Category: Concept News

what the future holds for cars and bikes

Koenigsegg Says Its Catalytic Converter Allows For an Increase of 300 HP

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No, it doesn’t use magic. For a relatively small company, Koenigsegg employs an impressive amount of unique technology developed in-house. Its V8 engines may be based on an older Ford design, but calling them Mustang engines with turbochargers attached would be a vast understatement. Even its catalytic converters are unlike anything else used. Koenigsegg detailed its patented catalytic converter in a recent blog post about all the tech that goes into its engine for the 1160-hp Agera RS. The company claims that its catalytic converter technology allows an increase of…

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This Aston Martin DB11 Prototype Has an AMG V8 Under Its Hood

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Is this a testbed for the next V8 Vantage? Almost certainly. We’ve known for quite some time that the next-generation Aston Martin V8 Vantage would recieve its heart from the engine wizards over at Mercedes-AMG. With the V12-powered DB11 done and soon reaching customer hands, Aston has to get to work on its sports car companion. That’s why this DB11 prototype is running around the Nürburgring with what is almost assuredly an AMG V8 under the hood. Since the DB11 is probably not getting a V8 in the future, all…

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RoboRacing: Automated Slot Cars For the Big Boys

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Driverless cars are the future, but automated racing is about to be reality.  By Benjamin Preston  Someday, we’ve been told, driverless cars will be the only vehicles on public roads, places where crashes are rare occurrences. But what about racetracks, where the possibility of a high-speed collision is still a serious risk to drivers? What if the cars drove themselves, removing human risk from the equation, and creating a unique test bed for autonomous vehicle technology? In October, automated racing will no longer be the stuff of fantasy. Formula E,…

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McLaren’s Future: V6s, Electric Supercars and Hybrids

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McLaren wants to introduce 15 new models by 2022. Some of them will be very different from the McLarens we know and love. McLaren’s financial results press conference yesterday gave a chance to confirm that things are still moving in the right direction for the British sports-car company, but also gave some more insight into future model plans. Which, if we’re honest, is way more exciting. McLaren continues to expand, having recently recruited another 250 staff at its Woking factory in England to start a split-shift system and boost production.…

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Mazda’s Confusing Plan to Resurrect the Famously Dirty Rotary Engine

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The Wankel rotary engine is a wonderfully visceral thing. It clatters and sings and produces an absurd amount of power for its size. But it’s also archaic, in the way old cars often are, which makes it odd to think Mazda wants to bring it back. Rotaries are what made Mazda, in cars like the 1968 Sports Cosmo. The sleek two-seater I drove at Mazda’s top-secret Mine test track smelled of gasoline and weathered leather and wood. The houndstooth interior only added to the vintage vibe. No power steering, sticky…

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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet spotted in motion on rainy day [video]

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Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet spotted in motion on rainy day The Mercedes-Benz C-Class Cabriolet (A205) was caught on camera performing testing procedures on public roads in the pouring rain. After coming out with the C-Class Coupe (C205), Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to chop off its fixed metal roof and replace it with a soft top as seen in the attached footage. The video was recorded recently in Germany and shows a prototype being tested on public roads in heavy rain, so obviously the electrically retractable fabric roof was in position. Aside from…

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Impreza Concept Looks Great and Teases All Future Subarus, Skin to Bones

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 And it will be made in the good ole U.S.A. Subaru revealed the Impreza sedan concept at the L.A. Auto Show, and we must say, it looks pretty good! The company had already released a concept of a hatchback version at the Tokyo Auto Show, but we’re glad to see that the four-door maintains the same styling. Of course, the production version will vary from the concept (door handles are nice to have, after all) and will likely be a bit boxier (it is a Subaru), but this sleeker Scoobie is at least a good indicator of the brand’s…

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Bugatti Chiron Prototype Caught by Instagrammer on Italian Highway

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 This test mule sure looks a lot like a production-ready version of the Bugatti Vision Gran Turismo show car. When Bugatti debuted the Vision Gran Turismo concept at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, the hypercar company hinted quite loudly that whaat we were looking at was the probably Veyron replacement. Now, Instagrammer Erico Hessel seems to have captured further proof, when he snapped this photo of an apparent Bugatti test mule on an Italian highway. Just look at the lines, and compare them to the Vision Gran Turismo show…

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The Shoe Inspired FIAT 500L-Vans Design Concept by Angela White

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Fiat has long had a firm foothold in the market of small, fuel efficient and cool looking cars. The Fiat 500 has been a staple throughout Europe for years and the sexy little car company has made quite a splash in America as well. Eager to expand their markets, Fiat has come up with an exciting new concept vehicle sure to appeal to car enthusiasts around the world, especially those with surfer hearts. In July at the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in California, Fiat unveiled a new version of…

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Mitsubishi’s highly-distinctive GR-HEV diesel-hybrid pick-up concept

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By Mike Hanlon Mitsubishi’s distinctive GR-HEV diesel-hybrid pick-up concept Mitsubishi’s Concept GR-HEV combination a sedan interior and comfort levels with a diesel-hybrid pickup truck with an exterior quite unlike anything we’ve previously seen. The hybrid drivetrain is billed as a next generation drive system that combines the company’s Super Select 4WD (SS4) and S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) systems, a 2.5L diesel engine and an electric motor of unspecified power to achieve CO2 emissions of 149 g/km The SS4 drive mode system allows the driver to select four drive modes…

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Renault Frendzy Concept Shown Ahead of Frankfurt Show

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It’s not just another electric-car concept debut from the Renault. Frendzy looks trendy and matches any current gas powered hatch. The automaker has unveiled its Frendzy concept car ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show starting this September. A video demo of the car just left us exhilarated. Thoughts of yet another EV from the house of Renault is something we are waiting for now. The Frendzy design seems as highly sophisticated as the Recent Renault Dezir concept that debuted in Paris Motor Show. The new concept comes with marvelous exterior…

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