Concept car

tokyo auto show

Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Nissan Pivo 2 Concept Car, Now With Video!

It's adorable, it's blue — no, wait, it's adorable and blue! It's the Pivo 2, complete with robotic agent and powered by Lithium-ion batteries. Now, when we first revealed the new Pivo 2 concept car this morning, we saw it as nothing more than a more bubbly version of the old Pivo. Now that we've seen this video of the Pivo 2 swallowing its gal pal whole and then watching the robotic agent in action, we totally want one. If only so we can have highly enlightened conversations in both Japanese and English with our new blue friend. Nissan better hide the keys so we don't steal it at the official reveal at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month.

7:45 AM on Fri Oct 5 2007
By Ray Wert
51,625 views, 34 comments

Latest by bobby08: cool! more »

frankfurt auto show

Volvo ReCharge Plug-In Hybrid Concept Car

It's called the ReCharge, a concept car from Volvo to be unveiled officially next week at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it's a plug-in hybrid with a battery-only range of 100 km before you need to have the car's four-cylinder 1.6-liter Flexfuel engine kick in to power the car and recharge the battery. The ReCharge is built off a specially designed Volvo C30, meaning it's got a platform that doesn't need to be built from scratch — boosting the possibility we could see something like it really hit the streets. The best news would be for the environment which would see "about 66% lower emissions of carbon dioxide compared with the best hybrid cars available on the market today." We can already hear the birds singing. Full press release after the jump. UPDATE: First video of the Volvo ReCharge just posted here.
More »

5:51 AM on Thu Sep 6 2007
By Ray Wert
22,168 views, 23 comments

Latest by Abid Khan-India: I was just wondering about the weight it needs to carry with this concept of series hybrid. However, the fuel economy is astonishing with the concept of rechargeable battery back-up hybrid. What about the parallel-hybrid designs or concept of fuel-stack where more »

will ferrari's next car look this good?

Retroconcept Vinci Sport, A Portuguese Dino

Portugal probably isn't the first country that comes to mind when you think of exotic sports cars. Engineering concern CEIIA and designer Ernestos Frietas are trying to change that. Reminiscent of a Dino 206 GT, the Retroconcept Vinci Sport shares the Dino's diminutive proportions, mid-engine layout and overall profile. Additional references like the hood nostrils, headlights, and air intakes are clearly Dino-inspired but brought up to date with modern materials and forms. The Vinci Sport makes extensive use of carbon fiber in both the chassis and body. [Via Car Body Design]
More »

10:15 AM on Fri Aug 3 2007
By Wes Siler
1,032 views, 6 comments

Latest by FrankRizzo: I'd totally rock one of those. (Provided of course it has the go to mate up with the show, and a good suspension setup.) more »

car design u

Students look for Audi's Future

Tasked with dreaming up a new small Audi, students at Milan's Scuola Politecnica di Design have presented concepts that part with the company's current cold, technical look. By modifying design signatures like the thin glass house and 'beard' grille, the students have been able create vehicles that appear purposeful and utilitarian while remaining clear descendants of Audi's current range. Jay Wen-Chieh Win's design in particular show how Audi could adapt the look of their current front ends towards something more aggressive and dynamic. [Via Car Body Design]

4:20 PM on Wed Jul 25 2007
By Wes Siler
1,191 views, 16 comments

Latest by Adam: The S1 and this thing are both hideous... why didn't I go into automotive design? I crap out better concepts than this. more »

cartoon car

Nissan Pivo In Action

One of our favourite concepts from 2005, the impossibly futuristic Pivo has been kept under close guard by Nissan, until now. They still won't let anyone drive the car - distinguished by a cabin that rotates 180 degrees - or allow it out for photo shoots, or reveal details of how it works, but they did let an Aussie TV show film the car while an engineer drove it. Hot rotating cabin action inside. More »

5:15 PM on Tue Jul 24 2007
By Wes Siler
1,770 views, 7 comments

under the sea

Tokyo Auto Show: Nissan Releases Sketch-Tease Of NV200 Concept Van

Nissan Design Europe today unveiled this sketch of their forthcoming NV200 van concept. The small van, a likely competitor for the Ford Transit Connect, will see its premiere at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. Recognizing that most van drivers use their vehicles as a mobile office, the design features a storage pod that slides out the back doors, making room for a passenger seat that rotates backwards to face a drop down desk. Inspired by the needs of underwater photographers, not only are there separate wet and dry storage areas, but the two little driving lights on the roof remind us of those on a mini-submersible or those robotic diving suits from The Abyss.

3:00 PM on Mon Jul 23 2007
By Wes Siler
463 views, Comment

red dawn

ZIL Parade Concept

Russian President Vladimir Putin is fast tightening his iron grip on the once proud nation. In a move not seen since the Cold War, nuclear missiles are being aimed at European cities while foreign governments are the targets of coercion, sabotage and open hostility. Internal dissent is cause for exile while the government consolidates its power. So perhaps it's appropriate that their design students are dreaming up dictator-appropriate modes of transport. Who knows, the next time we see the ZIL Parade might be at the front of an armored column parading through Red Square. More »

