Renault Frendzy Concept Revealed [Video]

The concept car Renault teased on Facebook turns out to be the this cute and cuddly MPV called the Frendzy! Renault says Frendzy is a multi-faceted friend, and by that they mean it’s suitable for both work and family. This concept car has clever tailgate and folding seats and stuff. And it is an electric vehicle. The Frendzy is apparently set for IAA debut. Watch the car’s presentation video after the jump, and stay tuned for more details.

Update: Pictures and official details added.

Laurens van den Acker, Senior Vice President, Design Renault: “FRENDZY is the fourth vehicle to illustrate Renault’s new design strategy, a series which started with DeZir. It takes an original and innovative stance on the world of light commercial vehicles – a key part of Renault’s activities”.

Renault’s latest concept car has a dual personality. These days, professional and personal lives are so interwoven that drivers constantly find themselves swapping from one world to the other. The role of FRENDZY is to be a partner that takes the strain out of this busy lifestyle.

Axel Breun, Design Director, Concept and Show Cars: “FRENDZY is the must-have vehicle for flexibility and versatility. It is efficient and modern as a work tool, yet sporting and warmly welcoming for the family”.

On the passenger’s side, there’s no glazing or centre pillar, just one conventional door and one sliding side door which incorporates a 37-inch widescreen display. This is the world of work. The driver’s side, complete with side windows, still no centre pillar, but with centre opening doors, represents the world of the family. Ease of loading and ease of entry go without saying in both worlds.

Exterior designer, Deyan Denkov: “The concept of an asymmetric body design was the most logical way to express this vehicle’s two roles. From the very start, I wanted to move away from the traditional format for commercial vehicles and, in doing so, show that this type of vehicle could also be more emotional, more dynamic and more attractive. I took inspiration from a wide variety of sources, including unconventionally shaped aircraft such as the Airbus Beluga and the Antonov 224.”

Antoine Génin, Design Director, Interior and Colour/Materials: “Our research into materials centred on the area where the technology of industry meets the cosy softness of the family nest. This modern combination of wood and metal picks up on Renault’s strategic design values of simplicity, sensuousness and warmth.”

On a practical level, the fabric roof adapts itself to the shape of bulky objects, magnetic fixings allow the load to be secured to the floor, and modular stowage systems are a practical bonus for business users. The single-piece rear seat is integrated into the floor, while the front seat folds forward in order to free up space. Thanks to its practical, modular interior, FRENDZY lends itself perfectly to the requirements of business users and tradespeople.

The life of the vehicle and its functions as a mobile office are highlighted by a diversity of sounds composed by Andrea Cera using IRCAM’s Modalys software. As he says himself:“Exploring the most informative sounds possible led me to work on variations in speed in order to express them in a clear manner. When accelerating hard, the sound becomes sharper, with a little wind noise. For deceleration phases, I added a more prominent notion of wind which provides greater scope for adapting the sound as a function of how the vehicle is being employed.”-motorward.com

Dimensions (mm)

Length	4,091
Width	1,872 (excluding mirrors) 2,172 (including mirrors)
Height	1,743
Ground clearance (laden)	200
Wheelbase	2,691
Front track	1,640
Rear track	1,640
Load capacity (litres)	2,250

Technical data

Motor	Electric
Power (kW /hp)	44 / 60
CO2 emissions (g/km)	0 (in road use)
Batteries	Lithium – ion
Peak torque (Nm)	226
Top speed (kph)	130
Transmission	Direct drive, with reverse
Tyres	Concept 205/45 R19
Kerb weight (kg)	1,420

Partners

Body construction	ProtoStyle
Tyres	Michelin
Mobile interface	Research In Motion (RIM)
Optics	Gaggione
Sound	IRCAM

2012 Kona bikes – Sneak peek

While some manufacturers host extravagant press launches or leak 'spy shots' to select journos, Kona have gone about the launch of their 2012 bikes in a more subtle way, gradually drip-feeding information via their Kona Cog blog. We featured thenew Entourage freeride bike earlier this year. Here's a round-up of the other models you may have missed...

