Mercedes Brings Sexy to the Compact Segment with New Concept A-Class, will be Revealed in Shanghai

Mercedes-Benz plans to show up at this month’s Shanghai Auto Show with a brand new concept for a spectacular looking A-Class model. While the Concept A-Class is just what its name says it is – a prototype study - it’s also a very good indication of where the company plans to take its BMW 1-Series and Audi A3 rival with the presentation of the next generation model that is scheduled to go on sale in 2012.

For starters, Mercedes is giving up the minivan-like silhouette of the current A-Class for a more dramatic and sporty looking two-box profile with a long bonnet and a low roof-line. The concept’s exterior design details are heavily influenced by Stuttgart’s most recent prototypes such as the CLS Shooting Brake and especially the F800.

Aside from the new nose with a prominent Mercedes grille, the three-door Concept A-Class also features concave surfaces with sweeping lines throughout the body.

Even though it is certain that next year’s production model will drop many of the striking details (just how many remains to be seen) and lose the aggressive proportions of the concept car, the general shape will be maintained.

Inside, the Concept A-Class has individual seating for four and an overly futuristic styling, which of course, will not pass into production. However, certain design elements such as the shape of the air-vents, steering wheel and instruments will inspire the road-going model, which will most likely be offered with a five-seat layout.

Underneath the sheetmetal, the Concept A-Class rides on a new front-wheel drive platform codenamed MFA, which is believed to stand for “Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture”. The prototype is powered by a four-cylinder gasoline unit from Mercedes’ new M270 engine series and combines both direct-injection and turbocharging technology. The Concept A-Class is equipped with the 2.0-litre variant of the new engine, developing 210 hp, with power being transferred to the front wheels through Mercedes-Benz' new dual clutch transmission.

Other technical highlights include a radar-based collision warning system with adaptive Brake Assist and the daytime running lamps that consist of 90 optical fibres with aluminum sleeves, and are arranged in a wing-shape within the headlamp.

Along with the three-door hatchback previewed by this here concept, Mercedes-Benz officials recently said that the company is planning at least three more variants based on the A-Class' MFA architecture.

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Video Tour of the Unmade BMW M Cars Including the M3 Tourer and Compact, Ur-Roadster and M5 Cabriolet

It is by far, the most sacred place for a BMW M fan. We’re talking about the BMW M Division’s underground facility where the company stores copies of all the production cars and prototypes it has ever built, including a variety of never before seen in public vehicles. In a surprising but much welcomed move, the German automaker recently opened the doors of the special M garage to the members of the press and select enthusiasts revealing an array of models that most had only heard about. We already brought you a video of the wild M8 Coupe with the 580-horsepower V12 engine that was eventually used on the McLaren F1, but now we have several videos showcasing the entire lineup of M cars.
These include the E46 M3 Touring (BMW for station wagon), the E36 M3 Compact powered by the same 321HP straight-six from the M3 Coupe of the time, the E34 M5 Cabriolet with open-top seating for four, an M3 powered E30 ute and possibly the strangest creation yet, the so called Ur-Roadster. The latter is said to have been developed after the Z1 with power being delivered by the E30 M3’s 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine.
Check out all of the cars in the videos below.

Sources: M5Board, Bimmerpost and Car

VIDEO

Renault-Samsung Shows SM7 Pre-Production Concept

After last month's teaser sketch, Renault's Korean subsidiary Samsung unveiled the SM7 Concept at the Seoul Motor Show. In essence, it’s a pre-production design study that previews the next generation of Renault Samsung's flagship model, the SM7.

The production version is set to be introduced in South Korea in the second half of the year as a replacement for the current SM7, which is based on the aging Nissan J31 platform (also used by the Asian Nissan Teana and the North American Nissan Maxima). The new SM7, however, will be based on an elongated SM5 platform.

The D-segment sedan has been developed in collaboration with the Renault-Nissan Alliance. The SM7 Concept's lines are modern with the front dominated by a massive trapezoidal grille, a bulging hood and teardrop-shaped LED headlights. The car's profile features a third lateral window, an element also found on the current SM7. The rear features two large oval exhausts, but its most striking pieces are the thin boomerang-shaped taillights united by a very long third brake light.

Although the car premiered in Seoul, there are no interior pictures available and technical information is missing as well. The Samsung SM7 will compete on the Korean market against the Hyundai Grandeur and the Kia K7.

Renault currently sells in Europe the Latitude, which is a rebadged SM5. When the Latitude was launched, the company stressed that it was not a replacement for the VelSatis. This makes one wonder whether the French company could bring the SM7 to Europe and badge it as a VelSatis or a Safrane.

By Dan Mihalascu

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2012 BMW M5 Concept: First Photos Out in the Open

In a move that certainly won’t leave BMW officials happy, pictures of the 2012 M5 Concept from a preview event held in Germany prior to the car’s world premiere at the Shanghai Auto Show in China later this month, leaked onto the internet. As with most BMW concepts of the sort, the new M5 study is 99 per cent production ready, so don’t expect to see anything different when the sports saloon make its premiere in production guise later this year, possibly at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
The new M5 is based on the latest F10 5-Series saloon and is powered by a modified version of the same twin-turbocharged V8 engine found on the X5 M and X6 M. The V8 is believed to be lighter, more powerful and greener than the 507HP 5.0-liter V10 lump it replaces. No specific numbers have been released, but rumor has it that output will be close to 600-horsepower.
The leaked pictures reveal the rather conservative styling changes over the standard F10 5-Series, which include bespoke front and rear bumpers, side air vents, four tail pipes and the five-spoke M alloy wheels.
Expect more information and perhaps even new photos to come out shortly.

Source: M5board , Transmissia via Worldcarfans

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VIDEO

Artist Envisions a New Take on the Lotus Caterham 7

Much in the same way as Morgan’s pre-Supersports models, the Lotus / Caterham 7 has remained relatively unchanged throughout its long life. A lightweight body with no fixed doors or roof, a flat windscreen, exposed front wheels and a four cylinder motor embody the Seven’s design and engineering philosophy.

Diseno-Art has drawn up a nice design study in the form of the “New 7”, a vehicle designed to expand and complement the existing range of 7-badged vehicles.

With larger proportions and more refinement than the archaic (yet still beautiful) lines of the current generation, the New 7 is designed to be uniquely tailored to each customer’s needs and offer a high level of customer service while still holding to the brand’s philosophy of lightweight, simple and fun.

The New 7 incorporates body parts that are easily removable for maintenance, a direct injection four-cylinder engine (with room for a variety of other types of engine at the client’s request), rear wheel drive and a manual transmission. It’s all very believable and not as farfetched as some of the design study’s we’ve featured on the site before.

You can check out our gallery below and leave a comment if you wish.

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Diseno-Art

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