Evidently, the third time wasn’t the charm for Think, the Norwegian manufacturer of small electric vehicles. The company has gone bust for the fourth time in its 20 year history. Think attempted to restructure, but was ultimately not successful. “We needed some additional funding and although we had interested investors they were not able to...
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The Aston Martin Cygnet might seem like anathema to everything the company stands for, but Aston Martin is hoping that the Cygnet will become the number two seller for the brand. With a projection of 1,500 units sold per year, the Cygnet would trail the Vantage as Aston’s stop selling model. Aston sold a total...
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With the positive reception given to the very compact MINI Rocketman concept at this year’s Geneva Auto Show, MINI execs have given indications that the car will be produced sometime in the near future. “We are good at looking at history and interpreting a future for it,” MINI sales and marketing chief Kevin Robertson told...
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When the new MINI Cooper debuted back in 2001, it was impossible not to note how much larger the car was than its classic predecessor. The less-than-mini size of the vehicle is even more obvious in Europe, where the majority of cars on the road share roughly the same dimensions. It comes as little surprise...
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While rumors of the new BMW sub-brand have been floating around for months, February 21st has been marked as the official announcement date for details the sub-brand, and the apparently revolutionary MegaCity electric vehicle. Many suggest that the new sub-brand will be a re-imagining of the Isetta microcar of nearly a half century ago, and...
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Although the Smart ForTwo hasn’t been warmly received by American buyers, there is hope for the quirky maker of diminutive city cars, as parent company Daimler is backing the brand with new products and utilizing their alliance with Renault-Nissan to give the lineup a boost. A Smart representative confirmed that a four seat model will arrive sometime in the...
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BMW is looking for an alternative to traditional purchasing options for their upcoming MegaCity urban vehicle, as the high cost of developing substantially new technology may result in the vehicle becoming prohibitively expensive for consumers. Among the projects being considered are a car-sharing service similar to the one operated by Daimler for their Smart car...
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Volkswagen is planning to spread the platform love with its new Up city car, with Czech subsidiary Skoda being the first VW division to get the tiny car, with a SEAT-branded version to follow. Packaged as a three-door five-seater, a 1.0L gasoline engine and a 1.2L diesel engine will be offered, with an all-electric version...
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The Aston Martin Cygnet, the British luxury brand’s take on the Toyota iQ, is almost ready to go on sale, and the ultra-lux city car will start £30,995, or about $50,000 USD. Using the 1.3L Toyota engine and a 6-speed manual or CVT gearbox, the iQ’s 11 second 0-60 sprint is decidedly not Aston-like in...
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Gordon Murray’s most famous project so far has been the McLaren F1. But if the legendary South African designer has his way, his next project will be the one that forms the basis of his legacy, and the T.27 electric city car may just make it after passing a European market crash test with flying...
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Not one to let its long-time rival capitalize on every niche, Mercedes-Benz is apparently working on a small city car to rival BMW’s MegaCity project. Although only sketches and clay models exist, a possible synergy with the Smart brand could exist, especially in light of the brand’s recent foray into electric vehicles. The vehicle’s styling...
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The Honda Brio was apparently inspired by the Citroen 2CV, as evidenced by its codename during development. Of course, the Brio is based on a much more conventional layout, but the ultra-compact dimensions, measuring 142 inches in length and 66 inches wide. For comparison, a Smart ForTwo is 106.1 inches long but 61.4 inches wide,...
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Mitsubishi recently reached a milestone with the completion of their 5000th i-MiEV electric car, which rolled off the line at its Mizushima plant this week. After starting production in June of 2009, the i-MiEV has been a hit in Japan, and will make its debut in America in late 2011 after being unveiled at the...
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Aston Martin‘s Cygnet minicar will come to the United States sometime in 2012 according to Automotive News. The Cygnet will reportedly cost $35,000 despite minimal changes from the Toyota iQ it’s based on. The Cygnet is a risky move for Aston Martin; a product like this is conceivably a good idea in places like London,...
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Despite previously denying reports that an electric car based off their small A1 platform would be produced, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed that Audi would produce a small electric city car, without confirming any design or technical details. “Almost certainly, yes, we will have a small electric car. It is being investigated,” Stadler told Britain’s...
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BMW‘s new joint venture with SGL Group on a carbon fiber plant in Washington state got underway, as the two companies broke ground on the factory. While vehicle assembly will take place in Germany, the carbon fiber material production will take place in the state, due to the large presence of aerospace expertise in the...
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After designing the legendary McLaren F1, Gordon Murray decided to try his hand at something completely different. Murray revealed his latest creation, the T.25 City Car, at an event in Oxford, England, and to say that it’s a 180 from the McLaren F1 is an understatement. The T.25 weighs in at a truly featherweight 1,212...
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Gordon Murray is eager to stress that his firm, Gordon Murray Design, is not in the business of producing cars, especially not his new T25 city car. “We’re not a car company; our business is selling intellectual property for the production process,” Murray told Auto Express. Murray’s proclamation comes on the heels of his announcement that he...
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A new 400-horsepower sports car is in the works at BMW, but if you ask executives at the German car company, they’ll tell you that the most promising new product is at the other end of the spectrum. Speaking at a meeting in London, Ian Robertson a BMW board member told Inside Line that they...
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Not long after Gordon Murray’s McLaren F1 was feted at the company’s headquarters, new details have emerged about Murray’s all-new T27 city car, being developed by the South African-born engineer independently of McLaren. Essentially an electric version of the T25 city car, the T27 uses a lithium-ion battery and a small electric motor to hit...
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