Paris Auto Show Teaser Video: BMW Concept X1

BMW X1 Spy Shot [Source: Motorbang.com]

Looking to generate some hype for the BMW Concept X1 that’s scheduled to premiere at the 2008 Paris Auto Show next week, BMW-web.tv uploaded video footage giving us a sneak peak of the new BMW Concept X1 that is strangely reminiscent of those 90’s-era slightly instructional videos I used to sit through in French class that always fell just short of identifying with the American teenage demographic.

At any rate, according to BMWblog, the BMW X1 will be available with either a rear- or front-wheel drivetrain, and its optional 4 or 6 cylinder engine offerings will be equipped to run on either diesel or standard fuel. Slated to make its first debut in the European market, the X1 is expected to be placed and priced somewhere between the BMW 3 Series Wagon and the BMW X3 - no word yet on how that would translate for a North American introduction.

Video after the jump

[Video Source: BMW-web.tv]

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Chrysler LLC Does The Electric Boogaloo

Chrysler Firepower Concept

Later this month, Chrysler will offer a preview of the three electric car prototypes it plans to produce over the course of the next decade. Currently working with battery suppliers both at home and abroad, Chrysler’s primary focus is developing an electric plug-in hybrid vehicle capable of averaging 300 miles per charge. “Fuel cells are in the future, ” said Chrysler co-president Jim Press, “but probably more in my kids’ future than my own.”

Jeep Hurricane Concept

Full Chrysler Concept Gallery After Jump

Riding high on the crest of the temporary success of the new Dodge Ram 1500, Press said Chrysler intends to continue producing fuel drinking titans like the Ram and Dakota regardless of the sales figures, and he doesn’t expect Chrysler to generate a positive cash flow for 2008. Press views the current hardships in the industry as merely temporary and with sights set firmly on the future, fully expects the market to right itself by 2010 - just in time for Chrysler’s anticipated release of 8 brand new models.

[News Source: Auto News]

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GM to Pontiac: No Firebird for You. And We are Scaling Back on the Excitement Too

With more Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealerships being unified under one roof a large number of dealers have joined the chorus in calling out for a new Firebird based off the new Camaro. Considering the three auto brands they really do not have any flashy lures of the sports car variety to bring in new blood, and nothing would chum the waters like a flashy new Firebird. But the hammer has fallen and the decision (for now. for good?) from GM is No.

The popular excuses for the failure of the Firebird to reach production are the new CAFE regulations and the cost to reach production. Reaching the new fuel mileage regulations appears to be a greater priority right now. Plus, one dealer exclaimed that the cost of getting the Firebird to production would have run around $200 million. Apparently that was all it took to keep the screaming chicken retired in its coup. (more…)

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Video Game: Gran Turismo demo unveils the Nissan GT-R

We have said it before and we will say it again, product placement in movies, video games and sports stadiums when done properly is pure marketing genius. Having your car in one of the greatest racing video game franchises ahead of its release is a good move to help build the hype for its unveiling. Yet Sony has done Nissan even better by placing the Nissan GT-R within the downloadable demo of the new Gran Turismo 5 Prologue. They also moved up the date of the demo’s release to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of the Tokyo Auto Show.

On October 20th those eager fans that download the demo to Gran Turismo 5 for the Playstation 3 will be the first car fans to climb (digitally) behind the controls of the new Nissan GT-R. The car in the game will be the actual production model and should contain the proper performance figures for the car.

Sony has also moved up the release date of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue to December 13, 2007. It is not clear how much of that release date change is Nissan (unlikely) and how much of it is the makers of Gran Turismo 5 just being ready with the game ahead of schedule. Either way it is a nice Christmas bonus for the fans of the racing video game.

To get YOUR hands on the controls of a new Nissan GT-R ahead of its official release call up your buddy with the PS3 and request he download the demo on October 20th (expect a call, Todd).

 Source[egmCarTech]

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Hyundai to Show i-Blue Fuel Cell Vehicle at Frankfurt Auto Show

At this years Frankfurt Auto Show that begins on September 13th Hyundai will reveal their first vehicle designed from the ground-up that was built specifically  around their fuel cell technology. The i-Blue is an electric vehicle that is fueled by Hyundai’s 3rd generation hydrogen fuel cell technology clothed in a CUV auto armor that represents the future forward thinking behind their alternative technology.

The i-Blue is a bold step toward future design and future fuels while following suit with the theme of this years Frankfurt Auto Show: “See What is Driving the Future.” Hyundai’s R&D team have developed a hydrogen fuel cell that is more compact than prior generations while building a safe, crossover-styled body around it.

