Auto News linked by TVR&FF "Closed"

[Philly]

someone kill me, i don't want to be around when those...... things, are on the road, if that still exists.

I don't think you have much to worry about. Look at the designs from a long time ago of what they thought the 21st century automobile would look at.

 

[High-Test]

I've got a book called Art of the American Automobile, and there was a stamp in 1928 showing what they thought cars would look like in the late sixties. The vehicle looked eerily similar to the Batmobile in Batman Beyond. It was really long and had one fin going down the middle of the rear.

 

[hemisport15]

philly cheese, you have a point, and i would like to thank all of you for your support, i think i will make it.
SERIOUS MODE ON
I like concept cars, most of the time, but i just don't understand the styling. don't get me wrong, the people that create these machines are talented and i respect them. it's just that the designs are so....wierd. well, that is my opinion, many of you will probably disagree, but hey, everybody is different.

 

[Sakiale]

Is there a link to pictures?

 

[Pebb]

Is there a link to pictures?

Channel 4's server is down for maintenance, which is why the shots from the article on 4car are not showing up.

 

[Pebb]

Source: Auto Express

Nissan’s fantastic four set to steal show

They’re expecting quads at Nissan! The Japanese brand is preparing to deliver four stunning concepts at this month’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Bosses are pulling out all the stops at the firm’s home expo with a futuristic saloon, open-topped supermini and trendy van among its star attractions.

The Intima previews what’s in store from the next-generation version of Nissan’s Maxima, which was last sold in the UK in 2002. Neat details include barn-style doors to aid access and a huge panoramic glass windscreen that extends back into the roofline.

The Mercedes S-Class-sized luxury car also has two-piece headlamps that span the front wing and bonnet, tiny, ultra-aerodynamic mirrors and twin tail-pipes integrated with the rear bumper. It features a new V6 diesel engine.

Next up is the NV200, which looks like a cross between the A-Team van and Thunderbird 2. The chunky concept gets a slide-out rear end rather than conventional doors, and has been kitted out for an ocean photographer. That explains the underwater swimming gear in the back, as well as the computer monitors inside.

The Round Box concept – dubbed Rd-Bx for short – shows an unusual take on open-air motoring. According to Nissan, the striking red machine combines the practicality and space of a supermini with the sharp looks and handling of a sports car. There is no roof, but its boxy body features a near vertical rear end, while the cabin has room for four. Power is from a 1.6-litre petrol turbo, and to increase the sense of speed there are clear panels in the bottoms of the doors, so occupants can watch the road surface flash past beneath. This innovation was first seen on the brand’s Urge concept, which debuted at the 2006 Detroit show.

Last of all is the quirky Pivo2. It picks up where the original 2005 Pivo concept left off, and uses lithium-ion batteries to power multi-directional in-wheel motors. They make the bizarre machine a doddle to park, while the rotating passenger pod ensures the driver can always face in the direction in which they are heading.

Other clever innovations include an on-board robot, which uses a camera focused on the driver to detect tiredness. It can raise the alarm to prevent you from falling asleep at the wheel, and is even able to detect anger from facial expres*sions if you are about to descend into a fit of road rage.

 

[Sting]

Dont care what anyone says I LOVE THAT! Reminds me of the craft from the Wipeout games. Go Honda! 👍

 

[Kent]

I wouldn't call any of those stunning.

In fact, I don't even think most of them look original...
The first looks like an old Merc CL, the second looks like a Honda Element, the third looks like a golf ball inspired turd, and the fourth looks like a Scion xA.

Totally not what I'd expect or want from Nissan when "fantastic four" is mentioned... I was hoping it would be the new GT-R, new Sentra SE-R, new miniature Z, and maybe a new Maxima or Altima. 👍
That would be a Fantastic Four, not the concepts shown above.

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

New owner for Jaguar and Land Rover by 2008

Ford of Europe boss John Fleming has said that a new owner for Jaguar and Land Rover will be decided upon within two months, and that the two firms will be sold together.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Fleming confirmed that Ford was close to making a decision on the bids it has received for its British luxury car making brands.

Asked if there was a possibility of separating the firms, Fleming replied: "No, not really. Both are very integrated and it would be difficult to sell them separately."

Fleming also played down rumours of a possible sale of Volvo. "We are doing a strategic analysis of how it would affect Ford. Volvo is an essential partner… It would be very dangerous to give it to a competitor," he said.

While that still leaves the possibility of a sale, it’s unlikely to happen in the near future.

Instead, Fleming said that Ford of Europe was concentrating on new models that had global significance, such as the Mondeo, new Fiesta (previewed by the Verve concept at this year’s Frankfurt motor show) and commercial vehicles.

Ford also plans to expand its influence in Eastern Europe, as shown by its investment in a new plant at Craiova in Romania. Fleming said that there were no plans to build a Dacia Logan-rivalling budget car here, though Ford would build such a car "if it had to". Instead, the new plant will be used to build "a small car and probably a small commercial vehicle."