Satori

The Satori is a 130mm-travel 29er aimed at aggressive all-mountain riders. Named after a Japanese Buddhist term for enlightenment, it uses a four-bar Swing Link suspension design instead of Kona's usual Walking Beam configuration for improved standover height with the big wheels. According to Kona, their aim was to create a nimble bike that provides plush suspension in a simple, light, stiff and aesthetically pleasing package.

The Honzo

To complement the Satori, there's a new 29er trail hardtail, The Honzo. Another Zen name? Erm, no – it's named after an alcoholic, chain-smoking chimpanzee. Described as a "wildly agile, trail-abusive chromoly hardtail 29er", the Honzo has short chainstays ( 415mm/16.3in), a 68° head angle, room for 2.4in tyres and plenty of mud clearance.

There's no front derailleur mount so it'll come with a 1x9 transmission and The Hive LS1+ chain guide. Features include ISCG 05 tabs, an integrated headset, cable routing for a height-adjustable seatpost, and sliding dropouts so it can be run singlespeed. It'll come with a RockShox Revelation RL Dual Air fork and should be available from the end of October.

Carbon King Kahuna

For those after something with more of a cross-country bent, there's the new Carbon King Kahuna, Kona's first carbon fibre 29er hardtail. This has short chainstays, a low bottom bracket, tapered head tube, stiff 142×12 rear axle and a race-ready spec including a RockShox Reba RL fork (with tapered steerer and 15mm through-axle), Avid Elixir 5 brakes, SRAM X9 gearing and Easton wheels. Claimed frame weight is just 1,240g.

According to Kona USA sales manager Kevin Noble: "The ride of this bike is incredible. I’m really not sure how to describe it but I'd say compliant without being flexy and snappy when accelerating out of the corners. To put it simply, the carbon bike rides like a Kona but way lighter. The bike is plenty stiff in the rear end without being harsh. The geometry is spot-on.”

The Operator

The Operator downhill bike was launched last year. For 2012, the chainstays have been shortened and the geometry can be tweaked via new shock mount options. It'll come with a Fox Racing Shox Van RC rear shock and RockShox Boxxer Race fork, a SRAM drivetrain and Avid Code R brakes.

Jake series

Kona's top-end cyclo-cross bike, the carbon fibre Major Jake, retains the same frame for 2012 but gets some component upgrades, including Avid Shorty Ultimate brakes and Shimano Ultegra wheels. The frameset is also available on its own.

Jake The Snake is now a bit racier, with the same frame features and geometry as its carbon brother but replicated in butted 7005 aluminium. The spec includes a 10-speed Shimano Tiagra/105 drivetrain, FSA Gossamer Compact BB30 press-fit cranks, Avid Shorty 6 brakes and Maxxis Mud Wrestler tyres.

Finally, the entry-level Jake gains internal rear brake cable routing and moves from a nine-speed to a 10-speed drivetrain (Tiagra/105) but looks otherwise unchanged. The spec includes Kona own-brand cockpit kit and Maxxis Mud Wrestler tires.

MinUte

The Kona Ute cargo bike will be joined by a shorter, more versatile cousin in 2012 – the MinUte. A substantially shorter wheelbase means this should be easier to store, manoeuvre and park. It still has an upright riding position, swept back HandPlant handlebar, disc brakes and low, 16-speed gearing, and comes with a set of panniers. Rated to carry up to 100lb (not including rider), it'll cost $799 in North America; UK pricing is still to be determined.

Roundabout

Last but not least, the Roundabout is a retro-looking commuter. It features a "classic steel Mixte frame, with a clean, streamlined aesthetic", according to Kona's Mark Matson. There's a Kona HandPlant handlebar up front and a low-maintenance 1x9 drivetrain. The Roundabout is available in just two sizes – small and medium – and is aimed at women riders.-bikeradar.com

Toyota's smallest car also to be its first electric

Toyota's tiniest car could also be its first electric car in the U.S., according to news reports. The carmaker told its dealership franchise owners last month that an electric version of its Scion iQ is scheduled to hit showroom floors in 2012.

