The NILS concept has been supported by The German Federal Ministry Of Transport Building and Urban Development. The concept has been designed to be practically realistic and supported on an economic level too. This concept car is one that anticipates the futuristic needs of the modern car driver.

The concept car has been specifically made for specific target groups who are looking for small cars with electronic mobility. The battery and the motor of the car are very compact. There is still space for people in the boot to use. The car also has a body colored area that tends to swing up above the module for rear lighting to reveal space for items like bags and a case for drinks.

The optimal weight of the car is distributed in such a manner that it allows drivers not to commute with the zero emissions. It also gives them lots of fun while doing so. The steering is very mechanical and its low weight means that the driver does not need assistance in power. The electric motor of the car produces a maximum torque 130 Nm from a standstill through a transmission that is a one speed one. The suspension of the car is a double wishbone both on the front and the rear. As for safety the makers of the car have fitted in an automatic distance control system that uses radar sensors to scan paces in front of the vehicle for the convenience of the driver.

Among all the other segment winners the Jaguar Hybrid Supercar C-X75 got the highest score in the car, truck and the production preview categories of the Awards ceremony. The  brand with this award gets its third concept car award and first “most significant concept vehicle” award. It was way back in the year 2005 where the Jaguar ALC Concept won the title and the C-XF in the year 2007.

The objective of the above Awards is to give recognition to those vehicles that are likely to shape the future or cars in the automobile industry. This year saw the competition have around 2 dozen jurors participating in the selection process that has 29 vehicles that were introduced in the selection process during the auto shows of the season held in Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto and New York. The finalists in the show were the Audi Quattro, the Porsche 918 RSR Hybrid and the Mazda Shinari.

One of the main jurors in the competition stated that the Jaguar C-X75 is one of the most magnificent cars to have been produced. It is visually arresting and has a kind of aggressive elegance. The design director of the car stated that they were proud of the car’s achievement and the brand is always making an endeavor to make its cars stand out in the market all for the right reasons. It is a clear statement of the brand to make cars that are bold, very beautiful and innovative at the same time. The brand focuses on the performance of their cars in the market to ensure driver satisfaction to all!

There were also a host of other vehicles in the show but this one managed to catch every one’s eye. The car is one that has received a major face lift and it is rated to be a very high performing vehicle that has the additional feature of 335 horsepower along with a twin turbo 3.0 liter six engine. The horsepower that is in this vehicle is about 35 over the 135i.

The M series of the BMW brand is a car that the company banks on and it is positive that it is going to be a hit with the consumers. Both the 1 series Coupe and the convertible version have a manual that is a six speed one and a clutch that is a seven dial one. The car is said to be a high performing one and it promises a no disappointment driving experience to the car driver.

The brand however at the show did not reveal the price of the car the world over and this was a bit disappointing for those who were excited about its price in regions that were outside the US. The US car price was revealed and North America has announced the official pricing of the car. It is expected to start at $47,010. There is anticipation that the car manufacturer will announce the price of the car soon in an official press release. BMW lovers all over the world can expect this car to be a compact high performing one that holds a lot for promise for the car lover!

The Vision EfficientDynamics is a plug-in hybrid with a three cylinder turbo diesel engine. Engineers from BMW tried to combine the incredible performances of the M3 with an incredibly low fuel consumption and this amazing concept is able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds while scoring 62.6 mpg (US) on the EU combined test cycle.

The concept car uses a 1.5-liter turbodiesel engine with the output of 163 hp and a maximum torque of 214 Nm. The engine is paired with a six-speed DCT gearbox , used in the M3 and Z4.

The new system represents a further development of the hybrid technology, which will debut in ActiveHybrid 7. As in the ActiveHybrid 7, a one 33-hp electric motor is installed between the engine and the transmission, while the second 80 horsepower electric motor provides the torque to the front wheels. The total capacity of the gear system is 356 hp and 590 Nm of torque. But the use of electric motors requires the presence of an electric power system. BMW Vision disposes lithium-polymer batteries in the center of the car. Net power is 8,6 kW. Nevertheless, the total capacity of the concept vehicle is only 10.8 kW. The vehicle can use 80% of the capacity of batteries, which is much more than 50% more than can be used by Chevrolet Volt. The advantage is that the battery weighs only 187 pounds. When connected to a standard European outlet of 220V, the battery is recharged in just 2.5 hours.

