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Renault Kwid Plug-In Hybrid Concept unveiled

KWID CONCEPT, a concept car unveiled at the Delhi Auto Expo, highlights both Renault's commitment to new markets, such as India, as well as the company's ability to produce appealing products in the compact car segment. The vehicle's robust, yet fun design, along with its technology-driven features, is targeted at meeting the needs of young customers in these markets.

A robust yet joyful vehicle

The KWID CONCEPT was designed with inputs from Renault Design India and is covered by the 'Explore' petal of Renault's lifecycle-based design strategy. The vehicle's exciting proportions and dimensions as well as very short overhangs give the impression of a bouncing vehicle, while its oversized wheels protrude past the fenders and make the KWID CONCEPT look like a buggy car.

The playfulness of the vehicle's exterior design is offset by a robust appearance due to its protective guards and chunky wings, which exude an impression of strength. The vehicle comes with a two-wheel drive transmission, but projects the facade of an off-road car.

The interior of the KWID CONCEPT is designed to serve as a snug cocoon and is inspired by a bird's nest. The vehicle's seats, suspended over a solid base in white, give an impression of lightness, while their 2-tone elastomer material provides a sense of brightness. The KWID CONCEPT also features rear climate control with controls on the driver seat's back as well as ventilation through concentric perforations. The dashboard is an integrated tablet for commanding the navigation of the Flying Companion.

A high-tech concept car

Beyond the playful and imaginative styling of the KWID CONCEPT, the concept car also comes equipped with a host of technology-driven features, led by its Flying Companion. Aimed at offering a safe as well as fun driving experience, the Flying Companion is the first of its kind in the automotive world. Taking off from the rotating rear portion of the KWID CONCEPT's roof, the Flying Companion can be operated in one of two modes – the automatic mode using a pre-programmed flying sequence and GPS location as well as the manual mode, which enables the companion to be controlled using a tablet inside the vehicle. The Flying Companion can be used for a variety of purposes, including scouting traffic, taking landscape pictures and detecting obstacles on the road ahead.

"Customers in new markets are much younger. Their expectations are different and customers are basically gamers. They tend to take a closer interest in technology and want to enjoy themselves. This concept car meets those needs in a variety of ways, but mainly thanks to the Flying Companion which makes driving both safe and fun. This is the very first time in the long automotive history we can dry on earth with an eye in the sky. It's an amazing feature!" Serge Mouangue, Brand Manager and Innovative Cooperative Laboratory Manager.

The KWID CONCEPT is also Z.E. ready - being pre-disposed to receive batteries for electric use - and comes with a charging plug behind the Renault logo. It's powered by the latest-generation downsized 1.2-litre petrol turbocharged engine mated to dual-clutch transmission EDC to combine driving enjoyment with low fuel consumption. Other technology-rich features include electric operated front bench seat on a center rail, electric opening doors, LED lighting, lack of gearshift (command with touches next to the steering). The vertically-mounted TFT touchscreen display acts as the dashboard in the KWID CONCEPT and also provides access to connected services.

Designed by an international team for international markets

A multinational concept car, the KWID CONCEPT is the first of its kind in Renault to target new markets and Renault Designers around the world cooperated to conceive a vehicle made for local markets and designed to meet the latters' needs. The interior of the vehicle was designed by François Grenier (Technocentre Design, France) based on original drawings by Mishu Batra (Renault Design India) and the exterior by Anton Shamenkov (of Russian origins, Technocentre Design, France) based on original drawings by Jean Semeriva (Studio Design Brazil). The colors and materials of the vehicle were worked upon by Neha Lad (Indian trainee, Technocentre Design) and developed by Chie Yanagisawa (Japanese designer, Technocentre Design). Axel Breun (Technocentre Design) was the overall Project Manager.

"Renault Design is a highly international team with studios in France, Romania, Brazil, Korea and India. This concept car is a reflection of the distinctly international flavour of our design network." Laurens van den Acker, Head of Industrial Design

Reitarating commitment to India

The first Renault concept car to be unveiled outside Europe, the KWID CONCEPT also emphasises India's significant place in Renault's global strategy as well as the company's ability to offer appealing products in the compact car segment.

