M I K E ' S L I S T
ISSUE 85 * OCTOBER 10, 2005
READ IT ONLINE: http://www.mikeslist.com/85.htm
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(Note to readers: This my new text-version format. Rather than sending
the entire issue, I'm sending just the editorial, along with only a link to
the web version. The newsletter just doesn't make sense without the pictures
and live links. Thanks! I hope you enjoy this new approach.)
Driving Ideas
I LOVE CONCEPT CARS, those "trial balloon" automobile designs unveiled with huge
fanfare at international auto shows. They're created without all those annoying
compromises necessary for real, mass-produced cars, such as the cost of
components and materials, usability and safety.
Car makers invest huge amounts of money in these unsellable vehicles as a way to
develop and understand radical new ideas -- and boost their reputations as an
innovators.
Because of the recent FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW (September 15 - September 25) and
upcoming TOKYO MOTOR SHOW (October 22 - November 6), a huge number of very cool
concept cars have been unveiled in the past few weeks.
One of the wildest is an electric car by Nissan with a cab that can do a 180.
Pull into a parking space front-first, then, when you leave, you pivot the cab
to drive in the direction you came from without ever going in reverse. Called
the Pivo, the car is controlled with a "DRIVE-BY-WIRE" system, meaning that
steering, braking and shifting are done not by mechanical linkages, but by
electronic signals. The dash is loaded with monitors displaying video feeds from
outside-pointing cameras for total situational awareness. All controls are on
the steering wheel. Extended front and rear bumpers -- who can tell which is
front and which is rear? -- double as seats for kicking back while the Pivo is
parked. Cool!
Suzuki's fuel cell, front-wheel-drive IONIS minivan features a special paint job
that changes colors depending on lighting conditions. Awesome!
Chrysler's tiny AKINO, which seats five, is named after its 37-year-old
designer, Akino Tsuchiya. The car radiates a California-style new-age hippy
vibe, and comes standard with natural and recyclable fabrics, bamboo flooring, a
throw rug, mellow lighting and throw pillows. Groovy!
BMW showed off a new hybrid concept car at the IAA in Frankfurt last month. The
hybrid design isn't for fuel efficiency, but for raw power. The car has
high-performance capacitors that store up energy, then UNLEASH it in a burst of
torque and power when you slam the accelerator. Radical!
DaimlerChrysler STUNNED the auto world by unveiling a new concept car in
Frankfurt called the Smart Crosstown. The convertible is less than nine feed
long and slightly more than five feet high. Uh, er, diminutive!
Car makers not only roll out whole cars, but also bleeding-edge technologies and
components. Siemens introduced in Frankfurt technology to ILLUMINATE objects in
the darkness up to 500 feet. Siemens VDO Automotive's system creates a video
that can be projected in real time either in a heads-up display or on an LCD
monitor on the dash. They also demonstrated a "pedestrian marking system," which
uses computer pattern recognition to ID humans. The night vision is nearly ready
for production, but the pedestrian marking system isn't.
If you're like me, and love the concept car concept, why not make your own? A
designer named Nick Pugh will work with you on the design of your own custom
CONCEPT CAR, then create it in hyper-photorealistic quality (with you in the
picture). How much will it cost? Well, if you have to ask, you can't afford it.
Concept cars -- even fake ones -- are fricken expensive.
Mike
Go here to read the rest of Mike's List 85!
http://www.mikeslist.com/85.htm