U3-X Personal Mobility Prototype Video

Incredible....

WoodysCarSite: 2012 Honda Civic First Look

Nice looking find....
Source;
http://www.woodyscarsite.com/2011/01/2011-honda-civic-hybrid-first-look.html

Toyota FT-86 Teaser for Geneva Auto Show

Toyota allows us a glimpse of new FT-86 II - an evolution of its rear-drive coupe concept

Toyota is set to unveil a second evolution of the FT-86 rear-drive coupe concept at the Geneva show in March.

The FT-86 was first unveiled as a concept back in 2009 and, although rumours last summer suggested that the eagerly anticipated coupe could make production by the end of 2011, the new concept will be the first 'official' step closer to revealing the final design for the new Toyota coupe.

Unfortunately we'll all have to wait a bit longer to see properly what the 'FT-86 II' is, as Toyota is following the distinctly irritating fashion of enigmatic teaser photos.

So, aside from the frustrating photo, all Toyota will say for now is that the FT-86 II "builds on the original concept and will give the clearest indication yet of the final design for Toyota's next sports car".

Oh, and that "this new concept embodies the company's reborn passion for sports car driving".
Very nice, but can we see the car now please, Toyota?

Source;
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=23083

VW Toureg Sport Concept

This is one awesome concept, I love the roof scoop....Do you enjoy watching the Dakar Rally? If so, then you probably have day dreamed about driving those awesome off-road racers to the mall or to work. Only problem is, while these racers have minor details like the shape of the headlights and names in common with models you’d find in showrooms, technically, they’re completely different.

Take the Volkswagen Touareg for example. The one that races in the Dakar Rally has little in common with the one you’ll find in the showrooms. That, however, could change if they decide to put the Race Touareg 3 concept into production.

Unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show, this concept marries the madness of the rally machine with some civility from the road going version. Thankfully it is more like the rally car than the normal showroom model.

Not only does it look like the racer that just won the 2011 Dakar rally, but it has the same powertrain also. So you get the same 2.5-liter turbo-diesel engine that produces 296-hp and a whopping 442 lb ft of torque. Power is sent to all wheels via a 5-speed sequential gearbox that has a three-plate ceramic clutch and three limited slip differentials. In other words, this vehicle doesn’t even know the meaning of getting stuck.

It’s quick too, 0-60 mph takes just 6.1 seconds and tops out at 117 mph (due to those large dune bashing tires, otherwise it would have been even faster).

While the cockpit of the race versions have no interior trimming whatsoever, the Race Touareg 3 concept has a fully finished, well appointed interior.

And now the bad news, this awesome concept is just a concept. There are no production plans yet, but if everyone bugs VW enough, they could put it into limited production. Hey, these things have happened before. So if you would like to park one of these on your driveway, tell those Germans at VW to make one for you and your friends.

Watch out Ford Raptor.

Source;
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2011/01/volkswagen-race-touareg-3-concept-brings-dakar-to-the-street.html

The New Honda Accord/Acura TSX Debuts at Geneva

The revised Honda Accord sedan and Tourer models will make their debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Both cars receive a host of changes with the styling, emissions, ride and handling all enhanced for 2011.

Summary of Changes:
• Revised exterior styling
• Detail changes to interior finishes
• Improvements to emissions and economy on all engines
• 138 g/km 2.2 i-DTEC introduced
• Ride and handling improvements for all models
• Auto High-Beam Support System and Active Cornering Lights debut on Accord
• 180 PS Type S model now available across Europe with bespoke interior and exterior styling

Exterior Design
Both the sedan and Tourer have benefitted from small but noticeable changes to the head lights and bumpers to complement the changes under the skin. The head lights have been given a cleaner, crisper appearance with the previously amber indicators now in a clear finish. On top grade cars the lights are now bi-xenon and feature Active Cornering Lights to improve night time visibility. The grille has been subtly remodelled with the two central spars finished in the same chrome material as the outer grille, for a sportier look. The cooling duct and fog light recesses on all models have been re-profiled with the taper of these areas given a more aggressive line, giving the car a more planted appearance.

The rear of the sedan model has been subtly enhanced with the rear lights having a light red finish for the reversing light and indicators to match that of the fog light, giving a balance to the rear styling. The exclusive styling of the sedan is rounded off with a light chrome garnish above the rear licence plate on most models and a dark chrome finish on Type S grade cars. The new exterior design cues are finished off with three new colours consisting of Alabaster Silver, Graphite Lustre and Celestial Blue Pearl added to the line up.

Interior Design
The exterior styling changes have been complemented by a number of subtle changes to the interior with most grades having new seat materials and door linings, changing the ambience of the cabin. Type S models have exclusive half leather, seats in a dark grey finish and a black head lining to further distinguish the top grade. The metal-look finish interior trim that covers the hand brake, gear lever surround, steering wheel garnish, door inlays, with a red background and sweeps up across the centre of the dash is now in a darker hue, to complement the new interior fabrics. The footwells of the majority of models are now illuminated blue if the headlights are on and red on Type S models.

