Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept Cars Lamborghini Sport Car

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept has been presented live at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Sesto Elemento is Italian for sixth element, which is where carbon sits on the periodic table. And while the design of the carbon fibre constructed show car will certainly influence the Murciélago and Gallardo replacements, it’s also a blueprint for the firm’s expanding expertise in the use of this strong, lightweight material.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept Cars Lamborghini Sport Car

“It is our abilities in carbon-fiber technology that have facilitated such a forward-thinking concept, and we of course also benefit from the undisputed lightweight expertise of Audi AG. Systematic lightweight engineering is crucial for future super sports cars: for the most dynamic performance, as well as for low emissions. We will apply this technological advantage right across our model range. Every future Lamborghini will be touched by the spirit of the Sesto Elemento,” said Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini.

The show car is powered by a 562bhp version of the V10 used in the current Gallardo. But thanks to the widespread use of carbon fibre, the concept tips the scales at only 999kg. Lamborghini claims the Sesto Elemento will sprint from 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds and on to a top speed of more than 200mph.

The Sesto Elemento has a power-weight ratio of 1.75 kg/hp. It reaches 100 km/hr in just 2.5 seconds and has a top speed of “well over 300 km/hr”. It’s exactly the kind of supercar innovation that Lamborghini should be investing in and while carbon fibre has become famous, the company has also experimented with other modern materials, such as Pyrosic for the exhaust system (a new glass and ceramic composite material).

The Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory (ACSL) at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA, uses experimental tests to define the mechanical behaviour of the different materials and technologies using methodology from the aviation industry.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept Cars Lamborghini Sport Car

The design is inspired by the limited-edition Reventòn supercar, but makes more of a feature of its deep front end, while the V10 is open to the elements. The Sesto Elemento isn’t road legal, but it is a running prototype, so testing Lamborghini’s claims is a possibility.

Winkelmann added: 'This car shows how the future of the super sports car can look – lightweight engineering, combined with incredible performance, results in extreme driving fun.' Until now, Lamborghini has only used carbon fibre sparingly. However, the Sesto Elemento is made almost entirely from it.

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept Cars Lamborghini Sport Car

Bertone Pandion Concept 2010 Alfa Romeo Sports Cars Concept

Bertone Pandion Concept 2010 Alfa Romeo Sports Cars Concept

The name comes from the animal world, as Pandion Haliaetus is the scientific name for an Osprey: a sea hawk that nests and lives in coastal areas. The designers, led by Mike Robinson, have drawn inspiration from the wings of this predator to invent the spectacular door opening mechanisms, and from the hawks' facial markings to project the traditional Alfa family feeling into the next era of design.

Bertone Pandion Concept 2010 Alfa Romeo Sports Cars Concept

Bertone returns to the Geneva Motor Show 2010, after a two year absence from the international scene, unveiling a concept car that makes its world premiere here: the Pandion, an aggressive yet beautiful coupé designed as a tribute to Alfa Romeos’ one hundred year anniversary. The Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept: an extreme and controversial sports car in typical Bertone fashion. The size of the concept car (4620 mm in length, 1971 mm wide, 1230 mm high, 2850 mm wheelbase) offers a compact sports car external dimensions with a large sports car interior feeling. Bertone Pandion Design Sketchoffers a compact sports car external dimensions with a large sports car interior feeling, all powered by a 4.7 litre, 450 CV 8-cylinder Alfa Romeo engine.

The designers, led by Mike Robinson, have drawn inspiration from the wings of this predator to invent the spectacular door opening mechanisms, and from the hawks’ facial markings to project the traditional Alfa family feeling into the next era of design. In almost a century of Bertone tradition, it is not the first time that natural wonders have inspired the names of concept cars. Just think of the Corvair Testudo (1963) and, by no coincidence, the Alfa Romeo Canguro (1964), Carabo (1968) and Delfino (1983).

Bertone Pandion Concept 2010 Alfa Romeo Sports Cars Concept

The Pandion’s taut and muscular body is the result of an original interpretation of the Alfa Romeo badge, where the man-eating snake depicted there represents the attraction of elegance (what we call the ‘Skin’), and the aristocratic cross symbolises the rigour of rational thought, the technological aspect (what we call the ‘Frame’).

According to this interpretation, the Pandion’s design is, like every Alfa Romeo, a perfect synthesis between ‘Skin and Frame’, an ideal balance resulting from a tension between opposites: technology and sensuality, rationality and instinct, architecture and sculpture, structuralism and organicism, industrial excellence and excellent craftsmanship.

