Frankfurt Show Preview: Peugeot’s HX1 Hybrid4 MPV Concept for Six

With the Frankfurt Motor Show just around the corner, Peugeot decided to release the first official photos of the HX1, a six-seater MPV concept propelled by a diesel-electric powertrain.
On the outside, the aerodynamically optimized HX1 (Cd 0.28) adopts the company’s new “floating” front grille that we've already seen on the 508.
One of the concepts unique features are the seven-spoke alloy wheels that resemble turbine blades when stationary, while when on the move, they open up to form a flat surface for better aerodynamic performance. For the same purpose, a spoiler and two side skirts fitted at the top of the tailgate deploy above 100 km/h (62 mph).

Audi Publishes New Pictures of Urban Sportback and Spyder Concepts

After teasing us with a couple of videos and a few sketches, Audi has now unleashed a wave of computer generated images of its two-seat Urban Sportback and Spyder concept models, both of which will receive their world premiere at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany. 

GM and LG to Jointly Design New Electric Vehicles

Not long after the announcement on the collaboration between Ford and Toyota on the development of a new RWD hybrid drivetrain, rivaling General Motors came out with details on its own deal with South Korea's LG Group for the design and engineering of future electric vehicles.

The deal builds on GM's expanding relationship with LG, which is the battery cell supplier for the American firm's Chevrolet Volt and Opel Ampera extended-range EVs.

Read more »

New Pure-Electric iRACER to Star in California Sports EV Racing Series

Visitors at next month's EcoVelocity low-carbon motor festival at London’s Battersea Power Station will be treated to the first public appearance of the iRACER, which is the creation of the team behind the EVCUP racing series.

The iRACER is a track focused, pure electric vehicle designed and engineered from the ground up as a thoroughbred racecar and it will compete in the ‘Sports EV’ classification of the EVCUP series that gets underway in California.

Read more »

Mia Electric to Showcase New Cars in the UK Ahead of 2012 Sales Launch

Following the presentation of the Mia Electric brand at last year’s Geneva Motor Show, the newly formed company announced plans to showcase its zero-emission vehicles for the first time in the United Kingdom at this year’s EcoVelocity motor show that runs from September 8 to 11.

The Electric Microbus, which will reach UK showrooms in the first quarter of 2012, was designed by the former head of design at Volkswagen, Murat Günak, and will be available in three configurations including the standard, three-seat short wheelbase model and two extended versions, the four-seat Mia L and the Mia box van with a cargo capacity of 1,500 liters.

Read more »

VW to Unveil New Experimental One-Seat Electric Car in Frankfurt

[VW XL1 SEV Concept from 2011 Qatar Motor Show pictured above]

Less than 24 hours after Volkswagen lifted the wraps off the production version of the up! city car, we have news that the German company is planning to reveal a one-seat experimental electric vehicle on September 8 in Berlin, ahead of its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Read more »

Video: Tesla Model S and Roadster Silently Race Each Other on Desert Road

It’s not the first time we've shown you the Model S, Tesla’s 5-passenger-plus-2-children electric 5-Series rival on video, even though deliveries aren’t expected to begin before 2012. And the Roadster has gotten its fair share of coverage too.

But seeing the two Tesla models silently drive side by side down an empty desert road is a good enough excuse to show the two EV sports cars again – especially the gorgeous Model S.

You can watch the video after the jump, but please don’t complain about the music: in this case it’s entirely appropriate since you wouldn’t hear anything anyway.

Read more »

GM’s EN-V to Replace Cars in Tianjin, China’s Futuristic Eco-City

At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, General Motors (GM) unveiled a trio of two-wheeled neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) collectively named EN-V to the world.

Unlike the brand’s mainstream models, these concepts were lightweight and compact EVs for an as-of-yet unrealised city of the future. With a host of telematics and cameras to avoid other EN-Vs, pedestrians and other obstacles on the road coupled with a highly accurate GPS system, these concepts were theoretically accident-proof and self-driving.

Now a consortium from China and Singapore are drawing up plans for Tianjin Eco-City: a large-scale prototype for the sort of sustainable, high-density communities we’re expected to see in the coming decades.

Read more »

Ferrari Boss Says No to Electric Models, Endorses Hybrid Tech

Electric vehicles are the new black. Most mainstream manufacturers either have or are currently developing an EV in order to promote their environmentally friendly profile and at the same time, reduce the average fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of their fleet to comply with stricter future regulations.

However, Ferrari’s president, Luca di Montezemolo begs to differ. And we are talking about the man responsible for transforming Maranello’s supercars from fragile and non-practical toys for the wealthy to the finest in their class, while also turning the Scuderia’s F1 fortunes around bringing home five consecutive world championships.

Read more »

New Cadillac ELR: GM Officially Confirms Production Version of Converj EV Coupe

Ever since GM displayed the Cadillac Converj at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show, rumors have swirled that a production model was under consideration. But we now have official confirmation that the pure electric Converj is indeed moving forward as a production car that will be named the Cadillac ELR.

“The concept generated instant enthusiasm,” said Don Butler, vice president-Cadillac Marketing. “Like other milestone Cadillac models of the past, the ELR will offer something not otherwise present – the combination of electric propulsion with striking design and the fun of luxury coupe driving.”

Read more »

Toyota Spent $1.2 Million Courting Washington Politicians in Q2 of 2011

Lobbying is a fact of political life in most democracies. And as with everything else, it isn’t for free: you can never get something for nothing, and the companies know that very well. So they are prepared to spend quite a lot of cash on lobbying the US House and Senate for laws and regulations that meet their needs.

