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Years before they hit the road, production cars come to us as wild concepts, often sporting wacky doors and futuristic technologies. This is what the future of the auto industry could look like… before the accountants and lawyers get involved.
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VIDEO: Toyota FT-86 Concept Makes Video Game Debut in GranTurismo 5
Toyota’s new FT-86 Concept car hasn’t even received its official unveiling at the Tokyo Auto Show and yet its already made its video game debut. Toyota has released a short clip of the FT-86 in the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 game. There are plenty of great clips of the stunning new Toyota, and even a…
Tokyo Preview: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybird Concept to Get Japanese Debut in Tokyo
Officially unveiled last month at the Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany, Toyota is now set to give the Prius plug-in hybrid concept an official unveiling in its native land and in front of a more welcoming audience. Toyota has said that the Prius PHV Concept will be able to travel up to 12 miles on…
Tokyo Preview: Stunning Toyota FT-86 Concept Delivers “Racecar-like” Handling
Until today, if someone asked you what the best looking Toyota from the past decade was, you’d have a tough time thinking something up. As of today, the answer is the FT-86 Concept, which is set to officially debut at the Tokyo Auto Show later this month. The name FT-86 brings together Toyota’s past and…
Breaking: Audi E-Tron Electric R8 Headed to Production
Audi’s E-Tron electric R8 has been given the green light and should be on the road in two to three years. Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen has said that a car based on the E-Tron concept, which debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show last month, will be built. He expects fully functional examples…
Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo Gets More Space, Even Sillier Design
If you though Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric city car was both silly looking and impractical, perhaps the i-MiEV Cargo is more up your alley? Or perhaps not. With significantly more usable space, along with an even more ridiculous shape, the Cargo model is a concept that Mitsubishi is exploring for eventual production. The i-MiEV on which…
Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV Foreshadows a Future Plug-In Hybrid Crossover
When concept cars look this road-ready, you can be sure an automaker isn’t just interested in design for design’s sake. Called the Concept PX-MiEV, Mitsubishi will unveil this hybrid crossover concept at the Tokyo Auto Show next month. The vehicle’s name combines the automakers “MiEV” nomenclature, which stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, with a…
Tokyo Preview: Honda Skydeck Concept Van Gets Sliding Rear Doors and Front Lambo Doors
Honda’s latest concept car (van) that is scheduled to debut at the Tokyo Auto Show, looks like something you might see done to an Odyssey minivan at Hot Import Nights. The reason? It has both the typical minivan sliding rear doors, as well as front “Lambo-style” doors. Honda hasn’t released much info about the van,…
Tokyo Preview: Honda EV-N Concept Is One Ultra-Cute Electric Car
Honda intends to put the focus on its environmentally friendly alternative energy vehicles at the Tokyo Auto Show next month, showcasing several products, including the undeniably cute EV-N electric car concept. The car will be in display in the HELLO! Zone (which apparently stands for Honda Electric mobility Loop) next to the hydrogen fuel-cell FXC…
Tokyo Preview: Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept Uses Green Technology for AWD Performance
At next month’s Tokyo Auto Show, Subaru will unveil what it calls the Hybrid Tourer Concept. The idea with this concept seems to be to explore a new area of the marketplace, somewhere between the Outback and Legacy, but with a serious focus on luxury and sport – like the GT/Sportback/Hatchback models being built by…
Report: BMW to Bring Back M1 Exotic Based On Wild Frankfurt Concept Car
BMW will resurrect the M1, basing the new exotic car on the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, which debuted at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The car will hit the market in 2012 says the U.K.’s AutoExpress, keeping much of the concept car’s green technologies, while offering performance to rival the Audi R8. The car will be geared…
Report: Lexus Studying Premium Hatchback for U.S., Wants Your Thoughts on the LF-Ch Concept
While the official word from Lexus is that the LF-Ch concept is set to become a premium-level hybrid hatchback in the European market only, Toyota’s luxury arm is also (rather obviously) studying the possibility of bringing the car to North America. Lexus has just launched a new page on its U.S. website, with a link…
Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Mazda Kiyora Concept Gets 75 MPG
Just after publishing an article on Mazda’s new SKY engines, which are set to debut at the Tokyo Auto Show in October, Mazda sent us a press release on the Kiyora Concept car. This new vehicle, which is set to debut at the Tokyo Auto Show, is powered by a 1.3-liter version of Mazda’s new…
Report: Land Rover Confirms LRX Production Model for 2011
Land Rover has now officially confirmed that it will build an SUV based on the LRX Concept, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2008. The new model will debut in 2010 as a 2011 model and rumors have suggested it will arrive on June 17th, the 40th anniversary of…
Report: Buick Looks at Premium Small Car Market with Avant Concept
Around the world automakers are starting to adapt to the reality that consumers are looking for luxury in increasingly smaller packages. Buick has taken notice, setting its engineers and designers to work on a few ideas for a small premium car that could one day joint the Buick lineup. In an effort to get feedback…
Report: C7 Corvette to Get Split-Window Design
The next generation of the Corvette will come with a rear split-window design. GM’s global design boss Ed Welburn said that the next Corvette, known as the C7, will take on some retro styling cues, like the two-part rear window that first appeared on the 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe. That design actually only ever…
Report: Volkswagen Bringing Larger E-Up! Electric Car to U.S.
