Automobile Trends

edag light car

EDAG, a German design and development firm with a history of producing concept cars for major automakers, has rolled out its latest in-house concept called Light Car -- Open Source
Not likely to see production, the Light Car is essentially a demonstration platform for several advanced technologies that may soon find their way to production automobiles. The car's structure utilizes a new material called basalt fiber that the company claims is lighter and cheaper than aluminum or carbon while retaining the same strength properties of conventional materials, all while being 100% recyclable. Under the car's glossy exterior, the basalt fiber structure has been designed as a rolling chassis that can have many different body styles attached to it, cutting production costs.
Another key feature of the Light Car is its heavy use of OLED (organic light emitting diodes) both inside the vehicle and out. On the outside, EDAG has embedded OLEDs into the "Makrolon" glass-like surface of the car, allowing either the factory or the end user to design the shapes of the car's lights to suit their preferences. Further, the car's tailgate is a transparent display that can be configured to display information to following drivers, such as braking intensity, following distance or obstacles ahead. Inside, OLED displays allow the driver to customize their instrument cluster and controls.
The little Light Car is an electric vehicle propelled by electric motors mounted in the wheel hubs. They draw their energy from lithium-ion batteries on board and can drive the car for 93 miles on a full charge. Thanks to the "monovalent drive system," the Light Car needs no gasoline engine or gearbox, giving the automaker more freedom in designing the car and allowing them to retain ample interior room in a compact vehicle. The Light Car is just 13.1 feet long and 5.6 feet wide with a wheelbase of 9.5 feet, giving the car very short front and rear overhangs.

edag light car

edag light car

citroen ds inside concept

The DS Inside concept represents the look and shape of Citroen's future lineup. With it, Citroen plans to fill the small-, lower-medium- and upper-medium-segments with three vehicles. Called DS3, DS4 and DS5, each vehicle will carry premium amenities and a price to match.
With the DS line, Citroen hopes to create "objects of desire, cars that stand apart by their creativity, intelligent design and build quality."
The DS3 will go on-sale in early 2010, with the DS4 following in 2011

citroen ds inside concept

citroen ds inside concept

chevrolet spark

Chevy's well-received Beat minicar concept is coming to life in the form of the five-door Chevrolet Spark, a new small car from GM.
The production Spark is reportedly 143.3 in. long and has a 93.5-in wheelbase (the Mini has a 97.1 in. wheelbase). When the Spark goes on sale in Europe, it will come with either a 1.0 or 1.2L 16-valve four-cylinder DOHC gasoline engine on board.
The wedge-like look of the Spark features Chevy's two-tier grille setup and strongly-creased wheel arches that can house up to 15-in. rims. The Spark's rear door handles are integrated into the upper part of the door in an effort to preserve the vehicle's rear-flank lines. Out back, there's an integrated tailgate spoiler and a new take on Chevrolet's trademark round taillight setup.
Despite its compact size, GM insists the Spark will have a spacious cabin with interior noise levels on par with larger vehicles. The cabin is highlighted by the Spark's motorcycle-themed, steering wheel mounted instrument cluster and dual cockpit layout.
Spark is expected to arrive in European dealerships early 2010, followed by other regions including the U.S. reportedly sometime in 2011. Expect a bigger engine for the U.S. market Spark, most likely GM's 1.4L four cylinder engine

chevrolet spark

chevrolet spark

bugatti veyron bleu centenaire

It will be difficult to find a way to justify Bugatti's claim that its new Veyron Bleu Centenaire is the "ultimate limited edition," in the words of CEO Franz-Josef Paefgen. That's because while the automaker plans to produce a grand total of just one of them, there is nothing different about it other than its matte-and-gloss blue paintjob. Forget painting the town red for the 100th anniversary of the company's creating by Ettore Bugatti, instead, its painting the Veyron blue.

bugatti veyron bleu centenaire

bugatti veyron bleu centenaire

bmw concept 5 series gran turismo

The byproduct of BMW's Progressive Activity Sedan development idea, the Concept 5 Series Gran Turismo attempts to morph the sedan, sport utility vehicle, and grand touring coupe into a single vehicle. As such, BMW's Germanic perspective on style, comfort, convenience, and luxury can all be found in the Concept 5 Series GT -- a vehicle the automaker claims is equally suitable for long journeys as it is commuter traffic or short trips to the grocery store.
So what is the Concept 5 Series GT, exactly? A PAS, perhaps? Let's start with some dimensions. From the BMW perspective, it fits somewhere between the midsize 5 Series sedan and its X-model SU...sorry, SAVS. Essentially, at 196.8-in. long, 61.2-in. tall, and 74.8-in. wide, the concept slots in just under the 7 Series (199.8 in. for the 750i) in overall length and just under BMW's X models (66.5 in for the X6) in height. Make no mistake -- this is a relatively large vehicle. With an arching rear roofline blending into a turned-up spoiler at the rear, first impressions are of a vehicle in the four-door coupe vein, but with a rear hatch along the lines of the Panamera. Frameless doors -- long a sports car staple -- are also used for the first time in four-door BMW in an effort to lend it a sportier appearance. In fact, like the X6 the Concept 5 Series GT only seats four people, but this concept is considerably taller than, say, the Mercedes-Benz CLS. A gaping version of the famous BMW "kidney grille" is found up front, slanted forward slightly and quite bold in appearance, flanked by swept-back, traditional dual-round headlights with LED corona rings.

bmw concept 5 series gran turismo

bmw concept 5 series gran turismo

bentley continental supersports

The 621-horsepower Bentley Continental Supersports is fast. In fact, it's the fastest Bentley in history. Engineering boss Ulrich Eichhorn claims the Supersports will sprint from 0-to-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, nail 100 mph in 8.9 seconds, and hit 204 mph. Eichhorn also says it is -- shock! -- a lightweight Bentley. Then he pauses and, with a twinkle in his eye, adds, "but it still weighs 4800 pounds"
Then there's this: The Continental Supersports will deliver that staggering performance running on the same E85 ethanol/gasoline mix you pump into a flex-fuel Chevy SUV. That's right, the fastest Bentley ever is also the first bio-fuel Bentley. So it's a tree-hugger's supercar? Well, that depends on how you track the carbon-dioxide molecules (see sidebar), although Eichhorn points out the Supersports is also 95 percent recyclable. "Not that this happens with a Bentley," he grins. "Most of our cars typically end up in museums, not landfills."