At yesterday’s Legends of the Autobahn event, BMW – easily the largest marque represented on the lawn – rolled out the 328 Hommage for its first appearance on North American soil.

Built to celebrate the original 328′s 75th birthday, the Hommage concept is both an advanced styling exercise and four-wheeled exploration of lightweight materials. Like its great, great grandfather, which was composed primarily of aluminum and magnesium, the Hommage is an incredibly svelte roadster, coming in at 1,720 pounds thanks to its carbon fiber body, passenger tub and wheels. Appropriately and predictably, power is provided by a 3.0-liter inline-six of undisclosed output, while a single set of gauges and a pair of contoured leather buckets make up the spartan interior.

When the concept debuted earlier this year, we weren’t particularly smitten with the Hommage’s styling, but in person (and alongside the 328s of yore), it’s a thing to behold. The crossed-out headlamps and leather hood ties smack of nostalgia-infused kitsch, but the silver carbon fiber wheels, exposed weave, double bump rump and – yes – even the elongated kidney grilles give it a presence that’s both menacing and sophisticated. Judge for yourself in the gallery of live pics above.

BMW 328 Hommage Concept touches down in Monterey originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General Motors has rolled out a new hybrid SUV concept that’s custom tailored for the Chinese market. The Buick Envision SUV Concept rolls together the future of the Tri-Shield’s design language with a fuel-efficient drivetrain to give us all an idea of where brand is headed in the near future. Worked up as a joint venture between Shanghai GM and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, the Envision borrows the same waterfall grille found on the company’s current stable of products and mixes in a host of angles and curves.

Regardless of whether or not the exterior leaves you cold, plug-in hybrid fans are likely to find something to smile about under the hood. The Envision uses a 2.0-liter direct-injection gasoline engine coupled to two electric motors and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Power is stored in a lithium-ion battery and the vehicle’s roof wears a solar cell to help recuperate some power.

With a fully-carbon fiber chassis and an intelligent solar charging system, we don’t exactly expect the Envision to roll onto dealer lots any time soon. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Buick Envision Concept touches down in Shanghai

Buick Envision Concept touches down in Shanghai originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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