At this year’s edition of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the Technical University of Munich is going to reveal its MUTE concept which promises to be an affordable EV. The concept comes with a 10 kWh lithium-ion battery that motivates an electric motor with 22 hp (22 PS / 16.5 kW) that sends the power to the rear wheels through a torque vectoring differential.
TUM MUTE concept
With this setup, the TUM MUE can accelerate from 0-37 mph (0-60 km/h) in 6.8 seconds, before reaching a top speed of 75 mph (120 km/h). Aside from the fact that the car has a curb weight of 1,100 lb (500 kg), there aren’t any details available, but full specs will be revealed this September. Stay tuned.
More Powerful Lotus Evora, Heading To Frankfurt Motor Show
Lotus Evora GT
It seems that the engineers over at Lotus are working hard on a more powerful version of the Evora, which will be revealed this September during the Frankfurt Motor Show. The Norfolk-based manufactured got their inspiration from the GT racer you see in this picture and promises to be more powerful than the current top-spec S version that churns 345 hp.
We don’t have any confirmed details but we can tell you that the new version will be extreme, featuring a stripped-out interior cabin and an updated V6 supercharged 3.5-liter engine that will develop about 400 hp. Dany Bahar, who is the company’s boss, said to Auto Express that the company is also working on a convertible while in 2013 we should expect to see a plug-in hybrid model.
In the mean time, the regular V6 Evora will receive “147 improvements”, including a sharper gearbox, a sportier exhaust note and better materials for the cabin.
This October, Lotus will show the running version of the plug-in hybrid which will have a 3-cylinder 1.2-liter engine and twin-electric motor that will provide a combined output of 1,000 Nm of torque, which should be enough for a 0-62 mph sprint time of 4.4 seconds and CO2 emissions of only 55 g/km. As we said before, the production version might make it into the market in about two years but it will most likely cost “double” in comparison to the regular V6 Evora. In other words, expect a price tag of around 100,000 pounds.
WCF’s photographers have managed to grab a few spy shots with the upcoming 2012 Audi S7 which will be officially unveiled this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car you see in these photos is a prototype while doing some tests near Nurburgring.
2012 Audi S7
As you might have noticed, it features a very aggressive front fascia and a four-tailpipe exhaust system, along with the aerodynamic side sills. Most likely, the production version of the S7 will benefit from a high-performance braking system, a sport-tuned suspension and faux aluminum mirror casings.
2012 Audi S7
Under the hood it will probably feature the same engine as we shall see in the new generation of the Bentley Continental GT, which is a turbocharged V8 4.0-liter unit that will develop at least 429 hp (435 PS / 320 kW).
Despite the fact that the concept version of the BMW M5 hasn’t been unveiled officially, information about the production model has surfaced the Internet this week, from which we’ve learned that we will see the car in all its “M” glory at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Until then, we’ll have to settle with the concept, which should make an appearance later on this month in Shanghai at the local motor show. (more…)
The Frankfurt Motor Show brought forth an overload of motoring news, and sadly some got caught up in the rush and were forgotten. Luckily this video of Audi’s Car Configurator working on Microsoft’s innovative Surface technology wasn’t one of them.
And it is definitely worth your time. The things showcased in the video, like selecting the color, accessories or rims, are very impressive and will leave most Audi fans speechless. Take a look and don’t be afraid to drop a comment below and tell us your opinion. Enjoy!
After doing a lot of maintenance and getting to grasps with our “beloved” photo gallery, we can finally start showing the pictures Vlad and Bobby took at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year. First off, let’s start with something with a lot of style, the new hybrid Citroen Revolte Concept.
For those of you who don’t know, the interesting model is how Citroen view the future hybrid city car, powered by a gasoline engine running in tandem with a smaller electrical one. With its unique lines and glass inserts in the radiator grille, it is certainly something to look at. Enjoy the gallery below.
Every motor show, beside cars, of course, has another attraction, and that is the beautiful women surrounding these cars. And the Frankfurt Motor Show was no exception. We saw beautiful girls at the Fiat, Citroen, Maserati, Lamborghini, Lancia, Kia, Mazda and Renault stands. Below you have a link to the photo gallery with all the girls. However, this is the girl I thought was the show’s most pleasant presence, at the Abarth stand. Isn’t she lovely?
Special thanks to our partners, who made our experience better: Mercedes Benz and BMW (cars), Sony (A380Y DSLR camera), Mio (Moov S555 GPS device), Vodafone (mobile internet) and Acer (Travelmate 8371 Timeline laptop).
The Frankfurt Motor Show was the place to be if you were a car fan as many brands revealed new iterations of their main models and concepts of their future ones. Besides revealing the LF-Ch hot hatch concept to the public, the Lexus division of Toyota also took the chance to present the new facelift for its LS 600h limousine.