The Scion iQ is a pint-size city car currently being sold in Japan and the EU under the Toyota brand. Using a 1L engine, the iQ achieves an impressive 65 mpg. Toyota introduced the car to the North American market last year, and doubled down on the city car this year by revealing an electric prototype of the 3+1 at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Currently undergoing testing in the EU, the EV is expected to have an electric range of 65 miles.

A small car with a short range could be a tough sell, especially since there will be more competition in the electric car market next year. Currently on sale now, the 2011 Nissan Leaf seats five and achieves approximately 100 miles per charge. The electric 2012 Ford Focus and 2012 Mitsubishi i will be available starting November. The EV Focus offers a 100-mile range, while the i, which seats only four, offers an 85-mile range. The electric Smart ForTwo manages a 98-mile range.

But the electric Scion iQ's smaller range means it's sporting a smaller battery. Lithium ion batteries make up a large portion of an EV's price, and skimping on battery could translate into a cheaper price. The Mitsubishi i, which uses a 16kw lithium ion battery, retails for $20,490 after the federal tax credit of $7,500 is applied. The MSRP for the Scion iQ was not released.

If you're shopping for an EV but aren't sold on the small car, next year you'll also have the option of a crossover. Toyota told dealers that the company is on track to launch the electric version of the RAV4 around the same time in 2012, according the news sources.-reviews.cnet.com

BMW's Advanced Safety Concept: moving towards a safer motorcycle

A safer motorcycle. To some people, the concept completely misses the point. If it was safe, it would be boring, and we'd go find something else to do. Still, safety technology is a very high priority for many manufacturers, and arguably it's BMW that's leading the way in rider assist electronics. So it's interesting to take a glimpse at the Advanced Safety Concept (ASC). Similar to the fascinating Experimental Safety Vehicle that Mercedes-Benz showed us in 2009, the ASC gives us a glimpse at the next-generation technologies BMW is dreaming up to help keep riders from becoming "road crayons," as a friend of mine so eloquently puts it.

It's been said many times that if motorcycles were invented today, there's no way the governments of the world would let them on the road. Ferociously powerful, feather light, virtually no protection for the fleshy sacks we carry ourselves around in, and available to Joe Public with barely any more training barriers than a family car. So it's unsurprising that certain manufacturers are moving to try to take some of the risk out of this sector using clever technology.

BMW is arguably at the leading edge here. When the 2011 S1000RR superbike was released, it was the first of a new breed of bikes that are starting to crop up with performance and safety focused systems like ABS, traction control and electronically adjustable suspension tightly integrated. We have also recently seenthe BMW vision for active motorcycle suspension that reads the conditions and sets the suspension on the go, to maximize traction and minimize things like forward pitch under brakes - and the groundbreaking adaptive headlight system used on the new K1600GT, a headlight that looks around corners as you lean the bike over.

But the Advanced Safety Concept shows us a number of purely safety-focused ideas that may or may not roll through into production machines in the near future. The concept is based on the K1600GT sports-tourer.

Daytime Riding Light Rings

These essentially look like angel eyes for the bike, but provide extra visibility in daytime conditions. If you believe that the hardwired lights-on laws in countries like Australia make a difference to motorcycle visibility, then these riding lights will presumably multiply that effect. I'd question it, though, and I'll tell you why: I know a guy that gets around on a fluorescent orange VFR. It's hideous and gaudy and possibly the most visible bike I have ever seen, and drivers still regularly pull out on him to the point that he calls the paint job "stealth orange."

To me, it has always seemed suicidal to assume that drivers have seen you, and with the range of dash gadgets, smartphones and audio experiences designed to steal drivers' attention away, I simply doubt things like this can make much of a difference. Still, they look cool, and if they're not too expensive, I don't see why not.

BMW Motorrad eCall - automatic collision notification

This idea has a lot of merit to it; the bike is fitted with communications gear so that if it's involved in a crash, or manually triggered by the rider, the system "phones home" to BMW and registers an emergency event with the BMW call center. That means that if you run off a road into the bushes and injure yourself, but you're not visible from the road, your GPS location and details from the bike's ECU about the accident can be immediately made known to somebody at BMW.

