Archive for the ‘Concept Cars’ Category
Continuation models will offer plenty of gadgets like revolving license plates – but no word on machine guns and ejection seat.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.20, 2018
The original James Bond, Sean Connery, with the original Aston Martin DB5 in Goldfinger.
“Bond. James Bond.” For those who’ve always fantasized about being able to speak that familiar line, they can now lay claim to another feature from one of Agent 007’s most iconic adventures.
Working with the special effects team from the most recent James Bond film, Aston Martin has recreated the classic DB5 that originally appeared in “Goldfinger,” and it plans to offer 25 full-size reproductions that, the British marque claims, will include an assortment of “working gadgets.” Those will include “revolving number (license) plates and more,” we’re told, though Aston isn’t ready to reveal whether that also includes the machine guns and ejector seat Bond had at the ready.
Behind the Scenes!
“The connection between Aston Martin and James Bond is something of which we are very proud and it is remarkable that the DB5 remains the definitive James Bond car after so many years,” said Aston CEO Andy Palmer. “To own an Aston Martin has long been an aspiration for James Bond fans, but to own a Silver Birch DB5, complete with gadgets and built to the highest standards in the very same factory as the original James Bond cars? Well, that is surely the ultimate collectors’ fantasy.”
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Tags: 007 aston db5, 007 aston martin, 007 db5, James bond, aston martin db5, aston martin news, auto news, bond aston martin, bond db5, car news, james bond aston martin, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Aston Martin, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Celebrities, Classic Cars, Concept Cars, Personalities, Sales, Sales, Sports Cars, Super Cars | No Comments »
Over 1 million turn out, but the cars are the stars at the 24th annual Woodward Dream Cruise.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.18, 2018
Bob Chesnicki and his wife have long wanted to make it out for the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise. They finally showed up in this T-Bucket for their 32nd anniversary.
It’s either “the world’s largest car show,” or “the world’s largest parking lot,” said Robert Angel, as he watched a procession of muscle cars, hot rods and sports cars slowly creep by on Woodward Avenue.
Angel was one of an estimated 1.5 million people who lined a 16-mile stretch of the eight-lane boulevard that bisects Detroit and its northern suburbs for the 24th Woodward Dream Cruise, an annual event that was expected to draw cars and spectators from as far away as New Zealand, Australia and the former Soviet Union.
Cruise Along with Us!
Angel, a former school teacher, only had to travel from Savannah, Georgia, but waited until he retired to finally get to see the Dream Cruise, he explained, because the school year in Georgia normally started in early August.
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Tags: 2018 dream cruise, 2018 woodward avenue dream cruise, auto news, auto show, car news, car show, classic cars, cruisers, dream cruise, muscle cars, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, woodward avenue dream cruise
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Classic Cars, Concept Cars, Motorsports, Muscle Cars, Sports Cars | No Comments »
Japanese luxury maker offers a more revealing tease of Prototype 10.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.16, 2018
The Infiniti Prototype 10 is meant to give the classic roadster a battery-powered kick.
Infiniti is doing a slow fan dance as it begins to reveal the “daring electrified speedster” it will formally unveil at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance later this month.
It’s the latest in a series of extreme concepts and more conventional production models that the Japanese luxury brand has brought to the annual Pebble Beach event and the new Prototype 10 is meant to highlight Infiniti’s planned shift to electrifying future products.
Electrifying!
“It is appropriate that we found inspiration in an optimistic bygone era in which cars were characterized by the simple love of driving,” says Karim Habib, Infiniti’s Executive Design Director. But while Prototype 10 may be meant to celebrate what Habib calls “some of the most evocative car designs of all time, where power was celebrated through high – powered single – seat competition cars,” it is anything but a retro-mobile. (more…)
Tags: Infiniti Concours d'Elegance, Infiniti EV prototype, Infiniti prototype 10, TheDetroitBureau.com., auto news, ev news, infiniti news, infiniti pebble beach, infiniti show car, paul a. eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Concept Cars, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Infiniti, Luxury Vehicles, Pebble Beach Concours, Sales, Technology, Trends | No Comments »
Debut echoes Waymo/Walmart partnership.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.16, 2018
The Kroger project won't completely solve the "last mile" challenge. Customers still will have to go out and grab their bags from the delivery vehicle.
While it may take some time before you can hail a driverless ride-sharing vehicle, you may soon be able to have your groceries delivered autonomously – at least if you live in certain parts of greater Phoenix.
Kroger has teamed up with Nuro, a self-driving tech firm to launch a trial grocery delivery program in one part of the Southwest community, and could roll it out to other parts of the country if it proves successful. The move comes shortly after rival Walmart announced a similar pilot program pairing it with Google’s autonomous vehicle spin-off Waymo.
