Volkswagen's Bulli

The tale of Volkswagen's Bulli goes back to Wednesday, April 23, 1947. That's the day Dutch VW importer Ben Pon drew a rough sketch of the now internationally famous Transporter 1, or T1, van. In the States, it was known as the Microbus. In Germany, marketers labeled it the Bulli. And this year, in concept form at the 2011 Geneva show, the Bulli has returned with a retro-inspired design, modern usability, and a zero-emission electric powertrain.
The latest six-passenger Bulli is a reinterpreted reinterpretation of what's been billed as the world's first van. VW showed a retro van in 2001 at the Detroit auto show, and like that concept, the more evolved Bulli has a variety of simple, attractive, and classic traits.
The slightly extended nose, for instance, sports an extra-large "VW" badge in the middle of a distinct V-shape. Flanking it are bright L-shaped wraparound LED headlamps and dominant lower fog lights that add a bit of personality to the front clip, while slight intakes provide cool air to the electric powertrain.
The two-tone paintjob divides at the beltline and runs the vehicle's entire 156-inch length. Body panels were machined to portray a seamless look, and blacked-out pillars add a sense of size. The tailgate spans the Bulli's 68.4-inch width, making it ideal for loading cargo. Each corner sits on a chrome-dipped retro-look 18-inch alloy, and, as you can tell, the overhangs remain stubby.
Interior designers continued to meld modern style and classic cues by incorporating twin bench seats. Both can be folded down to maximize passenger comfort during trips, and if need be, the rear bench can completely stow, increasing overall interior space.

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Toyota, the FT-86 II

For the heavyweights over at Toyota, the FT-86 II concept announcement was almost a throwaway remark in the statement made by Didier Leroy, President of Toyota Motor Europe. At the press conference on Tuesday, Leroy devoted nearly all of his speech to a detailed discussion of Toyota’s hybrid strategy and only briefly referenced the FT-86 II concept at the end of his remarks:
“I want to focus on the passion that’s returned to Toyota in recent months. That passion is back in everything we are doing and in every new product we are developing. You can feel the passion in the only non-hybrid we’ve got on the stand, our FT-86 II concept car. This is the evolution of the concept we showed in Geneva last year and closer to the final car we will launch next year, as part of a new wave of Toyota products.”
The passion is back, eh? Indeed, buried all the way back on the last three pages of Toyota’s 18-page Geneva press kit. Not exactly the ringing endorsement hachi-roku and Celica-Supra fans the world over were waiting for.

No new ground was broken either, just a reiteration of what we already know:
- The new FT-86 sports car is being developed in conjunction with Fuji Heavy Industries (parent company of Subaru – though Subaru is never mentioned)
- It will use a ‘free revving boxer petrol engine’ mounted in the front, driving the rear wheels.
- A six-speed manual should be on offer when the car goes on sale in 2012.
- This concept, dubbed ‘Functional Beauty’, is a product of Toyota’s European Design Development center.
As they are wont to do with a concept, Toyota put the blacked-out FT-86 II out of reach from show goers up on a fast rotating platform – revealing nothing but its sleek LFA-sque styling.

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Nissan Ellure

Revitalizing the sedan isn't anything new to Nissan -- just three years ago it introduced the current seventh-generation Maxima as the new age affordable "four-door sports car" (or 4DSC) fit for mall sprees and canyon runs. Even still, Nissan's design leaders say, the well-aged segment remains bland.
For 2010 and beyond, there is a need for the sedan (otherwise known as the "rational or functional choice", Nissan Design America vice president Alfonso Albaisa explained) to evolve into a vehicle with "more emotion".
"A new customer is coming into this mature segment," Albaisa mentioned at a private media gathering. Said customer is no longer predominantly male and in need of an athletic everyday people mover.
"She's between 30 and 40 years old," the designer revealed. "She's always respected the sedan, but she might be one that has a crossover or something else. The sedan has a value, but she thinks the sedan has become boring."
Shiro Nakamura, Nissan senior vice president and chief creative officer (the main man in charge of all Nissan/Infiniti design), agrees. "Nissan crossovers are expressive. We're trying to bring expression to the sedan."
Under Nakamura-san's guidance, everything also adheres to the "Spirit of Iki". "Iki is the traditional Japanese way of expression," he said. "(It is) fashionable, but not too showy. It has been used for over 500 years in Tokyo -- mainly for common people."
With that entire mindset, the automaker's design houses in Kanagawa, Japan and San Diego, California collaborated to create the Ellure concept you see here.
Although completely fresh, its modern physique remains distinctly Nissan with broad elements, strong shoulders, and well-hidden traits derived from Japanese culture. The tension, release, and interception of dynamic shapes plays a key role in the styling philosophy, too.
Crystalline LED lights are one trait designers employed to express a new emotion. Kinked, boomerang-shaped headlights look futuristic in a Tron sort of way and are matched with equally chiseled and drastically kinked LED taillights.