11:45 AM on Wed Jul 11 2007
By Wes Siler
1,441 views, 6 comments

Latest by RC51: I can't wait to see what the guys over at Zis fire back more »

over the back fence

2012 BMW 3-Series

Many claim there's little doubt the current 3-series is the ugliest car in BMW's history. Furthermore, those same folks claim it's awkward and not aging well. Realizing that, and according to the lads at Motor Authority, BMW is changing course big time. Most notable in this design preview are the cues borrowed from everyone's favorite Shanghai surprise, the CS Concept. Note the front end is lifted almost exactly from the CS, though the renderings for the 3-series have much sharper, 5-series influenced headlights. The hood is also inflated to protect the pedestrians of Europe, only it doesn't look awful. The rear is a best-case evolution of the 7-series's bustled butt. The proposed 3 looks good in profile, too. Is this preview accurate? Who knows, but boy oh boy would it be a big step in the right direction. – Jonny Lieberman More »

3:00 PM on Wed Jul 4 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
3,886 views, 26 comments

Latest by Conehead: @ delta5: My mistake. I meant to say Lancer! more »

prancing lightness

Paper-Doll Enzo : Ferrari Reveals Cardboard Concept

Ferrari revealed a pint-sized Enzo concept insiders are calling the "1000 kilo" car, or "Millechili" in Italian. Winding Road was on hand at Ferrari's 60th Anniversary fete to enquire, though the got some winding answers from the Ferraristi on hand. Some are calling the model — whose wheelbase is nearly 10 inches less than that of the Enzo — the "FXX Millechili." That implies the little bugger could pull down as much as 660 horsepower from the Ferrari's top-end V12. At 2207 lb., that kind of power would be downright time warping. Could we be looking at the smaller Ferrari some insist is on the way? Or is it a practical joke you have to be Modenese to get. Eh! – Mike Spinelli More »

12:34 PM on Thu Jun 21 2007
By Mike Spinelli
1,239 views, 8 comments

Latest by GizFanAlpha: Funny, I have a hotwheels car that looks susupiciously like that. more »

geneva motor show

Geneva Pre-Show: Dodge's Demon-ic Concept Car

Chrysler Group's been pushing the Dodge brand to the European market in hardcore fashion. Take as most recent evidence the new Dodge Demon roadster prototype the company's planning to roll out at the Geneva show next month. For visual guidance, picture a Mazda MX-5 birthed in the seventh ring of Hell (home to the violent types). And that's fitting, because Chrysler Group's design guru Trevor Creed has the MX-5 buyer in his crosshairs. Dodgeification's been achieved by way of the signature grille, which appears to have been crammed wholesale onto a Porsche Boxster that's strayed, ass-first, into the path of a band saw. Under the hood is Chrysler's 2.4-liter world engine, producing 172 hp and 165 lb-ft, with power going to the rear wheels. Whither the SRT version powered by the Crossfire's V6? Don't press your luck. Press release after the jump. – Ray Wert More »

6:00 AM on Mon Feb 12 2007
By Ray Wert
4,956 views, 23 comments

Latest by racerx: This thing strikes me as the down syndromed younger brother of the Viper. more »

paris auto show

Not Yet Production! Dodge Releases Avenger "Concept" In A Barrage Of Bold

Yes, we know FoMoCo's got their steely grip on the "Bold Moves" moniker, but Dodge is making a hard press to get "Bold" as a feather in the German-American hybrid's cap. Well, they're trying to anyway...and we've now got some up-close pictures of the new Dodge Avenger "concept car" (and by the way — a message to you folks in Auburn Hills...we know you're gonna make it. Don't play so coy, k?) to compliment the corporate pics we dropped last week. Oh, and we've even got a special treat at the end — a certain non-medical Doctor looking to cure the Chrysler Group of any and all ailments. Receive the photo barrage after the jump. More »

9:15 AM on Thu Sep 28 2006
By Ray Wert
139 views, 13 comments

Latest by TechnoDestructo: Is this related to the new Sebring? I definitely like this better. Not that I'd buy it. more »

spy photos

Spy Photos: Saaburu 9-(x)x

Trolhatten Saab has some spy shots of what could be Saab's latest Subaru re-badge. With that obvious Tribeca-styled rear, we would have said it was the 9-6x, expected to augment the new Saab SUV line as a 2007 model. Trouble is, this one's a three-door, which means either it's a concept being worked up for the Detroit show, or Saab's going way out on a limb, building a competitor to the 2003 Isuzu Rodeo Sport. TS notes it could also be a prototype Saab 9-4x, a small SUV crossover expected to be built on GM's Epsilon platform (Saab 9-3, Chevrolet Malibu). Nothing materialized at Frankfurt, so we're expecting a Detroit unveiling. Maybe Tokyo? [Thanks to Michael for the tip.] More »

12:44 PM on Wed Sep 21 2005
By Mike Spinelli
328 views

retro

Panamera Predecessor: Evidence of Porsche's "Secret" 989 Found

AutoWeek has unearthed photos of a four-door Porsche prototype of the early 1990s that may be the spiritual predecessor to the company's upcoming Panamera. The Porsche 989 one-off was a rear-engined (as opposed to the front-engined Panamera) prototype based on the 911, though with several styling and suspension improvements that would show up in later 911s. Although Porsche officials claim the company never released photos of the prototype — and said the car had been destroyed in 1991 after production plans were shelved — the 989 had already been photographed by a German magazine. Moreover, the car likely still exists in some Porsche facility, under deeper cover than an KGB agent sweeping up at Wal-Mart. More »

5:46 PM on Wed Aug 17 2005
By Mike Spinelli
889 views

Jalopnik

Screw Nuts, This Truck's Got Ovaries

Gawker Media Network