The Volkswagen E-Bugster Concept is not so much an exercise in adding even more edge to the redesigned Beetle and its more masculine retro look. Nope, it’s more about what an all-electric Beetle would be like were VW to build one. The three-inch chopped roof and 20-inch wheels are just eye candy to get us to pay attention.
What’s really going on here is VW applying its Blue-e-motion electric drive unit to a sexier shape ahead of its production debut in the decidedly more plebeian Golf. In this application, VW has fitted the E-Bugster Concept with an electric motor and 695-pound lithium-ion battery fitted under the rear seat and trunk floor. Combined, they’ll be good for a 100-mile driving range, according to VW, and accept all kinds of charges, including a Level 3 quick charger that can get the pack back up to 80 percent in 30 minutes. The motor produces 114-horsepower (85 kW) and 199 pound-feet of scoot.
Richard Brown is our kind of guy. Back in 1999, he set the one-way record for the top speed on a motorcycle at 362 mph, and he’s spent the years since working on a sub-orbital rocket and a gas turbine jet pack. Surprisingly enough, those two projects haven’t been enough to occupy Brown’s time, and he’s now turned his attentions back toward the motorcycle land speed record. Now the mad scientist aims to stroll past 450 mph on a jet-powered bike. Brown has dug up a 1,250 horsepower jet engine from a helicopter, and he plans to bump up the thrust to be able to use the afterburner while he’s soaring down the salt.
The machine is called Jet Reaction, and Brown has already sourced the engine and fabricated a metal skeleton. Judging by the rendering, the jet bike will feature plenty of aerodynamic bodywork to help it reach its lofty speed goal. We wish Brown all the best in his quest. Head over to Visor Down for a look at his progress so far.
Airborne drones are set to revolutionize car videos in the same way they’ve revolutionized remote bomb dropping. Here’s what the Nurburgring looks like from a drone’s perspective.
This video was produced by German firm Kippenberger, which is looking to bring affordable airborne videos to ze German car scene. Renting a helicopter for the day can cost up to $50,000 before the red tape of arranging air space permits. Drones could be flying at Cars and Coffee tomorrow.
“I am interested in the new wave of car filming similar to what Brainfarm did for snowboarding,” Kippenberger tells Jalopnik. “I believe it is time to start rethinking how to bring car visuals like Intersection did for print. There are few guys out there doing it — tangentvector is one of them — they inspire me to break free for the schakles of Top Gear thinking, which is basically a tv format from yesteryear, and go for some newer ideas.”
Kippenberger uses a heavily modified $630 XAircraft X650V-4, fitting carbon blades, larger capacity batteries and custom camera mounts all in the name of more air time in a wider range of conditions, equalling better footage. Just don’t mistake a Porsche for a Paykan and pull the trigger on boring video.
Indian design house DC Design has come up with a sports car. Called DC Avanti, the red flat nosed two-door was unveiled at the India Auto Expo by Bollywood legend and car buff Amitabh Bachchan. DC plans to put India’s first sports car to production in 2013.
“We intend to produce 300 units of the Avanti in 2013-2014 and if all goes well we could ramp up the production to go into four figures per annum,” DC Design founder Dilip Chhabria said.
No big engine here, the mid engined DC Avanti will be powered by a Ford 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine with 261bhp. A V6 variant with 394 bhp will follow. Both mills can be had with a 6 M/T or a six-speed dual clutch transmission. The Avanti, which uses aluminium extensively, weighs 1,560 kg, and 0-100 m/h will take less than seven seconds.
The Tata Nano may not be the runaway sales success the vehicle’s Indian manufacturers had hoped, but that hasn’t stopped other automakers from eying India’s blooming inexpensive vehicle segment. The country’s largest manufacturer of three wheelers is set to dip a toe into the automotive manufacturing with an all-new vehicle. The Bajaj RE60 features a water-cooled 200cc engine with around 20 horsepower, and as a result, the vehicle has a top speed of just 43 mph. That may not be quick, but the company says there’s room for up to four people indoors or up to 14.1 cubic feet of cargo area with the rear seats folded flat.
The Bajaj RE60 weighs in at a mere 880 pounds, and the company plans to offer several fuel variants. Gasoline, liquid propane gas and compressed natural gas versions will all be available, though buyers won’t be able to get their hands on an RE60 with a diesel engine. So far, there’s no word on price, but we’re guessing it’ll have to undercut the Tata for obvious reason.
