[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IScTVWltbWA[/youtube]

The little electric car is of course a concept. So Nissan could do much with the Mixim. So the motor of the electric car is powered by Lithium Ion batteries, as in the Tesla Roadster. The Nissan Mixim has aclaimed 145 mile range between charges. That of course, means nothing - it’s a concept, people! So don’t bother with the details.

Fact is, all these concepts are going to be real in a while. But that might be some 4-5 years down the line. When the teenager who got all excited by the gee-wiz Mixim today would be world weary zombie who needs something bigger.Sorry, you wanted to see the video clip of the Nissan Mixim, right? This is something like a promo, so take it the way you will.

What the hell is that?! Some kind of bastard child of the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Batmobile from Batman begins?

Hey, don’t take that to mean I am all negative about the Lamborghini Reventon, just launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007. In fact I love it. Or I would not upload so many photos in one blog post! There are some who are making noises about how it is just a rehashed Countach and all, but most of them drive Honda Accords, and give them a real chance of owning a Lambo, any Lambo, and their drool all the way from home to Frankfurt.

Now that we have got that out of the way, let’s look at the newest Lamborgini again. The Lamborghini Reventon is a V12 engined 650 bhp beast, and the company says the design inspiration is the F-22 fighter. To my eyes, yes, but the father is still the Batmobile, dammit.

Under all the flat panel work - all Carbon fiber, mind you - it has a Murcielago LP460 heart. Only the doors and roof are aluminum.

No chance for you to ever lay your grimy hands - unless you are George Clooney (on second thoughts, no - he’s a greenie) or Richard Branson - the Reventon is not for you. See, there are only 20 being made, and all 20 are already sold. And it would cost you a nice one-million euros.

Look at the design of the Reventon again. There are those two large almost-square grills on either side of the bumper. Looks good to me.

The Lamborghini Reventon - the name is based on a bull killed a matador - is typically low and sharp, with a carbonfibre body, and the only connection to the LP640 from the outside are the mirrors.

But the interior is all F-22 fighter jet alright. A bank of LCD displays greet the lucky driver, and there is a very aircraft-ish lighting display instead of the traditional speedo and tacho. AutoCar UK describes it best:

In a radical departure from the automotive norm, the alternate display has no tacho or speedo needles. Instead, it uses a pair of converging lines to make a digitized landing strip (not dissimilar in shape to the indicator lines on a Lexus’s reversing camera) to mark out the tacho and speedo numbers. Then there’s a wing-style indicator in each path that moves up and down with revs and speed.

More on the Reventon interior from the Automobile Magazine:

Inside, the driver faces a bank of three LCD readouts in place of the standard gauge cluster. The driver can choose among various display modes for the speedometer and tachometer; in addition, a g-force meter relays acceleration, braking, and lateral forces. The cabin itself is trimmed in copious amounts of suede and carbon fiber.

So there. Feast your eyes on the Reventon photo gallery we have got for you on this page. Sure; you and I, and all those who are covering the launch at the Frankfurt Show, can easily come up with niggles and objections to the design of the latest Lamborghini - but in the end, its a Lamborghini, its some kinda military green in colour, and what more do we need? Sad thing that only fat millionnaires will get to drive it.

The BioConcept Mustang GT RTD is powered by a 280 hp four-cylinder engine running on bio-diesel, which reaches a maximum torque of 500Nm and a max speed of 245km/h.

The chassis of the BioConcept Mustang GT RTD is similar to that of a Ford Mustang. In line with its green focus, the body panels are that of a new plastic shell made from natural plant fibers.

The BioConcept GT RTD concept car has competed in the 24-hour endurance race at the Nurburgring and will continue to compete after the Frankfurt Motor Show is over.

For one, the Opel E-flex has a 1.3-liter Ecotec turbodiesel engine, while Volt has a 1-liter 3-cylinder turbo E85/flex-fuel engine. The electric motor generates up to 120kW and 320Nm.

Secondly, the two concept cars have differently styled exteriors.The Opel e-flex has a modern, hatchback body while the Volt has the look of a sedan. The Opel E-flex is reported to have a glass panoramic roof, rear suicide doors, and rearview cameras instead of traditional mirrors.