The design of the Pandion is based on a concept Robinson calls: "Skin & Frame” - a new interpretation of the inherent duality in the 100 year old Alfa Romeo logo. “Skin” refers to the snake in the logo, representing the world renowned Italian excellence in beautiful, seductive forms; and “Frame” refers to the cross in the logo, representing the mechanical excellence in high performance Italian race cars. The combination of the two has now become a dynamic dial searching for an ideal balance resulting from the tension between opposites: technology and sensuality, rational and emotional, architectural layout and sculptural form, structural and organic, industrial excellence and artisan excellence.

Bertone Pandion Concept 2010 Alfa Romeo Sports Cars Concept

According to this interpretation, the vibrant energy in every Alfa Romeo is represented by Pandions’ spinal structure (or ‘Frame’), which crosses the length of the car from the V-shaped grille in the nose of the car to the V-shaped bumper in the tail of the car, crossing the interior as a visually aesthetic structural element which supports the surrounding shell (or ‘Skin’).

The Alfa Romeo Pandion Concept has the profile of a true sports car, with no room for compromise. The architectural layout is 'cab rearward', meaning the passenger compartment is positioned towards the rear of the car and the long bonnet pushes the car's visual centre rearward. The body side visually connects the sensuous front end with the razor-edged rear by means of an extremely long flowing side window which stretches from front wheel arch to rear, enhancing the excellent accessibility of this low-bodied sports coupé.

Bertone Pandion Concept 2010 Alfa Romeo Sports Cars Concept

Since sports cars are traditionally difficult to get in and out of, this important ergonomic activity has been facilitated with an extra wide door opening to make up for the low roofline. This new graphic formula not only adds a striking new visual division between the upper and lower parts of the body, but it also offers an incredible panorama window for passengers inside. The strong diagonal dark-light division in the rear of the side view accentuates the powerful rear wheel drive layout and draws special attention to the hidden door opening mechanism.

Peugeot Electric Car EX1 Concept Cars

The French carmaker has revealed today the Peugeot EX1 concept cars which will have its world debut at the 2010 Paris auto show next month. The Peugeot EX1 concept is an all-electric vehicle powered by two motors which output a total of 250 kW (340 bhp) and 240 Nm of constant torque. The power of the Peugeot EX1 concept goes to all four wheels of the car. Each of the two electric motors of the Peugeot EX1 powers one of its axles.

At a time when the electric motor once again becomes 100% real for Peugeot, with the i0n about to go on sale, the Peugeot Electric Car EX1 Concept Cars propels us into a new dimension of raw emotion. Efficient styling The pure styling of this two-seater roadster is in keeping with its mechanical design, like a kind of 'exoskeleton' highlighting the light-weight nature that guided the vehicle's creation.

Peugeot Electric Car EX1 Concept Cars

The design of the body incorporates Peugeot's new stylistic design codes, first seen on the SR1 concept car earlier this year, with its 'floating' front grille and flowing contours. Polished aluminium components adorn the door surrounds in a reference to the RCZ and BB1.

Peugeot has created an all-new electric sports car bearing the alphanumeric appellation EX1, which it will show at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. This car and the images are real. The 100% electric sports car Peugeot’s latest concept car is a visually striking two-seater roadster with a futuristic styling and an original architecture, designed to offer intense driving sensations.

The electric motor is a potential source of new driving sensations thanks to its exceptional acceleration capabilities, but also because it is silent in operation and makes the car very easy to drive (no need for a gearbox). On the EX1 sports car concept, two electric motors are used, one on each axle, each with a peak output of 125 kW (250 kW / 340 bhp in total), and an immediately available constant maximum torque of 240 Nm at the front and rear.

The Peugeot EX1 Concept car benefits from characteristics that give it a high enough level of performance not only to leave behind the city centre, the preferred territory of electric vehicles, but also to challenge acceleration records. Its lightness, weight distribution and aerodynamics, the torque and power of its two electric motors and its high-output lithium-ion battery are just some of the characteristics that make this a car capable of lightning acceleration: the latter can exceed 1G of gravitational force.

Indeed the Peugeot Electric Car EX1 Concept Cars has already broken the following international records (approved by the International Automobile Federation) for an electric-powered terrestrial vehicle. This series of records was established, by Nicolas Vanier, the famous French explorer and film-maker ("The Last Trapper", "Wolf") who drove the EX1 concept car.

Peugeot Electric Car EX1 Concept Cars

Between now and the end of the year, China, the world's largest cars market, will be the setting for the EX1 sports car to pursues other world records.

