The last we heard of the Mitsubishi PX-MiEV concept was when it was rumored to be lending its drive train to the Lancer Evolution XI. Today the car has been shown off during the Tokyo Motor Show and we have finally have some solid specs.

The car will feature 2 electric motors producing 82 hp and 200Nm of torque and will be coupled with a 1.6-liter engine good for 116hp and 125Nm of torque. Thanks to this combination, in addition to regenerative braking, you’ll be looking at a none-too-bad 117 mpg.

When exactly we will see if PX-MiEV hit dealerships, if ever, is still a mystery.

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It’s called the Honda F-UZO, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s an actual hovercraft.

No, seriously, a hovercraft.  Granted, right now it’s just a concept in the twisted minds of Honda engineers, but you know how these things start!  Everybody’s got to start somewhere, and the F-UZO is exactly the start we need.

The F-UZO is controlled with a dual-joystick array, with the left joystick to spin the car on its axis, and the right joystick to manage tilt and direction.  There are also pedals for power and brake.

A kind of fly-by-wire system, driven in turn by GPS, keeps cars from colliding, but in the event you should hit something not regulated by GPS, there are both interior AND exterior airbags, so not only are you protected, whoever you hit also gets the benefit of protect.

This is so awesome it hurts, and I only hope these are put into production. And soon, too.

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The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the Toyota FT-EV II is that, indeed, this tiny, sprightly little electric buggy does not in fact have a steering wheel.

In fact, such twentieth century concepts such as a steering wheel and pedals have been replaced in favor of instruments and controls designed to take advantage of wireless information, allowing the car to, on a limited level, DRIVE ITSELF.  And check this out:

The car might, for example, recommend music, movies, and other content based on what it knows about the preferences of the driver and passengers. It remains connected to the Internet whenever it is switched on, and connects to its users’ home networks to download data on its operations.

All this is awesome, of course, but how does it DRIVE?  Well, pretty well, actually–turns out the car gets fifty miles on a battery charge with a top speed of sixty miles per hour.  This means, of course, the car is going to be best suited for urbanites, as opposed to people who actually have to drive any distance to get where they need to.

Being a concept, no one’s got any firm release date yet, but if they do go into production, we’ll be sure to tell you.

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What you see above is reportedly a leaked sketch of a Subaru/Toyota developed Sports Coupe that is in the works over at the two automakers. According to WCF, Subaru has yet to confirm that they are on board and Toyota is handling all development for the time being.

The car is apparantly the FT-86 concept Toyota is expected to show off at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show and is said to feature a 2.0-liter Subaru boxer engine with power reaching up to 200 horsepower.

We’ll just have to wait until the Tokyo Motor Show later this month to see this concept in the flesh.

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GM has a new car for us, the Buick Avant, a concept of what the premium market should look like in the future. So what does the Avant bring to the table? We’re looking at swinging/sliding doors (yes, you get to choose how to open them), a driver’s seat capable of moving sideways too, a luggage shelf ready to bring luggage to you, opaque/transparent roof (yes, you get to choose what kind of roof you want at a certain time), six exterior themes, four interior themes and probably a price you won’t be able to afford anytime soon. What do you think?

via gmlab

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We’ve already seen Volkswagen showcase their L1 Concept at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show and already they have again taken center stage to show us their E-Up! Concept.

This concept measures just 10.5 feet long and is big enough to hold 4 passengers including the driver. Despite being small, the E-Up! is said to be able to reach speeds of up to 85mph while being able to sprint from 0-60mph in 11 seconds or from 0-30 in 3.5 seconds. The vehicle is to be powered by a 18kWh lithium ion battery that gives the E-Up! a range of about 80 miles. Even better, the battery pack will be able to reach an 80% charge in under an hour.

No word on when the E-Up! Concept will go into production, if ever.

via autoblog

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Exactly one week ago we let you know that BMW was gearing up to showcase a concept of a sustainable sportscar at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show.

Well lucky for us, the guys over at Bimmerpost have gotten their hands on a shot of said concept as it was being loaded for transportation presumably getting ready for Frankfurt.

This doesn’t really give us any official specs but at least we now know what the general design of the car will look like.

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Kia has recently sent out a press release containing renders of their forthcoming premium sedan; the 2010 VG. We won’t see the actual car until next year at the Detroit Auto show but Koreans can expect it to hit dealerships later this year

Hyoung Keun Lee, exec over at Kia, comments on the car’s design:

“VG clearly demonstrates the next stage in Kia’s design evolution and showcases our new design principle of ’sophistication by simplicity’. The exterior is a seamless blend of powerful front, sleek profile and sophisticated but simple rear lines to create an elegant and luxurious appearance,”

Unfortunately for the UK, Kia currently has no intentions of having the VG hit European shores.

