Nik J Miles

Posts Tagged ‘Concept’

The eagerly awaited next generation of America’s sports car, the Chevrolet Corvette, will debut in the fall of 2013 as a 2014 model, according to a Chevrolet source.  Automotive News reported the current model will be offered for the 2012 model year and possibly part of 2013.   The new model, the C7, is expected to retain the front-engine layout, even though earlier rumors had indicated a switch to a mid-engine layout.  Read the rest of this entry »

Jaguar announced in May plans to move forward with stunning C-X75 concept car by building 250 examples of the supercar.

Everything about the Jaguar halo car is extreme and innovative from the 200 mph plus top speed to the electric drivetrain to the price tag which is expected to be in the $1.2 to $1.5 million range. Read the rest of this entry »

High fuel prices have caused Mercedes-Benz to rethink sizing and propulsion options on the premium brand offerings and the company is testing the waters in the U.S.  by showing the Concept A-Class at some of the recent auto shows.

“The Concept A-Class introduces the new Mercedes-Benz design idiom into the premium small car segment in a sculptured, light and expressive interpretation,” says Professor Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Mercedes-Benz. “We use the term ‘captured energy’ to express the sheer dynamism exuded by the Concept A-Class. Our formal sources of inspiration were the wind and waves, as well as aviation engineering, resulting in this “cool” look.” Read the rest of this entry »

GMC has approved the production of the Granite concept, which first debuted at the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.  According to Motor Trend magazine a well-placed source says the concept will be built, complete with the dramatic rear hinged rear doors.

If the rumor is true, the Granite would be the smallest GMC ever – but it has been optimized to feel much larger. The Granite is about the same size as the Honda Fit.  The inside feels spacious and has cargo space and unique flipping/folding seats enable a mountain bike to be loaded completely inside with the tailgate closed. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve driven an aftermarket turbocharged version of the Suzuki Kizashi modified by the Suzuki PR team and it was awesome, so we expect the turbocharged Kizashi Apex Concept shown at the recent New York International Auto Show to be even more impressive.

Taking a page from the company’s championship-winning motorcycles, the turbocharged Apex concept showcases the link between automotive and motorcycle divisions. Read the rest of this entry »

Making its global debut at the 2011 New York International Auto Show, the Lexus LF-Gh concept is a case study to the new Lexus look.

“For this concept, Lexus designers studied characteristics that are often considered contradictory and difficult to execute together,” said Kengo Matsumoto, general manager, Lexus Design Division, Toyota Motor Corporation. “The captivating design of the LF-Gh concept examines the possibility of balancing what are normally opposing qualities, such as style and functionality.” Read the rest of this entry »

BMW plans to pull the wraps off its 5^th generation M5 at Auto Shanghai 2011 in mid-April.  The M5 is the car that defined a new category of luxury and performance capable of everyday driving, but with racetrack performance. Read the rest of this entry »

Kia is exploring the modern-day “activity van” with a recently unveiled concept called the KV7.

Expanding on recent design success like the Soul, Sorento, Sportage and the Forte Koup, the KV7 takes a functional approach to a mobile gathering space by taking the concept beyond mere transportation.   With a single gull wing door on the passenger side opening to a spacious and adaptable interior space the KV7 becomes a great space for friends to gather, as well as go places and carry things. Read the rest of this entry »

Crossovers popularity could start to decline as manufacturers start to introduce a new classification of Urban Activity Vehicles (UAV).  One of the interesting new live action studies of this new automotive creature was introduced in Detroit by Hyundai in January.  The Hyundai Curb concept follows other similar vehicles like the Nissan Juke and Hyundai Veloster into the yet formally defined grouping.

What sets the Curb apart from some of the others, however, is that Hyundai is also using it as a test bed for future Hyundai Blue Link™ and vehicle connectivity technology. Read the rest of this entry »

Infiniti designers are looking down the road at a premium entry-level, and the result of their work showed recently at Geneva Motor Show.  The Ethera, which is about the same size as a Volkswagen Golf,  is designed to project both an “evolving Infiniti identity” and a profile that is distinctly different from any current vehicle available in the premium compact class.
“Ethera is about a new type of luxury for younger buyers,” said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice President and leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit. “It is not just a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car.” Read the rest of this entry »