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Archive of posts filed under the Hybrid Cars category.
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Terrafugia TF-X “VTOL” flying car

Posted by  on 10 May 2013, 11:19 am

Terrafugia T-FX

Terrafugia, a US company based in Woburn, Massachusetts you may have already heard of due to their Transition “roadable aircraft”, has returned to our attention with their next project, the TF-X. If the Transition is a rather conventional (if we can say that with these vehicles) fixed-wing flying car prototype, we can’t say the same about their new project, which involves even more clever engineering and futuristic design.

Terrafugia must be very pleased with their successes achieved with Transition – in 2012 they completed the first phase of flight-testing; on their way to achieving certification from both NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and FAA (US Federal Aviation Authority).
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Filed under Aircraft, Concept cars, Electric Cars, Hybrid Cars, Strange Vehicles. Tagged , , , ,
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Toyota FT-HT Yuejia Concept

Posted by  on 23 April 2013, 10:35 am

Toyota FT-HT Yuejia

The Toyota FT-HT Yuejia concept is just one of the over fifty vehicles the company brought along in their armada to this year’s Shanghai Motor Show.

The FT-HT Yuejia is a six-seat (arranged over three rows) MPV designed to appeal to younger Chinese buyers. The concept previews a production model due to go on sale in China shortly. Thankfully it doesn’t sound like that hideous Predator-like front end will be seen outside of the country any time soon.
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2013 Buick Riviera Concept

Posted by  on 20 April 2013, 10:18 am

2013 Buick Riviera Concept

Buick just can’t seem to let go of the Riviera nameplate. Since its arrival in 1963, up until its demise in 1999, well over a million Rivieras were produced. Then in 2007 it popped up again on a sporty looking coupe concept introduced at that year’s Shanghai Motor Show. Now, six years later, its back, again making its world debut again in Shanghai.

Yet despite sharing the same name as the 2007 concept, and the same 2-door coupe layout, the 2013 Buick Riviera concept is an all-new car.  “Riviera is a design study of the future expression of Buick design with its elegant athletic shape, sculptural beauty, and precision execution,” said Ed Welburn, GM vice president of global design.  “It is a great opportunity to share Buick’s future design language and technology strategy.”
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Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe Concept

Posted by  on 19 April 2013, 9:53 pm

Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe

Earlier this year Volkswagen treated visitors to the Detroit Auto Show with the spectacle of a large SUV concept in the form of the Volkswagen CrossBlue concept. Now they’ve followed it up at the Shanghai Motor Show with a related concept called the CrossBlue Coupe concept. However whereas the original CrossBlue was a hybrid-powered, practically-minded, sensible SUV, the CrossBlue Coupe is a bit more sporty. It’s still a hybrid, but it has more power and a smidgen more style.

The Volkswagen CrossBlue Coupe is a five-seater crossover with a wider and lower stance than its the original CrossBlue SUV concept. Sadly, as is normal for auto makers nowadays, the PR folks have conveniently forgotten what the word “Coupe” means, and wrongly labeled the concept as such. Probably in a misguided effort to make it sound more desirable than it really is.
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Sbarro React’E.V.

Posted by  on 8 March 2013, 3:54 pm

Sbarro React'E.V.

As usual the Espera Sbarro Montbeliard School of Design didn’t show up to the Geneva Motor Show empty handed. However unlike last year’s concept – the delightfully mad Sbarro Eight – this year’s concept looks very tame and rather discreet. It certainly wouldn’t stand out in your average sportscar lineup.

Called the Sbarro React’E.V. the concept is hybrid powered. Regarding the name, usually EV denotes an all-electric powered vehicle, but for the React’E.V. it stands for “Ecological Vehicle”. It took 30 students, 13 weeks to build the React’E.V. That would be impressive even if the car were just a basic concept car, or a rolling shell. But the React’E.V. has been thoroughly engineered, and will take part in the Monte Carlo New Energy Rally later in March.
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Ferrari LaFerrari

Posted by  on 5 March 2013, 6:07 pm

Ferrari LaFerrari

With all the months-long hype surrounding the debut of the next Ferrari hypercar, I was starting to worry that when it did finally surface it might be a bit of a let down. Thankfully my fears were unfounded as this really is one of the best looking cars ever to howl out of Ferrari’s factory gates. It’s got a stupid name. But when it looks this good. Who really cares?