Volkswagen is preparing a slightly larger version of its E-Up! concept, which debuted last week at the Frankfurt Auto Show, for the U.S. market. The tiny 3+1 seater is roughly the size of a SMART fortwo or Toyota iQ. It has a peak output of 60 kw with 210 Nm of torque (80-hp and 155…
Report: Fiat Plans to Brand Chrysler as a True Luxury Automaker
Fiat plans to market Chrysler as a serious luxury brand in the U.S. In an interview with Automotive News, Chrysler’s brand CEO Peter Fong said that he sees the company’s flagship line as “a notch above Lincoln, a notch above Cadillac,” which has us wondering what sort of parallel universe Fong is from. True, Chrysler…
Frankfurt 2009: MINI Gets Sportier with New Coupé
MINI confirmed it will produce the Coupé model unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show alongside the MINI Roadster. Powered by the same John Cooper Works turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder as the current line of top-level MINIs, the Coupé makes 211hp and 192 ft-lbs of torque, with a bump to 206 ft-lbs possible thanks to an overboost…
Frankfurt 2009: Hyundai Blue-Will Concept
When it comes to hybrid and eco-friendly technology, it looks like blue is the new green. Both Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz have chosen the color blue to represent their environmentally friendly vehicles with their respective Blue Drive and Blue Efficiency brands. Hyundai’s latest hybrid concept, the Blue-Will, is a look into the future of eco-friendly vehicles….
Frankfurt 2009: Mercedes-Benz BlueZero E-Cell Plus Plug-in Introduced
Mercedes-Benz introduced its BlueZero E-Cell Plus concept car at the Frankfurt Auto show. The plug-in electric Hybrid can travel up to 100km (62 miles) on electric power before the gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the lithium-ion batteries, enabling an extended range of 600km (373 miles). The engine is a turbocharged 1.0-liter 3-cylinder powerplant producing…
Frankfurt 2009: Volkswagen E-Up! Electric Concept Debut
Debuting alongside the 170mpg L1 concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show was the zero-emissions E-Up! concept. As the name suggests, this is a pure electric vehicle and it is based on a chassis that will form the basis of a new line of VW city cars starting in 2013. As a 3+1 seater the…
Frankfurt 2009: Mazda MX-5 Superlight Revealed
Mazda unveiled its MX-5 Superlight concept roadster at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Though pictures were leaked ahead of the show, seeing the Superlight version of the MX-5 in person was still impressive. Created by Mazda’s European design team to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first MX-5, the Superlight version weights 2,194 lbs (995 kg),…
Frankfurt 2009: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept Recharges in Just 90 Minutes
Until now we weren’t overly impressed with Toyota’s idea for a plug-in Prius hybrid, along the lines of the Chevy Volt. There’s still a lot we don’t know (including, hopefully, a lower price point), but today at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Toyota announced that the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept would be able to recharge fully…
Frankfurt 2009: First Live Photos of the MINI Roadster
MINI unveiled its new Roadster model alongside the the Coupe at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Sharing the same platform as the Coupe, the MINI Roadster is nearly identical to its sibling from the waist down. Above the waistline, the Roadster features a manually opening convertible roof. Like the MINI Coupe, the MINI Roadster’s windshield slopes…