Stay on Top of Breaking News!
“Kroger wants to bring more customers the convenience of affordable grocery delivery,” Kroger Chief Digital Officer Yael Cosset said in a statement.
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Tags: auto news, car news, driverless truck, kroger delivery, kroger driverless delivery, kroger nuro, nuro delivery, nuro kroger, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, uber driverless, walmart waymart
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Autonomous Driving, Business, Concept Cars, Driverless Vehicles, First Look, Ride-Sharing, Safety, Sales, Semi-autonomous Driving, Technology, Uber, waymo | No Comments »
Show car will “underline the electrified performance theme."
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Aug.09, 2018
Infiniti is offering a tease of its Pebble Beach Concept.
It’s going to be a busy week when everyone starts rolling into California for the week-long celebration leading up to the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Automakers from around the world are promising to use the Concours and related events as backdrop to unveil an array of production cars and concepts later this month.
That includes Infiniti which today dropped some hints about the electric luxury model it will launch on the Pebble Beach show. While the Nissan luxury brand is being coy about details, it hints that the show car will “underline the electrified performance theme” that it has announced for future products, virtually all models set to be offered with some form of battery-based drivetrain – with an emphasis on plug-in hybrids and pure battery-electric vehicles.
What a Concept!
“Our new concept provides clues to where the Infiniti brand is heading,” said the brand’s design director Karim Habib, in a statement accompanying this teaser image. “For us, electrification means performance – our electrified cars will be powerful, efficient, and a joy to drive, and the new concept is a physical representation of our electrified performance future.”
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Tags: 2018 pebble beach concours, Infiniti concept, Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, auto news, car news, infiniti electric, infiniti electric concept, infiniti news, infiniti pebble beach, nissan news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Classic Cars, Concept Cars, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, First Look, Fuel Economy, Hybrids, Infiniti, Luxury Vehicles, Nissan, Pebble Beach Concours, Product Reveals, SUVs, Sales, Technology, Trends | No Comments »
Sponsors aim to revive what's been North America’s leading car show.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.23, 2018
Toyota Pres. Akio Toyota is shown here revealing the 2019 Camry during this year's NAIAS.
The North American International Auto Show will move from January to June in 2020, a new timeslot that organizers are betting will help revive the flagging momentum of what had long been one of the industry’s most important annual events.
The Detroit Auto Dealers Association had signaled its intention of abandoning its traditional, mid-winter schedule, though a switch to October was also under study. But that would have conflicted with other shows in Europe and Asia, the dealer group’s Executive Director Rod Alberts told TheDetroitBureau.com in an exclusive interview.
We Keep You In the Know!
In a background briefing ahead of today’s official announcement, Alberts said one of the advantages of a summer event is the ability to add new functions that expand beyond the confines of Detroit’s sprawling Cobo Hall convention center. “We realized we have to change the show (and) showcase Detroit, too,” said Alberts, who has been running the DADA for the past 28 years.
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Tags: 2020 detroit auto show, 2020 naias, Consumer Electronics Show, auto show trouble, auto shows, auto shows fading, car news, car shows, ces, detroit auto dealers, detroit auto show moving to june, dieter zetsche, naias moving to june, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisensteinauto news, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Advertising, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Autonomous Driving, BMW, Beijing, Business, CES, Chevrolet, Citroen, Concept Cars, Daimler, Detroit, Driverless Vehicles, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, FCA, Fiat, First Look, Ford, Frankfurt, GAC, GM, Geneva, Honda, Infiniti, Infortainment, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Los Angeles, Markets, Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Monthly Results, New York, Nissan, Paris, Personalities, Sales, Sales, Semi-autonomous Driving, Technology, Tesla, Tokyo, Toyota, Trade, U.S./North America, Volkswagen, Volvo | Comments Off
Paris debut planned, U.S. launch could follow.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.18, 2018
VinFast turned to Pininfarina to design its new models, the sedan shown in this rendering.
The first “volume” Vietnamese automaker will reveal two new models designed by Pininfarina during the Paris Motor Show this coming October, setting into motion what it hopes will be a global rollout over the next few years.
VinFast, which will be setting up a new “state-of-the-art manufacturing facility” in the northern part of Vietnam plans to launch the two vehicles – an SUV and a sport sedan – in September 2019, though it will initially focus solely on “affluent” buyers in its home country before targeting opportunities elsewhere in Asia and in Western markets.
Insight!
“Our show stand will…prominently feature the best of Vietnam, demonstrating the passion and tenacity that we will bring to the global automotive stage,” said James DeLuca, CEO of VinFast Trading and Production LLC. “We have the resources, scalability and commitment to become a significant new player in the global automotive industry.”