"This is the first time we have chosen to reveal a concept car outside Europe and this is an eloquent sign of our commitment to India. Young customers in India are often trend setters, looking forward to pushing the envelope when it comes to technology and enjoyable drives. The KWID CONCEPT, with its Flying Companion, meets this forward-looking spirit with both its dynamic styling and hyper connectivity." Gilles Normand, Chairman of Asia-Pacific Region, Renault S.A.S.

The KWID CONCEPT is also tailored specifically to meet the needs of Indian drivers. The vehicle is a compact five-seater to enable family trips, a common occurrence in India. The multimedia dashboard, along with the Flying Companion, answers the young and modern Indian need to stay connected, with a strong attempt for technology. The vehicle's lightweight interior design is also adapted to warm weather conditions.

The KWID CONCEPT 's two-tone body coloring consists of satin grey for the body and textured grey for functional parts as well as golden yellow for contrasting roof and air intake. The vehicle also sports yellow inserts on wheels, lower doors and perforated parts. While this colour scheme features the corporate colors of the Renault Group, the tones also evoke associations with India: the grey represents the soil, while the yellow and gold symbolise flowers and spices.

Additionally, the KWID CONCEPT features an unusual seat arrangement, with three passengers up front and the driver seat in the middle, in a slightly forward position to offer shoulder room, as well as two seats at the back. The central driving position afforded by this arrangement meets international driving demands, enabling the car to driven in both right hand and left hand drive markets.

"Renault has seen unparalleled growth in India in just under 3 years and the market is set to continue playing a significant role in the company's global strategy in the years to come." said Sumit Sawhney, Managing Director, Renault India Pvt. Ltd. "The reveal of the KWID CONCEPT in India – the first such unveil outside Europe, as well as its design keeping in mind the young customers in India illustrate our strong commitment to the country."

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Kia Niro four-wheel drive Hybrid electric makes US debut @ Chicago [VIDEO]

Kia’s Niro urban lifestyle concept vehicle, unveiled last September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, made its US debut at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show. The Niro suggests a possible future B-segment contender, and features a hybrid electric powertrain working through an advanced four-wheel drive system.

The concept is powered by a variant of Kia’s turbocharged 1.6-liter Gamma engine, capable of 160 hp (119 kW). The engine and a seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission serve the front wheels while an electric hybrid system powered by regenerative braking delivers up to 45 hp (34 kW) to the rear wheels when road conditions require extra grip.

Although Niro presents a sturdy and muscular outline, it has relatively compact dimensions on its all-new B-segment platform. Its 164.8-inch overall length, 72.8-inch width and 61.3-inch height place it firmly in the city car bracket.

Entry into the vehicle is by way of dihedral “butterfly” doors with flush door handles, that swing up high into the roof. Mounted directly onto the side windows are milled Plexiglas door mirrors with built-in cameras.

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Kia debuts its first electric vehicle for US market

Kia Motors Corp rolled out an electric version of its Soul compact car on Thursday that the Korean automaker plans to begin selling in some U.S. markets later this year.

The 2015 Soul EV, unveiled at the media kick-off for the 2014 Chicago Auto Show, is Kia's first all-electric, zero-emissions car in the United States and its second "green" car for the U.S. market, joining a hybrid version of the company's best-selling Optima sedan that has been available here since 2011.

The Soul EV is powered by an air-cooled lithium-ion polymer battery and an 81.4 kW, 109-horsepower, liquid-cooled electric motor, which produces a 210 lb.-ft. of torque, according to Kia.

The car can go from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 96 km per hour) in less than 12 seconds, has a top speed of 90 mph (144 km per hour) and can drive 80 to 100 miles (129 to 161 km) on a full charge, the company said. The vehicle can be recharged by plugging into any standard 120v outlet or a conventional 240v EV charger.

The Soul EV will initially be sold in a handful of states, including California, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Maryland, Kia said. Pricing has not yet been announced.

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Tesla confirm AWD Model S & cheaper batteries [VIDEO]

Speaking to owners during a European tour, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has announced several product developments and company goals.

Musk confirmed plans to release an all-wheel-drive edition of its Model S sedan. The option may be available by the time the Model X arrives on the market, around early 2015.

The company is also working on higher-capacity battery options and new seats that will likely be ready by next year. For current owners, a seat modification will be available to improve comfort.

In the meantime, existing owners will be able to experience the Version 6.0 software update within a few weeks. The revision adds real-time traffic data, along with more control over suspension settings and ride-height adjustment, among other improvements.

