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Category Archives: design and styling
IAA Frankfurt Motor Show Emphasizes Concepts and Electric Vehicles as Euro Zone Economic Crisis Threatens Automakers
The auto markets in the EC have declined for three straight years now, and 2011 is thus far following the same downward trend. It’s against this backdrop of political crisis and economic uncertainty that automakers are revealing cars at the Frankfurt Motor Show that are being dictated – or heavily influenced – by expensive EU regulations – with an emphasis on electric vehicles that will be required to meet impending EU CO2 standards. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, concept, design and styling, economy, electric vehicles, environment, new vehicle, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, co2, concept cars, electric vehicles, eu, eu economy, eu emissions rules, EVs, iaa frankfurt, Ken Zino, zino
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BMW Developing Laser Lights for Vehicles; Safety Issue?
While LED lighting creates about 100 lumens per watt, laser lights generate about 170 lumens. Aside from being more efficient, the diodes used in laser lights also are much smaller, presenting the option of drastically reducing the size and shape of conventional headlights that are crucial to automotive front end design. Continue reading
Book Review: Car Spy – an Inside Look at an Auto Culture Past
Car Spy is entertaining, funny, and sardonic. It captures the voice of Dunne – caveat here – whose adventures I sometimes participated in, whose photos I ran in various publications and still run in AutoInformed.com, and whose stories related in Car Spy I heard first hand. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, concept, design and styling, marketing, new vehicle, news analysis, people
Tagged auto informed, auto marketing, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, big three, car spy, cartechbooks, detroit three, jim dunne, Ken Zino, popular mechanics, popular science, zino
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Tiny Three-Cylinder VW Up! to Debut at IAA Frankfurt
Volkswagen has released pictures of the production version of the tiny VW Up, which last appeared as an electric car concept two years ago at the IAA or Frankfurt Motor Show. The two-door, four seat small car at 3.54 meters is seven inches smaller than the Mini, and will also compete with Alfa Romeo MiTo, Fiat 500 and in Europe the Toyota iQ. No word on whether the VW Up will come to North America. Continue reading
Toyota Increases Fuel Economy and Equipment While Cutting Prices on 2012 Camry – a Gambit to Reestablish Leadership
A beleaguered Toyota Motor Corporation is counting on a revised 2012 Camry sedan to brush aside safety and quality concerns that have haunted it for the past two years. These, along with the Japan earthquake will relegate it to the third largest automaker in the world for 2011 after it assumed the number one spot in 2008 and held it for three years. Continue reading
Retro Cadillac Ciel Convertible Unveiled ahead of Pebble Beach
While the exterior is said, with no little bombast, to be pushing the Cadillac’s Art & Science philosophy into a “new stratum,” it’s really the handsome interior that distinguishes the car and shows how far from “luxury” mass produced “luxury cars” have strayed. Continue reading
Lexus 2013 GS 350 Debuts at Pebble Beach
The 2013 Lexus GS changes from previous rounded Lexus designs by way of its more angular sculpted exterior. Lexus said it will lead the rest of the lineup in an “entirely new direction” that appears derivative of front and rear themes developed by Ford of Europe, Audi, BMW and Cadillac. Overall, the new GS sheet metal represents a “significant extension of the Lexus L-finesse philosophy that is the core of all Lexus product design,” according to Lexus. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, design and styling, marketing, new vehicle
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Gs, GS 350, Ken Zino, lexus, pebble beach, zino
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Mini Shows $52,000 Goodwood Version at Pebble Beach
The Mini “Inspired by Goodwood” – how about MIBG? – has luxury accouterments at a luxury price of $52,000 (but that includes $700 in handling and delivery fees), when advanced orders begin later this month. MIBG will be produced in a limited edition of 1,000 units – 140 of which will be available to U.S. punters – and is said to combine driving fun with the same craftsmanship, select materials, styling and all-round ‘typical British understatement’ that are hallmarks of Rolls-Royce.
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Posted in auto news, design and styling, marketing, new vehicle, performance
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, bmw mini, Ken Zino, mibg, mini, mini coupe, pebble beach, rolls-royce mini, zino
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Cadillac Rejoins Electric Vehicle Parade with Converj Concept
The on again/off again Converj program is now switched on again and in keeping with the ecological theme, the name is recycled from a hybrid concept first shown at the 2009 North American International Auto Show as General Motors was hurtling toward bankruptcy. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, concept, design and styling, electric vehicles, fuel economy or emissions
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, cadillac concept, cadillac converj, converj, hybrid, Ken Zino, pebble beach, volt based cadillac converj, zino
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Audi Urban Concept Sketch Released ahead of IAA in Frankfurt
This carbon fuel based German industrial and job creating behemoth so far lags the Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda in the sale of hybrid technology, to say little of the Nissan and Renault electric vehicles now being rolled out globally. Continue reading
Infiniti JX Concept Teaser Photo Released
Infiniti also announced the launch of the “Power of 7,” the latest social media campaign from an automaker designed to spark interest about the JX Concept in advance of its global reveal at the 2011 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance on August 18. Continue reading
BMW Shows Two Wheel Concept E-Scooter at Motorrad 2011
BMW introduced its latest liquid-cooled electric motorcycle – dubbed E-Scooter at its 11th Motorrad Days in Garmish this past weekend. The E-Scooter is said to use motorcycle technology that could make it suitable for a wider range of commuting than current inner-city scooters provide for short trips. Continue reading
Movie “Midnight in Paris” has Peugeot Landaulet in Bit Part
The leading man travels through time in a Peugeot Landaulet 184 dating from 1920, which met the production’s requirement for a car having “a driver’s compartment with a convertible roof and a covered passenger compartment.” Continue reading
Volkswagen Debuts Most Fuel-Efficient VW Beetle Ever
In 1998 the “New Beetle” returned, successfully riding a wave of nostalgia that was triggering automotive retro designs – including the Ford Thunderbird, BMW Mini, Chrysler PT – creating another generation of Beetle owners, most of whom thought WW2 was a history class. In yet another irony, the new Beetle was a mere sales footnote in Germany, where buyers thought the design too frivolous – no Love Bugs for them. All told about 500,000 New Beetles were sold in the U.S. – 10% of the original Beetle’s U.S. volume, as the competition in small cars had heightened considerably, notably by the Japanese Big Three – Toyota, Nissan and Honda. Continue reading
Kia Rio Hatchback Will Debut at New York Auto Show
Thus far with sales of about 2,000 units a month in the U.S., the Kia Rio has been an insignificant factor in the hard fought sub-compact sales wars led by Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, design and styling, new vehicle
Tagged 2012 rio, auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Ken Zino, kia, kia rio, korean autos, new york auto show, nyas, zino
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