Here is an all new tuning package released for the upcoming Hyundai Veloster sports car. It is said to be fitted with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine producing 208 horsepower. This should be good for a 0 to 62 mph acceleration time under 7 seconds, and it is expected to go on sale in Europe early in 2012. However it is still not yet confirmed that the same powerplant and performance numbers will be available in the North American version of the Hyundai Veloster.
Concept Cars
Concept cars information with articles and pictures about the latest car concepts unveiled by popular automakers.
Kawasaki ZX-770R Concept
While Kawasaki is known for great motorcycle designs, Dutch designer Sabino Leerentveld drew up this unique super car concept called the Kawasaki ZX-770R. It was inspired by the KTM X-BOW, which is a four wheel car also made by popular motorcycle manufacturer ABT. This Kawasaki super car would be extremely light, weighing in at only 500 kg or 1,100 pounds. Power would come from a plentiful V6 turbocharged powerplant, which is said to develop a whopping 770 horsepower. This is more than enough for a car this size, and has us questioning if the wheels would even be able to stick to the pavement.
Cadillac Ciel is a Fancy Concept
With the confirmation of the three new Cadillac’s entering the production line, they have decided to impress the masses with this Cadillac Ciel concept car. Hard to say if this will go into production in the next couple years, mainly because Cadillac has released concepts like this in the past with no follow up. They do however have the new large XTS luxury saloon, the ATS compact to rival the BMW 3-Series, and the all new ELR Coupe plug-in hybrid EV for the green crowd.
Dragon Gullwing Mercedes SLS Concept by M.R.Khosravi Design
An interesting design concept has been sent to us from MR Khosravi Design called the Dragon Gullwing and based on the Mercedes SLS AMG. While we’re curious to hear the reaction from the car tuning enthusiasts, this is definitely the most unique take on the Mercedes SLS that we’ve seen to date. On the exterior you will notice new doors that when closed will extend to the rear of the car. Dragon heads shooting out the front appear to hold the headlights, while the new wheel spokes resemble a dragon claw. The inside has a crazy custom feel that looks almost too futuristic to be true.
Pagani Huayra Set To Debut in US in 2013
One of the most amazing cars in the world, the Pagani Huayra, is planned to debut on US show floors in 2013. This comes after the US Department of Transportation announced the car would not be allowed in America because of the lacking airbag system. Pagani plans to change this problem with the Huayra, so they will be able to manufacture 15 units at a price of $1,375,000, and an extra $374,000 for the airbag upgrade to make it street legal. With that cost you’d expect it to have some gold plated airbag covers inside, but instead you’ll find an AMG-sourced 6.0-liter twin turbo V12 engine under the hood producing more than 700 horsepower and 1,000 newton meters of torque.
Irmscher 7 Selectra Electric Concept
A unique car concept was released by the German tuners Irmscher called the 7 Selectra, an electric concept roadster. This classic Lotus 7 type car features a 144V DC motor producing 175 kW and an insance 800 Nm of torque. It is said to be the largest ammount of torque available for an electric car currently. Lithium iron phosphate cells (LiFePo) provide the battery power. The advantage to this liquid cooled battery is minimal power loss at low temps, and the fact they can be charged wirelessly. Technology has allowed these batteries to be charged to 60 and 100 percent in 3 to 8 hours.
Update – SSC Ultimate Aero II
After our initial post about the new SSC Ultimate Aero II concept car, TopGear has revealed new images and information. They are continuing the “fastest car in the world” battle between the Bugatti and several other concepts, but the pricing and specs are now here. It will come powered by a four-cam 6.8-liter twin-turbo engine, capable of revving to 9,000 rpm to produce a whopping 1,350 bhp. The Aero II blowers are an SSC design, and it’s already accomplishing these numbers on Shelby’s dyno. The final car will be constructed of all carbon except for aluminum crash rails on the front and back. Its transmission is still the same SSC unit with a triple-disc carbon clutch, and the option of sequential paddle shifting.
Lexus LFA SuperGT
If you follow the SuperGT competitions then you will notice one company that is missing a supercar in the race. Toyota has plans to develop the Lexus LFA SuperGT car to handle the competition after winning the race last year in their Lexus SC430. Nissan and Honda have already released their modified models, and although these renderings are unofficial, the concept seems on point as far as design goes. Toyota has yet to confirm the entrance of the Lexus LFA, but hopefully it should be announced later this year.
Kicherer Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
The latest tuning company to jump on the band wagon and customize the highly anticipated Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG are the guys from Kicherer. Still waiting for the official market release, the new Mercedes has caught the eyes of many tuning enthusiasts. Here we have the concept pictures of the tuning program from Kicherer, and the new Mercedes Gullwing SLS AMG looks stunning. Naming it the Kicherer SLS 63 CP, the new kit definitely sports a high-class aerodynamic package. Coming from Germany, the specialists have customized a new front lip spoiler, roof air intake, and sporty rear diffuser for the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Hybrid Concept Car
As more auto companies aim to develop the perfect hybrid car, BMW has announced their full-hybrid concept, the Vision EfficientDynamics Hybrid Concept Car. The 4-seater concept combines both performance and efficiency with some unique and interesting characteristics. It is powered by a three cylinder turbo diesel with two electric motors, and has final output numbers of 356 hp and 590 ft lbs of torque. Featuring all wheel drive, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics has an electric motor on the front and rear axles. The performance numbers for the hybrid concept car are 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, with a top speed of 250 km/h that is electronically limited. Fuel consumption is great at only 3.76 liters/100 km, and CO2 emissions are 99 grams/km. BMW didn’t forget their “Ultimate Driving Experience” motto, so the concept car is focused on establishing just that.
Giugiaro Fazer-Nash Namir
Fazer-Nash was long ago a famous British car maker and even though they are no longer building cars the company is still around searching for the next big thing which could get them back in everyone’s attention. The company started to develop hybrid drive systems and they teamed with one of the best car design companies in the world, Italdesign Giugiaro to make an extreme concept called Namir. They made a series hybrid drivetrain that uses an 814cc rotary engine which drives a generator. The generator charges a 400V lithium battery pack which feeds electrons to a the car’s electric motors at each axle and the car has 362 HP.
ABT KTM X BOW
Even though KTM is a well known Austrian motorbike manufacturer they tried to extend their production and made a cute project called X-BOW perfect for sunny days near the ocean. X-Bow has 4 wheels but we can’t say this is actually a car and ABT Sportsline decided to make a unique tuning package for this project and teamed up with KTM. The car tuners will take on the sale of the X-Bow and they will also do manage all the service work on this vehicle. The engineers from ABT are currently working on a performance upgrade for this tiny road racer and customers could order the additional power boost soon.The ABT KTM X-Bow is extremely innovative and fast and it could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.9 seconds.