Citroën's ultra practical Nemo Multispace

Like my dog, the Citroën Nemo Multispace MPV is ugly – but in a very cute way. – and it’s an equally faithful servant.

It’s the outsize front bumper that makes it look odd but spotlights the obvious priority that was given to practicality and durability when this car was on the drawing board.

Those inventive French engineers have come up with a perfectly configured benefits package. Compact exterior dimensions that enable it to turn on the proverbial penny clothe an interior that light an airy, and spacious too – allowing five adults and their luggage to travel in comfort.

It’s an ideal vehicle for today’s crowded city roads but it’s no slouch out on the highway either. Despite its upright stance, it handles well on twisty country roads, the boot has a low floor for ease of loading and when you get there it’s easy to park the thing.

Competitively priced from just £12,345 on the road, the new Nemo Multispace is powered by an advanced, super-clean and ultra-economical Euro 5 HDi 75 diesel engine. With this high-tec powerplant, the Nemo Multispace’s carbon emissions drop to just 113g/km. An efficient, self-regenerating diesel particulate filtration system brings further environmental gains.

As an additional environmental boost the Nemo Multispace benefits from advanced, emissions reducing and fuel saving stop and start technology. The benefits of this include fuel consumption gains when driving in heavy traffic as well as silence and lack of vibration when the engine is stopped.

A high seating area and large glass areas provide brilliant visibility which, combined with the Nemo Multispace’s compact dimensions, make for that easy manoeuvrability. Big front doors and tailgate, plus wide rear sliding doors, make accessibility to the roomy interior easy young and old alike.

The level of standard Nemo Multispace safety equipment has been raised and now includes an electronic stability program, as well as ABS with EBD, driver and front passenger airbags and front lateral airbags.

Both outer rear seats have Isofix child seat mountings, while other safety features include height adjustable front seat belts with pre-tensioners and force limiters. And, to ensure that the Nemo Multispace is secure, all models have a transponder immobiliser and high frequency remote control central locking.

The price might be low, but the Nemo Multispace also comes as standard with front electric windows, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, a handy rechargeable torch in the boot and RDS stereo radio/MP3 compatible CD player with four speakers.

This latest Nemo Multispace boasts a smart new dashboard and instrumentation display – and to ensure optimum driver comfort, the steering wheel adjusts for height and reach. The driver’s seat is also height adjustable and is equipped with lumbar adjustment and an armrest. A multi-function on-board trip computer enables the driver to keep track of the Nemo Multispace’s exceptional fuel economy and a host of other journey-related functions.

The 98 mph top speed is adequate for the motorway while there’s plenty of through the gears oomph to enable the Nemo to keep pace with the traffic flow.-.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Carmakers Unveil New Types of Hybrids

Hybrid cars normally combine conventio

nal engines with battery-powered electric motors. But many carmakers are developing alternative types of hybrids—some of which were on display this month at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany.

Hybrid systems recover kinetic energy—from the engine or from the vehicle itself—and use it to boost the efficiency of the engine. A typical hybrid car does this by charging up a battery.

Scuderi, based in West Springfield, Massachusetts, has altered the way the internal combustion engine operates to convert kinetic energy into the potential energy of high-pressure air. It splits the four parts of the internal combustion cycle across two cylinders synchronized on the same crankshaft. One cylinder handles the air intake and compression part of the cycle, pumping compressed air via a crossover passage into the second cylinder. The crossover contains the fuel-injection system, and combustion and exhaust are handled in the second cylinder.

When the vehicle does not need power—when traveling downhill, braking, or decelerating—the second cylinder is disabled and the first cylinder's air is diverted into a high-pressure air-storage tank. This air can be used to help run the engine, boosting its efficiency.

Recently, Scuderi has combined this system with a "Miller-cycle" turbocharger, which picks up energy off the exhaust and uses it to compress air into the intake cylinder. This allows the compression side to be shrunk down and reduces the amount of work done through the crankshaft. "The engine is producing much higher output at higher efficiency, we're producing less emissions, and our torque level is very high," said Scuderi group president Sal Scuderi at the Frankfurt show. "Our gasoline engine will rival the torque of any diesel engine on the market, but it does that while maintaining low pressure inside the cylinders, which reduces wear and tear."

Scuderi has now released results of a computer simulation of its engine against a European economy-class engine of comparable power. The air hybrid achieved a fuel economy figure of 65 miles per gallon, compared with 52 miles per gallon for the conventional engine. It also emitted 85 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide, compared with 104 grams per kilometer for the conventional engine.

Across the Atlantic, a team that formerly worked for the Renault Formula 1 team has adapted its motorsport-developed flywheel system for use with conventional vehicles. The team has formed a company, Flybrid Systems, to commercialize the technology, and has teamed up with Jaguar Land Rover to trial the Flybrid technology that was originally developed as the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) used in Formula 1 racing to provide a boost during racing. But while most KERS systems work by using a flywheel to charge an onboard battery or supercapacitor, Flybrid uses a gearbox system to transfer kinetic energy directly to and from the wheels.

Flybrid cars transfer energy via either a continuously variable transmission or a less complex three-gear system, which allows 15 different gear ratios on a standard five-gear model. "There are always efficiency losses when you convert energy," explains Flybrid's technical director, Doug Cross. "This system eliminates those losses, making it far more efficient."

The flywheel weighs five kilograms and is made from carbon fiber wrapped around a steel core. Because it is so light, it has to spin fast—at 60,000 rpm—which means that its rim is traveling at supersonic speeds. As a result, it has to operate in a vacuum, and Flybrid has developed special seals so that the wheel can be fully enclosed inside a safety container in case of a crash. At top speed, the flywheel can store 540 kilojoules of energy, which is sufficient to accelerate an average-sized automobile from a standing start to 48 kilometers per hour.

