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http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_ford_faction-1.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_ford_faction-2.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_ford_faction-3.jpg As the first automotive design from Ford's new Ingeni studio in London, the Faction concept shows what happens when people living in the heart of a crowded, urban landscape set out to create a car to suit their lifestyle. The result is a tough, yet fashionable three-door SUV with all-wheel drive, novel utility and multimedia features, plus a refined interior for American urbanites who know and appreciate European- influenced materials. This is a concept vehicle with the honest, genuine appearance of a Ford, specifically created for people who live in the middle of the action, hence the name Faction. It's for city drivers who haul friends and gear, and who need to maneuver quickly through crowded streets. When parking becomes a precision sport, the Faction concept can be squeezed into tight spots with the help of City Eye, a camera system that provides a view of directly behind the vehicle. Interior Style and Utility The interior of the new Faction concept was inspired by contemporary furniture. Ingeni designers were strongly influenced by trends at Europe's annual Milan Furniture Fair. Faction concept features clean, simple shares and muted colors, with carefully selected materials, including leather. Two unique items reinforce the influence casual furniture had on the Faction concept. A specially designed clock that displays two time zones, Los Angeles and London, has replaced the rear view mirror. Just behind the clock is a visible ceiling fan for ventilation and cooling. The interior layout follows the philosophy of uncluttered, functional simplicity. The whole rear section of the roof is a glass panel, which gives a feeling of openness to the inside. When more cargo room is needed, the rear bench seat can be lowered with a single-switch retraction system. Additional functionality comes from a unique storage tray that slides in and out of the cargo area and can be used right-side up or up-side down, depending on package and luggage needs. Many of the items drivers use, such as the CD holder, cupholder, waste-bin and an innovative retracting gearshift lever, have been relocated into the center armrest. This allowed the designers to simplify and lighten the instrument panel to a few necessary items including the speedometer, fuel level and a central multi-switch. Under the Hood Although Faction concept drivers rarely venture off the paved streets of their urban environment, they have the capability to visit more rugged terrain should they desire. The vehicle has a permanent all-wheel-drive system, with traction and braking control and disc brakes on all four wheels, providing enhanced capability for wet or snowy road conditions. Faction concept has been engineered for a responsive driving experience. It borrows its Duratec ST engine from the European Focus ST170, an uprated version of the standard 2.0-liter Focus powerplant that delivers 167 horsepower and 143 foot-pounds of torque. It features a high-flow aluminum cylinder head with larger inlet valves and higher-lift intake and exhaust camshafts for higher peak rpm levels, plus continuously variable intake valve timing. Duratec STs dual stage intake (DSI) manifold uses long runners for low-end torque and shorter runners for higher peak power outputs, giving Faction its highly honed urban driveability. It also features the refinement of a dual mass flyweel, which enhances the smoothness of the semi-automatic transmission.

http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2002_rinspeed_presto-1.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2002_rinspeed_presto-2.jpg The Rinspeed Presto transforms itself in a few seconds from a two-seater roadster into a 3.7-meter long four-seater with plenty of room for the rear-seat passengers. The additional space can also be used as a pick-up bed for cargo when the rear-seat backrests are folded down. This almost magical transformation is made possible by a centrally located electric motor, which stretches the vehicle with the help of two mechanical screw-and-nut gears by exactly 746 millimeters to its full extended length of 3.74 meters. The longitudinal members run on low-friction precision rollers and disappear like a drawer in the rear of the floor pan. Despite its variable length the engineers succeeded in designing the adjustable Presto floor pan with the torsional rigidity necessary for a roadster. To ensure absolute operational safety the extension mechanism also features self-locking safety latches. A four-cylinder, 1.7-liter common-rail turbo diesel engine in dual-fuel configuration, based on a Mercedes-Benz engine, provides future-oriented and highly environmentally friendly propulsion. The engine runs on a mixture of natural gas and Diesel fuel at a 40 to 60 ratio. Natural gas is a very clean-burning fuel, which consists almost entirely of methane with sulfur content near zero. However, since a Diesel engine has no spark plug to act as an ignition source, operation on natural gas alone is technically impossible.

http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_aston_martin_ar1-1.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_aston_martin_ar1-2.jpg http://www.supercars.net/PicFetch?pic=2003_aston_martin_ar1-3.jpg The DB American Roadster 1 (DB AR1) is derived from the DB7 the most successful Aston Martin of all time. It is based on the current DB7 Vantage Volante (convertible) and boasts revised bodystyle with coachwork by Zagato of Italy and incorporates a number of dynamic elements, which have been finely engineered to offer a new dimension to the Aston Martin driving experience. Available only as a two-seater, the DB AR1 is not a convertible Zagato version of the Coupe - launched in the summer of 2002 - but a possible addition to Aston Martins exclusive product range. Aston Martin will privately show the DB AR1 to customers at an event in LA to gauge their reaction and if the response is positive the car will go into production in very limited numbers during 2003. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but it is anticipated that DB AR1 will cost around $230,000 US (plus or minus 10%). Aston Martin has yet to conduct performance testing however, it is expected that recent developments of Aston Martins low emission, all alloy, 6.0-litre V12 engine, means that DB AR1 will benefit from a performance increase, and offer 435bhp compared with 420bhp of the DB7 Vantage. This increased power together with a revised final drive ratio and active sports exhaust system will not only provide noticeable improvement in mid-range power, but also additional torque - up from 400 lb/ft (DB7 Vantage) to 410 lb/ft, providing a sharper accelerating drive. An AP twin plate racing clutch, which replaces the single plate clutch found on the DB7 Vantage, combined with the revised quick-shift gear lever also fitted to the DB7 GT - will enable the driver to maximise use of the increase in power and torque and enjoy a faster gear change. Aside from a revised body design, the DB AR1 has special multispoke 19 alloy wheels - with revised offset to give a wider track (8x19 front, 9

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If you think the introduction of the Porsche Cayenne, the Stuttgart-based sportscar company came as a shock to the automotive world, guess what the new Maserati concept did...turn heads. Like its German counterpart, the Kubang Concept (named after a Jayan wind), which was unveiled at the NAIAS is Maserati's take on the growing niche that is the high-performance SUV. The Kubang was designed by Italian stylist Giorgetto Giugiaro. The Kubang is said to blend practicality and performance seemlessly. For starters, the versatile SUV configuration allows for seating up to seven. There's also an option for "executive seating" that reduces total passenger capacity to four, but space and comfort go up. The performance aspect of the Kubang comes from the company's venerable 4.2-liter V8 which develops an earth-shattering 390 bhp. This should blast the Kubang from 0-100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds and continue to a top-speed limit of 257 km/h. In addition to straight line performance, this Maserati has been given a low center of gravity coupled with a torque-sensing all-wheel drive system that gives the Kubang some needed handling prowess. if Maserati management gives the go signal, the Kubang could see itself as part of the line-up as early as 2005.

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Adventurous high performance concept for Volvo's XC Range Source: VCC Volvo