Bali International Classic Cars Show

A foreign tourist takes a closer look at an old Spiker car, which was made in 1895, during the Bali International Classic Cars Show in Bali on Thursday.

Dubai firm to launch super/hyper cars in India

Three brands of Super Hyper Cars (SHCs), including the world's fastest car, Ultimate Aero, are all set to storm Indian roads by the end of this year, said a report.

Dubai-based Ultimate Motors, one of the leading distibutors of exotic and luxury sports cars in the world, will be launching the three brands of commercial SHCs - Shelby, Zenvo and Arash, by December, according to a report in The Economic Times.

'The demand for luxury cars in India is increasing of late and people are now keen to have customised cars. We are in touch with four leading dealers in India and expect to launch the commercial SHCs by the end of this year,' Ultimate Motors' president, Nasser Al-Hai, said, on the sidelines of a luxury lifestyle event here.

US-based Shelby SuperCars' Utimate Aero has been recorded as the world's fastest car with a speed of 413 kilometres per hour (257 mph) and produces 1,183 horsepower thus making it the world's most powerful production car. It can reach from 0-to-60 mph in 2.78 seconds.

Similarly, Denmark's Zenvo and UK-based Arash are also in the race to introduce their SHCs into the Indian market.

Arash has a unique road car aerodynamics whereas the Zenvo comes with full carbon body and steel chassis.

World's First Proper Flying Car Makes Debut Flight

The Terrafugia Transition "roadable aircraft" - the nearest thing to a flying car yet built - has made its first test flight.

Terrafugia says that the flight took place on March 5, and will hold a media briefing at 1430 UK time. Meanwhile pictures of the flight are available on the company's website.

Company test pilot Phil Meteer, a retired air force colonel, is quoted by AVWeb as saying: "The first flight was remarkably unremarkable. I've flown several thousand hours in everything from Piper Cubs to F-16s, and the Transition flew like a really nice airplane."

In aircraft terms, the Transition is a light two-seater aircraft intended to fit within the new US "light sport" category. A light-sport pilot's licence is easier and cheaper to acquire than a normal private pilot's ticket, and medical red tape is reduced. Cruise airspeed of 115 knots is expected, range of 450 miles and "highway speed" on the ground.

The Transition has most of the weaknesses of light aircraft, in that it can't easily be flown through poor weather, bad visibility, or restricted airspace (as found above cities, for instance). Users needing to get through such obstacles will need to land at a suitable strip nearby, just as a normal private pilot in a Piper Tomahawk might.

‘Circuit of the Year’ award for Losail

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) is proud to announce that it has been nominated as the best organised round of the 2009 MotoGP series’ by a panel that included officials, riders, manufacturers and team representatives.

The award for MotoGP ‘Circuit of the Year’ will be presented today at a dinner after the final race of the season in Valencia.

“This is a huge moment for Qatar and for the QMMF and something for which we are understandably proud,” said Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation.

“To compete on an organisational level with the best circuits in the world after just seven years is special for us. We are really only beginners in terms of experience and that makes it extra special for myself and everyone who has worked so hard at the Losail circuit in Qatar.”

The Losail Circuit hosted a round of MotoGP for the first time in 2004 – the race was won by Sete Gibernau on a Honda- and kick-started this year’s series with a thrilling floodlit race in April, which was won by Casey Stoner on a Ducati.

Italy’s Valentino Rossi clinched the premier title in Sepang recently to add to his previous eight Grand Prix World Championship titles and the 18-race series reaches its conclusion in Valencia today.

Al-Attiyah also announced in Valencia that the Losail circuit will undergo improvements during the close season in readiness for pre-season testing and the opening round of the MotoGP season in Qatar on April 11th.

“We are already working on getting everything in order for the 2010 season and track improvements will begin after next weekend’s Endurance races at Losail,” said Al-Attiyah.

“We are working on asphalting the run off areas on the corners of the track and preparing the track set-up for the official tests in February and March.”

The QMMF is keen for the Losail track to conform to a high standard of both FIA and FIM licensing regulations.

Al-Attiyah also announced plans to send a young Qatari rider into the new Moto2 category of next year’s MotoGP series. “We are currently negotiating with several teams through Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, to make this happen and hope to announce further details of the project as soon as possible.”

