly from an electronically limited 155mph (250km/h) to 174mph (280km/h) thanks to the addition of the Speed Pack. Allied to that remarkable engine is an advanced six-speed automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted paddles, lightweight aluminium body structure and a range of computer-controlled systems including Active Differential Control and Adaptive Dynamics that ensure the supercharged car accelerates even faster, handles even more precisely and sets new standards of ride and comfort.
Bertone Alfa Concept #Geneva
Posted by: | CommentsAfter a two year absence from the international scene, Bertone returns to the Geneva Motor Show, unveiling a concept car that makes its world premiere here: the Pandion, an aggressive yet beautiful coupé designed as a tribute to Alfa Romeos’ one hundred year anniversary.
The Pandion: an extreme and controversial sports car in typical Bertone fashion. The size of the concept car (4620 mm in length, 1971 mm wide, 1230 mm high, 2850 mm wheelbase) offers a compact sports car external dimensions with a large sports car interior feeling, all powered by a 4.7 litre, 450 CV 8-cylinder Alfa Romeo engine.
The Pandion is the first car produced by Mike Robinson in his new role as Design and Brand Director at Bertone. A pure ‘dream car’, the Pandion takes its rightful place as a member of Bertone’s historic Alfa Romeo family: cars that have always been style icons, influencing the history of the automobile and Italian craftsmanship in their excellent design quality, proving themselves to be undisputed benchmarks for the entire world of car design.
The name comes from the animal world, as Pandion Haliaetus is the scientific name for an Osprey: a sea hawk that nests and lives in coastal areas. The designers, led by Mike Robinson, have drawn inspiration from the wings of this predator to invent the spectacular door opening mechanisms, and from the hawks’ facial markings to project the traditional Alfa family feeling into the next era of design.
In almost a century of Bertone tradition, it is not the first time that natural wonders have inspired the names of concept cars. Just think of the Corvair Testudo (1963) and, by no coincidence, the Alfa Romeo Canguro (1964), Carabo (1968) and Delfino (1983).
Lexus LFA – #Geneva 2010
Posted by: | CommentsAfter spotting the LFA in an extended roadtest the middle of last year in the German Eifel Valley. (Article)
The car was shown off in all its livery on the 80th Geneva Lexus Stand.
Press Release:-
Since its debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, global demand for Lexus’ thoroughbred LFA supercar has remained consistently strong, and the level of demand is now in excess of the announced 500 unit production run.
However, Lexus has not yet confirmed any orders, and prospective customers who have not yet registered their interest should not be deterred.
The deadline for receiving initial expressions of interest is set at mid-March, to coincide with the end of the Geneva Motor Show. Thereafter, the process of allocating the 500 units across the 56 countries wherein the LFA is being offered will begin.
Final allocation will be fixed in April, and individual orders confirmed with customers by the end of May.
Mansory Rolls Royce World Premier #Geneva
Posted by: | CommentsThis was one of the expected shockers at the 2010 Geneva Motorshow, Even though we seen the pictures before attending it was strikingly breathtaking and a brave decision.
This will be seen in Saudi within a few weeks!
A large programme for the “little“ Rolls Royce. Automobile refiner Kourosh Mansory offers a breathtaking individualisation for the Rolls Royce Ghost. The specialist for luxury cars combines most precious materials with elaborate performance, individual appearance and stylish interior refinements. This creates a unique overall concept with a self-confident character.
The most striking part of the metamorphosis is an individually varnish in Gold and Blue. The self-assured colouring does not only reflect the exclusive status of the car, but also emphasises the newly developed exterior shape.
The golden varnish accentuates the delicate cross-beam in the new front skirt as well as the vertical gill between the headlights and the front wheel houses. Also the modified radiator grill insert duly profits from the varnish.
The evidence for the increased performance of the MANSORY Ghost can be found in the side skirts, the stainless steel sheeting, the unobtrusive rear spoiler and the rear skirt with the indicated diffuser and the two-pass end pipes of the double sport exhaust system.
The sportiness imbued by the exterior package is confirmed by the content under the bonnet. Enlarged bi-turbo chargers, the map optimisation of the control electronics as well as the sports manifold and the sports catalysers significantly increase the performance of the Rolls Royce. Instead of serial 570 hp (420 kW), the Ghost refined by MANSORY now renders phenomenal 720 hp (530 kW) at 5,850 r.p.m. The engineers from the Bavarian town Brand near Bayreuth catapult the maximum torque from 780 to astonishing 1,020 Newton metres. Therefore, the engine accelerates the 2,360 kg of the car from 0 to 100 km/h in only 4.4 seconds and is thereby half a second faster than the serial version. Thanks to the removed top speed limitation, the acceleration does not stop at 250, but only at 310 km/h.
With these performance values, also the wheels are growing. Especially for the Rolls Royce Ghost, MANSORY developed a new design whose innovative look perfectly matches with the new appearance of the car.