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Rocketman

Hardcore Mini fans have long lamented that with each new model, the brand's lineup heads farther away from its core mission of producing small, fun-to-drive cars. Someone at Mini is apparently listening, because its Rocketman Concept is proof that the brand can still think small. The Rocketman, which makes its world debut at the 2011 Geneva auto show, also serves as a rolling showcase for new Mini construction techniques and ideas in modular packaging.
To start with, the Rocketman is almost a foot shorter than a standard Cooper and is built on a carbon-fiber spaceframe to save weight over the traditional steel unibodies employed on Mini production vehicles. Much of the spaceframe is visible inside and outside the car to show off the carbon construction and save weight on trim pieces. Mini calls the seating arrangement a 3+1 layout, similar to the Toyota iQ setup. The idea is that modular seating makes the smaller interior space as versatile as possible. While the two front seats and one rear seat are considered permanent, a second rear seat easily stows to increase cargo space. The other permanent rear and front passenger seats can also be folded to create near station wagon-levels of space while accommodating only the driver.
For easier cargo loading, the rear glass is cut forward into the roof and folds up out of the way, to allow loading straight down instead of requiring the driver to lean over and into the car. The tailgate is also unique, operating like a drawer that slides out from the body. The drawer can be sealed and left extended outside the car, again to increase cargo space when needed.

The outside of the Rocketman is instantly recognizable as a Mini with classic and futuristic touches. The doors feature bulges reminiscent of the external hinges on the original Minis, but the new doors are mounted on double hinge mechanisms that allow for easy access even in tight parking spots. The openings are cut extra low into the body of the car, thanks to the extra-stiff composite space frame. Normal unibody cars use large box sections in the rocker area for torsional stiffness; Mini was able to design the strength in the car's underpan instead.


Although not ideal for weight, the glass roof gives the interior an open feel and adds another high-tech touch. The aluminum braces are used in the segmented glass contain fiber optics that light up in the Union Jack design at night. The rear lights also provide another unique touch, extending in trapezoidal hoops out of the rear fenders. The taillights are integrated into the hoops, while brake and signal lights are projected onto the body panels. It's an interesting idea that may or may not be functional, never mind legal.
While we don't know what's powering the Rocketman as of yet, Mini says the vehicle will 'allow the integration of a drive system which combines further enhanced sprinting ability with average fuel consumption of just three liters per 100 kilometers (94 mpg imp)', which translates to roughly 78 mpg in U.S. measurements. We'll be interested to find out what hyper-efficient drivetrain it is referring to in the press release, but we're betting it's some sort of diesel/hybrid.

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Mercedes SLS AMG

From tomorrow, Mercedes-Benz among others, will display their cars at the Dubai International Motor Show. Rest assured, their latest offering the SLS AMG ‘Gullwing’ will not be left behind.
And what better way to introduce the 571 horsepower supercar to the ‘City of Gold’ than in an all new Golden avatar.
Specially created for the Dubai Motorshow, this one-off SLS sports a dull-gold paint job, known as ‘Desert Gold’, with black coloured AMG alloy wheels, decorated with a golden outer rim. As of now, only one SLS AMG exists in this colour, but Mercedes say that if customer response is appropriate, it could be made into a standard option.
This colour was designed to attract the money strapped tycoons of the Arab nations. Mercedes sees the launching of the SLS AMG in this unique colour, as a token of appreciation to the Middle Eastern countries, for contributing to a great extent to their global sales. The SLS AMG ‘Desert Gold’ will be unveiled at the Dubai International Motor Show, to be held from the 16th to the 20th of December 2009.