The flagship luxury model has received a wide array of new things, starting from the outside with a slightly more distinguished look, thanks to the redrawn front end, complete with new fog lights, air vents and a Lexus hybrid blue finish on the lamps, and continuing on the inside, where new, slightly more ergonomical seats have been fitted. Alongside them, the navigation system’s hard drive has been upgraded to a 40GB one, allowing for more detailed maps to be stored on it. The indicators and dashboard have also been revamped to highlight the luxury feel of the model.
In terms of mechanical upgrades, the new Lexus LS 600h has received a new ECO mode, which changes the way the A/C works, and more importantly to how the engine reacts when the acceleration pedal is pushed powerfully. The Lexus Hybrid Drive system has also been tweaked, in order to meet Euro 5 emission restrictions, but the 5-liter V8 and the electric 165 kW engines haven’t seen any changes. They still output the same 439 HP with a torque of 520 Nm, meaning that it will move the large limousine from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 6.3 seconds, a respectable time for a car of that size and weight. Lexus also claims that the reported CO2 emissions are around 219 g/km, largely due to the hybrid technology.
Overall, the new facelifted 2010 Lexus LS 600h is looking pretty good and will hit countries all around the world soon enough.
As you all know, the Frankfurt Motor Show has been filled with big announcements, coming from almost all of the big automakers in the world. Hyundai also joined the pack, and revealed the new generation of the Sonata model, which will be branded in Europe as the i40, thus entering the new branding from the South Korean car maker.
The new sedan from Hyundai will be arriving next year all around the world, and will contain a revolutionary design, as opposed to the more conservative last generation. The midsize car will have longer, coupe-like lines, with an interior filled with technological trinkets and high quality, some of them borrowed from the ix35, the next generation of the old Tucson.
Being bigger than the previous generation, the new car will also get two gasoline engines at first, with the 2-liter Theta II MPI already prepared to enter production and develop 165 HP, if it is running on gasoline, and 144 if it is fueled with GPL. When it will enter production next year, the new Sonata or i40 will also get a new 2.4 liter gasoline engine.
Driver assists like Vehicle Dynamic Control, Hill-start Assist Control or Brake Assist will be incorporated in the new sedan, with a panoramic roof and a sideways parking assistance system, that will alert the driver of any obstructions.
With production scheduled to commence in South Korea this year and in the United States and China in 2010, Hyundai is predicting that it will sell worldwide almost 450,000 units, by 2011.
Read More: “2010 Hyundai Sonata/i40 has been revealed”
Source: Automarket
While no new performance upgrades will be launched, the R-line package will see a modified version of the inside and outside of the car. On the exterior, new 17-inch “Mallory” alloy wheels will touch the ground, while redesigned front spoiler and side skirts, all painted in the color of the car, will decorate the new model. They will also be in sharp contrast with the glossy black radiator grille, which has two chrome-plated louvres.
On the inside, the CC R-Line will have special tread plates on all of the doors, while the front ones have the R-Line logo. A sportier three-spoke leather steering wheel will also be included, with multifunction keys and, of course, the R-Line badge.
Considering the fact that the Passat CC is already a very attractive car, this new R-Line package will make it even more so, by adding a sportier touch. Look forward to availability details and price in the near future.
Frankfurt was host to some pretty big announcements these days, during the Motor Show, but a very enticing one came Volkswagen, which reintroduced its 1 Liter (L1) concept to the world, revealing that in fact it is a hybrid, running a small 14 CP electric engine in tandem with the regular diesel one, but that it will still be able to do 1.49 liters/100 km (158 mpg).
This electric engine will be linked by the DSG gearbox through a separate clutch with the 800 cc TDI one, and will achieved the great fuel economy numbers mentioned above. It is worth to note that the L1 has two running modes, Eco and Sport, which take a different toll on the diesel engine: while the Eco mode gets only 27 HP from the motor, the Sport mode will output a “staggering” 39 HP. Maximum power will be achieved at 4,000 rpm, while maximum torque, 100 Nm at 1,900 rpm.
Other systems which will improve fuel economy will be the Stop-Start one, which, as its name implies, will stop the engine when the car isn’t moving, and restart it when you press the acceleration or the E-pedal. This will kick in the electric engine, while the TDI is still being started, to provide a seamless throttle response.
But even though the hybrid has 39 HP, it seems that the maximum speed will be 160 km/h and the 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) time will be around 14.3 seconds, quite respectable for a hybrid. Its 10 liter gas tank will potentially keep you going for about 670 km (416 miles).
No word on when it or if it will enter production, but even so, the L1 concept is looking extremely good and might give VW the boost in the hybrid market it has been searching for.
Volkswagen really wants to control all of the markets, as it has just announced that it is currently testing a new Polo GTI, which will be a high performance version of the economical Polo (featured above). Set to feature the supercharged and turbocharged 1.4 liter four-cylinder engine, it will be able to output almost 200 HP.