The LaFerrari marks the first time Ferrari has used a hybrid system in a production road car. Derived from the KERS system used in Ferrari’s F1 cars, the hybrid drivetrain of the LaFerrari uses a 789 horsepower 6.3 litre V12 engine backed up by a 160 horsepower electric motor. That’s a combined total of 949 horsepower and 663 lb-ft of torque. The high torque levels provided by the electric motor at low rpms allowed Ferrari’s engineers to optimise the V12′s performance at higher revs. The result is a car which can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in under three seconds and continue on to a 205 mph top speed.
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Subaru VIZIV Concept

Posted by  on 5 March 2013, 3:26 pm

Subaru Viziv

At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Subaru took took the opportunity to reveal their latest concept car. Called the VIZIV, the concept is a next-generation crossover that represents the design direction Subaru will be following in the future. The name “VIZIV” is derived from the phrase “Vision for Innovation”.

In terms of style the Subaru VIZIV isn’t ground breaking, but it is quite a sharp looking concept nonetheless. It’s sporty yet rugged in appearance, and with just a single door on either side there’s very little to interrupt the car’s smooth lines. It also has quite a low roofline which accentuates its powerful appearance and gives it a coupe-like profile.
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Mitsubishi GR-HEV Concept

Posted by  on 5 March 2013, 11:28 am

Mitsubishi GR-HEV

Mitsubishi’s other 2013 Geneva Motor Show concept, to accompany the CA-MiEV, is this, the GR-HEV. The Mitsubishi GR-HEV is a sport utility truck which was developed as a conceptual successor to the one-ton Mitsubishi pickup – which has been around since 1978.

It’s proportions are odd to say the least. The rear cargo area juts out from the back of the truck at a bizarre angle and quite frankly looks terrible. Almost everything about the GR-HEV looks awkward and misaligned. Mitsubishi have even had the audacity to fit it with 3-spoke wheels. Which haven’t looked good since… Well, never.

However the styling of the Mitsubishi GR-HEV is only half the story. As it’s really the drivetrain where Mitsubishi’s drones have spent most of their time and energy.
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McLaren P1 – Full Specifications

Posted by  on 26 February 2013, 2:09 pm

McLaren P1

McLaren has decided it’s finally time to let the world know all the details regarding their all-new P1 supercar. They’ve been slowly dribbling out information on the car for many months now, including the presentation of a pre-production P1 design study at the Paris Motor Show last year. But until now the exact specifications have been kept shtum.

Like all McLaren’s, both past and present, the P1 is a technological masterpiece. It really is a triumph of mathematics and logic over emotion and superfluous style. It’s performance is nothing less than astounding. 0-62 mph (100km/h) takes less than three seconds, 0-124 mph (200 km/h) takes less than seven seconds, and the needle will nudge 186 mph (300 km/h) in just 17 seconds – 5 seconds quicker than the legendary F1. The top speed of the McLaren P1 has been electronically limited to 217 mph (350 km/h).

In order to achieve such spectacular performance, McLaren’s engineers had to be nothing less than obsessive compulsive when it came to things like weight management, aerodynamics and electronic wizardry. Interestingly, in terms of appearance the McLaren P1 has changed little since the first prototype was unveiled. In fact the only notable modification is the addition of a couple of air ducts ahead of the front wheels.
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Filed under Hybrid Cars, New cars, Sports cars, Supercars. Tagged , ,
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Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept

Posted by  on 14 January 2013, 4:51 pm

Volkswagen CrossBlue concept SUV

Volkswagen’s big – both literally and figuratively – news at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show is the CrossBlue Concept. It’s a 6/7-seat SUV concept vehicle which was designed specifically for the U.S. and Canada. If it were to go into production, like VW are hinting, then it would slot in somewhere between the Tiguan and the Touareg.

The CrossBlue was designed in Germany under the leadership of Walter de Silva (Head of Design, Volkswagen Group) and Klaus Bischoff (Head of Design, Volkswagen Brand), in close coordination with Volkswagen of America. The vehicle is designed to provide the visual impact of an SUV with the spaciousness and flexibility of a minivan.

“The CrossBlue concept is exactly the right type of vehicle for the U.S. market,” said Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. “It combines a truly versatile interior layout with sophisticated Volkswagen design, to give a unique and supremely stylish offering in this segment. Moreover, the vehicle showcases our innovative German powertrain engineering and the bandwidth of the new MQB architecture.”
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