The Peugeot BB1 concept

A complete rethink of the car by Peugeot. The BB1 concept is an electric car which carries 4 people and designed so that it is only 2.5 metres long - smaller than the Smart ForTwo and Toyota iQ. The car made its debut at the Frankfurt International Motor show.

Instead of a steering wheel, the car has handle bars and no pedals on the floor. Similar to a bike, the accelerator and brake levers are on the handles.

Check out the video:

New Honda Civic concepts

Honda unveiled the ninth-generation Civic concepts at the North American International Auto Show in in Detroit, Michigan.

This two new cars are the Civic Si Concept coupe and the Civic Concept sedan. They will come as hybrid and natural-gas variants. The new Civic hybrid will feature a lithium ion battery cell, the first ever for a Honda hybrid.

Jaguar's C-X75 concept

Jaguar’s has just unveiled their new concept car, the C-X75, at the Paris Motor Show. It's a car that seeks to embrace the influences of classic cars like the 1950s C-Type and D-Type racers and unique 1966 XJ13 Le Mans prototype and project them onto the future.

The C-X75 is a two-seater electric supercar. According to Jaguar, it has a potential top speed of 205mph (330kph) and able to go from 0 to 62mph (0-100kph) in just 3.4 seconds.

The car has four 145kW (195bhp) traction electric engines, with one engine powering each wheel.

The C-X75 will also be at the LA Motor Show from 19th to 28th November.

BTW, Jaguar recently celebrated their 75th Anniversary and I was there at the Coventry Motor Museum admiring the  lovely classic cars. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera and all I have are some pics I posted on Twitter via my mobile.

Mazda Shinari Concept (2010)

The Mazda Shinari is a pure design concept model of a four-door, four-seater sports coupe which perfectly expresses the 'KODO - Soul of Motion' design theme in a graceful and carefree form.

The Japanese word Shinari describes the powerful yet supple appearance of great resilient force when objects of high tensile strength, such as steel or bamboo, are twisted or bent. It also refers to the appearance of a person or animal as it flexibly transforms its body to generate a fast movement. Within this movement, Mazda designers discovered the potential to realize 'KODO - Soul of Motion'.

One glance at Mazda Shinari Concept stirs the emotions. Its form expresses the powerful movement of a lean body with highly developed muscles, supple but at the same time filled with tension. Mazda's desire is to reach car lovers' hearts and go beyond the notion of rational logic. This form purely embodies that desire.

Kia Pop EV Concept

The 2010 Paris Motor Show begins next month and you can be certain that the trend will be electric vehicles.Kia will be there offering us more details on the Pop Concept, which is a zero-emissions car just like the Nissan Leaf.

BMW Concept Gran Coupe

BMW has revealed today the first video of their latest concept, the Gran Coupe unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show. The Concept Gran Coupe features a long wheelbase, a vaulted bonnet with forward-pointing lines, a set-back greenhouse, a flat silhouette, and a coupe-style roof line. The front section is defined by the BMW kidney grille formally separated from other BMW icons such as the headlights and air inlets. The entire rear section appears slimmer and lighter at the center, though still exuding power and dynamic performance since the volume is reinforced towards the sides.

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept

Porsche 918 Spyder Concept, enjoy the pictures gallery below

Nissan Land Glider Concept

The electric-powered Land Glider is about half the width of a family car and it has room to transport two people around town. By being narrower, the Land Glider can more easily navigate through busy city streets. With a maximum top speed of 62mph, it should be able to handle most urban transport.
“It is a radical new vehicle that combines the company’s vision for future urban mobility with Nissan’s great driving heritage,” said a Nissan representative.”With four-wheel stability and a sense of safety that originates from a tilting cabin, the Land Glider will appeal to both two-wheel and four-wheel driving enthusiasts.”
No word on a launch date, so stay tuned for more.

Hyundai i-flow Concept

The i-flow concept, which will debut at the 2010 Geneva motor show in March, may be a sneak peek at a large Hyundai sedan for European customers.

The i-flow is the latest concept to wear Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design language, and the large D-segment sedan wears it well. Hailing from Hyundai's European Design Headquarters in Russelsheim, Germany, the i-flow incorporates lightweight materials and solar cells from supplier BASF to reduce weight and increase energy efficiency.

Beyond that, Hyundai won't say much about the concept other than that it hints at a future production car.
Source

Honda Odessy Concept unveiled

Honda has just unveiled the Odyssey Concept at the Chicago Auto Show. It is sleeker and lower than the older Odysseys.

What do you think?

Mitsubishi Motors debuts two models in Geneva

i MiEV (white) and the i MiEV SPORT AIR (blue) concepts

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation launched two concepts at the 79th Geneva International Motor Show at the Geneva Palexpo exhibition and conference complex on the 3rd of this month.

The two new cars are the i MiEV and the i MiEV SPORT AIR concept models. MiEV stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle.

