The Saturn Flextreme Concept continues our week of Detroit Motor Show features. This clever and rather weird looking car is a little sister to the Opel Flextreme car shown at Frankfurt a few weeks back. The Saturn car has a lithium-ion battery eclectic motor which can drive for about 34 miles and a diesel engine which can power recharge the battery when necessary, or be recharged via the powerpoint in about 3 hours. Saturn have stated at the launch of this vehicle the front of the vehicle in particular the lights and grille use styling cues of the future Saturn look- which will be quiet striking. Probably the most interesting and weird idea in this concept is the addition of two Segways stowed under the cargo floor, we really don’t know why, must be there just incase the battery goes flat?
Chrysler has an interesting concept vehicle on show at the Detroit Motor Show, and full of style and cutting edge technology with the ecoVoyager. The futuristic looking vehicle as the name might suggest is environmental friendly with lithium -ion battery pack and also a fuel cell and some very clever interior packaging. The car has been cleverly designed for the family as a practical and functional recreation vehicle. The 268 horsepower electric motor powers the front wheel drive car and is designed to run about 40 miles without a recharge. Brakes help recharge the battery and for longer trip the fuel cell kicks in and gives approx 400 miles with hydrogen tanks under the cargo bay, and the only thing that comes out of the tailpipe is fresh water. The interior features high levels of luxury with full leather and cherry wood inserts. The chairs look like what you would expect on a private jet.
Back in the 1950’s Holden produced the FJ Holden which has gone on to become one of Australia’s iconic classic cars. So what better car to base a show car off some 50 years later than to create a new interpretation of the vehicle using many of the classic and loved design cues. Using a Chevrolet Corvette underbody, a 5.2 metre radical custom coupe was produced boasting a thumping 480-kilowatt, supercharged six-litre V8 engine under the bonnet and every imaginable gizmo and gadget including LCD and LED technology, all packaged with magnificence retro styling. The paintwork was breathtaking with a rich dark purple called Soprano Purple highlighted by chrome badging and features. The car has since toured the world and been the toast of many auto shows and won quiet a few prestigious awards from Hot Rod magazines and other media.
Indian car manufacturer TATA has just unveiled their new model to be known as the Nano. The 600cc microcar has gained the auto world spotlight since TATA released the details that the starting price will be the equivalent of US$2500. TATA intends to sell the car in India to middle class Indians who previously could not afford a new car. Environmentalist do-gooders have caned the car, complaining that India’s roads are already overcrowded and this car is going to make things worse. Check out the launch video above to see what 2500 bucks can get you.
This year’s Melbourne Motorshow in Australia premiered the Chevrolet Camaro Coupe show car which is a glimpse of great things to come from the huge US automaker. The vehicle was actually designed in Melbourne by Holden who have the task of designing the new rear wheel drive muscle car. The final product is expected to have many of the design cues that the show car proudly possesses when it rolls of the production lines in Canada some time in 2009. The car will feature some of the underbody and mechanicals used in Australia’s Holden Commodore which is the country’s biggest selling car and exported to world markets including the Middle East, Asia and to the USA as a Pontiac GTO.
Citroen has always been at the forefront of innovative automotive design and the C-Buggy concept car which made its public debut at the Madrid Motor Show is no exception. This modern slant on the beach buggy crossed with a speedster really turned heads. The mechanicals are also quiet impressive the vehicle features a 173 horsepower high pressure direct injection twin turbo diesel engine and a 6 speed electro hydraulic transmission. Citroen has no plans to bring the C-Buggy into production but many of the exciting design features will appear in future products for the brand. The vehicle was based an earlier concept car Citroen displayed at the Bologna Motor Show a year earlier an our photo was from the Paris Motor Show, this car was more of a city based two seater another very stylish vehicle.
