automotiveidea

Smart saved with Renault partnership

A recently announced deal between Daimler, and Renault-Nissan will see the next generation of Smarts sharing platforms with the French marque. The alliance also sees each company taking three percent of the other's shares.

This news is good for Smart, as the company has long been struggling to turn a profit and the deal guarantees its future. A short wheelbase platform being developed by the new pairing will underpin the next generation Smart, as well as the Renault Twizy and a new Nissan small car to take on Toyota's iQ. A longer wheelbase will also be used, which could provide a replacement for the short-lived Smart ForFour.

The move also increases the chance of a full production electric Smart, given that the Twizy is currently an electric-only concept.

Autocar reveals first picture of Murray T25

Autocar have published the first picture of Gordon Murray's city car proposition, the T25.

The car has been seen testing in Surrey, and Murray expects the first cars to be ready for production in two years time. The T25 is smaller than a Smart and weighs in at only 650kg.

Judging by the photo it's not the prettiest of vehicles (though you can't go too far wrong with matt black paint...), but if the car lives up to expectations it could bring about a change of thinking in the city car market. We're already starting to see smaller vehicles being put forward for serious production, such as Renault's Twizy, which will form the basis of the next Smart itself.

benefits of EV technology

Propulsion aside, it again feels just like a regular petrol or diesel powered car. It's difficult to make too accurate a judgement on the finished product given that I only got a three laps of a very short circuit in which to test the car, but both ride and steering seemed fine - presumably no different from the petrol-powered Tiida. Again, this is important in attracting the buying public to the car - all the benefits of EV technology but with none of the drawbacks of cars like the G-Wiz.

Ford Fiesta

To this end then, the Leaf is off to a good start. It's a five-door hatchback with space for five, a good boot, and an inoffensive shape that manages to retain a bit of character. The front is modern and equipped with large headlights similar to those on the Ford Fiesta, and the rear has a hint of the last-generation Renault Megane about it. Even the interior is much like a normal car, with normal controls and two hooded instrument clusters. Only the large digital display in the centre console really hints at the Leaf's high-tech drivetrain.

quadricycles

First impressions of the concept car are good. It looks, too all intents and purposes, like a regular car. This of course is for good reason, as regular cars are what people actually want. With the best intentions in the world, electric quadricycles like Reva's G-Wiz will never become commonplace as they can't offer the space and pace that people accept from the cars they're used to.

Maserati Gran Turismo 2008

Hi there cool automotive fans, today we would like to present you the 2008 Maserati Gran Turismo. This two seat coup sport car has a curvy design on the body it’s gives the simple modern looks to the exterior, with dual xenon lights this cool car also providing a maximum visibility to the surrounding specially in the middle of bad weather. The High-low control beam unit gives a quick speed information and control to the driver.

The interior has a longitudinal interior, a horizontal V shape dashboard and amazing interior detail such as chrome switch at the dashboard and steering wheel. A trident logo also decorated the seat to reflect the sporty looks and to show how magnificent Maserati is.

Spyker Cars

Spyker Cars has introduced Spyker Aileron 2009 at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, this cool automotive has 400Hp (298KW) Power and 300Km/h (187mph) Top speed. The exterior of this fast sport car has a rough and tough design line with a futuristic touch. With 4617mm length, 1972mm width, 1270mm height and 1425kg weight this cool car able to reach 0-100km/h (0-60mph) in just 4,5 second.

Spyker Cars is a premium sport cars manufacturer from Netherlands, they used the Audi 4.2 litre V8 engine for the Spyker C8 Aileron 2009. The exterior is made from aluminium body panels over aluminium spaceframe, creating a classic and contemporary looks at the same time.

The Interior of this luxurious sport car is using a vibrant color leather and also available in 14 standard colors for it’s seats and dashboard, the customer also has the option to choose other color option that they desired. The interior has a retro design, the highest quality leather cover and the metallic silver on dashboard design give a classical design touch to this super fast car.