"One way you can use this technology is to boost the car during a cruise," Cross said. "We have a system installed on a Jaguar saloon, and that has shown that during a cruise, you can actually switch the engine off for 65 percent of the journey. With a V6 diesel engine, it cuts fuel use by 26 percent, but gives you the power of a V8 petrol engine."-.technologyreview.com

Wackiest Doors at the Show - 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show

You can’t help noticing one trend common to many of the concept cars on display at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show. And if you’re not careful, this same trend could end up bopping you on the chin, or thumping your forehead. Car doors that swing, slide, and glide open are all the rage here in Frankfurt. Having a concept car with a wacky set of doors is suddenly a fashion statement more popular than Justin Bieber’s bangs. These are our top picks for the coolest and strangest doors spotted during the show.

Ford Evos Concept

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For a car that looks eerily similar to a 2013 Ford Taurus up front, the Evos Concept gets all kinds of crazy from its windshield back. The four doors open scissor-style, and take most of the roof and all of the rear fenders with them. When open and seen in profile, the Evos looks as raw and exposed as a race car stripped of its bodywork. A bright red leather seat for the driver is a sporty touch.

Mercedes Benz F 125! Concept

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When is a sedan a coupe, or a coupe a sedan? When it’s the Mercedes-Benz F 125! This concept only has two doors, massive gullwing-style ones that are similar to those of the SLS AMG sports car. In this application, though, they take up the acreage of four traditional doors. Using a hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in hybrid technology, the F 125! has room for four passengers. It also hints at the shape of upcoming Mercedes-Benz sedans.

Volkswagen Nils

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A mechanical twin to the Audi Urban Concept, the electric-powered VW Nils has room for only one aboard—although it does come with a small luggage compartment behind the cockpit. Five inches shorter than a Porsche 911, the Nils relies on some pretty trick gullwing doors. The doors themselves are mostly transparent, and offer excellent visibility when behind the wheel.

Peugeot HX1 Concept

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Only the French could design a set of doors that look effortlessly cool, and somewhat aloof. The diesel hybrid-powered Peugeot HX1 Concept has room for six and the proportions of a station wagon. But at only 54 inches tall, it’s shorter in height than many sports cars. The four doors swing up and over the HX1 body, the ones in front positioning themselves over the A-pillar and part of the windshield. The rears swing backward, though the leading (bottom) edge looks perilously close to where a rear occupant would position his cranium while getting in or out of the car.

Citroën Tubik Concept

Doors don’t get bigger, or weirder, than the ones on the 9-passenger Citroën Tubik Concept. Even the sills go lower, to create a step, once the mammoth doors swing open. Citroen says the Tubik was designed for executives, except the cabin looks like it belongs to some garish Tokyo nightclub. A glowing purple grille only adds to this impression.

BMW i8 Concept

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The doors to the BMW i8 are perfectly blended into the heavily sculpted sides of this all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid coupe. Except for a center beam where an armrest and grab-handle is located, the doors are almost entirely clear. They arc upward, creating a generous amount of space for sliding into the front seats. Rear occupants still have to squeeze, due to high sills and a tapering of the side opening.

Audi Urban Concept

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This open-wheel EV doesn’t look like it even needs doors, thanks to a snug cockpit and a formula car design. They’re small, but the Urban Concept does have a set of scissor-style doors that swing upward, taking the fixed side glass and side mirrors along with them. Squeezing into the cabin still looks to be a challenge, due mostly to tall side sills.-roadandtrack.com

2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe Revealed !!

The decision Hyundai in launching Genesis Coupe is a very brave step. South Korean automobile manufacturers are challenging the Mustang, by relying on Genesis. 

Hyundai is now preparing Genesis Coupe facelift model. Golden generation of the Genesis Coupe will be arranged to present to enliven the sports car market in 2013.

As reported by autoevolution, Hyundai showed attractive appearance of Genesis Coupe in Hyundai-Blog.com This car is planned to debut the Detroit Auto Show 2012.

Speaking from the technology side, the car is expected to be using a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with four cylinders, with receiving additional 3.8-liter direct injected from the V6 engine unit to produce 333 hp. However, reportedly, Hyundai Genesis can also be pinned with a 5.0-liter V8 engine, with power of 429 hp. -cheapracingcar.com

Peugeot Jumps on the Tiny-e-Car Bandwagon

Tiny short-range electric cars with room for one or two were not uncommon at the IAA 2011 – VW brought the Nils, Audi had the Urban Concept, and Opel showed the Rak e. Peugeot missed the auto show, but has announced its own tiny electric car anyway – the Velv.

Velv is short for “Véhicule électrique léger de ville,” which the dictionary tells me is something like “city light electric vehicle.” Weighing only 1,433 lbs, the prototype is designed to have a range of about 60 miles and a top speed of 65 mph. So far, these numbers seem to be on paper only.

Space for three passengers is the Velv’s way of standing out. The seats are arranged in a sort of triangle, with the driver’s seat front and center. The passengers are to the rear. All three seats are accessible by gull-wing glass windows (above), and standard doors (below).

The gull-wing “doors” are powered by the 20kW electric engine (produced by Valeo), which draws its power from a lithium ion battery pack with a capacity of 8.5 kWh (produced by Johnson Controls). However, whether production of the Velv will maintain the same components as the prototype is still in question.

Rounding out the Velv’s striking and not particularly Peugeot-like appearance are the twin tires and narrow brake lights in the rear, below the small storage space nestled behind the passenger seats.-cleantechnica.com