Alfa Romeo 4C Concept New Color

Instead of presenting the final production version of is 4C mid-engine sports coupe at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show, Alfa Romeo will once again display the concept model but with a different paint job.
The new color is named 'Fluid Metal' with Alfa claiming that it "dynamically enhances the smooth and sinuous lines of the car". We find it much better looking than the washed out matte red shown on the original Geneva Salon concept.
Other than that, the two-seater model keeps the same 200-horsepower, 1.75-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine mounted behind the passenger cabin driving the rear wheels through a twin clutch automatic transmission.
The 4 meter long concept makes liberal use of carbon fibre in its construction to keep weight at a low 850kg or 1,873 pounds for a power to weight ratio of less than 4kg per HP, with Alfa promising a sub-5.0 seconds sprint to 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) and a top speed of over 250 km/h (155 mph).
The 4C is expected to enter production next year.

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Citroën Tubik Van Concept

Figures...just as we hit the post button on our previous article regarding Citroën's Frankfurt Motor Show surprise, the French carmaker dropped off the first official photos of its new concept model named Tubik.As previously noted, the Tubik pays homage to the 1939 Tub van and its replacement, the 1948 Type H that was produced up until the beginning of the 1980s.
The Tubik serves as both a commercial van and a people carrier with the 4.8 meter long, 2.08m wide and 2.05m tall model providing comfortable space for nine passengers in three lounge-style seats, with the driver cocooned in a separated compartment.
Citroën says passengers can arrange the three rows of seats as they wish, since each seat is independent for maximum comfort. The first row of seats allows two people to sit facing either the road or the other passengers.
The middle row can seat up to three people or, alternatively, can be converted into a small table, be folded onto the last row to free up an area close to 2 square meters, or be folded out completely to create a meridienne-style seat. 
Motivation is provided from the PSA Peugeot-Citroën group's new Hybrid4 full-hybrid diesel drivetrain.
We'll have more on the Tubik soon, but for now, scroll down to check out the official photos.

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Russian Yo-Auto wants to Rock the Frankfurt Motor Show

One of the lesser known automakers from Russia, Yo-Auto, will participate at this month’s Frankfurt Motor Show with a new study, the (not so imaginatively named) Yo-Concept.
It is one of three hybrid models the Russian company is developing and has been designed in order to introduce the brand to the public and to preview its future products.
The highlights of the Yo-Concept include the rear-and-upwards sliding doors with minimal glass area and a full-length glass roof that merges with the windshield. The interior can accommodate four adults thanks to the slim front seats that maximize rear space.
The imaginatively-styled concept, which is not intended for production, is powered by a hybrid system that works in a similar fashion to the Volt, in that it pairs a battery pack and an electric motor with a range-extending conventional petrol engine. 

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Renault 4 Ever Concept: Obendorfer’s Revival of a Childhood Impression

The Renault 4 Ever Design Competition is asking the world’s up-and-coming designers to pen a modernised take on the brand’s iconic Quatrelle hatchback.

Here’s one design that really impressed us: Italian David Obendorfer’s “Revival of a Childhood Impression”. Like Fiat’s Nuova 500, Obendorfer’s Revival takes the classic lines of its inspiration and wraps them around modern underpinnings.

Obendorfer explains:

“I have explored the nature of this model's surfaces and tried to capture the proportions that give it a strong personality. [Such] features are the r4's long wheelbase, quite short front overhang, car body with a typical forward-facing incline, different front and back fenders, front headlights close to each other, straight rear hatch, etc. [Of] course it has been necessary to update the vehicle volumes respecting - among other things - the standard for pedestrians' protection and the current requirements of safety and comfort in general.”

In other words, the Revival is a homage that does not skimp on creature comforts and occupant safety. It’s like the Hyundai i30 Estate in a way; a five-door hatchback with a wagon-sized boot.

It’s a modern design with retro-styling cues, perhaps designed to be built on an existing architecture. And like most new cars today, the Revival has been designed with alternative power plants – such as hybrid and all-electric ones – in mind.

