Concepts | Car And Bike

Yamaha Cross Hub concept is a motorbike-carrying SUV

25 Oct, 2017 11:00am Lawrence Allan Yamaha follow up 2015 sports car concept with unusual pickup-style SUV at the Tokyo Motor Show Yamaha has once again branched out from motorcycles to showcase a new concept car at the Tokyo Motor Show. The latest vehicle, called the Cross Hub, is a combination of a pick-up and an SUV, and follows on from the 2013 Motiv and 2015 Sports Ride concepts. Very little detail was given about the Cross Hub concept at Yamaha’s show conference, but we do know that it’s targeted…

Tesla is down selling its upcoming Model 3 with an internal comparison tool. Details of the American electric car maker’s upcoming mass-market Model 3 have leaked online with the Tesla Model 3 Owners Club forum publishing what it claims is a comparison chart for dealers to upsell customers into a larger, far more expensive Model S. The leaked chart shows the Model 3 has a battery range of more than 346km and of a 0-60 miles per hour (0-97km/h) time of 5.6 seconds, which stacks up to previously released information. Tesla has made…

The Japanese brand has converted one of its HiLux utes into a big, yellow, go-anywhere off-roader to celebrate the popularity of the dual-cab workhorse and celebrate Tonka’s 70th anniversary. The Tonka HiLux also serves a serious purpose, highlighting Toyota’s investment in its 150-strong product planning and development division that is still active in Australia despite the impending closure of its manufacturing facilities. Australian product design chief Nicolas Hogios was in charge of the project and explained it was about showing the brand’s fun side. “We have taken Tonka out of…

Might the MEB Platform Finally Bring us a Modern Microbus? by Frank Markus Words We’ve been teased with the Microbus Concept 2001, Bulli (2011), and at last year’s CES, the BUDD-e—all were takes on Volkswagen’s iconic original air-cooled, rear-engine Type 2 bus. Each troweled on plenty of design cues to evoke the hippy original, but the first two were attempting to drape that monospace design over a conventional front-drive combustion powertrain, and even the BUDD-e, which was said to be electric, failed to eliminate the traditional hood and grille—two absolute…

Concept Closely Previews Production Model Erick Ayapana Words Audi had a lot of metal to show at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, but the Q8 e-tron concept was the debut that stole the spotlight. The coupe-inspired crossover closely previews a production model slated to arrive sometime next year, built on the same modular platform that underpins the Audi Q7. The automaker says the Audi Q8 concept is a mix of coupe-like styling with a few elements harkening back to the vintage Ur-quattro as well. For starters, the wide C-pillar is…