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Mercedes A-Class

Mercedes' A-Class has historically been a four-door hatchback more concerned with environmentally friendly utilitarian duties than making a statement about style. For the 2011 New York and Shanghai Auto Shows, Mercedes intends to change that frumpy image with an aggressively styled concept that looks more performance hot-hatch than green hipster-hauler, taking the A-Class in an entirely new direction. Thought it is just a concept, it might show the direction the front-wheel drive platform is headed-one that will appeal to a more youthful and enthusiastic buyer.Looking ready to go head-to-head with the likes of the Audi A3 and Volvo C30, the A-Class Concept is powered by a 210-horsepower 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged I-4 mated to a dual-clutch transmission. In hot-hatch tradition, this powertrain is splayed out transversely across the front of the car.
The design language seen on this new A-Class first appeared on another concept, the F800 Style shown at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show. The body consists of free-flowing surfaces accented with sharp creases. Mercedes states that the styling was influenced by wind and waves and reflects aviation engineering. This theme is reflected in the interior, with see-through fabric stretched over a skeletal structure. The vents, instrumentation, and shifter all reflect avionic controls, looking minimalist and very futuristic at the same time.

The A-Class Concept is stuffed with technology. Mercedes boasts of being the first in the compact segment to offer a radar-based collision avoidance system and adaptive brake technology. The system audibly and visually warns inattentive drivers about possible collisions while preparing the braking system for an immediate and powerful stop. Infotainment details are handled by a fully integrated smartphone and use a three-dimensional dash display formed of magenta-colored laser lines. The interior seats four in separate buckets, and one long center console is shared by both the front and rear seats.
Rumors of Mercedes bringing the A-Class to the American market have been brewing for years. It looks like we may be one step closer, but in an entirely unexpected form. Instead of a smallish people-mover, it may very well end up being an upscale performance hatchback. There is even a possibility it may turn into multiple A-Class vehicles. We will get our first look at the concept in New York later this month. Maybe Mercedes will have more information about future plans then.

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Lotus CEO

Three months after announcing a trio of supercars using a supercharged version of the Lexus-Yamaha V-8, Lotus CEO Dany Bahar says the company is looking at designing its own engine instead.
"I believe that if you're selling a $160,000-plus sports car, not having your own engine is a disadvantage," he says. "So we're doing a feasibility study to see if we can do our own road-car engine. The Lexus engine is ready for the Esprit, the first of our new cars to launch, but we still have the choice." Lotus' engineering division certainly has the ability to do engines, and has done several high-profile ones for clients over the years.Bahar stressed that Lotus' overall investment budget in its five-model turnaround plan is fixed. The new engine can be funded only if savings are found elsewhere. "We wouldn't ask for more money from our investors, and we certainly wouldn't get it."
"You need an exciting powerplant or you're nowhere," adds chief technical officer Wolf Zimmermann, recently recruited from Mercedes-AMG. "If you want to compete in the premier league, against the Ferrari 458 or McLaren MP4-12C, this 5.0-liter supercharged engine is too heavy and too big." If the program gets the nod, Zimmermann says, Lotus will probably do a modular V-8/V-6 that would serve the mid-engine V-8 Esprit, front-engine V-8 Elite and Eterne, and mid-engine V-6 Elan.

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BMW Vision

BMW has announced the name and the date of its two all-new alternative-powertrain high-tech carbon-bodied cars. The plug-in diesel-electric AWD supercar, based on the Vision EfficientDynamics concept, will reach dealers as the i8. The artist formerly known as the Mega City Vehicle, a pure-electric city car, will be called i3. Both will be launched in 2013.
The i8 name was predictable: It will be a topline car, the pinnacle of BMW's brand of technology, performance, and frugality. It will be expensive, too: You can get similar performance, though not economy, in an M3 for a fraction of the price. The name i3 for the smaller car is a surprise. Is this little bubble ready for comparison with the 3 Series? Even though the i3 is small, it is space-efficient, has four doors, and should have interior accommodations matching a 3 Series sedan. The name allows room for an i2 and i1, showing BMW's intent to go smaller in this range.
The i3 and i8 share a lot. Both have an aluminum chassis, chosen for its ability to absorb crash energy. The lithium-ion batteries are stored in the center, protected by strong aluminum perimeter beams, and the powertrain and suspension are mounted in this chassis structure. Passenger compartment and exterior panels are of carbon fiber. BMW calls the concept LifeDrive. The Drive part is aluminum; the Life part (for the occupants) is carbon fiber. These lightweight materials will aid in cancelling out the additional weight of a battery. The i3 and i8 share battery technology and the principles in the drive motors and electronics.
The battery, electronics, and motor for the i3 are being proved on a fleet of 1000 ActiveE cars, a 1 Series coupe with an EV drivetrain, which was launched at the Geneva show in March. It hits 60 mph in about 9.0 seconds, thanks to a 168-horse electric motor. It can be charged from a 32-amp 220-volt outlet (common in Europe, not the U.S.) in 5 hours. This gives a 100-mile claimed range. The i3 should better that, being lighter and more aerodynamic.

