Concept Frankfurt: The New Mini Club Wagon

Just like the Chevy Cruze and the concept Chevy Orlando, Mini may be trying to capitalize on the re-emerging market of station wagon-esque rides. There are families out there that need a lot of space in their cars, and they want fuel efficiency just like the rest of us. My brother, for instance, has 6 kids and needs his SUV, but doesn’t want pay a small fortune to fill up the tank twice a day. So the market for lots of space + fuel economy is out there. That’s where this Concept Frankfurt fits.

Just like the old Mini Clubman, it features twin “barn doors” in the rear and a lengthened wheelbase. Check out the pictures:

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The Aquada High Speed Amphibian: Possible Marketing Slogan “Because You Can”

In 2009, British company Gibbs Technology will be satisfying that insatiable hunger North America has been feeling ever since witnessing Dick Van Dyke putter around in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [Tangent Alert: I personally can immediately think of at least 2 dirty ways to edit “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, what about you? ]. First on Gibbs’ to do list: Introduce the Aquada, an open-top 3-seater currently touted as the world’s first High Speed Amphibian [HAS] vehicle.

As the name implies, the Aquada is capable of superior performance both on land and in the water, featuring a 24-valve V6 175-horsepower engine and five speed automatic transmissions…presumably, both waterproof. According to the spec sheet, the Aquada is capable of speeds in excess of 30mph on the water, and 100mph on land and can complete the vehicle-to-boat transformation in about 12 seconds.

  Although Gibbs Tech. has plans to push the Aquada in the American recreational vehicle market, Aquada’s target demographic will probably wind up being the upper-most tax bracket. At $85,000, it’s too expensive for the just-looking-for-something-to-water-ski with crowd.

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2008 Beijing Auto Show: Tiger GT Concept Gives Geely More Grrrrr!

Chinese auto maker Geely has unveiled its sporty coupe concept the Tiger GT at the 2008 Beijing Auto Show going on in China as we speak, and the crowds around it have been rather constant. Geely is more known for producing the small, economy rides that the general Chinese population is buying. With the Tiger GT Geely is stepping up their aim as a builder of automobiles.

There are some things that appear familiar about the Geely Tiger GT. The vented from grill resembles the shield design on the Suzuki Kizashi, but has been commented by others to resemble a Chinese mask. By the general mold of the car it would appear that the Tiger GT is looking to challenge the likes of Maserati and Aston Martin. While such a challenge may be years (or generations) away it is nice to have such aggressive ambitions to provoke a response out of the rest of the auto industry.
…Explore the Large Gallery of Photos after the Leap… (more…)

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Ferrari ‘Dino’ spied running test laps

Last month we had written about a diguised Ferrari 599 that was spied perusing the streets. This time that same Ferrari test model, that is now rumored to be the next Dino, was caught turning laps on the Nurburbring. Ferrari has decided to remain mum on any talk of an entry-level Ferrari or a Dino model, but evidence is mounting.

The Ferrari Dino is expected to be running a V8 engine, possibly 4.0 liter, that is producing 400-hp. The production range is expected to be about 4000 cars annually. Early reports from previous spottings of what was being labeled the Ferrari 599 had it running much quieter than the current 599 and even quieter than the F430.

To get a visual taste for what all the fuss is about take a look at the video down below. And for more on Ferrari stay tuned for news from the January North American International Auto Show taking place in Detroit. Ferrari is scheduled to unveil their new 2+2 Convertible.

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Suzuki Rolls Out their own “Super” Concept in the Kizashi

If you are looking for a plethora of articles about the Suzuki auto line-up in this publication you are going to be searching a long time. This will certainly be the first one that I have written. Suzuki has just unveiled at this weeks Frankfurt Auto Show in Germany their first interesting concept that supposedly has a future. The Suzuki Kizashi is larger than any other sedan being produced by the Asian car manufacturer and certainly exudes more style than we are accustomed to seeing from them. The only other cars with the large ”S” crest on them that I have seen have belonged to Shaquille O’Neal.

The Suzuki Kizashi is powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine presently but is reportedly to receive Suzuki’s new hybrid technology when the car based off this concept is released on the market in (supposedly) 2010. The present setup also has the power from the engine feeding all four wheels, which is presumably how the hybrid system for the Kizashi will operate.

Whether or not the Kizashi ever see’s the light of day beyond its concept unveiling it is nice to see that the kids in the design room over at Suzuki were finally allowed to play around a little beyond the ordinary sedan. While the concept car may actually get some people traffic through the Suzuki showcase it is not going to help them in pushing any of their other bland-mobiles in the coming year. …Nice try though.

Source[MotorAuthority]

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