The Opel E-flex, like the Volt, runs on an electric-motor in the front till the lithium-ion batteries are exhausted. The battery power in the Opel E-flex lasts for 40 miles after which the diesel engine comes into play. (According to some other reports, the range of the electric engine is going to be 62 miles.) The battery can be plugged into an electric outlet for charging, and there is even a Segway compartment at the rear which can charge and pack two Segways - something that establishes that the E-Flex / Flextreme, is justa  concept for the being from Opel.

A photo gallery will be uploaded to the blog the moment official pictures of the N400 are available from Aston Martin.

The most important changes to the V8 Vantage are a power boost to 400 bhp and torque to 420 Nm. The 400 in N400 refers to the horsepower of the V8 Vantage.

The Sports Pack for the V8 Vantage N400 comprises a lightweight graphite-finished aluminium wheel with diamond turning, up-rated springs dampers, and a new rear anti-roll bar for the Coupe. Driving dynamics are expected to be better with the Sports pack.

On the outside, you will see a few changes, such as a revised side sill design, Magnum Silver bonnet and side strake meshes, clear rear lamp lenses and a bright finish grille.

Spy photos of the Aston Martin Vantage N400 have been around for a while. But this close to the Frankfurt Motor Show, we don’t see any point in uploading them to the site. But you can find them easily on the Web.

Colour options for the N400 are: Bergwerk Black, Lightning Silver or Karussell Orange, with either Sportshift automated manual or conventional manual transmission and in either Coupe or Roadster versions.

Extras and accessories include Satellite Navigation, Aston Martin Premium Audio System, Bluetooth HID headlamps, cruise control and memory/heated seats.

Bookmark this page for the upcoming photo gallery of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N400 as we get closer to the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show!

The Panda Aria concept car has a 80 bhp SGE 900cc turbocharged twin-cylinder engine that reduces the weight of the car by twenty percent.

The Panda Aria also features a Stop&Start system that automatically switches off the engine when the car is idling saving nearly 10% of fuel consumption. The concept car also boasts of low-resistance Pirelli tires.

The maximum power output is 105 hp.

The Panda Aria has Fiat’s new Multiair electronic inlet valve control system and a duel-fuel system that can run on petrol and CNG.

The Multiair system uses an electrohydraulic valve activation system to control air inflow, and not a throttle valve, which results in greater combustion efficiency. There are three options, Early inlet valve closing, Late inlet valve opening, and Multi-Lift that the engine can switch to for maximum efficiency.

True to its environmental focus, the interiors of the Panda Aria is made of recyclable or natural materials such as cotton, linen, or woven coconut fibre while the exterior has semi-transparent eco-resin paint.

Basic specifications of the Audi RS6 Avant

Engine and power
V10 twin-turbo engine produces 580 bhp
Torque of 479 ft-lbs
Maximum power between 6,250 rpm and 6,700 rpm
Six-speed tiptronic auto transmission
Expected 0-60 mph under 4.6 seconds

The new V10 engine has FSI direct injection and twin turbochargers. The Audi RS6 Avant will offer permanent quattro four-wheel drive, and a sports suspension with a lot of electronic tinkering systems attached. Engine compartment lid and the front wings are made of aluminium in order to reduce weight.

The next version of the Audi RS6 will only be available for purchase in Avant guise.

To haul all that 580 bhp the RS6 Avant puts on tarmac, Audi has provided the 20 inch wheels with standard standard 19-inch steel discs. There is also available an option of ceramic brakes.

Notable design elements of the RS6 Avant are
Oval exhaust tailpipes - check photo below.
A roof spoiler
Wide, flared wheel arches for the 20-inch wheels

Colours offered are the standard metallic/pearl effect paint and new colours Sepang Blue, Monza Silver and Monterrey Green.

The Citroën C-Cactus is an environment-friendly, four door hybrid concept car that will also not hit your wallet hard. And to the joy of pure electric vehicle lovers, the C-Cactus also has a ZEV (zero Emission vehicle) mode that will use only the electric motor, useful in city driving conditions. The car will make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in just a week from now.

The Citroën C-cactus will be positioned against the Toyota Prius; priced is expected to be pertty much the same.