Moto2 is set to replace the 250cc category from 2010. This new category is intended to be a prestigious yet cost-effective accompaniment to MotoGP. Honda has been appointed as the single engine supplier and teams will also use a control tyre supplied by a single company.

Korean e-Zone electric car to be manufactured in Southeast U.S.?

CT&T Company, Ltd., a global leader in Electric Vehicle (EV) technology, announced plans today for e-Zone and c-Zone electric vehicle production in the United States with plans to employ 2,600, including production workers and managers, over the next five years.

CT&T United, the U.S. subsidiary of CT&T Korea, Ltd. is investing significantly to maintain its global position in the move towards consumer use of electric vehicles by establishing its North American headquarters, a research and development center and several manufacturing facilities to produce and market an entire product line of EVs and batteries. Company officials are considering potential sites in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama and California.

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12 Strangest Buses

Created by car artist Tom Kennedy, the Topsy-Turvy Bus (Topsy) is a bus made of two school buses welded together, one upside down on top of the other. The bus is currently touring the country to "dramatically depict America’s upside down budget priorities."

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New job, new car: Mana mobnas buatan anak SMK Indonesia itu???

An official from the Malang Financial Management, Assets and Income Agency inspects dozens of cars allocated to Malang regency legislators on Tuesday. The cars will not be handed over to the newly appointed legislators until former councilors hand in their official cars. JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana

Soal Mobil Hybrid, RI Ketinggalan dari Malaysia

Bila pemerintah Indonesia meramalkan mobil-mobil Hybrid baru akan berseliweran di jalanan pada tahun 2020, justru pemerintah Malaysia baru-baru ini mengeluarkan kebijakan terkait dengan eksistensi mobil hybrid di negeri jiran tersebut.

Pemerintah Malaysia akan memberikan potongan pajak bagi produsen otomotif yang mengembangkan mobil hybrid ataupun listrik, agar industri otomotif Malaysia lebih kompetitif bila mengacu pada keberhasilan Thailand.

"Memang Thailand telah mengembangkan otomotifnya dengan lebih baik, tapi mereka terlambat dalam mengembangkan mobil hybrid," ujar Menteri Perdagangan dan Industri Malaysia Mustapa Mohamad, seperti dilansir The New York Times, Senin (2/11/2009).

Di bawah peraturan baru, produsen asing diizinkan untuk memiliki 100 persen produksi pembuatan mobil hybrid dan listrik.

Thailand, yang memikat produsen mobil asing seperti Toyota, Honda, General Motors dan Ford Motor untuk membangun pabrik-pabrik di zona industri sebelah timur Bangkok, kini menjadi negara eksportir ketiga di Asia setelah Jepang dan Korea Selatan.

Asosiasi Otomotif Malaysia, yang menaungi produsen mobil domestik, memuji langkah pemerintah untuk memberikan insentif bagi produsen otomotif untuk mengembangkan mobil hybrid dan listrik.

"Ini adalah langkah yang benar, dan kita dapat bergerak maju untuk berusaha mengejar ketinggalan dengan Thailand," kata presiden asosiasi tersebut, Aishah Ahmad.

Analis di Kuala Lumpur mengatakan, kebijakan baru Malaysia ini mungkin akan menarik produsen mobil Eropa seperti Volkswagen, Peugeot dan Volvo, bahwa di bawah aturan baru ini, mereka akan mampu menghasilkan mobil hybrid dan listrik.

GYM concept car makes you exercise for your ride

We’re nuts about the open-wheel design of this GYM electric car, but might be too lazy to get it to go anywhere. That’s because inside this far-fetched design concept of a rowdy-looking roadster is also a gym full of exercise equipment, urging you to use your own elbow grease to get this show on the road.

Sure, you can plug it into the wall for easy charging, but that wouldn’t be as much fun as hopping on the car’s stepping machine, grunting through a few reps on its bench press, rowing for a while and then doing a set of pull-ups.

Only thing missing is pushups, but wait, that might be possible by strapping the car’s arm weights onto your back. So Corporal, you want to go Oscar Mike? Hit the deck and give me twenty!

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Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro R/C cars will drive you up the wall (or ceiling)

Radio controlled toy cars have always been fun to play with, even back when I was a kid, but you need to find a big open area where you can drive without running into stuff. Now with these gravity defying Air Hogs Micro R/C cars, you can actually drive right on any flat wall, or even up on the ceiling.

