articles

2014 BMW i8 unveiled

2014 BMW i8 unveiled


1 / 32

Looking sleek and chic, the newest member of BMW's innovative "i" family of eco-friendly EfficientDynamics vehicles took center stage in Frankfurt, finally free of all camouflage. A plug-in hybrid with legitimate high-performance credentials, the 2014 BMW i8 matches aggressive 2+2 coupe styling and lightweight design with a bespoke gasoline/electric drivetrain and a performance-tuned suspension that will ensure it lives up to BMW's "Ultimate Driving Machine" mantra. 
Appearing even more refined than the original concept vehicle that first appeared at the 2011 Frankfurt gathering, the production BMW i8 uses its own iteration of BMW's innovative LifeDrive architecture that was specifically created for its "i" model family of vehicles. The i8's dramatically contoured aluminum and composite body panels are wrapped around a super-strong CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) central passenger cell - aka the Life module -- which is mated to an aluminum-intensive Drive module and contains all of the car's mechanical running gear. 
In addition to reducing total weight, this innovative architecture allows for optimized distribution of mass as well as lowering the center of gravity. The BMW i8's aero-optimized exterior boasts a superb 0.26 coefficient of drag, helped by BMW's Air Curtains in the front apron, a sealed underbody and wind-cheating custom wheels, all set off by energy-efficient full LED headlamps and taillamps. Even the i8's greenhouse takes a next-gen approach, being the first chemically-hardened production car glass that also happens to be 50 percent lighter and offers better acoustic properties than its conventional alternative. 
Developed in house by the BMW Group and making its first appearance here, the i8's vehicle-specific hybrid system matches a new rear-mounted 1.5-liter 3-cylinder TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine that sends its 228 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission with a compact lightweight forward-positioned electric motor/generator that ships its 129 horses and 184 lb-ft of peak twist to the front wheels. The motor is energized by a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack that runs down the car's central tunnel. Collectively, the system churns out 357 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, sufficient to send the 3,285-pound i8 sprinting from 0-62 mph in just 4.5 seconds and onto a terminal velocity of 155 mph but can still return a stellar 94 mpg on the European test cycle. 
When operating in pure EV capacity, the BMW i8 can travel up to 22 miles on a single full charge and reach a speed of 75 mph. Replenishing the battery will take about 3.5 hours on a conventional 110-120V line but only 1.5 hours using a dedicated BMW i Wallbox unit. In addition to conventional regenerative braking, the battery also can be recharged on the fly by the electric motor operating as an on-board generator during overrun or deceleration situations.  
To make sure it can deliver a full measure of BMW dynamic character, the i8's chassis and drive system have both been fine-tuned for the mission. In addition to its standard Dynamic Damper Control suspension, a bounty of BMW's other electronic handling/braking assists and 20-inch forged alloy wheels with staggered-width (195/40 front and 214/45 rear) tires, the i8 features a variable power split that can selectively optimize front/rear drive torque when cornering. It also includes BMW's Driving Experience Control with selectable Comfort/EcoPro settings - the latter increases the car's standard range total from 310 to nearly 355 miles - as well as a conventional Drive mode or Sport setting for the transmission and an exclusive eDrive button. 
Inside, the i8 matches traditional BMW driver-centric focus with a number of more exotic touches the automaker refers to as a "progressive ambiance." Complementing the three-dimensional character of its instrument panel and console are lightweight shell-style front and rear individual seats. Like many other panels in this modernistic passenger compartment, they're covered in naturally processed leather to further emphasize the sustainable nature of the vehicle. Whether Mega, Giga or top-line Tera trim grades, all BMW i8 variants come with a full roster of electronic assists including a Head-Up Display, front/rear Park Distance Control, cruise control with braking function and rain-sensing wipers coupled with auto-headlight activation. Key options include BMW's comprehensive ConnectedDrive driver-assistance package that nets High Beam Assistant, a rear view camera, Surround View, Speed Limit/No passing info displays, Collision Warning with pedestrian recognition and braking functions, and BMW Online Entertainment and Concierge Services.
The 2014 BWW i8 is slated to arrive in showrooms here starting next spring. Pricing will start at $136,625 including destination. 
 Read more

