September 24, 2013

The Future of Caterham Unleashed

Over the past 40 year the the Caterham Seven has been a most delectable recipe for those who love pure engineering and performance. The flyweight car with its bare bones construction is very popular and highly rated within the automotive world. There have been many changes to Caterham over the past few years, including new ownership and its entrance to Formula One, but what does the future hold for the British company?

The answer is the AeroSeven. Revealed at the SIngapore Grand Prix, this menacing looking machine is a concept showing the future direction of the company. Based upon a heavily modified Seven CSR platform, this carbon bodied catapult is powered by a 237BHP 2.0 litre Ford inline-four that is mated to a six speed manual gearbox. 0-62MPH is dashed in 4 seconds as a result. Traction control features for the first time in a car wearing the Caterham badge, something the purists will be hoping would come as an optional extra. Caterham’s F1 involvement has had clear influences on the AeroSeven from its sleek bodywork, lightweight construction, to its racing inspired steering wheel.

We like it… We like it a lot!

Mercedes-Benz Concept S-Class Coupe is a Seductive Silhouette

These days the term “concept car” is used very loosely as manufacturers find fewer and fewer reasons to spend millions on a machine so fantastical that it has to be radically redesigned before it makes production. What we tend to get today is a car that is very close to being signed off, but will undergo some very light cosmetic changes before it does. Some people see this as a bad thing as those wild designs become more tame, but look at it this way, it means futuristic concept cars we do see are likely to be what ends up in showrooms. Case and point is the new Concept S-Class Coupe.

Effectively killing off the CL line, the Mercedes-Benz Concept S-Class Coupe is as its name suggests a coupe variant of the new S-Class. With swooping lines and an elongated bonnet, the whole car looks very majestic. This Merc is powered by a twin-turbo V8 that churns out 449BHP and 516lb ft of torque.

With heaps of style and luxury, we would expect to see the production S-Class Coupe in the not too distant future.

Audi Nanuk is a “Go Anywhere” Supercar

If I were to describe to you a machine that had supercar performance, a mid-mounted engine and the ability to hit the rough stuff you might think I was describing a Group B rally car. You would be wrong. The more car news conscious of you might think I was talking about the bonkers ItalDesign Giugiaro Parcour built as a thing of fantasy by its designer. On that guess you would be getting much warmer, but still no cigar. No, this car that I speak of wears an Audi badge and is diesel!

Looking at the Audi Nanuk concept you can clearly see that Parcour influence and this is because Audi partnered up with its makers to produce this beast. Powered by a 5.0 litre V10 TDI, that is right it is diesel, the Nanuk can sprint from 0-62MPH in just 3.8 seconds on almost any terrain. Packing 544BHP and 737lb ft of torque it has a top speed of 189MPH. Now, that engine is the really interesting thing about this car as Audi have ben making plans for a diesel R8 for years. Have we just had a sneak preview?

Video: Jaguar C-X17 SUV in Action

The Jaguar C-X17 Concept gives us our first insight into what Jaguar plan to bring to the SUV sector next year. This stylish and rather handsome crossover is Jag’s first and aims to build upon growing global sales for the brand. Seating four in luxury, the C-X17 is powered by the F-Types V6 engine and uses a front engine rear wheel drive layout. Here it is in action!

Full story HERE.

Jaguar C-X17 Revealed

Car manufacturers in this financial climate need to ensure that their products are still selling in volume in order to survive. Though Jaguar car sales have been doing fantastically well, there is a market that competitors have crept into that could prove to be very lucrative. The luxury crossover is quickly becoming the iPod of the automotive world and everyone who is anyone wants to buy one. Bentley, Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz are all trundling down that path and now Jaguar has decided to enter the fray.

This is the Jaguar C-X17 concept and it makes its debut at the Frankfurt motor show. Sitting on top of the yet to be revealed BMW 3 Series rival from Jag, the classy soft-roader takes many modern Jaguar design influences into a new segment. Its broad muscular stance is very Jaguar and so this C-X17 loses none of its brand identity. Inside it is your typical show of soft lighting and high quality leather upholstery whilst outside the body work keeps weight down with greater uses of aluminium. Though a concept for now, make no mistake, Jaguar want to produce this car.

Citroën Cactus Concept Goes Back to Basics

Obvious as it sounds, the aim of a concept car is to be conceptual. Often armed to the hilt with an array of space-aged gadgets, powered by impossibly efficient hybrid engines and styled in outlandish designs straight from the pages of comic books, modern day concepts are unashamedly extravagant breeding grounds for future motoring innovation.

Or at least they were when we last checked, because the brains at Citroën seem to think otherwise. Their latest idea off the drawing board is not so much a concept, but an anti-concept. Shedding the superfluous, the intriguingly named Citroën Cactus concept is motoring striped down to the bare necessities, retaining only the essentials. Apparently, windows don’t come under this category.

However, the pragmatic approach has allowed designers to get a little creative in other areas. The exterior is noticeably lacking in sharp points and angles, instead dominated by softer flowing lines and smooth surfaces from front to back in keeping with the minimalist feel. But there’s another headline grabber here: Citroën have invented the first bubbled wrap car. Several grey panels added to the doors and tailgate of the car conceal dozens of ‘Airbumps’, tiny capsules of air which act as cushions to resist scratches and absorb light impacts. This should not only eliminate the threat of the stray shopping trolley rampaging out of control through the supermarket car park, but also provide a way to relieve frustration whilst stuck in endless traffic jams on the commute to work.

