Nissan is slowly giving up details about the Nuvu, an all-EV concept that will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. According to the Japanese marque, it's a "new vision" about the type of cars we'll be driving during the mid 2010s. It's a small vehicle, only 3 meters (about 10ft) long and can seat 2+1 passengers (the +1 is an additional folding seat). The Nuvu is an all-electric model and, although it's not the model that will be on sale in 2010, it showcases new technologies that will be used for the future production model. No specifications about range or power were given, but Nissan tells us that it's got a 1.98-meter wheelbase (6.5 ft), it's 1.70 meters high (5ft 7in) and 1.55 meters (5ft 1in) wide. The Nuvu also incorporates solar panels in the shape of a branch and leaves on the car's roof to feed some juice to the car's battery. Nissan also said that the car uses natural, organic and recycled materials to create an "airy and roomy" interior. If produced, this sounds like a competitor for the Smart and the Toyota IQ, for sure.

[Source: Nissan]

Click on the image for more shots of RCA's Eco-Cars of the future

To celebrate forty years in business, the Royal College of Art's fourteen graduates this year have undertaken the challenge of designing a future eco-friendly car for the 2008 Pilkington Automotive Vehicle Design award. Of course, some of the concepts are pretty far "out there," though others, like Sergio Loureiro Da Silva's Phoenix concept actually seem plausible. The Phoenix is a bit of a mixture of a motorcycle with sidecar and a normal four-wheeled automobile; it looks awfully futuristic. Pierre Sabas won the competition with his Airflow concept, which features electric motors directly integrated into the wheels. This technique is currently being explored by multiple companies for production cars, so the design doesn't seem to stray too far from reality.

The Nereus concept by Ceri Yorath, on the other hand, strays a bit from normality with its fuel cell powertrain and transformable body panels, which shape themselves based on how you are driving. Still, Jung Hoon Rhee's Noah concept seems the furthest from reality, as its "wave seats" were meant to "duplicate the lightness of being immersed in water." Right. Take a look at all of the concepts in our gallery below. Thanks for the tip, Mike!


[Source: Inhabitat, Wallpaper.com]

Below the fold are three videos from the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The first video includes many green cars like the Toyota Nissan Pivo 2, Audi Metroproject, Honda CR-Z and Toyota Hi-CT. The most interesting part of that video is a tour of the Hi-CT which shows the ignition on the ceiling and mini Segway-like vehicles on the back. The plug being pulled out of the hybrid Metroproject was also very interesting as well. The second video is just the hybrid Metroproject with shots of the interior. The third video shows the strange, Mazda's wind-inspired concept car, the Taiki. It seems green has taken over yet another major auto show this year.

[Source: YouTube]

Below the fold are two videos by Nissan released for the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. The first video shows the making of the electric concept car, the Pivo 2 and has a quick chat with Tomoko Sato and Mariecamill Lecoq, two Japanese and French designers of the car.

The second video includes the making of the RDBX, a car a lot like the Mixim, which is going after the youth market with large, media displays. The 2007 Tokyo Motor Show runs through November 11th and opens to the public from October 27th.

[Source: YouTube]

The 10 minute video below the fold is the first we have found to include the Honda Puyo and Toyota Rin concepts. The video, apparently from a Japanese news program, starts out with demos of I-Real, the chair concept car, which we have already shown you in several videos. Then it's the cars that want you to relax, Toyota's Rin and the conerless Honda Puyo. I also think I see the Hi-CT in the background. The video ends with several of the other concept cars by Nissan, videos of which we also already shown you. The video below is entirely in Japanese but anyone can enjoy it because the cars do most of the talking.

[Source: YouTube]

What do all of the following vehicles have in common?

• Chrysler Turbine
• Ford Maxima
• 1962 Ford Seattle
• 1961 Ford Gyron
• 1959 Chysler Levicar Mach I
• 1957 Ford Nucleon

Each one of them could be considered an alternative form of transportation, depending on your definition of alternative. Two of these vehicles, the Ford Nucleon and the Seattle were to be powered by nuclear energy.

The aerodynamic Ford Gyron had only two wheels and was to be help upright by its built-in gyroscope. It was to be powered by a fuel cell system of some sort, which had yet to be designed.

The Levicar was to levitate using magnetic forces and was powered by a blower motor. Reminds me of the air boats used in swamps!

The Ford Maxima was shaped like a jet and featured three wheels, which is a design theme that is seeing a resurgence these days. What was once old becomes new again.

One of my personal favorites is definitely the Chrysler Turbine. This was a car which was actually tested and had a good chance of seeing production. According to the all-knowing wiki, 55 of the machines were produced in total, and 4 of those are known to be in working order today. I wish that something like this would be looked at again, as technology has improved the efficiency of turbine engines, and they are capable of running using many varied fuels, including straight vegetable oil and biodiesel. Maybe someday...

[Source: AOL Autos]

At a ceremony last week at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, MI, General Motors won two awards for its recent concept vehicles. The Chevy Volt won in the category of best Specialty concept and also got the Most Significant Concept of the Year. The Holden Efijy won in the basic concept car of the year category.

The various categories seem pretty arbitrary but the Specialty category appears to be for advanced alternative powertrain vehicles. There is certainly no doubt that the Volt has gotten more attention than any other recent concept and represents a real potential transformation of the future of automobiles.

The Efijy on the other hand is a total throwback being inspired by the 1953 Holden FJ. The Efijy was not meant to be a statement about anything that might be, but instead was pure whimsy and entertainment. A total of 33 concepts and 11 production preview vehicles were eligible for awards. The press release and a photo of the Efijy are after the jump.


[Source: General Motors]