As I’ve said, the extremely reliable 1.4 liter engine will be the only one available when the new Polo GTI will be launched next spring, but will definitely take the drivers of the future model to new heights in terms of thrills. All of its power will go to the front wheels, but before you say that the small car will be plagued by torque steer, the VW product director, Dr. Ulrich Hackenburg, revealed that a lot of progress has been made to prevent such a thing. Most importantly, an electronically controlled limited slip differential will eb used, in order to help the front wheels deliver the big amount of power and still be able to steer the small car.
Other improvements will reflect in the gearbox, as drivers can opt for either a six-speed manual one or a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch box, which will also have a paddle-shift option. On the outside, all of the usual GTI trinkets will be there, including a more aggressive bodykit and a new front grille.
Also, according to the engineers at the German automaker, the 1.4 liter engine is capable of delivering up to 280 HP, after a few modifications, and might even reach an exclusive version of the small car, presumably a Polo Cup edition
Overall, if the Golf GTI or the new Golf R aren’t up your alleys, perhaps you might want to wait until next year when the Polo GTI will be released.
While Porsche can be blamed for many things, including following almost the exact design line for about 20 years or so, you can’t argue that it makes some of the most unbelievable cars which you can still drive everyday, but also take them to the track.
Such is the case with the top-of-the-range 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which promises to be the definitive road-lega racing car from the German automaker. Powered by an upgraded naturally-aspirated 3.8 liter engine, which delivers 450 HP, it overtakes the GT3 as the definitive enthusiast’s choice from the 911 lineup.
An specially customized six-speed manual gearbox is standard with this model, which was optimized for a shorter gearshift travel, in order to gain even the slightest millisecond. Faster gear ratios are also fitted to this gearbox, thus bringing out all of the power of the car.
An interesting part of this new 911 GT3 RS will be the dynamic engine mounts, which will improve the handling of the model. They change their stiffness depending on the conditions, thus not intruding on everyday drives around the city. Also, if you really want to take weight trimming to the extreme, you can opt to outfit the car with a 10 kg slimmer lithium-ion battery, instead of the normal lead-acid one.
To further highlight the racing potential of this car, the GT3 RS will have a custom PASM suspension, a wider front and rear tracks, as well as a wide body. The low ride height and big carbon fiber rear wing will also make quite an impression on racing fans, alongside the titanium exhaust system.
Look forward to the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS reaching US shores in early spring 2010, for about $132,800. Until then, enjoy this video of this fantastic car.
As Vlad revealed last month, MINI was preparing the Coupe Concept for its premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which is going on these days in the German city. But besides that concept, the BMW-owned company also revealed the Roadster Concept, which is basically a convertible version of the Coupe, featuring a folding soft top.
Except the roof, the models are the same, and are due to enter production soon, at the Oxford plant in the United Kingdom. Besides a more aggressive line, the chassis shared by the two concepts will be more rigid and have a larger boot.
Equipped with the turbocharged 1.6 liter engine, capable of delivering 175 horses and 240 Nm, the new model will borrow from the MINIMALISM concept, as it will carefully balance a good fuel economy with sporty driving. As an added bonus, a special dial will be outfitted beside the revcounter, which will reveal just how ecological is your driving, and signal the best time to change gears.
Either way, if you prefer a normal roof on your car or a manually foldable one, these two new MINI concepts will definitely satisfy you. Further details on price, when they will enter production and feature lists will be added once they are available. Until then, enjoy this rather controversial ad of the two models.
We’ve revealed to you, a few days ago, the splendid Audi e-Tron concept, telling you that it might be an fully electric or hybrid version of the R8, but now the Ingolstadt manufacturer has shocked almost everyone present at the Frankfurt Motor Show by revealing that it will actually be a bit smaller than the R8 supercar, bu capable of developing a bit amount of power: 230 kW or 313 HP, with a huge torque of 4,500 Nm (3,319 lb-ft).
This is due to the four fully electric motors of the e-Tron, which will be distributed two on the front axle and two on the rear, for perfect weight balance. This has also allowed the engineers to implement Audi’s famous Quattro four-wheel drive technology, as 70 % of the power will go to the back axle, while 30 to the front.
As far as performance figures go, the e-Tron makes a good stand for fully electric supercars, reaching 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 4.8 secnds. It will be able to accelerate to 200 km/h (124 mph), and will keep on going for about 248 km (154 miles) as this is the current autonomy of the model. The lithium-ion battery, which will power the e-Tron will be located in front of the rear axle and add 470 kg (1036 lb) to the overall weight of the car, which is around 1,600 kg (3,527 lb), a full 20 kilos slimmer than the 5.2 FSI V10 Audi R8 supercar.
Overall, the model is very impressive and will certainly peak the interest of many potential buyers. No word yet on whether this Audi e-Tron concept will enter production, so we’ll just have to wait and see.
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