Want to know how highly regarded the multiple-award winning Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is? At the recent Auto Expo in Delhi, India Maruti Suzuki showed a concept that is, to our eyes, extraordinarily reminiscent of the small English SUV – although we’ll readily admit the glasshouse is a tweaked version of the current Suzuki Swift.

Called the XA Alpha concept, some reports say that it’s underpinned by the Swift platform, while others report that the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy off-roader, based on the Jimny, provides the chassis. For comparison purposes, the XA is just a few inches shorter and narrower than an Evoque, but the same height as the Evoque four-door.

Plans for production are said to rest with audience reception, which appears to have – understandably – been quite positive. If and when a production version does arrive, you can probably kiss the suicide doors goodbye, but it is predicted to be offered with four-wheel drive and “a range of K-Series petrol engines and 1.3-liter DDIS engine.” Click the link for more photos of the flexible Indian flyer.

Suzuki shows Concept XA trucklet in Delhi originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sometimes, even concept cars evolve. Take the Nissan Pivo, an ungainly, all-electric bubble-on-wheels that first appeared in 2005 at the Tokyo Motor Show. The first version was pretty round, but the Pivo 2 somehow managed to add extra curves around the wheels. For the Pivo 3, unveiled today in advance of this year’s Tokyo show, Nissan is keeping some of the quirkiness of the first two Pivos but has scrapped most of the supple round curves. Instead, the new Pivo gets some artistic angles to go with its city functionality. Whether this is an improvement or not is in the eye of the beholder.

The changes don’t mean that the Pivo is ready for sale quite yet, but Nissan does say that the third-gen Pivo is “what Nissan envisions to be a more ‘realistic’ EV of the near future.” Aside from the zero-emission powertrain (note the “e” logo, as also seen on the Leaf) and in-wheel motors, what’s notable about the Pivo 3 is that has got a lot of automated parking capability. In “specially equipped parking lots,” you can even let the car park and recharge itself using “Automated Valet Parking.” Even better, you can have the Pivo 3 come to you using your smartphone and the car’s autonomous driving skills. Bruce Wayne’s got nothing on Pivo. When you are driving, the center-located driver’s seat and ultra-tight (two-meter) turning radius.

As you can see in the video after the jump, Nissan is considering putting the Pivo – of something like the Pivo – into production. Would you buy one? Sound off in the Comments.

Continue reading Nissan shows off Pivo 3′s new angles, considering quirky EV for production [w/video]

Nissan shows off Pivo 3′s new angles, considering quirky EV for production [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When Audi unveiled the original e-tron Concept at the last Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009, a production version seemed to be nothing more than a glimmer in the very distant future. Two years later, it appears that the automaker has made plenty of progress in bringing an electric-powered R8 into the world.

Yesterday in Frankfurt, Audi revealed a new R8 e-tron “technology demonstrator” that represents something fairly similar to the production model we’ll see in the near future. Some unique visual features separate the R8 e-tron from the petrol-powered version, including the carbon fiber vents on the hood and chrome slats in the front grilles and rear bumper. Like the concept, the production version of the car is expected to feature four electric motors sending power to each wheel, with performance targets including 0-60 mph in less than five seconds and a 150 mile range.

You can see the new Audi R8 e-tron prototype in detail in the high-res gallery above.

Audi shows off near-production R8 e-tron prototype originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 09:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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