Hyundai’s i-Blue is their current design that is to help transition us over the next decade toward the greener technology of hydrogen. Yet to many of us hydrogen fuel cells still seem quite a ways away from being close to taking over for the combustion engine as what motivates the majority of todays cars. Despite the advantages that Hybrids, Plug-in EV’s and alternative fuels may have by being more road ready today the exploration toward hydrogen fuel cells is still an important one.

There are two other supposedly radical designs that Hyundai is planning to reveal at the Frankfurt show. Hyundai’s Volester is said to be a roadster aimed directly at the Y-generation with what seems to be some futuristic designing cues. The i-30 Crossover Wagon is designed as the exact opposite of the Volester. With the i-30 Hyundai is returning to the 5-door hatchback model that is an important segment in the European market. More significant details and photos of all 3 of the vehicles Hyundai plans to unveil at the Frankfurt Auto Show are sure to come in the weeks ahead.

Source[topspeed, PureGreenCars]

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MDI Introduces The Airpod, A Futuristic, Air-Powered Death Trap [MDI Air Car]

The MDI Airpod is a minuscule concept which mates a compressed air engine similar to the one that'll go in the Tata Nano with wacky futuristic styling and a tiny footprint perfect for city dwellers intent on automotive-assisted suicide. At just 81.5 inches long and 63 inches wide, the Airpod manages to hold three people and a child along with its compressed air tank, the zero-emissions engine, a joystick for steering, and not much else. Our first response upon seeing this latest transportation concept? "Sweet hellish death trap!" Regardless, production may begin as early as the spring of 2009, with crumpled green piles of air car popping up on roadways shortly thereafter.


[MDI (translated), Yahoo Finance]

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Jay Leno's EcoJet Concept: 650 hp on BioDiesel

Jay Leno likes cars. He really likes cars. So much so that GM actually allowed him to develop an original concept for the SEMA show this week in Vegas. The concept is called the EcoJet, and it’s powered by a turbine engine more akin to what submarines use than the standard combustion engines found in most cars. The “eco” part of the name comes from the fact that the 650 horses the engine produces are fueled by BioDiesel and not regular gas. The mid-engine layout is built around a Corvette Z06 aluminum frame and the entire body is made of carbon fiber and Kevlar. 

This concept is extreme but we think the EcoJet already looks a bit dated and the Cadillac cues seem like an afterthought. We’ll give Leno a break though since the idea supposedly germinated on the back of a napkin.

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SEMA 2006: Chrysler's Concepts

We’re going to try to keep the SEMA coverage light around here and just tackle the big stuff from the big manufacturers that may or may not make it to a dealership near you. First up is a handful of concepts from the Chrysler Group.

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

The already all-new Wrangler Unlimited gets a 3.0-liter diesel engine with 230 hp and 390 pounds feet of torque to handle just about any off-road obstacle we can think of. Don’t forget 18 inch wheels and big mud tires matched to a tweaked suspension that allows for 35 inches of clearance.

Dodge Nitro Hemi

There hasn’t been enough time for gearheads to complain about the all-new Dodge Nitro’s power and there’s already a concept that shoves a 360 hp Hemi engine into one. This concept is all about power and while we doubt we’ll see this blackberry pearl painbt to hit the streets, a limited run of SRT Nitros could definitely be in Dodge’s future.

Dodge Nitro Panel Wagon

We showed you some early sketches of this concept last week but here it is in the flesh. The rear doors have been welded shut and the suspension lowered for better street performance. There’s a custom interior – of course – that also adds compartments for tools or other stuff a business might need if this ever became a reality.

Jeep Patriot Unnamed Concept

Jeep’s new Patriot small SUV/crossover hasn’t hit showrooms yet and there’s already this off-road themed version hitting SEMA. The Patriot is made with highways and suburbia in mind and not the trailways, but Jeep shows that with some slight modifications like a new suspension, the Patriot can become a serious off-roader.

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The 2005 Holden Efijy Revisited

In 2005 the Holden Company out of Australia shared its Efijy concept car with the attendants of the NAIAS in Detroit. While the car was never meant to reach the production stage its classic cues and sleek physique sure makes you wish it was.

With a 6.0 Corvette V8 under the hood and modern amenities in the cabin, the Efijy is one retro beast with present day charisma.

The only regret in allowing this car to pass you on the highway would be that you might lose sight of it as it cruises down the road.

However, that is one back-end you would not forget as it pulled away.

Despite the unwillingness of any major automaker to produce a car with such exquisite lines, or their inability to imagine a profit from its production, these are the cars from which dreams are made.

Source[TechBlog]

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