Soft and squishy is the name of the game. The Peugeot Globule is a 4 passenger vehicle made up of 4 individually powered spheres that can merge and separate to best fit circumstances. Not only is calling out "shotgun" meaningless now but parking should be a cinch because the Globule can literally stack up to any challenge.
My buddy and amazing designer Mark Sanders turned me onto this bike via his Twitter. Designer Dominic Hargreaves' Contortionist Bike folds into its two 26" wheels in under 20 seconds. Not as elegant as Mark's IF Mode but if rumors about production models starting at $700 are true, it's far more affordable.
They scare me ok? I hate being stuck in between them. I hate the noise they make and I hate how some rig drivers are total dicks, bullying other drivers. The Scania Truck concept by Adam Palethorpe aims to clean up our air with hybridized diesel engines and put all those truckers on probation by way of an innovative light system embedded in the front wheel hubs. Bad drivers are given red lights, good drives get green.
More pics after the jump.
via Yanko Design
If ya didn't know, now you do - BMW does make bicycles. I've been obsessed with bicycles as of late reviewing several from Trek, Puma, and Areaware but the BMW Cruise Bike surprised me by being priced well within the realm of reality; $800. Ok that does sound expensive but compared to the 3 bikes mentioned above, the price point is more than competitive.
The cruiser has a hydroformed aluminum frame. Hydroforming is a technique commonly used for shaping tubular structures like truck and car frames. A metal tube is placed inside a mold and then filled with pressurized oil until it conforms to the mold. The result is a strong, lightweight structure.
And as cruiser bikes go, this one is much more my steelo than those Venice vintage classics everyone is riding.
Oh Honda, you spend a shit load of money and hours all for the most entertaining minute long commercials. Thank you for making me smile.
Honda sets out to turn a field in the desert into the worlds largest LED screen with the use of lots and lots of cars (Hondas, of course). In the spot, each of the cars' headlights act as pixels to perform an animated sequence. Brills!
Oh and look out for the Prius Insight at the end!
Like the love child of a dakar rally car and the all but dead Isuzu VehiCROSS, the Nissan Qazana steals my heart. Yes it's odd and the proportions are so not production ready but appreciate its cartooniness.
Nissan's Design Europe team says that they were influenced by the "motif of a modern day beach buggy and a four-seat motor-bike." Why this idea didn't result in a more skeletal open-top off-roadster on balloon tires (the Qazana rides on modest-for-a-concept 20-inch wheels), we're not sure, but we think this design has merit on its own regardless. While we wouldn't expect a greenhouse quite this radical or the some of the motorcycle-inspired interior details to see production, a UK-built smaller counterpart to the smash hit Qashqai has been promised, and the Qazana could well influence the design.
More after the jump.
At the Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks, Mitsubishi will be showing a second electric car concept in addition to the iMiEV Sport Air they recently teased. This one is called the Prototype iMiEV concept and at first glance it looks much like the iMiEV that we've been seeing for the past year and a half. Those cars that we've been seeing and test driving are "Japanese Domestic Market" (JDM) models and are not legal in most places outside of Japan. The iMiEV is based on the "Kei-class" i mini-car and only comes in right hand drive for use on Japanese roads.
According to the Mitusbishi press release, this new prototype concept shows a version adapted to other markets. That means left hand drive, a slightly wider track and longer overhangs to meet European safety requirements. No decision has been made yet on offering the iMiEV outside of Japan, but Mitsubishi will be using this concept to gauge potential interest.
Even tho this year's Detroit Autoshow is devoid of many major players on account of the economy, there were still some gem announcements. One of which was Toyota's EV concept. The final production version hits showrooms in 2012. This is a full 2 years after GM's Volt but Toyota maintains lithium batteries for automotive use will need that much time to mature.
The EV challenges SMART as the smallest a-class mini commuter putting it in the likes of other EV-mobiles like Mitsu's iMiEV, and the Mini Cooper E. Pics after the jump.
Nissan may have totally missed the hybrid revolution but they're making sure they've got the fully electric thing down pact. Carlos Tavares, Nissan's VP for product planning and development recently shed light on how he thinks we will purchase cars in the future. When you walk into a dealership, you buy the vehicle but lease the battery.
At first I thought, "great, it's another way to milk more money from consumers" but in hindsight it makes sense. Battery technology is one of the most costly parts of an electric vehicle. Battery technology is still technically unproven and bound to improve faster than the lifespan of most vehicles. Wouldn't it be easier to just swap it out as tech improves instead of buying a whole new car?
Hit the jump to see more of Nissan's Nuvo
Honda finally wised up and figured out people who buy hybrids buy them partly because of unique styling - a signature if you will. Their latest Prius fighter is the new 2009 Insight. The shape is a bit familiar (cough - Prius) but chalk that up to a universally efficient design. The roomy 5 seater supposedly has more power and more room than a Prius all while breaking the 70 mpg fuel economy barrier. What about cost? How does $18k sound?
I'm definitely interested. As a Prius owner my only loyalty is to great transitional technology away from petrol fuels. The Prius is king right now but Honda may change that with the new Insight and do a greater extend, their fuel cell Clarity. But Toyota is no slouch. The 2010 Prius set to debut in 2009 is just around the corner along with their all electric contender to battle Chevy's Volt.
Man it's gonna be awesome!