Fuel Economy and Emission Improvements
The refined 2.2 litre 150 PS i-DTEC diesel engine has had internal frictional losses reduced to improve fuel economy and emissions. The result of these changes is an 9 g/km drop in CO2 emissions for the sedan with the 6-speed manual transmission and an 11 g/km reduction for the automatic variant. These internal changes have been combined with a host of underbody aerodynamic aids, including a larger front air dam, underfloor and a rear subframe cover Honda's engineers have also put effort into reducing the frictional losses in the wheels and tyres with low friction wheel bearings and reduced rolling resistance tyres. Accords equipped with Automatic transmission have also benefitted from minimised frictional losses in the gearbox and optimised ratios to improve economy and emissions.

Quieter Cabin
The already impressive NVH performance of the current Accord has been further improved with the adoption of higher density foam in the under bonnet and dashboard areas. The underfloor noise insulation has also been revised and teamed with additional sound deadening shields on the DPF and exhaust manifold cover of the diesel engine. The suite of noise reductions techniques is completed with a small 0.9 mm increase in the thickness of the rear window glass, improving the rear passenger experience.

Chassis
Engineers from Japan worked with their counterparts in Germany and the UK to further refine the dampers of the Accord Tourer and sedan for the vast range of road conditions found in Europe. Detailed refinement of the dual mode dampers has given improvement in both high speed stability for highway driving and a significant improvement in ride quality, even over poor road surfaces.

Active Cornering Lights
One of the most visible changes to the top of the range Accords is the addition of Active Cornering Lights, which provide enhanced illumination when the vehicle is turning. Additional lights units have been subtly integrated into the existing lights units, casting all of their light to the side of the vehicle to help the driver in low visibility conditions. The light unit on the relevant side will be illuminated when the driver activates the indicators in that direction or turns the steering wheel more than 90 degrees. When the vehicle is in reverse, both lights will be activated to give a good view to either side of the driver.

High-Beam Support System
Another new lighting technology for Honda is the High Beam Support system, which is fitted on vehicles with the bi-xenon headlights. This system is controlled by a CMOS camera fitted to the windscreen in the area of the driver rear view mirror. The camera detects oncoming headlights or the taillights of a vehicle in front and automatically dips the headlights onto their normal setting if they are on high-beam. This allows the driver to fully concentrate on the road conditions, without having to manually control the high-beam setting.

The new Accord goes on sale across Europe from April this year.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.eu/en/news/index.pmode/modul,detail,0,1690-DEFAULT,21,text,1/index.pmode

Infiniti M35h Hybrid Sedan European-Spec

Infiniti  M35h Hybrid Sedan European-Spec

This is new preliminary specs and performance figures from Infiniti for the European market version of its M35h hybrid sedan,expected to arrive in dealerships this spring. Boasting an impressive drag coefficient of just 0.26, the first Japanese manufacturer of hybrid model weighs less than her brothers and sisters M30d diesel and returns lt/100 6.9 km (33.6 mpg U.S.) on the combined cycle. However, customers will be satisfied with a small bunch, measuring just 350 liters.

This Infiniti sedan's powertrain comprises a 306HP 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine mated to a dual-clutch transmission and a 68HP (50kW) electric motor. The combined output is 364HP, good enough to accelerate the 1.830 kg (4.035 lbs) luxury sedan from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

the M35h is capable of reaching speeds up to 80 km/h (50 mph In electric-only mode, with Infiniti stating that in real-world testing, the car can be driven in this mode for as much as 50% of the time on mixed routes. To further improve the powertrain’s efficiency, the M35h also comes with regenerative brakes.

New Images Of Ferrari FF 660HP All-wheel Drive Four-seater Supercar

Ferrari  FF 660HP All-wheel Drive Four-seater Supercar

This is first look at the new Ferrari FF, an intervener or as Carscoop said ... Hunchback of Notre Maranello, but the Italian firm has released a photograph of his flagship GT model today. Basically, we have a studio photo of a FF developer gray finish and three images of a prototype development mule dressed in camouflage, while testing the system with four-wheel drive on snowy roads Sweden and Finland.

New FF replaces the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti more seats and practical luggage space for four. At the heart of a super car is a 6.3-liter V12 power plant to drive out the 660 ponies with F1-style dual-clutch gearbox. In addition to practical and effective, the FF is also the first production Ferrari with four-wheel motor system. According to the Italians, the FF can hit 100 km / sec h (62 mph) and 3.7 and is filled with 335 km / h or 208 mph. For more information, and the first video in the car,