Lamborghini Aventador J Concept Car 2012-2013-2014

The Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 is a stunningly fierce machine. It packs a screaming 12-cylinder engine and is wrapped in distinct styling that oozes testosterone. But that hasn't stopped the designers in Sant'Agata Bolognese from creating an even more dramatic vision of their newest supercar, called the Aventador J concept. The world will get its first look at the supercar at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

To create the striking Aventador J, Lamborghini removed the roof and windshield from an Aventador coupe. Not surprisingly, its styling closely resembles the Aventador , though the J's highest points are the roll hoops behind each seat, and the rearview mirror that sits atop a pole protruding from the dashboard. The doors still open upward, but have only a tiny sliver of glass instead of the Aventador's power windows. Out back, the Aventador J features a race-inspired carbon-fiber wing supported by two curved mounts.

Lamborghini has shown a car in this vein before -- the Concept S appeared at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Gallardo coupe, the Concept S also was a speedster design; it essentially teased the production Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder that made its debut in 2006. The Aventador J takes the same basic stripped-out approach as the S, and looks more like a formula racer than a series production car.

Mini-Z to target FR-S/BRZ Photo 2013-2014

On the heels of Nissan's recent motorsport successes -- a factory-backed GT-R placed first in class at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and the radical DeltaWing stole the show at the 24 Hours of Le Mans -- comes news that executives have finally given the green light for a compact sports car known in house as the "Mini-Z." It's not a new rear-drive Silvia/240SX -- that project was cancelled in late 2008 during the financial crisis. Instead, it's a compact, front-drive-based sports car that will be aimed squarely at the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ.

Plans for such a car were first revealed at last year's Shanghai auto show in the form of the Compact Sports Concept. The company spiel called it a unique sports car for drivers in emerging markets leading active lifestyles with an interest in motorsport, but we can expect to see it in established markets as well. As you can see in this rendering that depicts what the car may turn out to be, it has morphed from a sporty hatch into an aggressive coupe. There is also word that there will be an AWD version to go with the base FWD variant, based on the Juke's all-mode 4x4 i-system with torque vectoring.

Though Nissan didn't reveal the concept's powertrain in Shanghai, we've learned it was fitted with the 190-hp, 1.6-liter turbo-four from the Nissan Juke that also served as base for the engine in the DeltaWing. Though the engine gives up some power to the 200-hp flat-four in the Toyobaru, it's said to have a wider torque band with stronger mid-range and top-end response.

China is thought to be the car's main market, but Japan and some European countries are destined to receive small batches as well, with the U.S. still under consideration. Price-wise, the Nissan is expected to undercut the Toyota and Subaru by as much as 10 percent, carrying a sticker price somewhere below $22,000. Nissan will be able to cut production costs and weight by incorporating the current Juke's platform and turbo powertrain. Another major difference will be design. The Mini-Z coupe is expected to follow in the Juke's footsteps and employ some unique lines, eschewing the traditional sports car proportions of the Toyobaru. One insider says the Nissan will be close in size to the Honda CR-Z.

The project was conceived as a joint Japan-China endeavor, with Japan taking the R&D initiative while China worked on design and data assembly, according to a source close to Nissan. It has since been approved by all the relevant departments inside Nissan's HQ, and, according to our source, is well into the development cycle with a debut possible as early as late 2013.

Infiniti LE Concept Car Photos 2013 - 2014 -2015

 

Ever since the first hybrid -- the spacey, two-seat Honda Insight -- arrived in the U.S., most green cars have featured love-it-or-hate-it styling. Some of that has been by design, with the goal of making them instantly recognizable as different from a normal, gas-powered car. Indeed, nothing says hybrid quite like the wedge shape of a Toyota Prius. Nissan has been seeking that same type of recognition in the all-electric arena with its Leaf.

But as green becomes more mainstream, that strategy is starting to change. Recently, several gas-powered cars, including the Ford Focus and Hyundai Sonata, were fitted with alternative powertrains, with more on the way. And automakers that are developing green halo cars are striving to produce designs that are recognizable but not as potentially off-putting. This issue is becoming increasingly important in the burgeoning "sustainable luxury" car segment. One only need look at the Fisker Karma or Tesla Model S to know that expressive, dynamic exterior designs and alternative power can coexist.

