The Hyundai Curb concept.

The Hyundai Curb Crossover Concept made its world debut at the 2011 Detroit International Auto Show. The company expects the Curb Crossover to be a compact Urban Activity Vehicle for the next generation of Hyundai buyers. The Korean automaker noted that the inspiration for Curb came from the need to evolve its fluidic sculpture design language for the younger buyers.

“We wanted the Curb to be urban tough without looking like a Brink’s truck. City driving was going to be its forte, not crossing the Rubicon trail, but we wanted it to have urban armor for daily driving on city streets. It needed to empower its passengers in this setting,” said, Hyundai designer, Jason Brown.
When it comes to the exteriors of the Curb, the design starts with the glass that spills into the hood and wraps around the cowl, covering the A pillars. Beneath the glass you can find structural trusses with the glass panels applied like a shield. The whole profile of the vehicle is dominated by a boomerang trajectory bodyside line.
Inside the vehicle, you can find saffron accents that match the ones on the tires. The saffron accents appear as a gradient pattern on the seats, which are made of super-stretch, fast-drying board short material. The interiors of Curb also features rear head rests mounted to its robust frame.
Under the hood, the Hyundai Curb Crossover Concept is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter Gasoline Direct Injection four-cylinder engine that is mated to Direct Shift Gearbox. This engine can generate a power of 175 hp and a torque of 169 lb. ft. It is expected that the vehicle will deliver around 30 mpg in cities and around 40 mpg in the highways

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KIA Releases first sketches of 2012 Rio

Kia has just released the first sketches for its next-generation 2012 Kia Rio that is expected to make its global debut during the Geneva Motor Show in March. Replacing the under-performing predecessor, the new Kia Rio comes with a remarkably stylish design that borrows the headlight and grille styling from its counterparts, the Kia Optima and Kia Sportage. Running through the length of the sides are strong character lines that are complemented by the subtle wheel arches and futuristic wheels. Meanwhile, the interior sketch splashes ample amount of ‘red’ across the dash board and door sides, while also aiding to the more stylish look of the car.

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2012 Mercedes Benz slk

Mercedes-Benz clearly wants to revive in style those beautiful rising doors that made history in the 50s. That's why a little brother for the yet-to-be-unveiled SLC supercar is on the way.

The future mini supercar could use the underpinnings of the 3rd generation of the SLK-Klasse, which should hit the streets in 2011. The rumoured SLK Gullwing will feature a hybrid powertrain:a 3,5 litres V6 internal combustion engine(probably, the current one, which boasts a 305 BHP output/360 Nm max. torque and an electronically-limited max. speed of 250 km/h) and an electric unit coupled to Li-Ion batteries.

Specifically, those state-of-the-art technology batteries are the reason for planning such a dramatic SLK version. Mercedes-Benz intends to install them in the side sills, so there would be no room for the conventional doors.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Gullwing will try, as best as it can, to protect the environment:regenerative brakes and START/STOP function to be fitted, a 150 g CO2/km gas emission, an average 5,9 l/100 km fuel consumption, 193 km of all-electric autonomy. However, the car won't forget its main objective as a sports car, so it will ensure a 0-100 km/h sprint in approximately 5 seconds.

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There’s only a handful of countries known for building cars. Most of them are in Europe or the Far East. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi wants to add Libya to that list, and this is what he’s cooked up to do it. Called the Libyan Rocket, the car was designed to solve the problem of high instance of road deaths in the north African country. Gaddafi’s people say it’s the safest car ever made, but don’t go into any details to back up the claim. Still, the Colonel’s revolutionary government is building a plant in Tripoli to put it together.

Gaddafi’s car seats five, has a 230-hp V6 and the nose and tail of a rocket. The Libyan Rocket does come with airbags, an electronic defense system and collapsible bumpers that supposedly help out in a crash. So what is the “electronic defense system”? Apparently, nobody knows what it is or how it works. So even the secret is safe with this car!

You may want to add some diamond studded rims complete with their own bodyguard if you want to make this car even safer.

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Ford introduces Ecomode in new ford focus

Ford Motors has introduced a new software named ‘EcoMode‘ for the drivers of its new Ford Focus. With the help of this intriguing new piece of software, owners of the Ford Focus can now learn of ways to improve their driving skills – mainly their ‘eco-driving’ techniques (specific on-road behaviors that can improve fuel economy, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions), through which they can improve their miles per gallon statistics.

The new software addition to the Ford Focus, EcoMode, generates a personalized driver operation scorecard. This is generated by monitoring engine rpm, vehicle speed, accelerator position, clutch position, selected gear and engine temperature related, gear shifting, anticipation and speed. Along with the final score, the software also generates advice for the driver to improve his eco-driving rating. The company noted that while trying to reach the maximum score while in EcoMode will lead to a driving style that is optimized for fuel economy.

“The foot of the driver has one of the biggest impacts on real-world fuel economy of a vehicle and was the starting point for the development of EcoMode,” said Thomas Schick, engineer with the Ford of Germany Core Vehicle Integration team. “This is a useful tool that creates awareness between personal behavior and fuel consumption and offers up hints on how to improve. Applying those hints and recommendations is all up to the driver.”

Apart from the ‘EcoMode‘, the new Ford Focus also offers an optional map-based navigation application called ‘Eco-Route‘ available with the MyFord Touch. This gives drivers the ability to choose the most fuel-efficient route, added Ford Motors.

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Jaguar E Type celebrates 50 years.

Launched in 1961, the Jaguar E-Type will be celebrating its 50th birthday at this year’s Silverstone Classic (July 22-24) with a host of special races and displays. Jaguar owners clubs in the UK are forecasting the greatest showing of Jaguar E-Types ever assembled, with a large number of examples to be brought from all over the world.

The on-track schedule includes two races dedicated solely to competition versions of the Jaguar E-Type, while a record grid of more than 50 race-prepared E-Types is predicted. In total, more than a thousand racing and road-going E-Types are expected to join the event.

“With so many E-Types on and off the track, it’s going to be a fantastic occasion – the world’s biggest and best celebration for one of the truly great sports cars,” said Nick Wigley, Event Director. “What’s more, the Silverstone Classic offers the perfect place and timing for the world to celebrate such an important milestone in automotive history. After all Jaguar designed and produced the E-Types just up the road at Browns Lane in Coventry and the very first UK sales commenced in July 1961. It’s going to be an absolutely amazing occasion – a party no classic car fan will want to miss.”

Highlighting the legendary Jaguar’s central role at this year’s Silverstone Classic, one of the very first Jaguar E-Types produced was featured on the event’s exhibition stand earlier this month at the Autosport Show International.

The historic car on display was the eleventh Jaguar E-Type car made, one of the many contesting the two HSCC Jaguar E-Type Challenge races at the Silverstone Classic in July. These early pre-production cars were sold to selected customers who would race them.

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