BMW Concept e scooter debuts at Frankfurt Motor Show

BMW has chosen this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show to be their platform of choice when it comes to unveiling their new Concept e scooter – which is a zero-emission cycle to help you get around without searing our ozone layer or your conscience. Featuring a rather future forward design, it intends to be a people mover first with a heart for the environment, while making sure it looks good while it ferries two adults on it around town.

The Concept e is an urban cycle that will feature vibrant green side panels, not to mention a shortened front windshield and acrylic glass battery covers. As the person riding and controlling the Concept e, your eyes will be able to access readouts of speed and other essential vehicle information, while two LCD monitors located near the handlebars will let you access live feeds of the road to the back and sides, so that there no longer is any need for standard mirrors which might break off when you brush it against something hard.

It takes less than 3 hours to fully juice up the Concept e, where a full battery is capable of bringing you and another passenger around town for up to 60 miles. No idea on whether this concept will make it to the real world though, but I don’t mind forking out some money for it if it is priced affordably.-ubergizmo.com

2012 Lexus GS 450h revealed at Frankfurt Motor Show

The all-new 2012 Lexus GS 450h has made its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.

 

The Lexus GS 450h will go on sale in Australia in the second half of 2012, following the launch of the GS 350 and GS 350 F Sport variants, which are both expected in the second quarter of next year.
The 2012 GS 450h will be capable of running in electric-only, petrol-only and combined hybrid modes. The 3.5-litre V6 engine is teamed to an electric motor, with both powerplants driving the rear wheels. The combined power of the Lexus Hybrid Drive system is unchanged from the current model at 254kW of power.
Lexus has kept fuel consumption and emissions data a secret for now, but insists a number of enhancements will see the new model improve over the current GS 450h’s averages 7.9 litres/100km and 186g/km CO₂.

Lexus’s engineers say the engine’s high 13:1 compression ratio, new mid-port intake tumble generator, and the implementation of the brand’s latest D-4S direct-injection technology all lead to improved efficiency. Revisions to the hybrid system’s Power Control Unit, the range of the regenerative brakes, and the electric motor’s lighter mounts and reduced friction also contribute to greener figures.
Lexus says refinement work on the engine has lead to noticeable reductions in NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels. A new stacked battery configuration means the new hybrid model also has a larger boot than the previous petrol-powered GS.
The 2012 Lexus GS 450h will be available with the brand’s new Dynamic Handling system, which includes four-wheel steering. At speeds below 80km/h, the front and rear wheels turn in opposite directions to improve turn-in response, rear grip, vehicle stability and overall cornering agility. At speeds over 80km/h, the wheels turn in the same direction.

Like the GS 350, the standard safety package includes 10 airbags, while a pre-collision safety system designed to reduce the severity of crashes will be available as an option, along with head-up display, blind-spot monitor, lane departure warning and other preventative features.
From the outside, the GS 450h can be distinguished by its unique three-lamp headlight assembly, concealed exhaust pipes and signature blue hybrid badging.
Inside, it features a hybrid monitor, as well as a bamboo steering wheel, further emphasising the car’s green credentials.
Full Australian pricing and specification details will be revealed closer to the launch of the 2012 Lexus GS 450h in the second half of next year.-caradvice.com.au

SEAT IBL Sport Sedan Concept unveiled ahead of Frankfurt Motor Show

SEAT has revealed the SEAT IBL Sports Sedan Concept ahead of its official 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show unveiling. The new concept showcases SEAT’s new design language including a confident, minimalistic exterior and premium interior design.

Looking a little bit like an Alfa Romeo sedan, with a high waistline and hourglass sides, the new SEAT IBL Concept certainly stands out. It features futuristic LED slimline headlights with a smooth almost one-piece front bumper bar and front guard layout.

The new SEAT Concept is rumoured to be the basis for the upcoming SEAT Exeo, which is a medium-sized sedan sold in Europe based on the previous generation Audi A4. James Muir, president of SEAT, recently said,

“The IBL is the perfect representation of SEAT brand values – with its distinctive look, its precision and its premium feel. Over the next few years, SEAT will embark upon a product offensive that will see the spirit of the IBL reflected in several series-production models.”

There are no concrete plans for the SEAT IBL Concept to go into production any time soon, but SEAT will be taking inspiration from it for its future model lineup. Muir added,

“The IBL shows that sports saloons within the Seat brand portfolio will play an important role in future. However, this concept car does not pre-empt a specific model, but rather shows the design philosophy we are applying to bring the unmistakable SEAT identity to a saloon car, too.”

Full details including powetrain specifications are expected to be released later today. We’ll update the story as soon as we hear more.
What do you think of it? Would you like to see SEAT opening up shop Down Under if designs like this are being planned?-caradvice.com.au

Lamborghini Unveils New Gallardo Trofeo Stradale: Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

Given all the attention the Lamborghini Aventador has been getting of late, it would seem that it’s older sibling, the Gallardo has been left out in the cold.

Well, Laborghini has decided to give the smaller car some love, bolstering the lineup with the hottest version ever; the LP 570-4 Trofeo Stradale.

Unveiled at Volkswagen’s Press Night, during the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show; the spicy new Gallardo is derived from the racers that compete in the one-make Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo series, hence the name.

Key features include carbon composite aerodynamic aids that improved aerodynamics over the regular Gallardo, including a manually adjustable rear spoiler (which result in a three-fold increased downforce); as well as improving stability through the corners.

There’s also a quick release, race car style engine cover ; plus a 570 horsepower mid-mounted V-10; race-derrived six-speed gearbox with standard steering wheel paddles; plus a Blancpain Super Trofeo based suspension, featuring aluminum double wishbones at all four corners. Monster brakes with eight piston front and four-piston rear calipers plus aluminum rotors round out the chassis features.

Riding on ultra-lightweight, black finished 19-inch wheels, shod in Pirelli P-Zero Corsa rubber and complimented by a Rosso Mars exterior hue with black accents (optional for the roof; standard on the spoiler , air intakes and mirror housings), the Trofeo Stradale is truly a sight to behold (Lamborghini says it will also offer the car in Grigio Telesto or Bianco Monocerus, fancy terms for gray and white, for those so inclined).

Weighing at just 1340 kg (2954 lbs), it promises to be the best performing of the breed ever; 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.4 seconds; with a top speed of 198 mph (320 km/h). It’s shame that the company says it will only be producing 150 examples, though for the lucky few that managed to put one in their garage, there’s no question  they’ll have a bonafide future collectible.-autoguide.com

Gallery: Lamborghini Gallardo Trofeo Stradale

Subaru BRZ Prologue

FRANKFURT — The Subaru real-wheel-drive sports car (yes, a Subaru that isn’t driven by four wheels) took a baby step closer to reality here, with a new architectural see-through rendering of the BRZ Prologue concept. The production version of the coupe is expected to be shown at the Tokyo auto show later this year.

The Japanese automaker has not attempted to build a dedicated sports car since the quirky, all-wheel-drive SVX, which ceased production in 1997. In the interim, it has relied on models like the WRX, based on the Impreza, and muscled-up models like the Forester XT and Legacy 3.6R to fill the sporting gaps in its lineup.

Subaru engineers claim that the BRZ Prologue, powered by a Subaru-developed boxer engine, has the lowest possible center of gravity of any production car. The car is the twin to the Scion FR-S concept that was shown earlier this year at the New York auto show and which was based on a Toyota concept, the FT-86, introduced at the 2009 Tokyo auto show.-nytimes.com