Nissan's Infiniti brand will be one of the first mainstream manufacturers to produce a unique, all-electric luxury car, the Infiniti LE, which was unveiled in concept form at the 2012 New York auto show. At the time, Infiniti said the LE concept previewed roughly 80-85 percent of what the final car will look like when it hits dealer showrooms in early 2014. Although it's based on the Nissan Leaf, even a well-trained eye would be hard-pressed to spot any similarities. More important for Infiniti, reaction to the LE's design has been overwhelmingly positive.

As a member of the Infiniti EV Insiders group assembled to receive early behind-the-scenes access as the Infiniti EV makes its way from concept to showroom, I recently got a look at the LE design process during a roundtable at the Nissan Design America studios in Southern California.

While they all had slightly different takes on what has been the most difficult hurdle to overcome, the assembled Infiniti designers and product planners agreed on one thing: the Infiniti LE Concept was a very challenging project. Early on, the team was completely open to what the final product would look like, and there was no directive from above saying it should be a sedan, hatchback, or even a crossover. But because the slate was clean and everybody had their own ideas about what kind of vehicle a luxury electric car should be, things got ugly at times.

"About two or three years ago there was a big fight between our engineering, product planning, and design teams over design versus performance -- this was our first big fight on the LE project," said Chikuya Takada, Infiniti's chief product specialist. "Eventually we made a series of sketches that reached consensus on a sedan design, and we were able to make a longer, wider, lower and heavier car than the Leaf, but keep the same range or better."

"Ultimately all of our market research indicated that a sedan is the car that most consumers want in a luxury EV," said Denise Barfuss, a senior manager for Infiniti marketing. "If you look at the market for green vehicles, nearly all of our competition has a hatchback because of the favorable aerodynamics and space in a compact footprint. Even our sister car, the Leaf, is a hatchback. But as a luxury marque, our choice of a sedan platform was more purposeful."

With the sedan choice set, the team also discussed whether the Infiniti EV should be based on an existing model -- much like the M Hybrid is based on the Infiniti M platform -- or whether it would be its own standalone model. Ultimately, the team decided to go with a unique platform because it was breaking new ground for them. But they did set limits for themselves.

"We didn't want to make the LE too unique," said Hirohisa Ono, a Nissan/Infiniti design manager. "It's an Infiniti first and an EV second. A car like the Leaf is an EV first. Although the LE doesn't look like any other Infiniti, it still maintains our DNA with the emotive lines, the crescent cut on the C-pillar, the 'bird of prey' headlights, and its distinctive grille."

"Because it has an advanced drivetrain placed inside a luxury vehicle, we wanted a car that looked modern and timeless at the same time," added Takada. "It sounds impossible, but I think our designers accomplished it."

The Latest on the Bugatti Galibier 2013 - 2014

 

Bugatti still has about 80 available order slots for its Veyron Gran Sport and Gran Sport Vitesse, and has more than that left to manufacture. As such, there remains about a year and a half's worth of work for the factory. After that? The Bugatti Galibier super sedan is next up, but as of right now it looks as though it's unlikely to be ready before the Veyron line stops.

When the Galibier was first shown as a concept to potential owners in fall 2009, many of them requested changes to the interior to make something more distinctive and luxurious. A year later, Wolfgang Duerheimer took over from Franz-Josef Paefgen as Bugatti president (and Bentley CEO), and insisted on major body and engineering changes.

Duerheimer has since departed to run Audi's R&D, leaving Bugatti and Bentley with yet another new boss, Wolfgang Schreiber. He was brought in when transmission issues delayed the Veyron's launch. Soon after, he was given responsibility for finishing development of the whole car. He was then moved to run VW's van division. Insiders predict he might call for further changes to the Galibier. As a result, the production car that finally emerges could be very different from the original concept.

Being a sedan, the Galibier will likely outsell the Veyron, of which 450 will be made and 360 have been sold (253 Veyrons, 47 Super Sports, and 60 of 150 Grand Sport/Grand Sport Vitesse). It will also be fishing in a larger pool of potential buyers than the Veyron. To buy a 1000-hp-plus hyper sports car with a seven-figure price tag, you need to be very rich and to love fast cars. To buy a 1000-hp-plus hyper sedan with a seven-figure price tag (the Galibier will retail for at least four times the $265k-plus Bentley wants for a Mulsanne), you need only be very rich.

Speaking of rich, there are no plans for a cheaper Bugatti model. Salespeople say it would anger existing customers who buy into the brand's exclusivity.