Much like the exterior, the interior is attractive in its simplicity. The instrument panel retains the look-and-feel of the original Quatrelle, though uses an LCD screen that folds away when the engine is switched off in place of analogue gauges.

There’s also an LCD satellite navigation screen, a dashboard-mounted shift lever and conventional push button / turn knob controls for the radio and HVAC.

Of all the entrants, I feel this one looks the most production-ready. It surprises with its practicality: how it’s not some way-out design for a future that will never come.

Obendorfer’s Revival was one of the fifty projects shortlisted in DesignBoom’s Renault 4 Ever competition, and is definitely one of our favourites. You can check out our full gallery below and leave a comment if you wish.

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New Audi A2 Concept

These past few years, Audi and the German premium automakers in general, have set out to fill every possible niche consumers may or may not think they need, from luxurious superminis to wild supercars. And they are far from done.At the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt auto show, Audi will lift the covers off a new pure-electric concept study that revives the name of long gone A2. 
The original model was a small MPV built from 1999 to 2005 that was way ahead of its time in several ways, but what made it truly unique was that it was manufactured entirely out of aluminum.
The new A2 concept is, however, a different car - and a very confused one at that. First of all, it’s a five-door hatchback but it's actually smaller in size than the three-door A1 measuring just 3.80 meters (12.47 ft) long, 1.69 meters (5.54 ft) wide and 1.49 meters (4.89 ft) tall. In comparison, the A2 is 3.95 meters long, 1.74 meters wide and 1.42 meters tall.
At this stage, Audi has not revealed many technical details on the A2 Concept, but it is believed that the car is based on a shortened version of the A1's platform.
The German automaker says that the A2 offers "plenty of room for four people" and that it features flat interior floorboard. There are four individual seats, with the center console attached to the driver’s seat and the rear console extending forward between the two rear seats. The load area has two levels with a frame creating the upper level.
The only piece of information we get about the drivetrain from Audi is that the A2 Concept sports a "powerful electric drive system for agile performance and long range".
And what does the future hold for the A2? Well, at last year's Geneva Salon, Audi execs hinted at the A2 but noted that if the company were to produce such a model, it would be offered with both conventional and electric powertrains.
We'll find out more about the A2 at the rapidly approaching Frankfurt Motor Show.

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Tata Pixel, a Four-Seater City Car Concept

Tata, the Indian maker of the Nano, made its way to Geneva with a new concept city car called the Pixel. At just over three meters in lengths, Tata claims the Pixel is "the most package efficient four-seater in the world," being able to "comfortably accommodate four adults".
The design of the car is very similar to that of the Pininfarina Nido, but there's no official mention of the two companies collaborating on the Pixel project. The highlight of the Tata city car concept is the Zero Turn system, which enables maneuvering and parking in tight spaces. An Infinitely Variable Transmission (IVT) assists rotation of the outer rear wheel forwards and the inner rear wheel backwards during low-speed maneuvers, with the result being a turning circle radius of just 2.6 meters.
For the same reason of limited parking space, the Pixel's doors open upwards, a feature present on the Pininfarina Nido as well. Another intelligent system used by the Pixel is called “My Tata Connect”, through which the driver can control key functions of the car using only his smartphone or tablet PC.
The Pixel is powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, mounted in the rear, just like the Nido (although Tata doesn't mention if it's rear-wheel-drive as the Pininfarina car). The Indian car maker claims the Pixel returns an average fuel consumption of 3.4 liters/100 km (69 US mpg) and CO2 emissions of just 89 g/km, thanks to the use of stop-start technology, low rolling-resistance tires and optimized aerodynamic drag.
Tata official said the concept could spawn a production model for Europe in the near future.
"Tata Motors holds true to its belief that there is an opportunity in Europe for a city car, which is optimal in space, manoeuvrability and environment-friendliness," said ex-Opel boss and current CEO of Tata Motors. "The Tata Pixel is a reflection of Tata Motors' idea of what such a car should be."

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