10 Best New Cars Unveiled this Week

10 Best New Cars Unveiled this Week


1 / 10
The players, the hustlers and everybody who loves new cars and future cars focused their attention on Germany's Frankfurt Auto Show this week to see who's coming out with what and who can impress the journalists and the car-buying public with their genius. If you've never been to an auto show, it's a bit like a rugby scrum where all the world's carmakers try to unnerve their competitors and inspire their customers.
Our editors scoured the nine halls of the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show to come up with this list of Greatest Hits. Some of these stars of the show are production cars hitting showrooms and driveways soon, some are "concept" cars in the purest sense, and others are concepts destined for production if the public response is positive.
But whether it offers a crystal clear look at tomorrow or a hazy gaze a couple years down the road, each of the cars on this list is a glimpse into our future. And our future looks bright.
Take a quick tour in the gallery above, then learn more about your favorites below.
If you're young and premium-minded we think you'll be wowed by the Infiniti Q30 compact crossover concept. Infiniti doesn't want you to be distracted by mundane things like engines and transmissions. Instead, bask in the authentic materials and in an emotional design that borrows from coupe, hatchback and crossover without being precisely any of those.
Up on the stand at the Frankfurt auto show, this little guy looked mean. Sporting 18-inch wheels, plus 420 horsepower romping out of a 1.6-liter 4-cylinder hybrid power setup, the Angry Young Yaris Hybrid-R concept was tuned up for track as well as road work with knowledge gleaned from some of Toyota's top racing engineers.
Jaguar's feeling the heat. Every other luxury carmaker has an SUV to offer, and for brands like Lexus and Porsche, SUVs are the top sellers. Now comes the Jaguar C-X17 concept crossover SUV, ostensibly created to show off Jaguar's future commitment to lightweight aluminum structures, but... a Jag SUV wouldn't be an absurdity.
We can only hope that Audi futurists and Italdesign Giugiaro keep getting together after viewing this stunning crossover that somehow melds the dynamics of a mid-engine sports car chassis with the spirit of an SUV. Delivering enough torque (737.56 lb-ft) to pull a skyscraper out of the ground, we have a feeling it'll startle the squirrels.
While auto shows are frequently about the new, it was the Golf R's heritage that attracted us to this fourth-generation version. Yes, fuel economy is up 18%, and we applaud that, but we think Golf R fans will be more amped about the DSG dual-clutch manual-cum-automatic and the resulting 4.9-second 0-62 time.
The Tesla Model S is arguably the coolest sedan of all time, but the BMW i8 might just out-cool (and out-tech) it. The plug-in hybrid boasts a futuristic lightweight body fashioned of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, an innovative drivetrain that promises sports-car-like performance and a six-figure price tag that will command attention.
Sometimes, you gotta just sit back and sigh. There was a great deal of sighing going on in Frankfurt when the Mercedes-Benz Concept S-Class Coupe rolled out onto the display floor and the arena exploded in flashes like a paparazzi festival. It appears that the S-Class coupe is in line for production.
In a Frankfurt show that was shy of heroes, the Volvo Concept Coupe was greeted by a delightful combination of nostalgia and lust. As the first of a series of three concept vehicles from Volvo, the Concept Coupe hints at the shape of Volvos and of Volvo hybrid drivetrains to come.
We loved the mid-80s Audi Sport Quattro for its pure grit, so how could we resist a concept version that channels the same profile, while packing a technological one-two punch the original couldn't match? First there's the 553-horsepower V8, and then there's a 148-horsepower electric motor. With a 190-mph top speed, it's an interesting take on environmentalism.
Production hybrid cars have finally hit the big time. The Porsche 918 Spyder is built to take advantage of the "Right-now!" acceleration available with the help of an electric motor combined with a V8 engine for maximum thrust. How thrustworthy is the 918 Spyder? Porsche claims zero-to-62 mph in a soul-boggling 2.8 seconds.
 Read more

Opel Monza Concept opens new design doors

Opel Monza Concept opens new design doors


1 / 16

Resurrecting a classic model name from its own marque history, the Opel Monza Concept rolled into Frankfurt boasting a host of new design elements from its avant-garde styling to its enhanced use of on-board electronics to its unique variation on GM's E-REV (Extended-Range Electric Vehicle) propulsion technology pioneered on the Chevrolet Volt and its European opposite number, the Opel Ampera. According to Opel CEO, Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, this elegantly extreme vision "represents the Opel car of tomorrow." Given the level of current and projected future product-sharing alignment between the General's upline European division and Buick here in the U.S., it also seems possible that at least some of the groundbreaking innovations introduced in the Monza Concept also might find their way to America. 
Combining the visual flair of a coupe with the practicality of a sleek wagon, the Monza Concept expands on design themes introduced in the latest generation Opel Insignia - which made its Atlantic crossing to become our current Buick Regal. However with far bolder contours, a sweeping roofline and more sculpted surfaces intended to project of feeling of lightness while recalling the pattern of waves rolling onto shore, the Monza is a breed apart. As a final flourish, it features pair of large gullwing doors that, unencumbered by conventional B-pillars, swing up and away to provide easy access to the Monza's spacious 4-passenger inner sanctum.
While its basic cabin trappings of fine leather, wood and metal are smartly turned out in their own right, it's the dash treatment that really sets the new Monza Concept apart. Mindful that enhanced connectively and user-friendliness will be critical to satisfying buyer needs in the coming years, Opel's design group relied on extensive consumer research to develop a configuration that would serve as a benchmark for future Human Machine Interfaces (HMI). The result is a highly sculpted, full-digital panel that runs from door to door and consists of 18 LED projectors that can function individually or in any grouping to provide any and all information required but no more than is necessary or requested. Presented in vivid 3D, the various functional data -- or even decorative backgrounds -- can be dialed up using voice control or the multifunction steering wheel. 
The Monza's advanced HMI system also provides for three different levels of smartphone connectivity dubbed ME, US and ALL. The first virtually decouples the driver's smartphone from the on-board infotainment system to maintain full focus on the vehicle's command and control functions. US allows passengers to use their personal devices to log on and link up with others while ALL permits everyone on board including the driver to share everything from music to the route being travelled with the outside world. The Opel system also is designed to accommodate the full range of forthcoming Car-to-Car and Car-to-X technologies that will allow automatic real-time communications between vehicles and/or various data providers to help reduce the potential for accidents or warn of various traffic conditions. 
The Monza also features modular platform architecture that allows for the fitment of a wide range of conventional and advanced powertrains. In this case, the existing E-REV 1.4-liter gasoline-burning 4-cylinder range-extender that creates electricity on the fly to directly energize the traction motor is replaced by a new 1.0-liter/3-cylinder engine that runs on compressed natural gas. Opel offered no specifics on performance or MPGe numbers, but it did confirm that the smaller engine and cleaner-burning fuel results in a significant reduction in CO2 emissions. 
While it's still too soon to tell where the fantasy ends and the future really begins, there's no denying the Opel Monza Concept does offer some very interesting alternative takes on conventional thinking. 
 Read more
Inscription à : Articles ( Atom )