Thursday, December 31, 2009
Audi O Sports Car Concept is fuel efficient diesel/electric hybrid drivetrain


Audi O Sports Car Concept
The Audi O concept was designed to fuse a powerful and innovative audio system with a stylish and sporty four-seat hatchback. The exterior design uses several Audi trademark styling themes, especially at the front where the square grille sits neatly between the LED headlights.

Audi O Sports Car Concept
The doors feature glass windows running along the bottom edge which provide an interesting shape to the profile of the car. At the rear of the car the pullout door echoes the design of the squared off Audi grille. The 2008 Audi O concept was designed by Ondrej Jirec, a design student from the Czech Republic who is beginning studies at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, California in 2008.
The interior of the Audi O concept is bright and airy thanks to a full length panoramic roof which floods the cabin with light. Inside, the passenger compartment has been separated from the engine compartment by a double firewall to help keep out external noise which might interfere with the powerful sound system.
The Audi O concept features a unique audio system which has internet connectivity for downloading music onto the built-in 650 GB hard drive. When parked up a Bluetooth system can connect two or more Audi O cars to play audio over a wider area. In this situation, a host Audi O is set to be the source of sound and the other vehicles act as speakers.

The Audi O also features a pullout rear door fitted with a DJ set with mixing decks. The decks can also be removed and used anywhere outside the car.
Powering the Audi O concept is fuel efficient diesel/electric hybrid drivetrain.
New Years' Resolution: Get on the Road and Away from Watching TV!

Hi folks -- currently I am doing quite a bit of reading as I am structuring ideas for my next book. What follows is important for all of us, as it points to the matter of why TV is such a bad thing in our lives and why we must get off the couch, on to the road, and experience living. We all are running out of time.
As a point of reference Andre Codrescu's Raod Scholar was made into a film in the mid-1990s. The book followed, and is better than the film. Codescu as an immigrant who came to America in 1966 from Romania, the author thinks he knows more about America than he really does. To be fair, Codrescu has a number of remarkable insights, but one must be wary of taking the lot of them for the truth. Of course, who has the entire truth about the U.S., its manners, customs, and people?
An Important Quote from Codrescu's Road Scholar,
p. 30-1:
The road is a metaphor factory. It spews poetry, songs, maxims, homilies, quips, stupidities, and profundities. Everyone knows that life is a journey and time is a a road. Everyone knows that. Babies, who travel a piece to get here , know that. They journey into the world via the meta-road. They wear sunglasses and drive tiny cars made of light beams. Life is a road and cliche factory. It's the source of practically everything we humans try to tell ourselves about ourselves. You look like a mile of bad road. You've taken the road less traveled.
I haven't driven far yet.
The road is everything except for one thing -- real. You can say everything you want about the road, and you do. You might even live your life using road metaphors every day to get you to work and back, but the sad fact is there is no road. The last time there was a road was in the sixties. We had a road back then because Neal Cassady like to drive, Jack Kerouac liked to write, and everyone wanted to leave home. So all at once for a bout ten years young people discovered the infrastructure at the very same moment that they saw their won arteries and veins with the blood rushing through them all lit up. The infrastructure all neon -lit and gas- station- neoned throbbed briefly with all these young Americans with lit veins and arteries rushing along its highways and byways. These lit infusions were driven along by sounds they themselves made singing of the roads they rode on.
And when they stopped moving, sometime in the late seventies, there was this big store of raod lore floating in the pyscho-sphere. It's where the Reagan-Bush decades went shopping for images to get people off the road and into schools, homes, corner offices, prisons, and mental institutions. Which is where we all live now.
Roads aren't real anymore. All roads are now metaphors about the road. Most people would rather stay home. In their homes they feed on lots of cliches about the road so that they won't feel as if they've stopped moving. Only the dead stop moving and most people don't want to be dead. Every couch potato dreams himself or herself on the road, and they are, thanks to TV, which gives them the illusion that they are somewhere else. Everyone lives on TV now, which is everywhere and no where....When TV travelers do travel they go to places they've seen on TV, straight into the tourist postcards and never see what they haven't already seen at home. If they stumble on something that 's never been on TV they shoot it with the video camera and then it's on TV. They go from postcard to postcard by plane so they never touch the road.
2010 New Bentley Mulsanne Luxurious Sports Car The 8-litre’s Debut at Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance, California
2010 Bentley Motors unveiled the Mulsanne, the company’s all-new flagship grand tourer, at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in Monterey, California. The Mulsanne is inspired by the company founder W.O. Bentley’s crowning achievement in 1930, the 8-litre. And it was W.O.’s own sensitively conserved company car that shared the podium with the new Mulsanne in Pebble Beach. This early motoring masterpiece represented the last big Bentley that was designed, engineered and built from the ground up by Bentley engineers - until now.
Nearly 80 years later, while paying respect to this illustrious past, the new Mulsanne is a thoroughly modern statement of luxury driving and grand touring. Conceived, styled and engineered entirely at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe, England, the Mulsanne, with its completely new and unique platform, goes into production next year in a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility within the Crewe factory. The Bentley design team, lead by Dirk van Braeckel, have created a flagship that offers the classic sporting, styling cues long-associated with Bentley - expressed in a thoroughly contemporary way.