The i MiEV prototype is the precursor to a model that will be introduced to the European market in 2010.

The i MiEV SPORT AIR does bear a close resemblance to the VW Beetle.

BMW Concept 5 Series Gand Turismo

You might recall that I blogged about the new BMW concept. Well, I found out that it's called the BMW Concept 5 Series Gand Turismo.

Here's the first footage of the car:

Revolutionary concept from BMW

Ever wonder how BMW comes up with their concepts?

The first video of a series presenting a revolutionary concept by BMW appeared on the BMW-web.tv site.

According to what I heard, it's strange because it doesn't fall in any predefined car types - it's not a sedan, nor a SUV or even a station-wagon.



Thanks for the info Markus.

Toyota showcase at British Motor show

Toyota GB will be will be showcasing its entire range of vehicles at the British International Motor Show 2008.


The IQ

This includes the revolutionary Toyota iQ and the Urban Cruiser SUV.


The Urban Cruiser

The show will run from 23 July to 3 August of this year at ExCel London.

LifeCar - a green sportscar

From the Morgan Motors website

The Morgan LifeCar is an environmentally friendly sports car concept that will be launched at the Geneva Show in March 2008.

With zero emissions, this hydrogen fuel cell powered car is based on the design of the Morgan Aero-8 roadster. A full tank gives it 250 miles (400km).


From the Morgan Motors website

The car was developed by the Morgan Motor Company in collaboration with Oscar Automotive, Cranfield University, QinetiQ, Oxford University and Linde AG. The project cost £1.9m (partly funded by the British Govt.) and took nearly nearly three years to complete.

To make the car lightweight, it has an aluminium chassis and interior fittings including the seats are made of wood. The car also doesn't have other estras including air bags, stereo or air conditioning. Can't be that comfortable.

Next generation Honda Pilot

Honda showed off a concept of the next-generation 2009 Honda Pilot at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.



This mid-sized SUV has better on-road handling and a more spacious interior.

The Panamera concept from Porsche

Porsche has released the first news of a new concept called the Panamera, which is due to come out in 2009. Their site doesn't say much apart from that it will be a sports coupé. I guess that means that previous rumours about the new car being a sedan, is wrong.

And according to latest reports, there will be a hybrid version as well. Read the Reuters report: New Porsche Panamera to get hybrid drive


Image from Autoblog.nl

Watch the spy video.

Proton BLM concept

One of my friends forwarded these photographs of the Proton Base Line Model (BLM) concept. Apparently LG CNS Design Studio helped to design the model. Not sure it got leaked and not sure whether you can call it a spy shot. Really looks muscular but the thing I really like in the photographs are the sports rims.





Read more about it in Wikipedia and Paul Tan''s blog.

Aston Martin opens new design studio and unveils a new concept

Yesterday, Aston Martin unveiled a new concept car - the V12 Vantage RS to coincide with the opening of a new design studio. The studio is located in a building adjacent to Aston Martin's manufacturing and engineering centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire near here. The modern building covers 2700 square metre space.

Coming back to the concept, the Vantage RS concept is based on the acclaimed V8 Vantage coupe and features a 6.0 litre V12 engine that produces 600bhp.

The Vantage
According to their press release, the car is capable of reaching 62mph (100km/h) from rest in 4.0 seconds and 100mph (160km/h) in just 8.5 seconds.

Mitsubishi Concept-RA to be unveiled at NAIAS

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. (MMNA, based in Cypress California) will unveil the Mitsubishi Concept-RA to the world at the 2008 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS or the Detroit Motor Show). The 2008 NAIAS runs from January 13 to 27 at the Cobo Center in Detroit and opens to the general public on January 19.

Just take a look at the design sketches. Don't they look fantastic.




The new concept from Mitsubishi combines performance and environmental responsibility - something you won't hear often

It is a coupe which features the Super All Wheel Control (S-AWC) vehicle dynamics control system driveline and the Twin Clutch SST automated manual transmission used in Lancer Evolution (Lancer Evolution X in Japan). The car will be powered by a new high-efficiency, low-emissions 2.2-liter 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve turbodiesel engine with MIVEC*6 continuously variable valve timing control.

Environmental friendly features:
The engine has piezoelectric injector common-rail direct fuel injection that allows a lower compression ratio and with a VD (Variable Diffuser)/VG (Variable Geometry) turbocharger, the clean diesel unit delivers a maximum output of 150 kW (204 PS) and maximum torque of 420 Nm (42.8 kg-m).

For compliance with U.S. emissions standards (Tier 2 Bin 5 emission regulations), the engine is fitted with a new catalytic converter system.

For improved crashworthiness and to reduce vehicle weight, the body structure uses an aluminum space frame, as well as engine hood, fenders and other outer panels made from high impact-resistance and easily recyclable plastic resin.