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Call for 20mph limits in towns

It’s pretty rare that you get to go faster than 20mph in most towns these days, but that’s the fastest that a parliamentary group reckons you should be allowed to go.

And how would these proposed new limits be enforced? With new cameras, of course, which would have the added benefit to local authorities of generating revenue.

One of many problems with the proposal, however, is that in order to catch drivers speeding at such a low level, a new type of average speed camera would need to be given Home Office approval.

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (Pacts) reckons that lowering the current 30mph urban limit is the only way to meet the government’s self-imposed target of reducing road deaths by 40 per cent by 2010 compared to the figure for the mid-’90s.

Currently around 3200 people die on UK roads every year, a figure that has consistently dropped, thanks in part to advances in car technology such as seatbelts, airbags and anti-lock brakes.

The executive director of Pacts, Robert Gifford, said that: "Improving road safety is not an academic exercise. Deaths on our roads are preventable occurrences where society could and should do more to prevent them. Every year, the inhabitants of a town the size of Nottingham or Belfast are killed or injured on our roads."

We think that’s a highly misleading statement. In 2006, the last year for which statistics are available, there were 258,404 road casualties in Great Britain – five per cent less than in 2005 (incidentally, the City of Nottingham has a population of around 280,000, and greater Nottingham around 680,000, either of which makes Mr Gifford’s figures even more misleading).

According to Department for Transport figures, of the 258,404 road casualties in 2006, 31,845 people were killed or seriously injured, and 3172 people were killed. So presumably 28,673 people were seriously injured but not killed.

It’s still too high a number, but it’s a lot less than the figure implied by Mr Gifford.

Would blanket 20mph limits have the effect of halving this number? It’s impossible to say. And if a 20mph limit halves deaths, then surely the next logical step would be to impose a blanket 10mph limit to cut the number of deaths yet further.

There is, of course, another way. One alternative is that used in Holland, and also taken up by Kensington & Chelsea on Kensington High Street. Here street furniture (barriers, kerbing, excessive signing) has been removed, placing pedestrians and motorists in closer proximity, with the effect of lowering limits.

Another option would be to impose variable limits, as around schools in Scotland, where there is a 20mph limit during school hours that rises to 30mph at night.

But then neither of those approaches would generate extra revenue for local councils through speeding fines, even if they might be every bit as effective at lowering casualty rates.

 

[ExigeEvan]

As a hopefully-soon-to-be-a-fully-legal-driver I'd welcome a 20mph limit in bsuy town roads and most residential, provided other speed limits were raised such as the motorway limit.

 

[Dave A]

No you wouldn't. And once your used to driving, you'll probably admit that. 20mph limits are painful, I accept that they arn't completely bad placed around schools, but I agree totally with the article. The only reason this is being considered is because the government can make revenue off it.

The only ideas of cutting congestion and accident rates our government seem capable of coming up with are schemes that involve some way of charging us more. As though we arn't already one of the most taxed countried in the world.

 

[ExigeEvan]

There are atleast 2 roads in my locality that I frequently drive and it's impossible to go fast than 20mph at just about any time of day due to parked cars and pedestrian traffic. And it's not just me going slow through lack of confidence, the drivers all around are at a similair pace (not just the one behind!).

I don't see why a limit of 20mph can't be imposed on purely residential roads that don't provide any direct route to anywhere. You've no reason to be in a hurry along roads like that, you should be keeping an eye out fro kids. There are already 20mph zones in my area that I have driven many times in my lessons and yes it is painfully slow. But they're not main roads and for that reason I think a lower limit is fine.

 

[Dave A]

And that's where judgment comes into play. My road is lined with cars on both sides at one end, and I don't do 30 down that section, what's being proposed is a blanket 20mph limit for urban areas. I assume it's not counting dual carriagways, but it isn't talking about just residential roads that don't go anywhere ether, do you think they're talking about putting up these new cameras they'd have to put up down your street and mine. I drive down this end of my road at 30mph, I drive down the other end at 20-25mph, except during the day when most of the cars arn't there, then I'll happily do 30.

As for being in a hurry, 100% of my journey to the office and home is down what can be classed as residential streets and I'm not the only person who takes that route into Stockport from Manchester. Like I said, once your driving regularly, you'll realsie how stupid an idea this really is. It's probably easy to think otherwise before your actually living with a car and relying on it daily and have been for some time.

Besides, like the article said, once they've lowered the limit to 20mph, for saftey reasons, why not lower it to 10. They're setting a president that a lower speed is safer, 30mph is the ideal compromise between road saftey and practicality of getting from a-b in a car in a built up area. This scheme, ultimately has little to do with road saftey and has more to do with creating revenue, if road safety was thier main concern they would be looking at examples of schemes that have worked. Most of which do not involve lower limits and more charges for thoes who don't comply.

I see no reason at all to back this idea beyond making certain parts of the government richer, and that isn't an idea I'm in support of.

 

[Danny]

I would greatly disapprove of this new limit. 30 is fine, and Dave is right about it being an excercise in money-spinning.

I would also hereby like to beat Evan to the punch, and state that my car is capable of more than 20mph.