The return of the Mulsanne name to a car carrying Bentley’s iconic ‘Winged B’ emblem underlines the company’s racing pedigree and nowhere reflects that heritage better than the famed Le Mans circuit, the scene of no fewer than six Bentley triumphs. Few places offer a stronger or more emotive connection with the Bentley marque than the famed Mulsanne corner.
The Bentley 8-litre displayed alongside the Mulsanne in California was first shown at the 1930 London Motor Show.
It was the second-built and was W.O. Bentley’s company car for two years. Capable of reaching more than 100 mph, the 8-litre demonstrated W.O. Bentley’s ambition and ability to build a grand luxury car capable of surpassing every other leading manufacturer of the day. A total of 100 cars were built in 1930 and 1931.
“The 8-litre’s breathtaking performance and quality was perhaps the finest example of a ‘pure’ grand Bentley. Every mechanical detail carried W.O. Bentley’s unique stamp and it was the clearest demonstration of a car built without compromise,” commented Dr. Ulrich Eichhorn, Member of the Board Engineering. “The Mulsanne has been designed with exactly the same guiding principles, so it is entirely fitting that these Bentleys from different eras share the same stage.”
The Bentley Mulsanne will go on sale from mid 2010. It will also be displayed at the forthcoming IAA Frankfurt Motor Show (15-27th September, 2009) where Bentley Motors will provide additional product information.
Cadillac refines sporty XLR-V

Cadillac refines sporty XLR-V
Ever since its arrival in the exclusive world of luxury roadsters in 2004, the Cadillac XLR has been a valued member of this elite club. This is certainly true of the version available in Europe, propelled by the powerful 4.4-litre Supercharged Northstar V8 engine (330 kW / 450 hp) from the famed Cadillac V-series. For model year 2009, the XLR-V has been technologically refined, and the design has been fine-tuned in a number of important respects.
read more [via] www.gmeurope.info
Saab Geneva Show Highlights

Saab Geneva Show Highlights
Saab is a brand on the move, displaying two concept cars at this year’s show as part of a commitment to expand its product portfolio by entering all major segments of the car market. Both concepts share distinctive Scandinavian styling themes and feature further developments in the rightsizing appeal of turbocharging with Saab BioPower.
www.gmeurope.info
Saab Geneva Show Highlights

Saab Geneva Show Highlights
Saab is a brand on the move, displaying two concept cars at this year’s show as part of a commitment to expand its product portfolio by entering all major segments of the car market. Both concepts share distinctive Scandinavian styling themes and feature further developments in the rightsizing appeal of turbocharging with Saab BioPower.
www.gmeurope.info
Cadillac refines sporty XLR-V

Cadillac refines sporty XLR-V
Ever since its arrival in the exclusive world of luxury roadsters in 2004, the Cadillac XLR has been a valued member of this elite club. This is certainly true of the version available in Europe, propelled by the powerful 4.4-litre Supercharged Northstar V8 engine (330 kW / 450 hp) from the famed Cadillac V-series. For model year 2009, the XLR-V has been technologically refined, and the design has been fine-tuned in a number of important respects.
read more [via] www.gmeurope.info
1931 Chrysler CG Imperial

Highest Explore #240: Sept. 30, 2008.
The 2008 Grand Experience Concours at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, May 31, 2008.
Chrysler made 100 of the CG Imperial roadsters in 1931 which were open cars with zip-in side curtains. However they only made 10 of the 1931 CG Imperial convertible coupes. What makes this car unique is that it had roll up windows, one of the first Chryslers to have such a mechanism.
There are believed to be just three of these cars left in the world.
This beautiful Chrysler won best of show at the Grand Experience Concours.
1931 Chrysler CG Imperial