As for the cabin, open-plan is an understatement. The panoramic sunroof is nothing too out of the box but the Cactus does away with B-pillars, side windows and the rear windscreen, meaning it probably isn’t a good idea to drive this car home from the hairdresser’s. The gearstick is another casualty of the clear out, replaced by push button controls on the dashboard. Interior design is no less quirky than you would expect from the French, with the sofa-like front seats and suitcase inspired storage areas and door handles all adorned in eye-catching orange and white upholstery. An 8 inch digital touchscreen in the centre of the dashboard is the car’s nerve centre, integrating all vehicle functions and instrument clusters.

Perhaps the most revolutionary feature is the new Hybrid Air powertrain, a full-hybrid engine mated to a compressed air and hydraulics system that delivers a colossal 94mpg.

However, the canvas is so blank that the French manufacturer hasn’t even specified what type of car this concept is meant to be. From its shape we can only gather that the Cactus is a compact crossover but with the dimensions of a small hatchback. Nevertheless, Citroën maintain the car is a “vision for future C-line models” and with the slightly larger but comparable C-Crosser being phased out last year, it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility to see this design being developed and expanded to fill that void and revitalise Citroën’s fortunes in the compact SUV market, especially on the back of Renault’s recent Captur launch.

Inside Lane “the podcast” Episode 66

Hello and welcome to another episode of Inside Lane “the podcast.” With the frankfurt motor show just around the corner, the boys take a look as some of the new cars that shall be on display. BMW and Lexus show off their hybrid 4X4 aspirations and Audi reveal the new Quattro!!! Also there is all of the latest from the world of WRC and F1.

Enjoy.

Download from iTunes or listen online. SEE PODCAST PAGE FOR DETAILS

Ford in at the High-End with Mondeo Vignale Concept

 

 An unyielding benchmark for family saloons and estates everywhere, the Ford Mondeo can truly claim to be the car of the masses. Conceived from a solid, no-nonsense platform of dependability, practicality and affordability, its success and all-round popularity has made it one of the most iconic cars of the last 20 years. So much so, you could argue that the Mondeo isn’t just a car; it is the car.

From 2015, Ford have announced the fifth generation Mondeo will be offered with a more premium package. Due to be extended to further models, the new Ford Vignale range will answer the increasing demand for more high-end Ford products. Kicking off with the Mondeo Vignale saloon and estate in early 2015, these higher spec models will feature unique design elements, high quality craftsmanship, and advanced technologies, presumably taking the fight to the more established luxury car manufacturers such as Mercedes, Jaguar and Lexus. For example, the Mondeo Vignale Concept presented by Ford features such perks as 20 inch Vignale alloy wheels, chrome door handles and mirror caps, exclusive dark brown coachwork, quilted trim, adaptive LED headlamps and a leather smothered interior. Ford’s in-car connectivity system integrating smartphones and delivering wi-fi capability is also thrown in to the premium mix.

Still 18 months away from commercial launch, stay tuned for further details of the Ford Vignale range in the coming months.

Lexus LF-NX Concept is One Angry Beast

It’s fair to say Lexus know a thing or two about making SUVs, particularly at the premium end of the spectrum. The original Lexus RX of the 1998 vintage was one of the world’s first fully fledged luxury SUVs and 15 years down the line the market for these mobile hotel lobbies has become a major chunk of the motoring industry pie. The latest incarnation is the understated and underrated RX 450h, an SUV that showcases Lexus’s class leading hybrid technology in a subtle and discreet package. However, in preparation for the 2013 Frankfurt motor show, the Japanese firm has conjured up something that is a little more of an assault on the senses.

Aimed at exploring the potential for a future addition the line-up, the new Lexus LF-NX is a mid-size hybrid crossover concept. In terms of appearance, think along the lines of smaller RX that has just realised it has lost its winning lottery ticket. This is a very, very angry looking machine. The numerous lines and angles are typified by the manic glare of the front headlamps, positioned at the end of a thin but deep furrow stretching back beyond the wing mirrors. The entire front end is dominated by Lexus’s signature new generation spindle grille, already previewed on the LF-LC concept. The sharp tick-shaped design of the daytime running lights beneath the front headlamps is taken from the new Lexus IS and accentuates the car’s aggressive persona. Further back the theme continues with dramatically raking wheel arches and the chiselled rear headlamps and tailgate.

Inside, the LF-NX also differs sharply from the luxurious feel of previous Lexus SUVs. The yellow and black leather upholstery and high-tech dashboard and centre console give as strong a hint as any that this crossover is not geared towards the softly-softly approach. Power comes from a new variation of Lexus’s full hybrid system, tuned for SUV performance.

The LF-NX concept is due to be unveiled to the world on 10 September at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show.

Volvo Concept Coupe is Futuristic Forerunner

Volvo are very much leading the way when it comes to the motor cars technological advancement. Already with a reputation for pioneering new safety features, the future of the company is one that is very exciting. The new Volvo Concept Coupe shown at the Frankfurt motor show is the embodiment of a modern day Volvo wrapped in a sleek coupe package.

The Concept Coupe could be seen as a re-imagining of the classic P1800 with its coupe body style and clean design. Its design language foreshadows that of future models including the up and coming XC90. Inside the cabin you are surrounded by the latest tech and bathed in blue LED lighting. The console is dominated by a large touch screen that plugs directly into a system that that will actively steer the car to avoid accidents. This concept is superseded by a 2.0 litre turbo and supercharged engine that powers the front wheels as well as an electric motor that drives the rear wheels. Total output of the system is 395BHP and 442lb ft of torque.