In addition to the power unit, BMW also used a variety of technologies for the concept optimization. The entire aluminum chassis suspension, roof, and many elements are made of photosensitive polycarbonate, which translates into the stated mass of 1400 kg. Another interesting point is that polycarbonate windows are getting darker in the light. Moreover, the use of LED lighting has given more freedom to designers and has reduced energy consumption.

And perhaps, the most interesting feature of the vehicle is the so called “forward looking energy management” system. The idea is to use various systems of the car, to predict events and optimize the use of various elements of the transmission to reduce energy consumption in general.

]]> http://www.carsnext.com/featured-articles/bmw-introduced-vision-efficientdynamics-turbo-concept/feed/ 0 http://www.carsnext.com/featured-articles/kumho-represented-fortis-electric-suv/ http://www.carsnext.com/featured-articles/kumho-represented-fortis-electric-suv/#comments Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:10:45 +0000 InMyCar http://www.carsnext.com/?p=783 Korean tire manufacturer Kumho has released sketches of the electric SUV.

It is simply an advertising step, aimed to draw attention to the activities of the company and the main products…

However, the company along with thumbnails of distributed and some details about the electric concept.

The press release said that this three-door SUV is the result of the Fiat designer Rob Dolton, which has been working in the Korean tire company since 2005.

Concept electric car, called Kumho Fortis, works with the help of 4 electric engines, each of which has a capacity of 100 hp. Each engine actuates one of the 4-wheels of the vehicle.

”Thanks to this car it is easy to switch to all-wheel drive to front or back wheel drive”, – said Rob Dalton.

The electric engine runs a lithium-ion battery, which optionally can be either recharged or replaced by a new one.

This is not the first concept from Dalton. As with previous concepts, Fortis designer used a lot of recycled rubber in the electric car. It is not only used in making tires, but even in bumpers, doors, fenders, hatch and roof. This again suggests that the main purpose of the concept is to advertise rubber tires, which are manufactured by the company…

The car has a strange shape and the interior is made of rubber. It was assumed that the car will run on the same principle as the electromagnetic train. It was supposed to be a magnetic battery inserted in the hub of every wheel, which should help to rotate the wheels of the vehicle. Wheels themselves are made of rubber. In theory, the designer planned to fit tires with metal spikes, which are supposed to increase traction in off-road or on ice.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), that concept car has remained a concept…

It was only a year ago when the audacious sport car was introduced and amazed the audience of the Paris motor show. Then the guests of the exhibition crowded around the concept and all were wondered – whether this thing can really go or not. It turns out, that it can. The vehicle has recently demonstrates its abilities on one of the game tracks of Gran Turismo 5 – “London Street Circuit”. Just imagine those lucky ones who could see GT, and even watch it in motion.

Very soon other citizens of Grait Britain can also look at this French “madness” again. Citroen GT will be present at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

While some lucky (and not necessarily the residents of the Misty Albion) can even buy this “toy” car. Indeed, Citroen intends to issue a limited number of GT. However, the company has not released any on formation about the dates of the mass production of the vehicle and its cost.

The supercar, named after the famous test pilot Valentino Balboni, is the rear wheel drive version of the full-drive Lamborghini LP 560-4. LP 550-2 promises impressive handling characteristics thanks to the new springs, shock absorbers, stabilizers and tires. Lamborghini installed in the car an improved transmission, a new rear axle with a differential of limited sliding and a modified system of ESP.

Car is set in motion by a naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10 engine with a power of 550 hp, which is 10 hp less of the power setting of LP 560-4, at the same time the Gallardo LP 550-2 with a total mass of 1380 kg accelerates to 100 km/hour in over 3.9 seconds, reaching up to 320 km/hr.

