Monday, May 21, 2007

BMW Wins International Engine of the Year Award


BMW have been awarded as the outright winners for their 3ltr twin turbocharged petrol engine from their 335i models. This is a remarkable third year in succession that BMW has taken home this award for the Acclaimed International Engine of the Year.


The WinnersBest New Engine of 2007: BMW 3-liter Twin-Turbo (335i)

Best Fuel Economy: Toyota 1.5-liter Hybrid Synergy Drive (Prius)

Best Performance Engine: BMW 5-liter V10 (M5, M6)

Sub 1-liter: Toyota 1-liter (Aygo, Yaris, Peugeot 107, Citroën C1)

1-liter to 1.4-liter: Volkswagen 1.4-liter TSI Twincharger (Golf, Touran, Jetta)

1.4-liter to 1.8-liter: BMW-PSA 1.6-liter Turbo (MINI, Peugeot 207)

1.8-liter to 2-liter: Volkswagen 2-liter Turbo (Golf, Audi A3, A6, SEAT Leon, Skoda Octavia)

2-liter to 2.5-liter: BMW 2.5-liter (325, 525, X3, Z4)

2.5-liter to 3-liter: BMW 3-liter Twin-Turbo (335i)

3-liter to 4-liter: Porsche 3.6-liter Turbo(911)

Above 4-liter: BMW 5-liter V10 (M5, M6)

International Engine of the Year 2007: BMW 3-liter Twin-Turbo (335i)

Friday, May 18, 2007

General Motors: Autonomy Concept


GM envisage a future where a car's style, personality and performance would be as simple as downloading a MP3 music file off the internet much like an Ipod feature.

The focus here is that their is a singluar base for the car where a body, seating position and other interiors can be made to fit. Several young designers have submitted technical renderings of their proposed style of car's with various seating position changes and housing (bodies).

The platform (pictured above) operates where each of the four wheels have independant motorised power units that propell the car which in a nut shell means increased steering, balance and overall performance.

The car's limitations are only on the creativity of its owners therefore limitless. A cars braking and other systems can simply be downloaded off the net to accommodate even the most typical of drivers to the more advanced.

The car also produces zero emmissions meaning increased economy and mother earth friendly being hydrogen powered so the only emmission it produces is water.




2007 Audi TT CLubsport Quattro Concept


Looks like Audi have taken this one off the rails but proves just how forward thinking they are becoming in broadening their portfolio. The lowered windscreen, agreesive front end, easy slop of the bonnet making the TT a vastly more sports orientated vehicle.


Powered by a Turbochared inline4 engine it producess 300bhp (unfortunately spec's aren't available in full at this time) but the overall goal here was to develop a vehicle that could acheive the utmost A level purism. The front end is an aggressive design incorporating a single framed grille housing the Audi emplem and the entire cockpit holds no impedements to vision interuptions.


Not my cup of tea personally but interested to see where this design will take them.