Mansory G-Couture #Geneva Exclusive
Posted by: | CommentsAfter fetching us the Carbon Bugatti Veyron at Frankfurt’s IAA Masory Fetch us an off-road designer Masterpiece the G-Couture
Kourosh Mansory puts a designer piece on wheels. Together with celebrity fashion designer Philipp Plein, the automobile refiner MANSORY turns the Mercedes-Benz G-class into a luxury vehicle class of its own in a limited edition of only seven cars. Only very few people will be able to enjoy this unique automobile. The edition is strictly limited to only seven cars.
So far, Philipp Plein is renowned around the world for his fashion and furniture. Now, he tailors a new robe for the Mercedes-Benz G 55 AMG together with the top-class refiner MANSORY. In co-operation with the engineers in Brand close to Bayreuth / Bavaria, the famous designer has developed an exterior that embodies the typically self-confident character of all MANSORY automobiles.
The new tailored suit of the G-model impresses both visually and also technically. The entire exterior up to the lower window edge and the roof of the SUV are made of carbon. But the ultra-light and high-strength material is not enough for MANSORY and its aspired exclusiveness. By using the autoclave-prepreg-method, the carbon is compressed so strongly in a special pressure chamber that no more air inclusions remain in the material. Normally, this processing method is only used in aviation and aerospace, as it is very cost-intensive.
But MANSORY does not accept any compromise when it comes to quality.
The refiner also puts the same emphasis into the engine modification. MANSORY replaces the majority of the components with high-performance components from the Mercedes-Benz SLR. This extensive modification leads to impressive 700 hp (515 kW) with the MANSORY G-Couture instead of the serial 507 hp (373 kW) of the G 55 AMG. The maximum torque rises from 700 to 880 Newton metres.
In order to transmit this enormous power to the road, the luxury refiner equips the G-Couture with four high-performance tyres Pirelli Scorpion in the dimension 305/35 R 23. They are carried by new, one-part SUV-rims in 23 inches which MANSORY presents at their world premiere.
SEAT IBE – Concept Pictures from #Geneva
Posted by: | CommentsSEAT IBE –
The young sports car for the electric age
• Dynamic concept for urban mobility
• Stunning evolution of design DNA
• Electric drive with 75 kW (102 hp) for zero-emissions driving
• Continuation of efficiency strategy
• Development of electric car expertise in Spain under SEAT leadership
SEAT is delivering a powerful statement with a compact sports coupé that carries stunning design and great driving fun into the age of electric mobility. The SEAT IBE concept car uses the zero-emissions drive of the future in a sporty and dynamic concept for urban mobility, while the clean, athletic styling of the IBE concept offers an exciting perspective on the ongoing development of the next generation of SEAT design. Powerful proportions and a precise, clear design language define the continued evolution of the Spanish brand’s design DNA.
Short, low and wide, an extremely low front end and broad shoulders – at first glance, the SEAT IBE displays the proportions of a classic sports car. Yet, it interprets this style genre in an innovative and unique manner – in a compact vehicle optimised for youthful living in urban areas.
“With the IBE, we are demonstrating that, for SEAT, electric mobility will always be combined with excellent design and outstanding driving fun,” says James Muir, President of SEAT, S.A. “The IBE is in the best SEAT tradition of always offering the boldest and most youthful cars in its class. On top of that, our first electric concept car represents the continuation of our strategy for the future; after the huge success of the highly efficient ECOMOTIVE models, we are now working intensively on electric mobility; and that includes plug-in hybrid drive, as well as an all-electric vehicle.”
Ferrari 599 hybrid revealed at #Geneva
Posted by: | CommentsFerrari at he 80th Geneva motor show revealed its new hybrid/KERS technology, which it claims will not only make its cars more efficient, but will also markedly improve performance and handling and be standard on everycar in 3 years.
Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said: “You don’t often see a green Ferrari on our Geneva stand, but this year there’s a new agenda for us.”
The addition of an electric motor into the drivetrain will also be accompanied by other efficiency measures including engine downsizing and advanced aerodynamic concepts.
Ferrari’s hybrid design is particularly clever because it is notably compact and can be integrated relatively simply into both the company’s front and mid-engined layouts.
The electric motor develops 100bhp and 110lb ft of torque and is backed up by an 80kW battery made up of very slim (20mm thick) cells mounted under the 599’s floor to maintain handling requirements.
Other changes include the electronics control module (mounted in the boot, with cooling pumps) and a small electric motor/generator mounted on the front of the engine. This drives the ancillaries (including the air-con and power steering) when the car is running purely on battery power.
At the moment, however, the system’s electric-only range is estimated to be just three miles. The set-up also includes a stop-start facility, which sees the hybrid motor used to restart the engine.
Ferrari estimates that, even with the extra 100kg of weight resulting from the hybrid installation, drivers will see improved in-gear acceleration, including shaving the 0-124mph sprint time back to just 10.4sec from 11.0sec. The 599’s centre of gravity has not risen; it remains just 489mm off the ground.
The millisecond response time of the motor will also be used for ‘Electronic Torque Shaping’. This introduces torque ‘blips’ from the hybrid electric motor to smooth the petrol engine’s torque delivery, giving the driver a more linear throttle response. Ferrari claims that using the ETC and ETS together will greatly improve acceleration out of corners.