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BMW M3

With the amazing EfficientDynamics supercar unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show, BMW promised a four-seat gullwing machine with the acceleration of an M3 and the fuel economy of a Mini diesel. At that point, the car's complex hybrid system had never been tested. Now, production is just two years away, in 2013.
Testing has proven engineers' original simulations, so the car will proceed with very few changes. Nestled behind the back seats is a tiny 161-horsepower combustion engine linked to a compact double-clutch gearbox to drive the rear wheels. That isn't enough to do the acceleration numbers BMW promised: 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds. So between engine and box, a disc-shaped motor adds a peak 51 horsepower. Another bigger motor adds up to 139 horses to the front wheels, in bursts of up to 10 seconds. Any longer and the batteries would overheat, so the front motor drops to 80 horses in steady-state running.
Overall system power becomes 323 horses. The test car's engine is a tiny 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesel, which would achieve the claimed economy figure. The car will have enough battery capacity to act as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, giving a claimed electric-only range of 30 miles.

The 2+2 weighs 3100 pounds, including batteries, enabled by widespread use of carbon fiber. Low mass is critical to squeezing good performance out of this powertrain, but so is low aerodynamic drag. Thanks to the concept's very low frontal area, the drag coefficient was just 0.22. Its "layered" construction has outer body panels mounted to the main body structure with a gap to channel air to critical parts such as the brakes, while creating little turbulence.
Ian Robertson, BMW's board member for sales and marketing, says it's "brilliant" to drive, but very different from a normal sports car.
He says that it would be a low-volume, high-price car. Certainly with the M3, BMW will offer more bang for the buck. But, as development chief Klaus Draeger says, this one is a "brand shaper for BMW," a car to get it out of its technological stall.

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Alfa Romeo 8C

The baby Alfa Romeo 8C has landed in Geneva, and to little surprise it's called the 4C.
Shown in concept guise, the 4C assumes the sportscar ethos with a mid-mounted engine, rear-wheel drive, and compact dimensions suited for maneuverability. Like the most traditional sportscars, it has just two doors and two seats. The 4C is around 157.4 inches long, has a wheelbase less than 94.5 inches, and is pegged to have a weight split of 40/60. Sounds like a recipe for some old-fashioned driving fun.
Sitting amidships is the company's turbocharged and direct-injected 1750 TBi inline-four. Power output for the 4C wasn't specified but the mill develops 235 horsepower in the Giulietta. With dual continuous variable valve timing and exhaust scavenging control, the four-cylinder is expected to rival larger 3.0-liter engines in performance but be significantly more fuel efficient. That efficiency is helped with Alfa's new "TCT" dry, twin-clutch automatic transmission, complete with six forward gears.
Perhaps the most impressive feature is the weight control. The 4C is already small, but careful application of carbon fiber and aluminum manage to keep the curb weight below 850 kilograms (1784 pounds). Parts of the frame are built from aluminum but the body is all carbon fiber. If a past report from Autocar is to be believed, parts of the stressed frame will be carbon fiber too.
Helping the 4C turn are a pair of special double A-arms up front, designated as a "high quadrilateral" design. The rear gets typical MacPherson struts. All in all, the 4C will get to 62 mph in less than 5 seconds and is supposedly capable of reaching 155 mph.
Alfa Romeo says the 4C will help grow the brand globally, and hopefully that includes the United States. If the target price really is indeed 40,000 euros ($54,600), we'll just have to see how this mini 8C sells out of the concept realm.

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