Jaguar C-X75 EREV Electric Supercars Concept 2010

Jaguar C-X75 EREV Electric Supercars Concept 2010 is shorter, slimmer and lower than most supercars, and the Jaguar designers have made the concept car’s aerodynamics as efficient as possible to enhance performance, notably the exhaust-blown underbody aero diffuser. Matt Beavan, the car’s principal designer, also says, “We wanted to emphasize how the air makes its way not just over the car but is also channeled into the rear air box. When operating at 80,000 rpm, each gas turbine requires 25,000 liters of air per minute, which means we need a series of carefully honed intakes.”

At the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the Jaguar C-X75 EREV Electric Supercars Concept 2010 has finally been revealed after months of tantalizing tidbits from Jaguar designers and executives. The surprise is, this supercar is powered by an innovative powertrain that combines hub-mounted electric motors and twin micro gas turbines. The Jaguar C-X75 is described by company executives as a “range-extended electric two-seater supercar.”

The C-X75 concept cars is both a celebration of 75 years of iconic Jaguar design and a look into the future of automotive technology. “Performance through innovation has always been a Jaguar hallmark. From the beginning, cars such as the C-Type and D-Type pioneered aluminum construction, aerodynamic design, racing monocoques and disc brakes. The C-X75 demonstrates that the company is still leading the field in automotive design and technology.” Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover.

Jaguar C-X75 EREV Electric Supercars Concept 2010

The C-X75’s 580kW (778bhp) propulsion system combines powerful 145kW (195bhp) electric motors at each wheel for outstanding performance. At the center of the car sit state-of-the-art, mid-mounted micro gas-turbines. These can either generate 140kW (188bhp) to charge the batteries and extend the range of the car to a remarkable 900km (560 miles) – enough to drive from London to Berlin on a single tank – or when in Track mode provide supplementary power directly to the electric motors. The four electric motors provide torque-vectored, all-wheel drive traction and grip, essential in a car that produces 580kW (778bhp) and 1600Nm (1180lb ft) of torque.

The plug-in, electric drive supercar has an all-electric range of 110 km (68 miles) plus a potential top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph), acceleration from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.4 seconds, and 80-145 km/h (50-90 mph) in 2.3 seconds. Active aerodynamics allow for a simple fuselage section that remains stable at very high speeds. The plug-in will produce 28 grams of CO2 per kilometer on the EU test cycle, according to Jaguar.

Jaguar C-X75 EREV Electric Supercars Concept 2010

2010 Venturi America EV Dune-Buggy Concept Cars Design By Sacha Lakic

The 2010 Paris Motor Show witnessed the unveiling of the Venturi make cars that had been announced before hand. The VENTURI AMERICA combines both the values of traditional America and those resulting from new awareness of ecological issues. This new American dream is embodied by this new model from VENTURI : a high-riding electric sports car that one can see oneself driving, one’s hair in the wind, through the fantastic scenery offered by this vast continent.

Monaco-based Venturi Automobiles, builders of the original $400,000 Fetish all-electric sports car, and a series of innovative zero-emission vehicles since, are displaying its newest showcase electric car, the Venturi AMERICA.

A real synthesis of two exclusive automobile worlds, the 2010 Venturi America EV Dune-Buggy Concept Cars Design By Sacha Lakic is both an electric sports car and an all-terrain leisure vehicle. This “mix” approach ensures extreme versatility in use. Its performance, balance and sports car road-holding, combined with its particularly high body and specific tyre mounting, ensure that it is equally at ease on steep paths as on the highway. This electric “Buggy” offers the possibility of venturing off the beaten track while respecting the environment in terms of both noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

2010 Venturi America EV Dune-Buggy Concept Cars Design By Sacha Lakic

Equipped with the same motor of over 300 hp as the VENTURI FÉTISH, this new-era “buggy” is, in fact, a high-powered lightweight vehicle with a chassis specially designed to suit its particularly high body. The AMERICA is nevertheless an acceleration car that symbolizes “cool green attitude” while being a luxury technological product.

The motor is powered by a new 54 kWh lithium ion polymer battery pack and Ventec-developed battery management system (BMS), which provides a range of up to 300 km at a stabilized speed of 90 km/h (190 miles at 56 mph stabilized). It can recharge using a standard electrical socket in 8 hours or at fast charge terminals in 3 hours.

The Venturi America has a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph). French electric carmaker says the car has the first chassis specifically designed to house a large volume of batteries, while the carbon monocoque provides exceptional protection for its occupants.

2010 Venturi America EV Dune-Buggy Concept Cars Design By Sacha Lakic

2010 Nissan Concept Cars Nissan Townpod Concept

Nissan's take on an all-electric city vehicle has been revealed the new Townpod Concept Cars, debut at the 2010 Paris Auto Show of several innovative concepts designed by manufacturers coming from around the world. 2010 Nissan Concept Cars Nissan Townpod Concept, a vehicle designed to adapt to driver’s way of living. Or at least this is how Nissan sees it. Externally Nissan Townpod consist of many familiar elements, yet it is different. It employs the same zero-emission technology found within Nissan LEAF. Making a strong impact on audiences is Nissan’s Townpod EV concept with its zero emission promise, and lots of customization options for its young urban buyers.

