日産カーデザイナー、トビアス・ナゲールさん

日本のシンプルで巧妙な伝統デザインに大きな期待をよせているカーデザイナーのトビアス・ナゲールさんは、東ドイツで幼少期を過ごし、ベルリンの壁崩壊後、フィンランド、そしてイギリスでデザインを学んだ。導かれるような縁によって日本に住むようになって早5年。日産が2005年、2007年に発表したコンセプトカー「PIVO」「PIVO2」のデザインを担当した。

「日本は新しいアイデアを考えるにはすばらしい場所だよ。こんなにもユニークで美しい伝統文化がある一方で、極端で行き過ぎなくらいの現代的でテクノロジーを駆使したものにあふれている。このミックスがいつも疑問を喚起し、今までにない考えにつながるんだ。」

彼のデザインには、今まで車に加えられることのなかったプラスアルファが常に取り入れられている。「いろいろな意味で車の概念を壊すような革命的なデザインをしていきたいと思っている。未来の車は、もっともっと動きやすいものになっていくと思う。自転車くらいに手軽で、携帯電話のようなコミュケーションツールへの変化もみせるかもしれないね。」と夢を語る。

休みになると自分のバイクで日本中を旅して回っている。なんてことのない田舎の風景や、風習、人びとの関わり合い方は彼の目には5年目の今でも新鮮に映るという。「最近は、日本の縁側からヒントを得て、新しいデザインを制作したよ。」

これからの展望について聞いてみると、「身軽に、じっくりと時間をかけて世界を旅して回る予定だよ。まだまだ世界には僕を驚かせてくれるもので満ちているはずだからね。」世界を知りたくても知り得ることのなかった幼少期の彼の好奇心は、未だに恐れることなく進む力を与えているようだ。(soma)

日産PIVO2
http://www.nissan-global.com/JP/PIVO2/
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/日産・ピボ

Creative Box
http://www.creative-box.co.jp/

Fonte:avingusa

Mazda Taiki

The new Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid is equipped with a transverse hydrogen rotary engine, featuring Mazda’s hydrogen/gasoline dual-fuel system. The hybrid system efficiently converts energy from hydrogen combustion to electricity and uses it to power the motor. This vehicle promotes practical use thanks to an extended hydrogen-fueled range, and enhanced driving performance and packaging. Leasing is now planned to commence in 2008.

The G4e is a follow-up to Subaru’s earlier R1e, which has been jointly developed with Tokyo Electric Power, the giant Japanese utility company.

The heart of the car is a new battery that employs vanadium to enable twice the energy density of manganese-based lithium-ion batteries. Subaru says the battery can be fully charged in 8 hours on standard household current. It can also be “quick charged” to 80 percent capacity in only 15 minutes at a mobile charging station.

The G4e has a zippy-looking compact body with a slippery drag coefficient of 0.276 and a spacious interior.

 Yamaha Tesseract

The Yamaha Tesseract concept for Tokyo Motor Show is not a motorcycle. Because it’s way more awesome than a motorcycle.

Featuring 4 wheels for enhanced stability, the frame is apparently still not much bigger than a normal bike. And somewhere in there fits two different engines, one gasoline of undisclosed size and another electrical (to dual impress biker chicks and eco babes, though probably offering some impressive performance payoffs as well). The important note to remember is that the Tesseract is not a motorcycle. Please spread the word and make sure every wife knows it while we pray Yamaha actually puts the…vehicle…into production.

We’re also hoping to see the Tesseract transform into a Gundam robot and fulfill its true destiny.

Honda’s showing this year why they’re the leaders in development of concept cars with no discernible edges with this concept car built for this year’s Tokyo Auto Show later this month. It’s called the PUYO, a Japanese onomatopoeia expressing the sensation of — please don’t laugh here — the design team worked very hard on it — “touching the vehicle’s soft body.” Seriously. The PUYO’s meant to convey a warm, friendly impression and bring together ‘clean’, ’safe’ and ‘fun’ functionality in an environmentally responsible, people-friendly minimalist design featuring an ultra-high efficiency, small frame and fuel cell technology. Even the drivetrain’s minimal — a joystick for intuitive operation are all designed to gently support occupants’ senses and of course, as it’s the Tokyo Auto Show — their gamer sensibilities. Full release after the jump.

