Video: Volkswagen pretends its Chinese hover car is real
Filed under: Concept Cars, China, Videos, Volkswagen
Last year, Volkswagen China began its People's Car Project, which gathered crowdsourced concepts for future VWs. Among the three concepts chosen from the submissions - the Music Car, a Beetle wrapped in LEDs that change colors to match the driver's choice of music; the Smart Key that can track the status of your car; and a a zero-emissions, two-seat Hover Car - it was the latter that earned a four-minute video showcasing its imagined technology.
The video posted below is the same one that was released three months ago, but it's now been subtitled so that we can actually follow what's happening. Turns out it doesn't feature the woman who designed the Hover Car, Wang Jia, but her parents, who take their daughter's creation for a spin around Chengdu. We're disappointed that they didn't stop for kung-fu tea. Scroll down to have a look for yourselves.
Continue reading Volkswagen pretends its Chinese hover car is real
Volkswagen pretends its Chinese hover car is real originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Video: China chastizes Beijing Motor Show over scantily clad models
Filed under: China, Etc., Government/Legal, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Beijing Motor Show, Design/Style
Our post on China's "Tiger mom" phenomenon was illustrated with that above picture; it's the Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, accompanied by a booth professional. The model - her, not the Jeep - made a fair few friends in the Autoblog Comments section, but it turns out she and her kind attracted the ire of the Chinese authorities.
The Capital Ethics Development Office gave the Beijing show organizers a caning because the "scantily clad" models had "a negative social impact," and the show was warned not to let "such vulgar publicity" occur again. There's a lot of room between that leather bustier and a burqa, however, so all's not lost for next year's show in Shanghai.
Scroll down to watch the Bloomberg video on the matter.
Continue reading China chastizes Beijing Motor Show over scantily clad models
China chastizes Beijing Motor Show over scantily clad models originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 17 May 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Volkswagen’s People’s Car Project in China has produced three concepts [w/video]
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, China, Videos, Volkswagen, Beijing Motor Show
In 2011, Volkswagen commenced its People's Car Project in China to create crowdsourced concepts of the VW of the future. More than 33 million people visited the site, and three concepts were created from the inputs: the Music Car, the Hover Car and the Smart Key.
The Music Car is a Beetle wrapped in LEDs that change colors to match the driver's choice of music. The Hover Car is a zero-emissions two-seater that, no surprise, hovers over electromagnetic road networks. The Smart Key is Big Brother for your car, in your pocket: the high-def touchscreen on the nine-millimeter key can track the status of your car and keep an eye on it via "satellite transmission."
The project is continuing, so you can still post your thoughts to VW's future. In the meantime there's a video and a couple of press releases below the fold for more on the story.
Continue reading Volkswagen's People's Car Project in China has produced three concepts [w/video]
Volkswagen's People's Car Project in China has produced three concepts [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 09 May 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Beijing: Renault says very little about its new Talisman sedan
Filed under: Sedan, China, Renault, Beijing Motor Show, South Korea
The breadth and scope of the Chinese car market has ballooned to such an extent that it makes sense for many foreign automakers to design cars specifically for China. Case in point: the new Renault Talisman.
Instead of building the Talisman in China through a joint venture, manufacturing is handled in nearby Korea by Renault Samsung Motors - the same division that has already brought Renault eight awards and sales increasing fourfold since 2009 due to the success of the Koleos crossover.
As for the Talisman itself, Renault has releases suspiciously little information, and even less photos. It's billed as a "casual luxury" sedan, whatever that means, but more than that we couldn't tell you. Which is just fine, because unless you live in China, you'll probably never see one. Feel free to peruse the press release below.
Continue reading Renault says very little about its new Talisman sedan
Renault says very little about its new Talisman sedan originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Official: Acura NSX concept turns red in China
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, China, Acura, Honda, Beijing Motor Show
Hey look! A red version of the Acura NSX Concept for the Beijing Motor Show. Because it's China, you know. Get it? Red. As in "Red China."
And if that doesn't prove Acura is too clever by half, take a good look at the new photos of the red car in the gallery, then check out our related gallery, which has the first series of official images Acura PR released for the car's debut in January at Detroit.
If you're thinking that all that happened here was that someone clicked a few buttons in Photoshop, well... they wouldn't do that, would they? Well, yes, they probably would, but the NSX is actually on display at Auto China in crimson, too. Nifty.
Acura NSX concept turns red in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Beijing: CH Auto’s Lithia EV strikes an Audi-like profile in China
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, China, Beijing Motor Show, Electric, MISC
There's a certain German sports car that the designers at CH Auto might have been dreaming about before they penned the Lithia. We don't think this kind of inspiration is anywhere near criminal, though, and before anyone broaches the topic of Chinese design, they should know that the CH Auto's design chief is an ex-General Motors man: Dan Darancou, who has work on the Buick Invicta Concept and the SEMA Chevrolet Camaro Black on his resume.
CH Auto helps automakers prepare cars for sale in China, from design through to engineering - part of Darancou's brief is to make sure those two departments work together. The Lithia, showed off at the Beijing Motor Show, has probably been done as a company calling card. Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the spec sheet claims a 150-kilometer range (93 miles).
CH Auto's Lithia EV strikes an Audi-like profile in China originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Beijing: Toyota Dear Qin hatch, sedan foreshadow new global FWD models [w/video]
Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Sedan, Hatchback, Toyota, Beijing Motor Show, Design/Style
Details on the pair of Dear Qin concepts that Toyota unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show this week are sparse, but they do hint at something interesting coming to every market where the Japanese automaker sells cars.Calling them "global-strategic concepts," Toyota says the sedan and hatchback versions of the Dear Qin models have "a design aiming to attract more people to the user base." With that curious statement in mind, the first promotional video for the Dear Qin models (which you can watch by scrolling below) is both language- and information-free, emphasizing the design of the cars for a global audience. With explosions and lightning, of course.
Reports have said that Toyota is working on a new global, front-wheel drive model that is supposed to be launched in 2013. We can imagine these concepts foreshadowing those cars, and hope we get a pair of highly efficient compacts out of the design process. We'll skip the explosions and lightning, though.
Continue reading Toyota Dear Qin hatch, sedan foreshadow new global FWD models [w/video]
Toyota Dear Qin hatch, sedan foreshadow new global FWD models [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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