The new Porsche 911 Cabriolet, announced in November 2011, will make its world debut at the upcoming NAIAS in Detroit. The first motor show of the year was chosen because America is the biggest market for the drop top, by far. In fact, Porsche is thriving in the US despite the less than rosy economy – in 2011, Porsche sold 29,023 cars, 15% up from 2010. They plan to shift over 30k units this year.
Back to the 911 Cab. The big news here is the all new roof design. Throwing out the multi-layered fabric item from the 997, this lid uses a fabric skinned composite panel, which provides a nicer shape and a better fit. Porsche also says that this new roof, which takes just 11 seconds to raise or stow, is more resistant to high speed buffeting. There’s also an automatic wind deflector.
The roof is laid on a magnesium frame, and the glass rear window is glued directly to the outer fabric skin. The lowering and closing process can be done at speeds of up to 60 km/h. You can see this being done in the videos.
Powertrains are identical to the 991 Coupe. The Cabrio’s backside houses a 3.4-litre flat six with 350 hp/380 Nm driving the rear wheels via the world’s first seven-speed manual gearbox. The Carrera S Cabriolet comes with a 3.8-litre flat six with 400 hp and 440 Nm. Porsche’s twin-clutch PDK will be a popular option, delivering better fuel consumption and acceleration than the stick shift.
You know you want another one of Ken Block’s trademark hoonage videos, don’t you? Of course you do. And so we’re glad to oblige. But, Ken Block being Ken Block, “just another” video wouldn’t do. No, he and his crew at the Monster World Rally Team have to make each episode count. And that requires a certain measure of creativity.
For this latest three-minute clip, Block and company headed to the Dirtfish Rally School in Snoqualmie Falls, Washington. That may not mean anything to you now, but do you remember Twin Peaks? Dirtfish is based in the very same location where the popular early-90s TV show was shot. Block and his team headed there to test out the new Ford Fiesta HFHV on gravel for the first time, and were kind enough to bring along a video crew to, um… “document” the process. Follow the jump to go fire walking with Block and crew.
Toyota last week announced the introduction of the Aqua in Japan, a month after it made its debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. The compact hybrid is the domestic version of the Prius c, and wears a Hybrid Synergy Drive system based around a 1.5 litre engine.
The 1NZ-FXE Atkinson cycle mill offers 74 PS at 4,800 rpm and 111 Nm at 3,600-4,400 rpm, and works alongside an electric motor/Ni-Mh battery combination offering 61 PS and 169 Nm, with combined maximum output being 100 PS. Performance figures include a 0-100 km/h time of 10.7 seconds and a 35.4 km per litre consumption, under the JC08 test cycle.
Standard safety kit includes ABS, EBD, brake assist, VSC and hill-start assist, and ten exterior colours abound, with four interior accent shades patterns (Earth Brown, Fresh Green, Cool Blue, and Natural Gray) to boot.
The Aqua will be available in three grades, these being L, S and G, with different packages to boot. Pricing starts from 1.69 million yen for the baseline model.
If Fido can distinguish people and other pooches by their backsides, why not a seat? When students at the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo, Japan asked that question, they came up with a car seat fitted with 360 sensors that makes a map of the pressure applied by your posterior. Among the six rumps tested, the seat was 98 percent accurate at sorting one from another.
The ultimate aim is to work with automakers to develop an anti-theft solution that would be available in the next few years. With such a small testing pool, it’s too early to start asking the difficult questions about real-world viability (especially when you start to factor in things like different articles of clothing, Costanza wallets, and so on), but we have a feeling this kind of technology will find an application somewhere.
Pretty much every time Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson opens his mouth these days, someone takes offense, which does make it hard to tell whether Clarkson is actually offensive.
The latest complaints have come after the Top Gear Christmas special, in which Clarkson and his posse go to India on a “trade mission.” According to The Telegraph, the BBC has received 23 complaints about the show, in which Clarkson is charged with making insensitive remarks about Indian clothing, trains, food and history.
Clarkson’s “funny” bits on the show included dropping his pants in front of Indian dignitaries and outfitting a Jaguar XJS with a toilet seat and then driving around Indian slums, according to the report. Clarkson reportedly described the Jag as “perfect for India because everyone who comes here gets the trots.”
While we haven’t seen the episode, we do know that the XJS has a reputation for crapping out with some frequency. Before you fire up the torrents, check out the episode trailer after the jump.
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