Jan 14
What’s going on at Mercedes-Benz these days? The cars just seem to be getting uglier and uglier.
The company is about to launch the new CLS-Class (below) and I have to say that I think it’s one of the most heavy handed and clumsily detailed cars launched in a long time.
The last CLS was seen as M-B’s attempt at ‘doing a Jaguar’ and its sleek, low-slung shape helped make it a huge hit for the company.
The new CLS however has to be one of the most overstyled cars I’ve seen in many a year, and the massive swage line which runs along the side and into the huge rear wheelarch bulge is truly horrific. The effect is so overpowering that you hardly notice the giant slab of grille on the front of the CLS, which has more lines and creases on it than Dot Cotton’s face.
It’s a shame though as the main shape and stance of the design is nice and modern, but the detailing really leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Comparing this to the new Jaguar XJ (a design which is challenging in it’s own way) really is like night and day. The big Jag is classy and sleek with none of the clumsy and far too aggressive flourishes that blight the Mercedes. Most new BMW’s are no better either, with the 5 Series GT in particular being eye-poppingly ugly.
Jan 13
People with memories as long as mine will probably remember the iconic John Player Special black and gold Lotus Formula One cars from the 70′s and 80′s. The cars raced in the distinctive JPS colours from 1972 until 1986, and are remembered as some of the most attractive cars ever seen in Formula One.
Group Lotus, now back in F1, has reinstated the black and gold livery for the 2011 season. There are plenty of doubts though as to how competitive the 2011 cars Lotus Renault cars are likely to be.
Sep 30
Really. Jaguar has just announced the stunning C-X75 supercar concept that deserves to be called the world’s most beautiful and exciting hybrid vehicle.
Designed to celebrate their 75th birthday and to herald a new design direction for the company, the C-X75′s beauty is more than skin deep.
Powered by four 195bhp electric motors, one at each wheel, the C-X75 will hit 205mph and has a range of 68 miles. Now for the exciting bit. When the electricity runs out it gets topped up by two gas turbine engines made by UK specialist Bladon Jets, running on either diesel or renewable biofuels. The turbines don’t drive the wheels, they charge the battery pack with the car continuing to be propelled by the powerful electric motors.
The design is inspired by Jaguar’s iconic mid-60′s racing prototype, the XJ13. Only one of these amazing machines was ever built and it’s considered by many to be the most beautiful Jaguar ever. The C-X75 successfully updates the XJ13 shape and shows that Jaguar can produce cars that are modern, sharp and interesting without resorting to the ultra-aggressive design language of its German rivals. Now if only they would actually make it…
Jun 25
With the much anticipated Chevrolet Volt, GM has hit upon exactly the right solution to the problem of how we are going to power our cars.
The hybrid Volt uses electric motors to turn the wheels, with energy being stored in Lithium Ion batteries similar to the ones in an ordinary laptop and a petrol engine to keep it topped up when you are away from a socket. It has enough power to travel 40 miles on battery power alone. This is enough to cover most daily journeys and a recharge using a standard 240V power supply takes around 3 hours.
The clever part is that the battery can be charged on the go using the 1.4 litre petrol engine. It doesn’t power the wheels and only acts as a generator to charge the batteries. This gives it the same kind of range as any normal petrol car and addresses the main problem of driving electric vehicles, their pathetically short range.
Internal combustion engines run most efficiently when kept revving within a set range. This rarely happens though as in order to accelerate we need to cycle through the gears, constantly changing the speed of the engine as we go. Using the engine as a generator means that it can find its sweet spot for efficiency and stay at that speed all the time.
And remember this is just the start. The next generation will probably give you 100 miles between charges (how many people do more than 100 miles in a day?). The on-board combustion engine will become smaller and even more efficient and after a couple of generations will likely disappear altogether as superfast charging batteries become mainstream. These will take just as long to charge as we take to fill up with petrol today.
Of course it will take huge infrastructure investment to build the charging stations and the electricity capacity to power it all but it will be worth every penny if it can take away our reliance on middle east oil.
World peace AND clean air, surely that’s a goal worth chasing?