Innovative Vision Connected — Drive by BMW

Innovative Vision Connected — Drive by BMW

The German automaker created a cutting-edge two-place roadster called Vision ConnectedDrive. By the words of creators it is radical new roadster concept “presents the automobile as a fully integrated part of the networked world in both its design and technological innovations” as well as representing “the potential of current and future in-car technology for optimizing comfort, safety and infotainment.” The Vision ConnectedDrive manifests the typical characteristics of BMW design: agressive look, sporting, dynamic character. BMW has announced that this concept will not be produced, but its design and technology will be the basis of future production models.

 

VW Passat CC Comfort — & Style Edition

VW Passat CC Comfort — & Style Edition

The VW Passat CC is now available as limited edition model "Comfort & Style".

With the equipment "Comfort & Style" for the CC is as followed: €3165 extra for versions with manual transmission and €3205 for versions with double clutch (DSG). Both options come with Alcantara leather upholstery and a multi-function steering wheel.

Other contributors include the ACC distance control with cruise control, parking assistance, a radio navigation system and fog lights. VW also equips the midsize sedan with 18-inch alloy wheels in R-line optics , R-Line emblem on the outer side panels and the front stainless steel door sill plates and tinted rear lights.

The base price for the VW Passat CC with limited "Comfort & Style" package is at least €33,470. At the same time, the convenience package, according to VW a price advantage of up to €4,000

DARPA XC2V Crowd-Sourced — Combat Vehicle is Complete And Awesome

DARPA XC2V Crowd-Sourced — Combat Vehicle is Complete And Awesome

Crowd-sourcing for a design is nothing new. It’s done for all sorts of things. Typically those things have nothing to do with the military though. It often takes years and years simply to get a design approved by the military and then takes more years to get a functional prototype and it can take a decade or more before a fully functional prototype is in the field and production version rolls off the line. DARPA wanted to find a new military ground vehicle and decided to test a new method to get it.

DARPA crowed-sourced the design of the XC2V military vehicle as a way to study the viability of designing military vehicles in this method and to see how much faster it would be than traditional design methods. This vehicle is a multipurpose ground transport that can take soldiers into and out of combat and can be converted to use as a medical transport too. The final design looks really cool and reminds me more than a little of an open desert trophy truck. The coolest part is that the crowd-sourcing really worked and worked very well. The company chosen to make the prototype you see in these photos is Local Motors $54,954.

The vehicle dubbed Flypmode won the XC2V competition and was given a 14-week deadline to build the first prototype. Local Motors didn’t need that long to get the bulletproof vehicle into the real world from the concept stage. The only thing I see that I have to wonder about is the exposed tires on the concept and the exposed engine bay on the front of the vehicle. They seem very susceptible to enemy fire.