 

[Tornado]

I think it should be up to the town's judgement and motorists judgement as to what a safe speed limit is. There are roads in my town that are 4 lane. Should those be 20 MPH?

 

[Jim Prower]

People would just ignore the signs, anyway. Sure, ticket revenue would be up, but they wouldn't nearly be able to catch everyone now going 20 over.

Of course, I'm in America. This is in Britian, narrower roads, different mentalty.

 

[Dave A]

The other problem is you get points on your license for speeding, so if you get caught doing 30 in a 20, which a lot of people would, then you get 3 points on your license for speeding. That happens three or four times and your banned.

 

[Wolfe]

People would just ignore the signs, anyway. Sure, ticket revenue would be up, but they wouldn't nearly be able to catch everyone now going 20 over.

This machine would like a word with you.

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Bentley special: Veyron power on the way

Bentley sources have confirmed that the company has built a prototype Arnage fitted with the Bugatti Veyron’s 987bhp quad-turbo W16 engine.

Bentley boss Franz-Josef Paefgen — who is also president of Bugatti — is thought to be the driving force behind the project. It’s unclear whether this experiment will ever find its way into the showrooms, or how such a huge amount of power can be contained in a rear-drive car.

But a detuned version of the unit could make sense in a production Arnage, and would create one of the most sought-after special edition British cars ever made.

The current Arnage’s 6.75-litre V8 pumps out up to 500bhp, while the Flying Spur’s W12 packs even more: 552bhp. It seems likely, then that Bentley will want the new Arnage to pull ahead of its stablemate and offer even more power. It also means that the new Arnage might well be able to top the Flying Spur's 200mph-plus top speed.

 

[Danny]

This is interesting information.

 

[Philly]

That is a lot of power. Is it needed there? I can certainly see a detuned version, probably with less turbo charging in the car, or maybe even just an NA version of the same block?

And have fun cooling it.

 

[Jim Prower]

This machine would like a word with you.

'ysee, we don't have those 'round here. anywhere.

They'd be useful, though. I'm tired of the tailgating, the cutting off, the doing 10 over...to avoid getting blown off by the "better than you" in the *insert luxury car name here,* and failing miserably. I mean, what do these people want? a Wangan Battle on their way to work?

and the Bentley...Hey! can Buick have their V8 back, now that you're done playing with it?

Jesting, though...900HP sounds right up their alley.

 

[Pebb]

Source: AutoCar

Bentley special: the hybrid option

Audi unveiled a hybrid version of its quattro transmission at the Frankfurt motor show in September — and it could be used in future Bentleys.

Audi engineers have fitted an electric motor inside the eight-speed tiptronic transmission housing, saving weight and bulk. In many current hybrid designs, the motor is sandwiched between the engine and the transmission.

The quattro hybrid can operate as a purely electric vehicle driving all four wheels, or the electric motor can kick in to assist the petrol engine, providing extra performance.

Audi says it will run at 30mph for almost two miles purely on battery power. This is important, because many car makers fear that European cities will adopt emissions-free zones within the next few years.

When the car is travelling using the petrol engine, the motor can act as a generator, charging the boot-mounted battery pack. The whole package adds just 100kg.

The set-up on display hooked up a 2.0-litre turbo engine with 210bhp and 221lb ft to the hybrid transmission. Audi says the electric motor adds 44bhp and another 170lb ft of torque, offering potentially huge performance as well as up to 30 per cent better economy.

While this layout will almost certainly find its way into the next-generation Flying Spur and Continental, Bentley could choose to adapt the hybrid system being developed for the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q7. That system is basically a rear-drive format, with a power take-off and propshaft to drive the front wheels.

A simplified rear-drive version of this system could underpin the next-generation Arnage. Adoption of a hybrid transmission could make it much easier for the firm’s classic 6.75-litre V8 to meet Euro 6 emissions regulations, as well as offering very rapid acceleration.

 

[Metar]

In-bloody-deed.

Less-ugly-Veyrons FTW!

 

[forza2.0]

No you wouldn't. And once your used to driving, you'll probably admit that. 20mph limits are painful, I accept that they arn't completely bad placed around schools, but I agree totally with the article. The only reason this is being considered is because the government can make revenue off it.

The only ideas of cutting congestion and accident rates our government seem capable of coming up with are schemes that involve some way of charging us more. As though we arn't already one of the most taxed countried in the world.

exactly. The rich poor divide under this country is wideneing thanks to labour. Slowly but surely year after year you have to be richer to afford a car.

The other problem is you get points on your license for speeding, so if you get caught doing 30 in a 20, which a lot of people would, then you get 3 points on your license for speeding. That happens three or four times and your banned.

Or in his case twice and he would have to redo his theory and practical test

 

[forza2.0]

They should have an option for us to delete our own posts

 

[Pebb]

I am going to stop posting news in here from now on.

 

[Jim Prower]

How come? Bad reaction?

 

[Redgodzila]

Any reason, TVR? You're......were doing a fantastic job, but if you just gotta move on for the sake of movin on.......👍