You know electric cars are in the ascendancy when even the fearsome 4x4s start looking to add an extra little spark to their energy production and storage.
Land Rover has just announced it’ll demo one — there are multiple working versions — of its development prototypes at the Geneva Motor Show next month, treating us to an exhibition of what a diesel engine can do when augmented with some electric firepower.
The Range_e’s design is based on the Range Rover Sport and its 3.0-liter TDV6 core, however the new vehicle is capable of going a full 20 miles purely on its electric charge and touts a whopping 690-mile range altogether
. Let’s hope Geneva shows enough interest in the Range_e to compel Land Rover to turn it into a commercial reality.
Posted on February 18, 2011 in:
Nissan
Rendery concept images not doing enough to pique your interest in the future-Z concept ESFLOW from Nissan?
Maybe you’d be into some honest to gosh pictures of the real thing sitting pretty on a white-walled photo stage, prepping for its glamour shoot.
All Cars Electric has a suite of photos of the inside, highlighting its sweeping lines and decidedly fanciful interior.
The car is said to manage the 0 – 60 sprint in under five seconds while also delivering 150 miles of range from its Li-ion battery pack, helped by a lightweight composite body and aluminum chassis.
Whether the car ever hits production remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt it’s looking good already.
Posted on February 6, 2011 in:
Ferrari
Ferrari is taking a bold leap with the unveiling of its brand-new 2012 FF all-wheel drive shooting-brake.
The Italian automaker also understands basic accounting principles, noting that demand is currently high for any images or video of the four-passenger super wagon, yet yet supply is low. Helping satiate our requirement for a fix of the FF, Ferrari has released five additional photos of the car playing in the snow.
We would prefer to hear the wail of the 651-horsepower, 6.3-liter V12 engine, but we’ll take what we can get. Check out in the 2012 Ferrari FF exploring a winter wonderland in the gallery below. read more »
Posted on February 6, 2011 in:
Mazda
Mazda has announced that the automaker has turned out 900,000 units of its MX-5 Miata since the car first put tire to pavement in 1989.
Of that astronomical number, a staggering 45 percent were sold here in North America, which means that 388,000 of the droptops have been shipped to our continent over the past 22 years.
Mazda attributes the vehicle’s success to its ability to adhere to what made the convertible a sales winner in the first place – offering basic sports car appeal with one of the highest fun-per-dollar ratios of any vehicle out there.
Since 1989, the convertible has undergone two complete redesigns and a slew of minor updates along the way.
The MX-5 crested the 500,000 unit mark back in 1999, and sales of the winsome roadster continue to march on impressively. Click past the jump to check out the full press release on the occasion for yourself. read more »
Posted on February 6, 2011 in:
General
Ugh, fine. We’re sorry. Okay, so that’s not exactly how the BBC responded to Mexico’s Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, but it certainly didn’t fall all over itself in making a formal apology, either.
In case you need a refresher, Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond quipped on a recent broadcast episode of the hit television series, in reference to the Mexican-built Mastretta MXT sports car, “Mexican cars are just going to be a lazy, feckless, flatulent, oaf with a mustache leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.”
Not surprisingly, a number of the country’s inhabitants were not amused… including the aforementioned Mexican Ambassador, who sent a letter to the BBC as something of a formal complaint. The BBC responded with a letter in return, which included the following statement: read more »
Posted on February 6, 2011 in:
Toyota
Toyota has big plans to wade into the hybridized B-segment in Europe, and it looks like we may get a peek at the automaker’s first effort in that department at the Geneva Motor Show. The Japanese manufacturer has confirmed that it will unveil its Yaris HSD Concept in March.
The company is keeping the details of the concept to itself for the time being, so there’s little information on what kind of powertrain or fuel economy the car will boast when it takes a bow next month.
Toyota did say that the Yaris HSD Concept will wear some very hybrid-specific design cues, so expect more than a little Prius influence outside. read more »
The Mitsuoka Himiko roadster has received an electric makeover that adds green cred to its retro-style allure. TGMY, the company responsible for the conversion, debuted the car at the 2011 Japan EV show, and the two-seater got at least as much attention for how far it could go – the stated range is 341.8 miles – as it did for its looks.
Typically, the Himiko comes with the running gear found in the Mazda Miata that it’s based on, but instead of a 2.0 liter DOHC gas engine and a 6-speed manual, TGMY’s version features an AC induction motor and controller from Azure Dynamics mated to a 2-speed gearbox from Shigehara Inc. The batteries that give the electric Himiko its industry-leading range are lithium polymer.
Posted on February 4, 2011 in:
General
Ford’s GT came back to life in the mid 2000s to give the brand a much-needed halo car and to re-kindle the fires of those who watched the GT40 trounce the Ferraris at Le Mans in the late ’60s.
It didn’t live long, but rumors of its re-resurrection are growing stronger. Latest comes courtesy of Auto Express, which indicates this generation GT will weigh right around 3,000lbs — a massive 500 lighter than its predecessor despite this new model supposedly packing a hybrid system.
It’ll offer a supercharged V8 paired with an electric motor driving the front wheels, not unlike the setup in the Porsche 918 RSR and its street-going version, the 918 Spyder.
If these rumors prove true it’ll hit that target thanks to an all-aluminum chassis, composite body panels, and an aggressive diet.
I don’t smoke and I never have. I can’t say as I’ve felt the temptation to ever try that particular vice, especially given the cost these days.
50 years ago my avoiding that lifestyle choice would have put me in the minority, and if I’d dared asked a smoker to step outside or made any implications about what their habit was doing to my lungs… well, that wouldn’t have gone over well.
Today, of course, such questions and expectations are the norm, with legislation forcing smokers into the cold and science showing that what comes out of their mouths isn’t great for passers by. But why am I talking about cigarette smoking on a gadget blog? read more »
Volkswagen of America will run two ads in the Super Bowl XLV February 6, one for the 2012 New Beetle and one for the 2012 Passat, neither one of which is on sale yet.
The first ad, “Black Beetle,” doesn’t show the actual car, but rather shows a black beetle, as in insect, racing its way passed other insects in the forest.
This beetle has a unique shape, apart from the other beetles, and at the end of the ad, gives way to the silhouette of the 2012 New Beetle. The ad is meant to mimic a movie car chase, though I wouldn’t exactly compare it with with Bullitt or The French Connection.
Though the new New Beetle won’t go on sale until this Fall, Volkswagen started hyping its arrival last December when it promised Oprah Winfrey’s studio audience each a free one as part of the show host’s “Favorite Things” string of shows. read more »
