If such projections as cutting the cost of driving and vehicle emissions in half sounds a bit radical to you, that's exactly the response that Gordon Murray is hoping for. Before completely dismissing these claims, remember that Murray is the man most responsible for the road-going supercar known as the McLaren F1, as well as quite a number of race winning Formula 1 cars from a few decades ago. Note too that Caparo, makers of the awe-inspiring T1 are also heavily involved in the project. Considering that the team is only halfway through the design process, we hope that they are able to follow through with their early projections.
Murray claims that his newest vehicle, designated the Type-25 (his 25th clean-sheet design), will revolutionize personal transportation by being cheap to produce, purchase and operate. Safety is not forgotten either, as the new vehicle is fully expected to pass all applicable crash testing. What's more, the new car is IKEA ready able to be flat-packed for ease of shipping. So far, details remain sketchy regarding who will produce the vehicle as Murray's company only intends to design the it. Caparo's excellence in carbon fiber design may prove valuable, though we have no indication that Caparo will be the company actually assembling the vehicles.
GM knows it needs an economical, mass-market, mass-appeal small car -- badly. Yes, it has the Aveo, but it's underwhelming in all respects, and sure, it's currently pimping the Cobalt XFE, but that car's about as exciting as an episode of Antiques Roadshow. Corsa? Not engineering the current one to be U.S.-compliant probably wasn't the greatest idea. The answer? MarketWatch says The General has summoned its inner Janet and cried, "Gimmie a Beat!" GM has yet to make a formal announcement, but it seems the Chevy Beat is indeedcoming to the U.S. market. The broader public will get a really good look at it next Summer in the Transformerssequel, and as was the case with the Camaro, they'll be looking at a car they'll (apparently) be able to buy. If GM is smart, the screen-to-showroom transition won't take two years as it has with Camaro. It seemed a bit dumb that GM chose New York as the launching pad for the Beat and its fellow Triplet concepts, only to say that the car would be a "global" vehicle (read: everywhere but here). Now, it would seem that global really means global. Hey General, it probably wouldn't hurt to make Trax and get your Groove on, too. Thanks for the tip, Matt!
Click above for more shots of the VW One-Liter concept car
A few years back, Volkswagen introduced a concept vehicle which derived its name from its stated goal of using just one liter of fuel per one-hundred kilometers traveled, and according to CAR production version may be on the way in 2010. The original concept actually beat its lofty goal rather handily as it managed to achieve a miserly 282 miles per gallon in testing. Much of its amazing fuel-saving capability stemmed from its 660 pounds (300 kilograms) curb weight. The concept also featured a single cylinder engine and a 1+1 seating arrangement down the center of the car. While the engine is likely to be replaced by a twin-cylinder turbodiesel with hybrid drive, the carbon fiber construction and canopy-style roof are likely headed for production.
As you'd expect, such technology and carbon-heavy construction isn't going to come cheap. To offset part of the cost, the automaker is surely looking for some government assistance for purchasers of the limited edition machine, though it could still be sold at a loss. Safety features like airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control aren't lacking, but convenience items like air conditioning may be optional. In that case, we'd recommend being really comfortable with your passengers in the rather close-knit quarters.
click above for high-res gallery of the Kia Koup Concept
Wave goodbye to the Spectra name; Kia's planning on sending the moniker packing when the car is replaced in mid-2009. Kicking up the style as a way to grab the dollars of younger buyers, Kia will introduce the styling paradigm laid out by the Koup Concept at last year's New York Auto Show, which will grace a production sedan and coupe. The sedan will hit the market first, with the coupe following within a couple months. The hatchback Spectra will be out of the U.S. lineup entirely; Kia thinks the coupe and its sexier lines will move more units. European buyers will still be able to purchase the Spectra hatch as the cee'd, though. More style in this instance is a good thing. We've seen the Koup, and we like it. We've driven the Spectra, and we like that, too. If Kia can successfully match the chassis to the expectations set by the body, the Spectra's successor should have no problem maintaing that model's best-seller status in the Kia lineup.
click the picture for a hi-res gallery of the Cobra Venom V8
The Cobra formula was simple: small British roadster + American V8 drivetrain = racing success. Early Cobras sought balance by utilizing Ford's modest 260 cubic-inch small block V8, but all Hell broke loose when a hairy-chested 427 cubic inch FE big block was installed. As a piece of history, and an exciting way to tickle your adrenal gland, the Cobra is legendary. The perennial practice of plucking a significant car from the 1960s and rehashing it, rather than coming up with something entirely new, has struck again, and now it looks like a new spin on the Cobra might be coming. The Cobra Venom V8 will undoubtedly be more refined than the visceral glory of the original Shelby vehicles, and while the concept images show a derivative car, it's still good looking; classic proportions never go out of style
A supercharged Ford modular V8 spinning out 524 horsepower is the intended power source, squirting the aluminum and carbon fiber coupe around with authority. 0-62 will come up in 3.4 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 214 mph. While the concept renderings look good and the specs sound impressive, we're not sure whether this vehicle exists beyond its concept renderings. If it ever does see the light of day, we'll be sure to climb in, fasten the harness and put on our helmet before complaining that it's really time to move on from the 60s. Then we'll attempt to tear up some track, Shelby style.