A powerful fan built into the top of the car creates a venturi effect between the bottom of the car and the wall, effectively sucking it onto the surface. Just keep your fingers crossed that the batteries don't happen die at an inopportune moment.

'2030' future car: a solar-powered van good for you or the Pope

I guess we'll have scrunching or modular cars in the year 2030. It wasn't too long ago that we showed you this French car concept for the year 2030, and now here's Mihai Stamati of Chisinau, Moldova with a design simply titled 2030.

Stamati's vision of 2030 has us driving in solar-powered, four-seater, door-slidin' boxy cars with green windows and plenty of visibility. A cylindrical add-on can be fixed to the rear of the vehicle for extra seating (complete with a bar-style desk), and, also located at the rear, there are two electric engines. Both engines must be a bit on the weak side as the 2030 future car tops out at 20 miles per hour. That means it's probably only good for short-range urban driving or for use in special situations, such as at large amusement parks. Come to think of it looking at the 2030 you could also slap some bulletproof windows on there and you got the Pope's next glass-cage-on-wheels. And this one actually looks good to boot.

Wind-powered cars go where the breezes carry them

While using the wind to propel your vehicle works great out on the ocean when you're in a sailboat, it's less useful for vehicles on the road. You can't simply stick a sail on top of your Escalade and hope to get where you want to go.

That doesn't mean there aren't people working on wind-powered vehicles, however. InVentus has just won the Racing Aeolus 2008 competition, which pits wind powered vehicles against each other. The InVentus vehicle weighs in at a mere 286 pounds before the driver gets in, which allows it to pick up a good deal of momentum from its propeller on the back when it catches a breeze. Is it going to replace gas-powered cars anytime soon? No, but it's nice to see some alternatives out there being worked on.

Greased Lightning: 100MPG biodiesel hybrid blasts from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds

Tiny car company Lightning Hybrids showed it means business at the Denver Auto Show this week, rolling out the first prototype of the LH4, a 100MPG speedster with a hydraulic-biodiesel hybrid drivetrain that can zip the tight four-seater from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds.

The ambitious Colorado company with a staff of 12 says the car will be ready for production in 2011, with a three-wheeled version rolling out even sooner, in 2010. The 100MPG cars are expected to sell for between $39,000 and $59,000, and are candidates for the Automotive X-Prize, with $10 million going to the winner of a stage race of 100MPG vehicles.

This is one wild-looking ride, with its split rear window and lift-up door hatch for easy entry. Its three-cylinder turbo biodiesel is augmented by a hydraulic pump/motor, whooshing an additional 150hp into the wheels of this pocket rocket. Amazing. Click Continue to take a look at the video.

Crazy looking Honda Zeppelin features swiveling front seats

Figure out which direction this thing drives yet? In the image above, the Honda Zeppelin would zip off to the left. At glance, you might be tempted to say that designer Myung Jin Jung's creation's most interesting quality is its asymmetrical design, but the real weird stuff is actually going on inside.

The front seats of the Zeppelin swivel 180° (when the vehicle isn't in motion, or that's the plan), so that the occupants can interact with one another as if they were in a living room instead.

Supposedly the glamor of air travel inspired both the curvy, crazy exterior and the more personal interior thus the Zeppelin. I don't want to sound like a downer, but when I think of flying on a plane lately, I don't think of having space to stretch my legs or wanting to talk to the folks around me. Still, pretty car.

Evolusi Sepeda Motor

A cross between a motorized wheelchair and the back end of BMW's C1 moped, the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility machine will run on batteries and Wi-Fi, which will enable you to communicate with other vehicles and give you 25 miles on a single charge.

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Cars and environment Green cars: Genuine or a marketing tool?

Are green cars in Indonesia really “green”, or just a label to get more sales? The latter seems to be the answer according to an NGO focusing on consumer protection, although car manufacturers beg to differ.

“The ‘green’ tag, particularly in Indonesia, is nothing more than an effort to gain more buyers. Global environmental consciousness is providing manufacturers new excuses to market their products,” Indah Sukmaningsih, a member of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI), told a seminar Thursday.

Some car manufacturers have promoted their “green” cars, which they say are less harmful to the environment than comparable conventional vehicles.

Toyota for example, has recently launched its hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, which runs on two power sources, a gasoline engine and electric batteries.

