Autos & Motorbikes

When you think of Honda, you might not think of anything really snazzy or out there — but your views might well change now that you are getting a look at the Honda 3R-C concept.

Is it an automobile? Is it a motorbike? Is it something your kid can ride around the yard? Is it a new, futuristic means of transportation for your child’s favorite action figure?

It is actually a battery powered single seater, completely electric, which is set to be revealed at the upcoming motor show in Geneva.

One of the many personal mobility vehicles that will be unveiled, it definitely looks like something that the Jetson family promised us all a long, long time ago. The three wheeler has everything from a flexible cover to a safety shell, meant to decrease any threat of impacts from either side.

Ready for a mouthful? Okay, well, somewhere out there in the world, there is a company called Herpa Miniaturmodelle GmbH, and although it sounds sort of like a highly contagious disease or something, it is actually a car company that specializes in making full scale models. This is notable because at a fairly recent Frankfurt auto show — the IAA, actually — the company revealed the Trabant nT concept, which is totally electric.

This car is a modern take on a more classic car, although I have to say that, as far as the exterior goes, the only thing really modern I see is the rather boxy shape. That’s not a slight; I think the vehicle looks awesome. I am just saying that this so called modern take could be taken a bit deeper — but at the same time I am glad it is not.

Now that Christmas is over – I can tell you that people are gearing right up for the Detroit Auto Show next month and I can tell you that it is going to be absolutely beautiful and a ton of different cars are going to be there.  One car that I am particularly excited about is the Fiat 500C.

This car is a car that I have not only been waiting to see but it is a car that looks awesome!  The small, compact feature of it is truly something that fits right in where the future is going in the way of cars.

Personally – I think that the Fiat 500C is going to be the highlight at the Detroit Auto Show and I can’t wait to see it up close and personal!

Recently in Hawthorne, CA, at Tesla’s design studio, the independent firm unveiled the brand new prototype for the Tesla Model S. This is the second vehicle in the company’s rather small range, and the first to be designed by the inestimable Franz von Holzhausen. The coupe has four doors and is as sleek as you would want. It has Tesla’s brand new face, but the DLO shape and the car’s proportions are like Aston Martin’s Rapide concept, which debuted back in 2006.

The Model S has a panoramic roof made of glass. It is split into two different sections and flows flawlessly back into the steep backlight. In the rear, there are design cues similar to the Jaguar XF sedan.

The interior is all high tech luxury. If one opts for the extra rear facing seats, one could fit five adults as well as two kids within the car.

I swear, one of the biggest names in the world of cars is Mini – and I am seeing the Mini Cooper pop up everywhere!  So I am from Michigan and I was in a little town called Plymouth the other day and what do you know it … I saw at least five Mini’s in the parking garage!  However … we are not here to talk about the Cooper, we are here to talk about the Mini Countryman Concept.

This is actually one of the most highly anticipated releases of a car and I have to say that this little crossover vehicle is actually going to be one of the best – once it comes out mind you.  This little Mini crossover actually will not meet everyone’s eye until next year at the Geneva show – not the Detroit one.

So if you are looking forward to the Mini Countryman Concept as much as I am – go to Geneva next year!

Nissan was noticeably absent at the recent auto show in Frankfurt, but the automaker intends to make up for that fact when they unveil a brand new, undoubtedly innovative concept at the upcoming motor show in Tokyo.

The Nissan Land Glider is a very narrow vehicle — while thirty one hundred millimeters long, it is only eleven hundred millimeters wide. It is designed to seat two passengers in tandem, and two electric motors, located in the rear, power the car with the help of lithium ion batteries.

This concept was evidently inspired by motorbikes — specifically, the freedom and agility they offer. The structure is quite like a cocoon, and it feels safe to say I have never seen a vehicle that looks like this one ever before.

Finding a safe car is something that is hard – I mean, what do you look for when you are looking for a safe car and also, what cars do you look for?  Well, that is why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was created.  They are the ones that award certain cars with the tip safety pick and they are certainly the ones that know what cars are the safest ones in the world.  Well, they have picked their top three now and I am going to share those with you!

Firstly, the 2010 Dodge Journey, 2010 Lincoln MKT, and Mazda’s 2010 Mazda3 are the top three safest cars – in the world.  The great thing?  Now know you what car to buy!  However, what makes them so safe?  Well, all of them come standard with side airbags and stability control.

These cars are equipped with some of the latest and greatest technology to keep you and your family safe, so you will truly be able to feel safe whenever you are driving!