Autoblog

SEMA 2009: Local Motors Rally Fighter touches down in Vegas

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:21:00 EST

2010 Local motors Rally Fighter - Click above for high-res image gallery

It looks like the open source model can work for building new cars after all. We finally managed to track down the Local Motors Rally Fighter here at SEMA, and it is even more awesome in person than in pics. The interior on this pre-production car obviously still needs some work, but the rest is really impressive. Looking like some crazy mashup of a fighter plane and a SCORE rally truck, we hope this is the vehicle Mel Gibson picks to replace the last of the V8 Interceptors in Mad Max 4.

We spent some time around the vehicle, soaking in all of the details, listening to the reactions of passers-by, and talking to the folks from Local. The passion of the principles is obvious and it's clear that the vehicle has been well thought-out. While much of the Rally Fighter is unique, they weren't bashful about borrowing off-the-rack parts where they knew good ones already existed - Ford F-150 uprights that have been proven at Baja, a Mercedes bumper support system, Fox off-road shocks, a healthy but frugal BMW diesel from the 335d, and the list goes on and on.

Local Motors CEO, Jay Rogers, also pointed out some of the fighter plane styling cues that made it into the final Sangho Kim design. We especially like the cockpit-like greenhouse and the P-51 Mustang-inspired underbody flaring. Jay says the company has already taken 34 orders and that customers will be able to help build their cars by June of next year.

That's right, you get to spend some time with the Local Motors gang, either at their current home in Massachusetts, or at a future facility in Phoenix. They'll spend two weeks with you teaching you how to build your own Rally Fighter, never assuming too much of the owners. We like to think of it as a type of Habitat for Humanity for car people where you put some sweat equity into your new property. We look forward to getting behind the wheel of this beast soon, heck, we'd love to build one ourselves, but until then you can read the press release and view the gallery below.

Gallery: SEMA 2009: Local Motors Rally Fighter

Continue reading SEMA 2009: Local Motors Rally Fighter touches down in Vegas

SEMA 2009: Local Motors Rally Fighter touches down in Vegas originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shanghai 2009: Roewe N1 continues to advance concept of credible Chinese design

Chris Paukert — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, China, Technology, Shanghai Motor Show

Roewe N1 Concept - Click above for high-res gallery

Chinese automakers have been on the receiving end of barbs for some time now, particularly when it comes to styling. In terms of both originality and proportion, most Sino automakers have struggled to find both balance and identity, but among them, SAIC Roewe has been able to build on its Rover roots and churn out some rather attractive designs. Case in point: The N1. Now showing in Shanghai for the first time, the N1 sedan is quite well resolved from most angles, and its design is widely expected to make it into production unscathed. That the car's styling jibes with Western sensibilities is important, because the company plans to roll a production N1 out not just to domestic audiences next year, but likely to European audiences a short time later.

Unlike some previous Roewe offerings, the N1 sits on a new chassis, but it will reportedly still rely on updated versions of the British automaker's K-series four-cylinder powerplants.

Inside, the N1 is rather more ambitious, featuring a touch-screen interface with full-on internet connectivity, a "3D" digital gauge cluster, and a navigation system based on open-source coding. The car's high-tech dashboard gubbins are likely to remain a showcar-only detail for the next few years, however.

Gallery: shanghai 2009:Roewe N1 concept

Photos copyright (C)2009 IceBin/ Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Autoblog Simplified Chinese]

Shanghai 2009: Roewe N1 continues to advance concept of credible Chinese design originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva Preview: EDAG open-source Light Car

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:20:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Geneva Motor Show, Green

Click above for high-res image gallery of the EDAG Light Car - Open Source

New technologies are set to dramatically change the way that future cars are designed, at least according to German design firm EDAG, which is set to debut its latest concept vehicle - called the "Light Car - Open Source" - at the Geneva Motor Show in March. EDAG claims this is the first car to be made from basalt fiber, which is sort of like carbon fiber but much cheaper and fully recyclable. That's not the most interesting bit, though, as sitting just below the concept car's glass-like surface are strings of organic light-emitting diodes that are user-configurable and can change the look of the car's headlamps and interior cockpit, as well as use the tail-gate as a projection screen to "communicate" with other cars around it.