How much? It depends. Toyota Motor Corp., for example, spent $1.29 million in the second quarter of 2011 lobbying on tax incentives for patent laws, alternative energy vehicles, fuel cells and other issues, according to a report filed on July 20 with the House clerk's office, and which was obtained by the media.

Read more »

Morgan Readying Pure Electric Aero Supersport Concepts

One of the oldest and most traditional carmakers in the world, Morgan Motors, has joined forces with a consortium of British technology specialists for the development of two new pure-electric sportscar concepts that will be introduced next year.

The Morgan +E programme will give birth to two new prototypes, both based on the Aero Supersport’s aluminium chassis, but without the BMW-sourced 4.8-litre V8 engine, which will be replaced by a new derivative of Zytek’s electric powertrain.

Read more »

Audi Urban Sportback Concept to be Joined by a Spyder Version at Frankfurt Show

At next month's Frankfurt auto show, Audi will show not one, but two variants of its Urban pure-electric city car concept. Following the presentation of the Urban Sportback (that's how the Germans describe the closed-top variant in its latest release) fitted with a sliding canopy, Audi today released the first renderings of the Spyder model.

Rather than simply chopping off the rood and strengthening the front windshield frame, Audi's designers opted for a low, continuous window area while the Spyder also gains a pair of doors that open upwards diagonally.

Read more »

Report: GM Seriously Considering but has Not Yet Decided on Production of Cadillac Converj Coupe

When Cadillac unveiled its Converj concept at the Detroit Motor Show in 2009, it drew a lot of attention thanks to its cutting-edge styling and equally impressive hardware as it was powered by the firm's Voltec hybrid system that comprises of a 16 Kw, T-shaped battery pack and a four-cylinder gasoline engine range extender.

A production version would be a perfect “halo” car for the brand: stylish and at the same time eco-friendly.

Recently, word got out that Cadillac gave the green light for the production version of the Converj and that the company had awarded a production contract to A123 Systems for the development of the Nanophosphate lithium-ion batteries to be used in future electric vehicles.

Read more »

Toyota to Debut 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid with up to 107MPG at the Frankfurt Motor Show

The final production version of Toyota's long anticipated Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle –or PHEV for short- will make its first public appearance at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show on the 15th of September.

The Japanese automaker has been field-testing the Prius PHEV for quite some time now, but starting from next Spring, it will go on sale in Europe as well as other markets including select dealerships in the U.S. with a nationwide launch to follow in 2013.

Read more »

Frankfurt Preview: Audi's Urban e-Tron Minicar Concept

It's showtime for Audi that just released the first sketches of its Frankfurt Motor Show-bound Urban Concept a couple of days after a camouflaged prototype made a public appearance at the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin Germany during a video shoot.

The official sketches show a lower and sleeker design with more futuristic styling elements than what we saw in the video footage of the car, but that's usually the case with all designer renderings.

Audi says the Urban Concept is an ultra-light car for congested urban spaces that is not based on any previous model. It is built around a central carbonfibre monocoque and rolls on massive wheels with a 21-inch diameter.

Read more »

F1: Ecclestone Says No to Electric Engines in the Pit Lane

As you may have already heard, Formula 1’s regulations have been overhauled for the 2014 season with 1.6-liter turbocharged V6s replacing the current 2.4 V8s, while te new cars will also feature a new, more powerful Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS).

The whole concept behind FIA’s proposal is that F1 cannot stay behind the times that demand lower fuel consumption and an environmentally-friendly profile.

However, Bernie Ecclestone has discovered what he believes to be a serious flaw in the proposed regulations for 2014. Ecclestone says the article 5.19, which stipulates that cars must run on electric engines alone in the pit lane with no fuel whatsoever sprayed in the V6 gasoline engine, must be crossed out because “people could be killed”.

Read more »

Ford to Launch Pure-Electric Focus in New York and California by the end of the Year

On Monday, a rumor spread over the web saying that Ford has delayed the launch of the 2012 Focus Electric in 17 of the initial 19 markets, and that the company would offer a limited number of vehicles only in California and New York by the end of the year, with the remaining markets to follow in spring of 2012. Read more »

[Updated] Google's Self-Driving Car Involved in California Accident

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated in the title that this was the first accident involving a Google self-driving car. The corrected version reflects a change only in the title of this article. We also posted an updated story on the incident that includes a new video and an official statement from a Google spokesperson. You can check it out by clicking this link.

Many companies are developing self-driving cars. The latest example is VW’s TAP (Temporary Auto Pilot) that was recently demonstrated on video.

Another earlier model is Google’s automated/driverless fleet of Toyota Prius hybrids developed with the help of the military’s DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) 2007 Urban Challenge winner, Chris Urmson and Anthony Levandowski, the maker of the world’s first autonomous motorcycle (again, for DARPA) – oh, and an self-driving pizza-delivery vehicle.

Read more »

New Audi City Car Concept Scooped on Film

Carscoop reader Marina tipped us off about an odd-looking micro car wearing Audi badges and a zebra stripe disguise that was caught filming at the Potsdamer Platz, which is a large public square located in the center of the city of Berlin in Germany.

The poster of the Youtube videos said that Audi was shooting a commercial for the car. While we've yet to hear something official from the German company, chances are the tiny model is a new Audi concept vehicle that will be revealed at the rapidly approaching 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in the second week of September.

Read more »