There are revivals, and then there are revivals. Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera got it right by making a big splash at Villa d'Este when it showed up with not one, but two custom coachbuilt Maseratis: the sumptuous A8GCS Berlinetta and the innovative Quattroporte Bellagio Fastback. Talk about hitting the ground running.
Evidently not content to rest on its show-stopping, beautifully-shaped aerodynamic laurels, the Carrozzeria is now tipped to be readying a coachbuilt Ferrari. The rumors are fueled by a trip down memory lane (at full throttle, no less): Some of the first Ferraris featured Touring coachwork, including the 166 MM in which Ferrari claimed its very first victory back in 1959, along with the vehicles in which Ferrari won both Le Mans and the Francorchamps 24 the very same year. Quick math, carry the one...what's the square root of 1959? Oh wait! Next year will mark the 60th anniversary of that victorious partnership, and you can bet the revived coachbuilder will want to mark it in style. Insiders tip 612 Scaglietti underpinnings, and we certainly hope that, following the beautiful A8GCS, Touring can cook up something even prettier.
Britain's Autocar says that Land Rover will follow up the introduction of the production 3-door LRX with a more practical 5-door edition as well. We loved the compact and sporty LRX concept, and we're glad Land Rover is going to produce a 3-door that should closely mimic its appearance. That said, the word that it'll also be joined by a 5-door is completely unsurprising, as the additional entrances make the LRX a more appealing suburban recon vehicle. After all, it's a lot easier to haul the kids to ballet class and Little League when they have doors of their own to clamber in and out of. Autocar's sources also told the pub that a hybrid drivetrain -- a key element of the concept car -- is also expected to find its way into the mix, given current concerns regarding fuel economy and vehicle emissions. Look for the LRX to debut in 2011. If the production car winds up being anywhere near as good-looking as the concept, there should be no shortage of them in neighborhood garages and driveways shortly thereafter.
Pininfarina is working on a new privately-commissioned one-off based on the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe. Ordered by an as-yet unnamed collector, the vehicle will bear the name Hyperion from ancient Greek mythology and is stylistically inspired by the pre-war Rolls-Royce automobiles.
So a couple of weeks ago we asked you to help us identify a mystery car on the set of Transformers 2. Quite a few of you guessed it was some sort of Corvette concept, or the C7 Corvette due in 2010. For those of you who guessed Corvette concept, you were right. The picture above is that concept, and according to speculation it is getting some paint work done in the house of Chip Foose. We don't know if these pics were taken before or after the car's closeup, but we hope it was afterward and that GM is getting ready to actually show us the car. Jalopnik's also got pics of Bumblebee getting paint work done in the same shop. It's a much yellower Bumblebee than the orange one seen on the TF2 set, and word is it could be a Z/28... or it could be a package you'd order from... Saleen? Click the link for the photos and gossip.
We knew the Chevy Beat was making an appearance in the overly-named Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The new news is that one of its "triplet" siblings, the Chevy Trax concept, is joining it, as you can see above. The two are chasing/following Bumblebee on Philadelphia's JFK Boulevard. Proof of GM's new commitment to building more smaller, fuel-efficient cars, you ask? Eh, well, as you may remember, Trax and the third triplet, Groove, were not slated for production like the Beat, so this is (unfortunately) probably just a movie special. At least one Autoblogger is happy, though (raises hand), because Trax is the one he voted for last year. Transformers Live Action Movie Blog wonders if the Beat and Trax might be portraying the Autobot "Twins" in the sequel. Sacrilege? Well, if the movie Bumblebee can be a Camaro instead of a VW beetle, there's no reason Sideswipe and Sunstreaker can't be Chevy-branded "world cars" instead of twin Countaches. If that turns out to be the case, though, it does kinda make one wish Lambo paid to be part of Michael Bay's party instead of Batman.
If such projections as cutting the cost of driving and vehicle emissions in half sounds a bit radical to you, that's exactly the response that Gordon Murray is hoping for. Before completely dismissing these claims, remember that Murray is the man most responsible for the road-going supercar known as the McLaren F1, as well as quite a number of race winning Formula 1 cars from a few decades ago. Note too that Caparo, makers of the awe-inspiring T1 are also heavily involved in the project. Considering that the team is only halfway through the design process, we hope that they are able to follow through with their early projections.
Let the leakage begin: Ford Focus RS concept
British Motor Show Preview: Opel Insignia to debut in hatch and sedan forms
Rumormill: Ford reviving Mustang SVO with 300 hp Ecoboost four
Leaked: 2009 BMW 7 Series photos hit the web
Spy Shots: Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart sneaks out ahead of Paris show
Track Test: 2008 Roush 427R Trak Pak Mustang
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Porsche Cayman S
First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mazda MX-5 Miata Retractable Hard Top
In The Autoblog Garage: BMW 128i Convertible