The procedure from here is that the call center would first try to contact the phone number registered with the bike, and if no response was given, to call an ambulance straight away and get assistance to the downed rider as fast as possible - minutes can definitely count in the time between motorcycle crash and qualified medical attention. Nobody wants to be that guy that's stuck in the bushes for three hours before anyone even notices he's come off.

Of course, the downside to this is potential privacy concerns that would have to be well and truly addressed before I'd want this sort of system on my bike. Where I go and what speed I choose to go at are things I very much like to keep to myself, especially where the law and the people responsible for addressing my warranty claims are concerned.

Camera-based rider information and assistance system

An inbuilt camera on the Advanced Safety Concept bike scans the road ahead, looking for information to relay to the rider.

One thing it's looking for is speed limit signs, which are recognized, then displayed on the dash panel. This is a handy touch - the system can also presumably be configured to let you know if you're currently exceeding the last speed limit you passed.

There's also a kind of collision and hazard detection system - the camera can detect various obstacles and warn the rider, presumably through flashy lights on the dashboard. More ominously, the system can "prepare the brake system for imminent intervention." I'm not sure whether this is signalling that the computer will apply the brakes itself, but if that's the case I certainly don't want it. Timely last-second swerves can save the day in a lot of imminent collision situations, and the last thing I want is an unbidden front brake grab in the middle of that sort of manoeuvre.

BMW Motorrad ConnectedRide with intelligent assistance systems

Here's where things start looking a little pie-in-the-sky. The Advanced Safety Concept is thought of as a node in a dynamic network of vehicles, which can communicate with other vehicles and stationary nodes built into things like traffic lights.

ConnectedRide communicates with other vehicles in the following ways:

The cross traffic assistant feature monitors any cars that are approaching from side roads that should be giving way to you. If they don't look like they're going to do that, a warning is sent to the car, and the motorcycle lights up with a few big flashing LED strips across the front to call extra attention to the bike.

The traffic light phase assistant communicates with the traffic light management systems along the road, and it lets the driver know if he's headed for a red light, so as to stop wasting fuel accelerating towards a stop. It also tells the rider what speed to maintain if he wants to get through the intersection on a green light.

The bad weather warning takes readings of external temperature, traction control activations, and things like fog lamp activation, and relays it to other vehicles in the network. This lets the other vehicles know they're heading into foggy, rainy, snowy or icy conditions.

The obstacle warning system is specifically designed to scan for surface issues like oil or gravel on the road, broken down cars and the like - and warn the rider. This information is also transmitted to other vehicles to give advance warnings.

The emergency vehicle warning system is hooked in to police, fire and ambulance vehicle systems so that it can warn of an approaching emergency vehicle.

The electronic brake light system is very clever - it transmits data on sudden heavy braking to other vehicles that are driving behind you. So if a car three cars in front of you hits the brakes hard, and it's plugged into the network, you get a warning on your dash before you even see the brake lights, letting you put plenty of space between yourself and the cars in front of you. This one could clearly save a few rear-enders in heavy traffic - at least, it could if the rider was paying attention to the five million things his ultra-safe motorcycle was warning him about all day long.

The left turn assistant looks for traffic that's about to blindly turn across the road in front of an oncoming bike. It warns the driver if they're in a networked car, and triggers a flashing light show to increase the bike's visibility while warning the rider to take it easy.

The overtaking assistant detects when you're trying to overtake a vehicle in front of you, and triggers additional flashing lights to supplement your indicators. This is done to help prevent situations where a bike pulls out to overtake a row of cars, and another driver wants to overtake as well, and pulls out into the lane the rider is overtaking in. It's not a bad idea, but again I'd question the effectiveness of visual warnings given to drivers who are clearly vision impaired.

ConnectedRide aside, most of the concepts shown on the BMW Advanced Safety Concept bike seem fairly realistic in their scope and ambition. It'll be interesting to see which ones make it through to upcoming Beemer models in the next few years.-gizmag.com

The latest Papago map dated 5th July 2011

The latest Papago map dated 1st May 2011 is now available for downloading. 
Click HERE to download.