Highest Explore #240: Sept. 30, 2008.
The 2008 Grand Experience Concours at the Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners, Michigan, May 31, 2008.
Chrysler made 100 of the CG Imperial roadsters in 1931 which were open cars with zip-in side curtains. However they only made 10 of the 1931 CG Imperial convertible coupes. What makes this car unique is that it had roll up windows, one of the first Chryslers to have such a mechanism.
There are believed to be just three of these cars left in the world.
This beautiful Chrysler won best of show at the Grand Experience Concours.
2008 HUMMER H2 delivers greater capability and comfort

HUMMER H2
For 2008, the iconic HUMMER H2 features numerous changes that deliver a more luxurious, comfortable and refined interior, while retaining HUMMER’s legendary off-road abilities and ruggedness. An all-new powertrain combines a 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission to deliver much improved efficiency, while state-of-the-art safety features are now standard.www.gmeurope.info
2008 HUMMER H2 delivers greater capability and comfort

HUMMER H2
For 2008, the iconic HUMMER H2 features numerous changes that deliver a more luxurious, comfortable and refined interior, while retaining HUMMER’s legendary off-road abilities and ruggedness. An all-new powertrain combines a 6.2-litre V8 petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission to deliver much improved efficiency, while state-of-the-art safety features are now standard.www.gmeurope.info
Cadillac Provoq Fuel Cell Concept: clean, petroleum-free performance and signature design

Cadillac Provoq Fuel Cell Concept:
Cadillac unveils a new vision for the future of luxury transportation with the innovative Provoq fuel cell concept – a hydrogen fuel cell crossover vehicle that continues GM’s commitment to displace petroleum through advanced technology.
www.gmeurope.info
Cadillac Provoq Fuel Cell Concept: clean, petroleum-free performance and signature design

Cadillac Provoq Fuel Cell Concept:
Cadillac unveils a new vision for the future of luxury transportation with the innovative Provoq fuel cell concept – a hydrogen fuel cell crossover vehicle that continues GM’s commitment to displace petroleum through advanced technology.
www.gmeurope.info
New Chevrolet Cruze: Exciting Design Arrives in the Value Segment

New Chevrolet Cruze: Exciting Design Arrives in the Value Segment
The all-new Chevrolet Cruze, making its world premiere at the Paris Show, raises the bar for exciting design and build quality among value products in Europe's compact car segment.
www.gmeurope.info
New Chevrolet Cruze: Exciting Design Arrives in the Value Segment

New Chevrolet Cruze: Exciting Design Arrives in the Value Segment
The all-new Chevrolet Cruze, making its world premiere at the Paris Show, raises the bar for exciting design and build quality among value products in Europe's compact car segment.
www.gmeurope.info
HUMMER extends range with H3 V8

HUMMER extends range with H3 V8
For model year 2008, Hummer has made a number of interesting changes to the H3 range. The 3.7 litre five-cylinder petrol version is now supplemented with an impressive V8. In addition, new paint colours are available, the design has been updated slightly and there is a limited edition of the H3 V8 in the showroom: the Granite Edition.
www.gmeurope.info
HUMMER extends range with H3 V8

HUMMER extends range with H3 V8
For model year 2008, Hummer has made a number of interesting changes to the H3 range. The 3.7 litre five-cylinder petrol version is now supplemented with an impressive V8. In addition, new paint colours are available, the design has been updated slightly and there is a limited edition of the H3 V8 in the showroom: the Granite Edition.
www.gmeurope.info
Meriva Concept: Dynamic Design And Innovative FlexDoors System

Meriva Concept: Dynamic Design And Innovative FlexDoors System
The Opel Meriva Concept, due to be unveiled at the 78th International Motor Show in Geneva (March 6 – 16, 2008), illustrates how the new Opel design language can be adapted to create bold, fresh design solutions for this segment.
www.gmeurope.info
Meriva Concept: Dynamic Design And Innovative FlexDoors System

Meriva Concept: Dynamic Design And Innovative FlexDoors System
The Opel Meriva Concept, due to be unveiled at the 78th International Motor Show in Geneva (March 6 – 16, 2008), illustrates how the new Opel design language can be adapted to create bold, fresh design solutions for this segment.
www.gmeurope.info
Why did GM have to run Saab into the ground?



Hi folks -- truth be told, I loved those early Saabs. They were distinctive, utilitarian, a counterculture statement that simply said not all folks are obsessed with iron from Detroit. Saabs were aerodynamic, as you might expect, but with their 3-cylinder, 2cycle engines and front wheel drive they were indestructible and wonderful. Saab pioneered the use of the turbocharger in cars that the middle class drove.
So GM came along, used their platform, kept the key in the console, and thought that we Americans would somehow buy them.
50 years from now, when the history of the decline of American industrial might is definitively written, there will be a lengthy chapter on GM's misdeeds!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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