When writing about concept cars, there is always the chance that it might be interpreted as a car that is about to go into production. Not so, let me assure you. The Citroën C-Cactus IS a concept car. It is based on Citrone’s C4. You wiill see Citroën implementing elements of this car in its future cars, and that’s it.

Powered by a 70 Hp diesel and a 30 hp electric motor, the concept car has a top speed of 150 kph. Combined fuel consumption (when both diesel engine and electric motor are running) is 3.4 litres per 100 kilometer.

From the photos available prior to the Frankfurt Motor Show, the concept is definitely going to be a major draw.

What Citroën has tried to implement here is efficiency. The car is not complex at all, using half the number of components in a conventional car. A lot of stuff has been grouped together, including a music player, on the central console.

The C-cactus has a single-unit front-end: no separate bumper, bonnet. There are only two parts to the door, and the window glass has a sliding mechanism.

What will strike you though, is the styling. The simplicity of the C-cactus does not mean that it is boxy or ugly - faqr from it. Take a look at the photo gallery and judge for yourself.

At the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Citroën C-Cactus will probably take its place along side the Airscape Concept and the C4 BioFlex, a flex fuel vehicle running on bioethanol or petrol.

The 2008 Honda Accord, to be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show will be one of the most advanced Hondas ever produced. The looks of the car have been drastically changed, and now on offer is a 3500 cc version of the Accord, producing 273 bhp - this is the most powerful Honda ever produced! American dads are going to love this Accord, we can tell you that now.

2008 Honda Accord Engine options

3.5L iVTEC V6 273 horsepower and 250 ft-lbs. of torque
2.4L inline-four producing 200 horsepower/170 ft-lbs
2.4L producing 180 horsepower/166 ft-lbs

A Variable Cylinder Management system is available for the 3.5 L sedan which can offer excellent fuel economy figures by operating the vehicle on just 3 cylinders or 4 when possible. A maximum 29mpg figure is expected, says Honda.

The 2008 Honda Accord sedan can be ordered in LX and LX Premium (LX-P), EX and EX-L, and the EX V6 trim levels.

A V6 coupe will also be launched, in three trim levels: LX Sport (LX-S), EX, EX-L and EX V6.

Design

The new look may appeal to some. Not to me though. The butch, boxy look seems be all the fad nowadays. I am one who prefers the sleek and narrow look of the 2007 Accord - but this is a matter of personal preference, so let’s leave it at that. Build quality is said to be on the level of much more expensive cars.

Safety

Safety levels too have been improved, says Honda. An Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure enables more occupant safety in frontal collisions with a wide variety of vehicles.

Electronic Stability Control, side-curtain airbags, dual-chamber front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), active front seat head restraints, anti-lock brakes are all standard in the 2o08 Honda Accord.

Price

Honda has not officially announced the price range for the 2008 Accord. However, newspapers have been putting the price at $ 20000 to $ 30,000 for the top-end version.

2008 Honda Accord and India
The new Accord may come to India by 2008 end, to replace the current ultra successful version here. It is likely that the 273 bhp 3500cc iVTEC V6 engine might be on offer.

Suzuki, best known for its ultra successful small cars such as the Alto and the Swift, are now getting serious about the large car business. And the Kizashi is concept car on which those plans are based. The Kizashi concept will be unveiled before the public at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007, starting on Sep 13th.

The photos of theSuzuki Kizashi concept look a bit over the top to me. But we can be sure the production versions based on this will be a lot more sober than this!

The plans are to develop the Kizashi platform with a hatchback, a stationwagon and a sedan. A 1.6-litre variable valve engine producing 110 bhp and a 2.0-litre engine with 138 bhp are being considered.

The Suzuki Kizashi cars are going to be the company’s largest production car, and will take the battle to the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic.

Suzuki’s other mid-size car that has been succesful in some markets is the SX4 - in India, a sedan and in other countries, a hatch. The only serious SUV from Suzuki has been the Grand Vitara, which has been reasonably successful in the international markets.

What you are seeing here is a rendering - not a photo. No official photos have been released yet, but when it happens - we expect a couple of days before the opening of the Motor Show - we will have a photo gallery ready for you.