Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss

Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss

Mercedes-Benz and McLaren have released photos of the new limited-edition SLR Stirling Moss, which will be unveiled at the upcoming NAIAS. Only 75 models will be made available to current owners of the SLR supercar.

This limited-edition V8 coupe was developed to commemorate British motor racing legend Stirling Moss's many victories in the SLR racecars of the 1950s. Notable design features of this 2009 edition include an arrow-shaped form, a muscular rear end, and bespoke surfacing on the hood – which runs from the tip of the nose right down to the interior, thanks largely to the absence of a windshield.

Production of the €750,000 Stirling Moss edition will begin when the last of the regular SLRs rolls off the line at the end of May 2009, ending in December that year.

Source: http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/page/?portlet_action=true&action_wid=2738#143953

Subaru Legacy concept

Subaru Legacy concept

Fuji Heavy Industries, the parent of Subaru automobiles, has released a teaser image of its new Legacy concept. Scheduled to debut in Detroit next month, the Legacy concept celebrates 20 years of the Legacy sedan and showcases the future design direction of its newest iteration.

According to Subaru, the exterior design 'highlights the sportiness and dynamism befitting a car powered by 3.6-liter, low center of gravity horizontally-opposed engine.' From what we can see, the front face and wheelarches still evoke the wing motif first seen on the previous WRX. We'll just have to wait until the NAIAS to see the car and its 'high definition' interior.

Source: http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/page/?portlet_action=true&action_wid=2738#143953

Mercedes Concept BlueZero

Mercedes Concept BlueZero

Mercedes-Benz has just released details and images of a new concept that taps into the German automaker's experience of sandwich floor packaging. Dubbed the Concept BlueZero and due to be unveiled at next month's NAIAS, the four-door hatchback is 4.22 meters long, seats five and is likely to form the basis of a new range of small eco cars slated for production in 2009.

The BlueZero's aerodynamic body borrows from the company's 2005 Bionic concept, featuring a monospace design with a closed front apron, converging character lines and rear fenders that partially cover the wheels. The DLO runs in a shallow arc from the steeply angled hood, tapering slightly at the sides and almost seamlessly (but for the roof spoiler) curving down to envelop a pair of high-tech-looking, inverted 'L'-shaped light clusters behind a transparent Lexan plastic screen/tailgate structure.

The car's modular, sandwich floor chassis layout - pioneered on the A-Class - has been designed to accommodate three drivetrain configurations. It can be propelled by a fuel cell, by pure electricity, or by a hybrid powerplant that combines the Smart's 1.0-liter combustion engine with an electric motor.

Source: http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/page/?portlet_action=true&action_wid=2738#143953

VIDEO: BMW Z4

VIDEO: BMW Z4

BMW has just released details of the new Z4, set to make its global debut at the 2009 NAIAS next month. The new design takes on the look of a classic roadster and will now be offered with a lightweight electrohydraulically retractable aluminum two-piece hardtop, a first for the two-seater.

The design of the new Z4 brings the car in line with other offerings in the BMW range, with new head- and taillamp units that are reminiscent of those seen on the German automaker's larger models. All of the surface lines, including the character lines on the hood, strive towards an imaginary target point ahead. The car's shoulder line connects the front and rear wheelarches and accentuates the roadster's dynamic profile, while the horizontal lines and surfaces at the rear emphasize the Z4's width.

Inside, the cockpit features a driver-oriented instrument panel and center console. A contoured surface on either side of the steering wheel incorporates the controls for the lights and HVAC unit. iDrive (mated to a folding 8.8-inch display with high-resolution graphics) will also be available for the first time.

Source: http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/page/?portlet_action=true&action_wid=2738#143953

Rinspeed iChange

Rinspeed iChange

Known for producing eccentric concepts for the Geneva Motor Show, Swiss independent think tank Rinspeed has released sketches of the iChange, an innovative new sports car concept due to be revealed at the next Geneva Auto Show in March 2009.

The iChange is to be the latest in a long line of technology-packed, thought-provoking Rinspeed concepts designed to push the boundaries of design and imagination to its limits. Designers at Rinspeed created the '1-2-3-seater' iChange by employing an 'electronic trick-tail', which adapts to the number of passengers on board. The sporty, streamlined teardrop shape is typically a single-passenger vehicle, but thanks to an electronically actuated rear-end structure that rises, the sports car is able to transform into a compact sportsvan.

"Thinking about variability and the constantly changing energy demand, we have created an extremely flexible vehicle," said Rinspeed CEO Frank Rinderknecht. The zero-emission car is powered by a 130kW electric motor and features both extremely low weight and aerodynamic drag, further reducing power consumption. "If we want to preserve our individual mobility in the future we have to re-think our conception of cars," he added.

Source: http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/page/?portlet_action=true&action_wid=2738#143953