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On the heels of the successful launch of the rear-wheel drive Genesis Coupe, Hyundai is focusing on developing a front-wheel drive replacement for the Tiburon sports coupe (or simply Coupe in Europe and other markets). Hyundai Motor America’s CEO John Krafcik revealed some new details in an interview with Inside Line, on the upcoming small coupe which he claimed will look about 70% like the Veloster Concept that was revealed at the 2007 L.A. Show. Krafcik said that the production version of the Veloster will have a surprise bodystyle feature never before seen in the category. “It might be doors or a unique roof or something with the hatch. But it won’t be like anything out there before in the small car segment.”

In terms of size, Krafcik goes on to say that the new model will be quite compact. “It’s Accent-sized. Think of it like a 4-passenger Honda CRX,” he said. “It’ll be a little car you can take out and ring its neck and still get good mileage. Fun and economical, with a great power to weight ratio.  It’ll be powered by a 1.6-liter four cylinder with Direct Injection making 140 hp. And it’ll get over 40 mpg US (5.8lt/100km or 48mpg UK),” he told Iinside Line. We should see this new vehicle in Hyundai’s dealerships before the end of 2011.

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CarGo

Traffic congestion is an growing problem which affects a number of delivery companies daily. The unique CarGo concept addresses this issue with its variable track, wheelbase and load carrying configurations. Designed by Adam Schacter, the CarGo is a one seater that can be converted into three modes; a compact mode where the pickup section is positioned longitudinally with the cabin, a narrow mode with tilted cargo bay for greater maneuverability and a full pickup mode for larger loads.

All of this electric truck’s storage compartments can be detached from the vehicle when not in use to further reduce the vehicle length.

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DS Insider Interior

The Citroen DS insider was first displayed back in March at the Geneva Motor Show. The DS nickname, which stands for “Different Spirit”, provides the basis for a new line of cars to be named DS3, DS4 and DS5, hinting at bigger and better models to come. Recently, Citroen has revealed pics of the interior of the DS Inside concept car, showing a stylish and upmarket new design that looks nearly production ready.

Targeted right at cars like the Mini Cooper, the DS Inside features sporty bucket seats, full leather upholstery, and an complex center console with piano-black trim. The premium theme is further accented by the thick carpeting and vinyl roof lining.

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Peugeot Sphe'ra

Designer Niels Grubak Iversen has come up with a futuristic car he is calling the “Peugeot Sphe’ra” that has a real cutting edge design. Some of the unique features include the maglev system for propulsion, zero carbon emissions and spherical wheels that are controlled by electromagnets incorporated inside each wheel, which then surround the wheels like a ring and float the car on the magnetic field.

Furthermore, the wheels work as suspension and rotate around their own axis to move car smoothly in any direction. Powered by a Hydrogen Fuel-cell located at the bottom, the Sphe’ra can carry three passengers comfortably.

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ZEEP CCC Concept

The renderings from ZEEP Design reveal a concept car, the CCC, that can transform into a helicopter. The blades on the rotor remain folded and concealed when not in use but, once needed, they span out to convert it to a full-fledged copter. At the same time, the tail rotor that’s usually tucked at the car’s rear comes out to complete the transformation.

The car moves on the huge front wheels, and the small black wheel (which also functions as the tail rotor) is used for steering. For controlling the CCC, the cockpit has a control area at the right arm and three color-coded buttons on the left arm. It’s certainly an interesting idea.

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Dacia Shift

The Dacia Shift concept by Liviu Tudoran has a sporty design, which closely compares to the Renault E0 concept by the same designer. The Shift would be powered by hydrogen as well, which powers the lithium ion batteries for the concept.

It does, on some levels follow the design of the Duster concept that Dacia revealed at Geneva, but expresses the designer’s signature as well. The extended windscreen which is one the most noticeable design feature on the concept, looks cool, even though it is not very practical.

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Citroen DS

At the forefront of technology, French auto giant PSA Peugeot-Citroen group is already previewing a number of concept vehicles carrying diesel engines and electric motors under its Hymotion4 nickname The carmaker has now substantiated that its first diesel-electric hybrid will arrive on the market in 2011 in the upcoming Citroen DS5 which is the third model in Citroen’s new range of cars, which will include a smaller DS3 and DS4.

As for the DS5, which will launch the diesel-hybrid system, it is predicted to be a premium hatch/crossover due for launch in 2011. Its styling will be shaped by the DS Inside Concept from last month’s Geneva Motor Show, though it will be larger than the show car

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