Thứ Ba, 28 tháng 2, 2012

Mobility for a Better Amsterdam

Vincent Montreuil’s latest project, I Love Bikes at Amsterdam, is an incredibly thorough and equally imaginative proposal for transformation from Amsterdam’s current car and rail network into an ecological, economical system of personalized “pods” that better coexist with the city’s many bicycles and further enhance the quality of life in the city center. Hit the jump to catch a super-informative video breakdown!
















                             
Yanko Design



Thứ Sáu, 3 tháng 2, 2012

Monash University 2011 Graduate Show – Part 2


The Mukana Concept by Kirk Dyer is a vehicle created for developing countries, and more specifically Zimbabwe. It is built using local manufacturing and materials and extensively adopting open source methodologies with the goal of  bridging the technological gap between developed and developing countries, and allowing it to compete with mass produced imports.

The open source nature of the vehicle allows owners to customize it to their own needs whilst taking advantage of local materials and skills. The vehicle can be transformed into a safari car, a truck or a log hauler truck.

The concept is powered by a Stirling engine, which allows it to run on practically any fuel. The unit acts like a generator in a Chevy Volt-like electric drivetrain.  The design is inspired by the rhino – a native animal that carries over the metaphors of power, authority and strength as a symbol of empowerment.
 

Escape by Robbie McIntosh

Escape is a study of a modern airship that uses inert (non-combustible) helium gas contained within an internal balloon/envelope along with leg mounted vectoring fans to achieve lift.

The vehicle offers a “complete travel experience”, thanks to its ability of transforming from a flying aircraft into a ground based walker vehicle.

Escape includes a “quadruped robotic walking system” operating mode whch allows it to move on every kind of terrain.

Helium is pumped from an on-board storage tank into the envelope during flight mode then recaptured and stored when grounded. The goal is is to reduce the overall vehicle size when grounded making.

Road Hog Concept by Jason Turner

The Road Hog is an electric powered micro car concept that aims at encouraging muscle car enthusiasts to down size and drive smarter vehicles, without sacrificing the things they are familiar with and love about muscle cars. The design is based around a micro package with a total length under 3,000mm.

The main design inspiration and themes include, aggressiveness, power and high performance, stance, animal like qualities, exposed functional elements and working components which create unique visual features throughout the design.

For more information on the Industrial Design course at Monash University visit www.artdes.monash.edu.au.
(Image Courtesy: Monash University)

Fiat has released the first images of the 500L



Fiat 500L preview
Fiat has released the first images of the 500L (Large) model, set to debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and to go on sale in Europe in the last quarter of 2012.
The 500L will join the Abarth and the Cabrio in the 500 model range. The small MPV vehicle offers a 5-seats capacity and is positioned between the B and C segments.
The single-volume body is 414 cm long, 178 cm wide and 166 cm high and is a further development of the ‘cab forward’ concept introduced by Fiat with the 600 Multipla, a precursor to the concept of the compact people carrier.
The 500L will be produced at the Fiat factory in Kragujevac, Serbia and will be introduced to Europe in the last quarter of 2012, with a choice of two gasoline engines (TwinAir and 1.4-litre) and one turbodiesel (1.3 MultiJet II).
(Source: Fiat)

This is the New Volkswagen Golf MK7's MQB Platform


At an event held today at its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, Volkswagen revealed its new "Modularer Querbaukasten" or MQB platform that will form the base for the upcoming seventh generation Golf as well as a large number of other mainstream models. The MQB is by far the most important platform architecture in the group, as it will be used in the next generations of the Volkswagen Polo, Beetle, Golf, Scirocco, Jetta, Tiguan, Touran, Sharan, Passat, and CC, as well as the soon-to-be revealed Audi A3, and all the other derivatives from Seat and Skoda.
A key feature of the platform is its flexibility in terms of wheelbase length, track width, wheel size and seating positions. Other dimensions such as the distance between the pedals to the wheel center are always the same and provide a unified front-end system.
Volkswagen says that in spite of different wheelbases and track widths, all MQB models will be able to be built on the same production line, regardless of the brand. For example, in theory, the German group could assemble the next Seat Ibiza together with the next VW CC in the same factory.
Another highpoint of the flexible structure is the uniform (transversely mounted) installation position of all motors, be they gasoline, diesel or alternative propulsion systems such as hybrids and pure electric motors.
Volkswagen also revealed that it has developed two new engine lineups that are integrated in the MQB strategy: the modular petrol engine (MOB) with outputs ranging from 60 PS to 150PS, which will include the world’s first inline-four with cylinder deactivation (ACT), and the modular diesel engine (MDB) producing from 90PS to 190PS.
The German company says that the new engine series will reduce the Group’s engine and gearbox variants in the MQB system by around 90 per cent.
The new MQB-based Volkswagen Golf MK7 is expected to be introduced at the Paris Motor Show this fall, while its Audi A3 sibling will make its world premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March. 

                                                                                                Carscoop

Ford B-MAX