Nissan Townpod Concept, it’s also a green machine, with power coming from an electric motor of unspecified output, which in turn is powered by an array of lithium ion batteries. In fact, this is the same powertrain as found in the 2012 Nissan Lead that is set to go on sale this December. Compared with a white T-shirt by the Japanese manufacturer, the Nissan Townpod concept cars is said to be suitable for business or pleasure or for those to whom business is pleasure. The concept car combines the benefits of a passenger car with the practicality of a light commercial vehicle.

2010 Nissan Concept Cars Nissan Townpod Concept

The car is decidedly more van-like with its split rear doors. The rear features back lights on the right, a number plate on the left, and a rear-door handle set into a concave surface . Viewed from above the car's space-maximising rectangular footprint flows into an elliptical roof, offering more graceful lines as well as increased aerodynamic efficiency.

François Bancon, general manager of Nissan's Exploratory and Advance Planning Department, elaborates, 'Only they know what is essential for their lives, so it is logical that they should be the ones who determine the ultimate specification of their cars. For them an off-the-shelf solution is not enough and the best-equipped people to tailor-make their cars are themselves. What is more revealing is that Nissan Townpod users do not appreciate stereotypes or status symbols. For them, the ultimate status is to have no status.'

Just as Nissan Townpod can connect wirelessly with the driver's PDA, so it will also be able to access occupants personal music collections, or what ever device they use to receive Internet radio.

"These devices may remain in passengers' pockets, but it is also beneficial to keep them in within view, in some kind of bracket. But we do not know what these devices of the future will look like, let alone where passengers will want to keep them. So, we have developed The Puck", Bancon concluded.

"The self employed tend to have very high expectations. They need to make the most of every investment. They will be early adopters of the possibilities made available through the convergence of electric-vehicle innovations and information and technology." Bancon said.

2010 Nissan Concept Cars Nissan Townpod Concept

"At its core, a car is a means to transport people or goods from one place to another as simply and easily as possible. Nissan Townpod's design supports the essence of its function. It is a smart car for people who demand more."

2010 Peugeot Concept Cars Peugeot HR1 Concept

The new 2010 Peugeot HR1, unveiled today at the Paris motor show. The 2010 Peugeot Concept Cars Peugeot HR1 Concept is an exclusive and innovative urban concept car that blends together a number of genres (city run-around, coupé and SUV). It is helped by its particularly compact dimensions (a length of 3.67 m and very short front and rear overhangs) but also an original system for getting into and out of the vehicle. The HR1 is an exclusive and innovative urban Concept car that blends together a number of genres (city run-around, coupé and SUV). It is targeted at active young city dwellers smitten with design and innovation who are in search of a vehicle that matches their profile.

Power is provided by a 110 hp (82 kW / 112 PS) 1.2-liter three-cylinder petrol engine and a 37 hp (28 kW / 38 PS) electric motor. Like the other HYbrid4 models, the HR1 can operate in EV mode, petrol mode, and four-wheel drive mode (which uses the petrol engine and the electric motor). Thanks to this technology, the car has a combined fuel consumption rating of 81 mpg and CO2 emissions of 80 g/km.

2010 Peugeot Concept Cars Peugeot HR1 Concept

Peugeot HR1 Concept has a structured design, with a “High-Tech Coupé” driving position, providing a special ambiance through the combination of style, quality of finish, equipment and ergonomics. The technology controlled includes the audio, satellite navigation and air conditioning systems. The driver can also select, at his discretion, the preferred type of information to be displayed in the instrument panel: rev counter, water and oil temperature during “dynamic driving”, or tourist information when “cruising”.

In addition, the electronically-controlled 6-speed manual gearbox coupled with this power train is designed to offer maximum control. The driver can also opt between two modes of operation, sequential or automatic.

It is designed to make urban travel easy and pleasurable even in the busiest or most confined urban areas. It is helped by its particularly compact dimensions (a length of 3.67 m and very short front and rear overhangs) but also an original system for getting into and out of the vehicle. Based on the Marque's experience in this field, the Peugeot HR1 Concept cars has two electric "scissor" doors to facilitate access under all circumstances (restricted parking, small garage, etc...). To improve visibility and manoeuvrability and provide a dominant driving position, the ride height of the vehicle has been raised, also improving ground clearance.

2010 Peugeot Concept Cars Peugeot HR1 Concept