Hub-mounted electric motors draw power from an on-board lithum-ion battery pack that's said to be capable of providing a range of 93 miles (150 kilometers). The lack of an engine or transmission enables "luxury class" levels of space inside with compact class outer dimensions. So, what's the open source part of the project? EDAG claims that it's actively approaching other companies to work on the development of this concept car with the goal of defining what the car of the future will be. Stay tuned for our reactions after seeing the concept live in Geneva for ourselves.

Gallery: EDAG Light Car

[Source: EDAG]

Continue reading Geneva Preview: EDAG open-source Light Car

Geneva Preview: EDAG open-source Light Car originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW wants to help develop open-source in-vehicle platform

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Gadgets, Technology, BMW

Automakers have been adding electronic gizmos to vehicles for decades, and operating systems have been developed to allow each system communicate with one another. The OSs are different from one brand to the next, but BMW wants to help develop a system using an open-source Linux platform it's helping to create along with Google and Wind River Systems.

Using Linux as a base would allow anyone with a background in coding to make changes to the system to suit each manufacturer's needs. Plus, a single platform would make it easier for third-party vendors to create hardware or an application and be sure that it would work correctly in any vehicle using the OS. Automakers such as General Motors and Chrysler sound interested in the idea, while Ford and Honda, which already use a Microsoft OS in their cars, have a few more questions that need answering before they are ready to jump on the open-source bandwagon. In any case, in-car gadgetry's not going anywhere and it will take years for any one system to made standard.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

BMW wants to help develop open-source in-vehicle platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda hearts Linux, wants cash

Dan Roth — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Honda

Linux is pretty good at harnessing processor speed, and Chastain Motorsports is hoping to snare some of that effect to propel their Panoz/Honda to victory. The distinctive Penguin logo, "Tux," has been affixed to the nose of the 200+ MPH car in anticipation of meeting a donation goal. The famously open-source OS is applying that philosophy to sponsorship. The Tux 500 is an effort to raise $350,000 in exchange for those high-speed chilled fowl on the race car. There are perks for large donation amounts, but there is no shame in collecting lots of $1 gifts, either. It is an interesting concept, and we will be looking for the distinctive blue car when the checkered flag drops at the Indy 500. As long as the effort secures $25,000, the decals will stay on the car. Currently, donations total $7,600, and the organizers are confident that they'll at least make it to that $25K figure.

[Source: Wired]

Honda hearts Linux, wants cash originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Desktop fabricator takes DIY to a new level

Dan Roth — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:28:00 EST

Filed under: Trends, Etc., Technology

We need one of these for when we finally get that Autoblog project car. It's called Fab@Home, and it's an open-source, desktop size fabrication rig; essentially a 3-dimesional printer. What the system allows you to do is fabricate complex parts with a simple, low cost rig. All you need are the materials and the geometric information, and you're on your way to making that fancy AutoBlog belt buckle.

The practice of building up a part drip-by-drip is known in the industry as rapid prototyping. It allows one group of people to essentially send a part as an email. You could be working on a doorhandle in Detroit and email it to your OEM in China, where they "print" the design and evaluate it. Pretty slick. The Fab@Home project is an undertaking of Cornell University, with the goal of democratizing innovation. Just as the desktop computer revolution was driven by innovation from all quarters, the Fab@Home system is a low-cost system that should be easily customized as it gets used for different materials and functions. We'd love to see it retrofitted with a milling head. Imagine CNC machining your own combustion chambers in your garage, driven by your laptop. Sounds like that'd finally be a real use for that Dremel...

[Source: Fab@Home.org via autoexpress]

Continue reading Desktop fabricator takes DIY to a new level

Desktop fabricator takes DIY to a new level originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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