The carmaker will produce only 250 units of such vehicles, which will be featured with the unique front and rear bumpers, an aggressive diffuser and a white stripe on the body in the retro style. The model will be available in 8 different colors with a set of dark-grey disk Scorpius. Inside, the lucky owner of LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni will find leather seats with the same contrasting white stripe on the center, “Valentino Balboni” logos and a GPS navigation system with Bluetooth-connected to the base.

The cost of the special edition Gallardo LP 550-2 Valentino Balboni is estimated at €162 000 – in Europe, £137 900 – in the UK and $219 800 – in the United States.

There will be a jury of 50 journalists on automotive topics from all over the world to evaluate the cars.

Notably, in the list of applicants for the victory was the model Suzuki Kizashi, which had not even been officially presented as a serial car, as well as the updated Honda Crosstour, the production of which the Japanese have not yet confirmed.

It is also worth noting that in the list of applicants there is not a single sample of American car brands such as Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep.

The results will be announced in the traditional Detroit auto show in January 2010. Winners will be announced, as usual, in two categories – passenger car and SUV.

Candidates for the title of “2010 North American Car of the Year”:

• Audi S4
• BMW Z4
• BMW 335d
• BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo
• Buick LaCrosse
• Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Ford Fusion/Fusion Hybrid
• Ford Mustang/GT500
• Ford Taurus/Taurus SHO
• Honda Insight
• Hyundai Genesis Coupe
• Kia Forte
• Kia Soul
• Lexus HS 250h
• Lotus Evora
• Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3
• Mercedes E-Class
• Nissan Cube
• Nissan 370Z
• Porsche Panamera
• Subaru Legacy
• Suzuki Kizashi
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Golf/Golf TDI
• Candidates for the title of “2010 North American Truck of the Year”:
• Acura ZDX
• BMW X5 xDrive35d
• Cadillac SRX
• Chevrolet Equinox
• Ford Transit Connect
• GMC Terrain
• Honda Crosstour
• Land Rover LR4
• Lincoln MKT
• Subaru Outback
• Toyota 4Runner
• Volvo XC60

It is worth mentioning that last year’s winners were Hyundai Genesis sedan and pickup Ford F-150.

It should be noted that in this case not only the number of breakdowns per 100 vehicles were take into account. Drivers were asked to evaluate his car on 228 criteria. Including indicating problems with the ergonomics, deceived expectations of the owner and so on. In general, absolutely all the criticism and the whims of drivers were taken into account.

According to experts from J. D. Power and Associates, this year there was a serious leap forward in improving the quality of vehicles. Whereas in the past year for every 100 cars on the industry average was 118 criticism, it is already 108 this year. And ten points in just one year is a lot. With regard to the leaders, we can note the progress of Lexus. Even last year, the brand was assessed in 99 reprimands, and this year it is already 84. Due to this Lexus was able to get ahead of Porsche (90 problems per 100 vehicles). Moreover, Lexus LX model received the least amount of criticism among the models – only 52.

In addition, experts note the brand Suzuki – the company has committed a real jump from 32th to 9th place overall.

It’s worth noting the principal losers of the rating of J. D. Power and Associates. It is not strange, but in most of the claims the Americans had against the Mini – about 165 criticisms. Land Rover with 150 overall criticisms does not look too good as well. American drivers are not satisfied with such brands as Smart, Saab, Jeep, Hummer, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Jaguar, and Dodge.

Earlier, in mid-summer, we will be informed about the official name of the new model – so far the new model has the code name Project Kimberly. No technical details about this car are reported. According to some foreign publications, the car will be built on the highly modern modular platform of Audi (the one that was used to create, for example, the new sedan Audi A8). The vehicle will be rear-wheel drive and will be equipped with a powerful V8engine, aggregated with eight automatic ZF. In addition, the new model will be larger than Arnage sedan and luxury, while its direct competitors are Rolls-Royce Phantom and Maybach.

In the future, eight – cylinder turbo diesel or a new gasoline engine that can operate on bio-ethanol can be installed to the new Bentley sedan. It is not yet specified weather a hybrid propulsion system, which has already been tested on a more compact Bentley Continental GT will be available for this new model.

It is anticipated that the new model for Bentley will be shown in fall at the Motor Show in Frankfurt, and the serial production of new products will be launched in 2010. The price of the car has not been reported yet.