The first-generation Pivo made its debut at the 2005 Tokyo Auto Show. The latest iteration features what Nissan describes as “revolutionary technology” that allows the cabin part of the car to rotate in a complete circle. The Pivo 2’s wheels also turn 90 degrees to allow the car to “drive sideways as well as forward.” Each of the four wheels is powered by the company’s advanced electric in-wheel 3D motor.

Like the original Pivo, the Pivo 2 is powered by advanced compact lithium-ion batteries. It is said to travel about 78 miles on a single charge and plugs into a regular home electric socket.

One of the most intriguing parts of the Pivo 2 concept is the “robotic agent.” Nissan says, “You are never alone in the Pivo 2,” which is either reassuring or creepy, depending on your point of view. The robotic head says preprogrammed phrases such as, “Relax, don’t worry,” if the driver seems upset. The driver’s facial expressions are analyzed by the robotic bobblehead’s digital camera eyes and a microphone that studies the driver’s voice for changes in volume and speaking speed.

Our team hasn’t even arrived in Frankfurt yet and news is already starting to trickle out about the next big show on the circuit. The Tokyo Motor Show is coming up in October and Mitsubishi has let out some information about their debuts. One of the premieres will be a battery-powered 2+2 coupe dubbed the i MiEV Sport.

The lithium ion battery-powered, all wheel drive coupe will use a pair of in-wheel motors in the front corners along with a third motor driving the rear wheels. Helping the coupe reach its 120 mile range are photovoltaic solar cells mounted in the roof and LED lighting. Additional power comes from a generating fan mounted in the front grille. There are more details in the press release after the jump.

The Tokyo show just wouldn’t be complete without a concept so outrageous and unthinkable that it would cause you to question the sanity of its designers. Luckily, Toyota stepped up to the plate with its RiN concept, which can be summed up as a greenhouse on wheels. Some of its earth-inspired goodies include leaf shaped foot pedals and a steering wheel that can tell how you’re feeling.
Most of us are used to hearing about horsepower, top-speed and lap-times, but the entire philosophy of the RiN concept does away with all that. Instead, the focus of the RiN is to make its occupants feel more in “harmony” with nature. The windows, for example, extend all the way around to create a glass floor to view the road below you.

In fact, most of the features of the RiN are in place to make its occupants feel more relaxed and promote physical and mental well-being. If Toyota could implement a few of the less crazy ideas into future models then perhaps in the not too distant future we will see a world without road rage, and happy, smiling faces in every car. Don’t hold your breath.

Suzuki PIXY(left) & Suzuki SSC(right)

Fellow blogger, Alex Nunez says that the Suzuki SSC is “a geometric, omnidirectional ‘mothership’”. We won’t argue with that description, but we’ll add that it kinda looks like an upside-down Jawa Sandcrawler from Star Wars too. Another thing that the SSC, or Suzuki Sharing Coach, has in common with the Sandcrawler: it houses droids. Well, sort of. The accompanying Suzuki PIXY houses a human occupant, but we won’t hold that against it ’cause it’s just a concept after all.

While we’re comparing the SSC with other vehicles, why not draw some attention to the Opel Flextreme which was just shown off at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Like the SSC, the Flextreme also excretes human transporters from its hind-quarters. Consider too that Toyota has been showing off the i-Swing single-seater since ‘05. Do we spot an emerging trend here?

شرکت نیسان مدل جدیدی از ماشین برقی پیشرفته ابداعی خود موسوم به Pivo را معرفی کرد که در نمایشگاه خودروی توکیو در معرض دید عموم قرار خواهد گرفت.

Pivo 2 قادر است دور خود بچرخد و چرخهایش قابلیت چرخش 90 درجه ای دارد که به راننده امکان حرکت به جلو ، عقب ، چپ و راست را میدهد که مخصوصاً برای پارک کردن خودرو در فضاهای محدود بسیار کارگشاست.
کنترل این ماشین بسیار ساده و قدرت مانورش بسیار زیاد است.این خودرو مجهز به یک روبات سخنگوست که به دو زبان انگلیسی و ژاپنی صحبت میکند و قادر است وظایف ماشین ، جایگاه های پارک خودرو و حتی نزدیکترین کافی شاپ ها را به اطلاع راننده برساند.
زمان عرضه Pivo 2 به بازار هنوز مشخص نشده اما از کودکان و نوجوانان به عنوان مشتریان این محصول نام برده شده.