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Tags: auto news, car news, paris motor show, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau, vietnam auto, vietnam car, vinfast, vinfast paris
Posted in Asia Pacific, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Concept Cars, First Look, Markets, Paris | Comments Off
All-electric Polestar 3 SUV already in the works.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.17, 2018
The Volvo 40.2 Concept hints at what's coming with Polestar's first all-electric vehicle.
Volvo’s performance electric brand is getting ready to charge into the market with two additional models over the next two years, starting with the all-electric Polestar 2 which, a senior official claims, will deliver range of up to 350 miles per charge.
And, in keeping with the mandate of the brand – which traces its roots back to the track – the Polestar 2 “five-door coupe” will deliver around 405 horsepower, according to the brand’s Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Goodman. That figure might actually underplay the potential performance of the all-electric offering, as battery-electric vehicles can deliver incredible off-the-line performance because they punch out maximum torque the moment their motors start spinning.
We Keep You Plugged In!
The Polestar 2 is expected to share the same underlying Compact Modular Architecture, or CMA, as the new Volvo 40-Series line-up. That was an obvious choice considering Volvo itself is planning to offer electrified versions of all future models and the CMA, its newest platform, was designed specifically to allow mounting a large battery pack under the load floor.
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Tags: Polestar 1, Polestar news, auto news, battery car, car news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, polestar, polestar 2, polestar 3, polestar electric, polestar geneva motor show, polestar tesla, polestar volvo, thedetroitbureau, volvo news
Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, China, Concept Cars, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, Europe, First Look, Geneva, Hybrids, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Polestar, SUVs, Sales, Sports Cars, Super Cars, Technology, Tesla, Trends, U.S./North America, Volvo | Comments Off
Upturn linked to new products, standalone dealers, says Raphael.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.11, 2018
Genesis steps things up by taking a shot at the vaunted BMW 3-Series with the new G70.
It’s not often that a senior brand executive is pleased to see his sales slide by more than 50 percent, but Erwin Raphael says the sharp year-over-year decline Genesis reported last month is pretty much right on target.
Two years after it was spun off by Hyundai as a standalone luxury brand, Genesis is in the midst of some major changes that will determine its long-term success. That starts with the upcoming launch of the 2019 G70, which targets the likes of the vaunted BMW 3-Series, as well as the first Genesis SUV expected to join the line-up next year.
Insight!
The Korean marque is also getting ready to launch its own standalone dealer network in the coming months, one that will see the number of Genesis outlets in the U.S. drop by more than 85 percent. But, as with sales, bigger numbers aren’t always better when you’re launching one of the first new luxury brands in decade, insists Raphael, the executive director of Genesis Motor America.
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Tags: 2019 genesis g70, auto news, car news, erwin raphael, genesis, genesis dealer, genesis erwin raphael, genesis essentia, genesis g70, genesis gv80, genesis news, genesis suv, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
Posted in Advertising, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Business, Concept Cars, Events, Financials, Genesis, Hyundai, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Monthly Results, New York, Sales, Sales, Trends, U.S./North America | Comments Off
Set to debut in late 2019 in Silicon Valley.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jul.11, 2018
Initially, Daimler will use the Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan for the pilot ride-sharing project.
Mercedes-Benz is teaming up with German mega-supplier Bosch to launch a new ride-sharing service in Silicon Valley next year that will rely on self-driving vehicles.
The project marks the latest entry into the fast-expanding field that, by some estimates, could eventually account for as much as a quarter or more of the miles Americans travel by automobile. Other planning to launch ride-sharing services using self-driving vehicles include General Motors, Google spin-off Waymo and Uber, the country’s largest ride-sharing service.
Making Sense of the Brave New World!
While Mercedes’ parent Daimler AG is referring to the vehicles it will use as “automated shuttle(s),” customers will be able to ride in style. When the project initially gets underway during the second half of 2019, it will rely on modified versions of the luxurious S-Class Sedan. Eventually, the goal is to switch to a production version of the edgy Mercedes concept vehicle, the F 015.
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Tags: Mercedes F 015, auto news, car news, mercedes autonomous, mercedes autonomous ride-sharing, mercedes bosch, mercedes bosch ride-sharing, mercedes news, mercedes ride-sharing, mercedes s-calls, mercedes-Benz, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, self-driving ride-sharing, thedetroitbureau, waymo
Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Autonomous Driving, Business, Chrysler, Concept Cars, Daimler, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, FCA, GM, Markets, Maven, Ride-Sharing, Safety, Semi-autonomous Driving, Technology, Traffic Fatalities, U.S./North America, Uber, Waymo, waymo | Comments Off
