Chevrolet Miray Concept

According to GM Korea President and CEO Mike Arcamone, “‘Miray’ is Korean for ‘future.’ As GM rolls out Chevrolet across Korea, the Miray concept offers an exploration of future possibilities for the brand. It strengthens the bond between car and driver, creating a fresh look at what sports cars of the future might be.” The Chevrolet Miray Concept was developed at the GM Advanced Design Studio in Seoul. Combining cutting-edge hybrid powertrain technology and advanced styling, it balances iconic Chevrolet design cues with a future design vision as Chevrolet celebrates its centennial in 2011.

Made of carbon fiber and CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic), the wedged body side is divided by an angled character line, with ambient lighting underneath. This accent creates a sweeping line of light when the car is in motion, bringing a warm glow to the sculptured body. Le Mans racer-style scissor doors open up and out of the way for dramatic access to the interior.

The powerful front end offers a reinterpretation of the Chevrolet face. The Chevrolet Miray Concept‘s dual port grille is flanked by LED headlamps with new signature daytime running lamps. The front and rear fenders evoke Chevrolet Corvettes of the past and express the concept’s sports car spirit. At the corners, carbon-fiber spoilers help control down force and airflow. The interior compartment is surrounded by a carbon fiber shell, which gives it a lightweight yet rigid structure. Its flowing, yet slightly tensioned, twin cockpit tightly wraps around the driver and passenger. The cockpit is driver focused, drawing inspiration from the iconic Chevrolet sports car. However, the passenger is also fully engaged in the driving experience.

Asymmetric seats flow from the door, forming a symmetric interior that gives the driver a feeling of being fully connected with the car. Ambient lighting, which starts from the upper instrument panel and flows into the seat back area, adds a sense of luxury. Seat cushions and headrests are connected by the lightweight carbon fiber shell and mounted on a single aluminum rail. The headrest area follows the exterior form, integrating with an air scarf for open-air driving.

The Chevrolet Miray Concept is propelled by two front-mounted 15-kW electric motors for quick acceleration and zero emissions in urban driving. The motors are powered by a 1.6-kWh lithium-ion battery that is charged through regenerative braking energy. The Miray has the capability of being switched from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive.

For performance driving, the Chevrolet Miray Concept‘s 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine combines with the electric motors, providing spirited torque control to both the left and right wheels as needed. The high-tech engine, mounted behind the cockpit, drives the rear wheels while seamlessly integrating electrification technology that defines a new standard in the compact roadster segment.

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BMW unveils new electric and hybrid concept cars

NEW YORK (AP) — BMW unveiled a pair of concept carsWednesday, one a hybrid and one electric, made of light-weightcarbon fiber and a see-through glass exterior.The cars are expected to go into production within the next two to three years.

The carbon fiber in the i3 city car and i8 sports car significantly reduces the weight of the vehicle and the size of its frame, giving designers more flexibility and creating more interior space for passengers, said Richard Kim, who designed the exteriors of both vehicles.The material, used in the aerospace sector and also for high-end bicycles, is valued for its strength-to-weight ratio. Its uses are expanding, however, and engineers are designing everything from camping equipment to pool cues.For the German automaker, it allowed for more glass where there is traditionally metal, Kim said. The doors of both vehicles are mostly made of glass, along with much of their roofs and tail ends.

BMW said the car offers "superb safety in the event of a collision."

The final product may not appear as dramatic, but will have the same feel as the concept cars, Kim said.

"You may not see as much glass, but you will be able to see the light coming through," Kim said at a sneak peak event Wednesday in New York. The cars officially debut next week at the Los Angeles auto show.

The i3 is expected to go into production in 2013, with production of the i8 following a year later. The cost of the car has yet to be determined, though carbon fiber is not cheap.

The four-door i3 is designed for urban driving, with its wheels pushed out to the corners of the frame for stability. It has coach-style doors, with rear and front doors swinging open at the center of the vehicle.

The added stability of carbon fiber allowed designers to eliminate the support pillar traditionally found between the front and back doors, which will make it making it easier to enter and exit the vehicle, Kim said.

The i3 comes in an all-electric version that can go 80 to 100 miles on a single charge, but buyers have the option of adding a small gas engine that would recharge the battery if needed. It takes about six hours to fully charge the battery.

The sporty i8 has two winged doors made of glass and a sleek silhouette. The exterior is designed to help the car cut through the air more efficiently.

The all-wheel drive car has a battery and a gas engine that work together, with the battery powering the front wheels and a gas engine powering the rear wheels. Without the gas engine, the car has a range of about 20 miles, but fully charges in less than two hours.

Source: yahoo news

Arman 90m Explorer yacht concept

Arman, a newly established Belgian marine design studio, presents its new 90 meter superyacht concept, also known under the codename “Dune 90″. Arman Fissette, a founder of the studio and a creator of the unique Arman 90m Explorer motor yacht concept ‘Dune 90′, describes the process that transform his extraordinary ideas into this visually stimulating design.

To celebrate the creation of his own design studio “ARMAN”, former BMW designer and marine envisioneer Arman Fissette created an innovative and visionary design style with a more monolithic approach to superyacht design. The result is a truly charismatic yacht, Arman 90m Explorer yacht taking inspiration from stealth frigates and swerving dunes, boasting a crispness and leanness that is rare for a yacht of this size.

With 90 meter bow to stern, The DUNE 90 superyacht is a true explorer yacht, equipped for any type of trip, be it on water, land or in the air, in both high-latitude or low-latitude cruising grounds. There’s a helicopter hangar aboard, together with berths for a submarine, an amphibious aircraft, three large tenders, six waverunners and a garage containing four off-road vehicles. While 10 Guest cabins and an owner’s cabin provide enough space to sleep 22, there’s an additional 28 crew aboard to run the yacht and cater to the needs of those aboard.

The upper decks are covered by a large glass atrium with arabesque-type light filters to retain a sense of privacy while natural light is allowed in and heat is kept out.

The swimming pool on the foredeck is partially overhung by the owner’s salon which features a large glass facade, called the” visor”. This feature clearly marks the “Dune 90″ superyacht’s inclination towards exploration, as if it were looking out for new things on the horizon.

The team behind this yacht is currently designing a 75 meter yacht concept and going through a yard selection process for both projects.

Arman “Dune 90″ explorer yacht concept´s specification sheet

Concept and Design: Arman Fissette

Length overall (LOA): 90.00 m

Length water line (LWL): 85.00 m

Molded Beam: 15.00 m

Design Draft: 4.20 m

Displacement @ half load  2919 tons

Displacement @ full load  3180 tons

Gross Tonnage: 3182 GT

Max Speed: 17.00 knots

Cruise Speed: 14.00 knots

Range at Cruise Speed: 11000 n.miles

Main Generators :  2x CATERPILLAR 3516B @ 1800rpm, 1825 ekW
1x CATERPILLAR 3512B @ 1800rpm, 1360 ekW

Aux. Generators:  2x CATERPILLAR 3408C, 370 ekW three phase, 1x CATERPILLAR 3306B 145 ekW