Johnny Darmawan, president director of PT Toyota Astra Motor, claimed the Toyota Prius produced very little CO2 emission and used recyclable materials.

“Prius’ Power Split Device [PSD] makes constant automatic adjustments to the power ratio from electric motor and gasoline engine according to the situation,” he said.

“On a flat road, for example, it uses only the electric motor to run the car at medium speeds. At an incline, it will automatically turn on the combustion engine to produce more power. So the car is also fuel-efficient,” Johnny added.

PT Honda Prospect Motor is also planning to sell cars under the Honda Civic brand that consume less fuel and are considered environment-friendly.

Indah, however, said that it was not enough to be called “green”.

She cited the issue of fuel quality in Indonesia, which has yet to meet environment-friendly criteria.
“No matter how ‘green’ your car is, as long as the fuel still has high sulfur content, it will produce noxious, harmful emissions,” Indah said.

“Becoming ‘green’ is supposed to be a comprehensive concept that requires everyone’s involvement, not just industry. So if the stakeholder institutions still work unilaterally, everything they call ‘green’ will be misleading.”

Indah also criticized the government which, she said, seemed to prioritize maximizing income from vehicle taxes while neglecting environmental issues.

In response, Panggah Susanto, the Industry Ministry’s director for land and military transportation industries, said the environment issue was not his responsibility.

“We focus only on the industrial sectors. The automotive industry is a major employer and contributes the most to the regional budget in all regions throughout the country, so we must be sensitive when designing policy that will affect this sector.”

Amphibious lamborghini takes to the high seas

At first glance, I thought this seafaring sports car was the underwater Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me. Much to my amazement, it’s a real amphibious Lamborghini Countach built by Mike Ryan of SeaRoader.

World's first luxury amphibious motorcoach/yacht

Touted as the world's first luxury amphibious motorcoach/yacht, the C.A.M.I.L.C Terra Wind boasts revolutionary design and luxury features.

At a standard length of 42’6”, the Terra Wind RV is built with fiberglass reinforced plywood with a foam core, while the hull is constructed from 3/16" marine grade 5052 plate with 6061 grade structural members. Powered by a Caterpillar 3126E turbocharged engine, this C.A.M.I.L.C amphibious motorcoach also has two 19" bronze propellers with stainless rudders. The Terra Wind comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect to find in a luxury RV, with features including a 42" plasma TV, an In Motion satellite with Direct TV, a trash compactor and a combination washer/dryer. Prices from the $850,000's. C.A.M.I.L.C.

Siapa Mau Sofa dari Bodi Vespa?

Desain unik Vespa memang mengundang decak kagum banyak orang. Tidak hanya mengundang minat untuk menungganginya, tapi juga mengkreasinya dengan berbagai kerajinan lain yang sama uniknya.

Hal itulah yang melatari sebuah studio seni bernama Bel&Bel dari Spanyol ketika mereka membuat sofa dengan bahan utama bodi Vespa.

Sofa yang dibuat Bel&Bel ini menggunakan bodi bagian depan alias sayap Vespa yang kemudian dilapisi dengan busa dan bahan kulit berbagai warna yang kemudian dijahit tidak dengan mesin tapi tangan.

Hasil kreasi studio ini cukup beragam dan unik yang tentu bagus sekali sebagai bagian interior rumah. Misalnya saja sofa Vespa dengan kaki dari ban-nya.

Hebatnya lagi, sofa-sofa tersebut menggunakan bodi Vespa klasik yang di Indonesia tentu masih digunakan. Ini pun bisa dipandang sebagai cara unik mendaur ulang Vespa.

Mengingat populasi Vespa yang masih cukup banyak di Indonesia, ide ini
sepertinya pantas untuk ditiru dibanding hanya mengekspor Vaspa tua kita ke berbagai negara.

Now, Russian Lada looks very sporty

LADA-C is conceptual design on the basis of the new platform, which is developing in cooperation with Magna International Inc. and will become the base for the whole range of new LADA models. This class-C family will include sedan, hatchback, universal, compact van and cross-over with engines 1.6 – 2.0l.

In September 2006 at Moscow International motor-show for the first time LADA presented the new family sedan, its name was Concept C, and today in Geneva there is a debut of 3-doors hatchback with a typically sports character.




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