Musk expects its "giga factory" to reduce battery costs by at least 30 percent, hopefully as much as 40 percent, with 30 gigawatt-hours of production capacity. Cheaper batteries are likely necessary for the company to meet its goal for a $30,000 mass-market car with a 200-mile range.

Following the completion of its transcontinental charging network in the US, Tesla is currently bringing new Superchargers on line at a rate of five per week. The chargers will eventually charge at a maximum 135 kW current.

While Musk was chatting with owners at the casual town-hall meetings, Consumer Reports was completing its latest brand-perception survey that showed the startup surging into the top five ahead of Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other established players.

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Tesla Model S Cross Country Rally — Los Angeles to New York [VIDEO]

On January 30, 2014, Tesla Motors embarked on a promotional tour.

The plan was to drive two Model S sedans across the United States, powering them for free on the newly completed cross-continental Supercharger network.

In addition, the team would set the world record for charge time of an electric vehicle driving the across the US.

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Fully Charged – The Electric Highway – London to Edinburgh [VIDEO]

This episode follows Robert Llewellyn's one day electric car journey from London to Edinburgh in a Nissan Leaf. Using the Ecotricity fast charge network they covered the 407 miles with 8 rapid charge stops in just 13 hours.

In 2011 the BBC's Brian Milligan took 4 days to drive an electric car from London to Edinburgh. In what could only be seen as an anti-EV publicity stunt, Milligan set out to make the 484-mile journey using only publicly available charging infrastructure, making eight stops and spending about 46 hours of his total trip sleeping and waiting for the Mini E to refill its battery.

On day 3 of the BBC trip, David Peilow talked Tesla Motors into loaning him a Roadster to complete the same distance in 1 day. The Roadster stopped twice enroute and handsomely beat the BBC crew but could have potentially completed the trip in one day AND on a single charge.

As the Leaf comes with a Level 3 CHAdeMO charging socket fitted as standard, a Nissan Leaf, using the Ecotricity Fast Charge network, can cover the BBC trip in 1 day so on the third anniversary of the BBC's trip Robert Llewellyn and David Peilow set out to prove it.

In fact we posted a video of a British couple doing 500 miles (800 km) in a day in a Nissan Leaf using the Ecotricity Electric Highway backed by renewable energy.

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Audi approve Q8 e-tron SUV with 600 km range for production

An all-electric version of Audi's upcoming Q8 sports SUV has been approved for production, according to Autocar citing senior company sources.

The battery-powered version of the Q8 SUV due in 2017 will use battery and electric powertrain technology from the upcoming R8 e-tron supercar, with Audi engineers targeting a practical range of 370 miles (592 km).

The R8 e-tron project was recently reprised, with the updated car getting 400km (248.5 miles) range.

The new Q8 model is aimed directly at the upcoming Tesla Model X SUV, which is due to be launched later this year. Like the Tesla, the Q8 e-tron will will be AWD with electric motors driving the front and rear wheels.

The Q8 e-tron is expected to have a large battery pack, at least equal to the 80kWh pack that will be available in the Tesla. Battery technology is expected to make significant advances by the time the Q8 arrives, which will improve its potential range.

Source: Autocar

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World’s largest lithium-ion battery maker invests in graphene manufacturer

XG Sciences announced today it has closed on a strategic investment led by Samsung Ventures Investment Corporation.

Philip Rose, XG Sciences CEO, said the investment will be used to fund additional research and development of the company’s advanced materials. The terms of the investment were not disclosed.

“The investment from Samsung is a real honor for XG Sciences,” Rose said “and it represents another significant milestone in our progress toward commercialization of large-scale graphene applications. A number of applications for our advanced graphene and battery materials have been demonstrated in the electronics industry, and a partner like Samsung will help us move these applications to market faster than we could on our own.

We look forward to formalizing our development work with Samsung SDI in a joint development program aimed at next-generation batteries for consumer electronics and other devices. Samsung’s shareholding will reinforce our leading position and help serve all our customers better.”

“Our investment in XG Sciences is consistent with our strategy to work closely with established market leaders.” says Michael Pachos, Senior Investment Manager at Samsung Ventures. “XGS is a technology leader and has built a significant business in the graphene and energy storage spaces. The company has demonstrated both a technical and business vision in driving adoption of graphene across a wide variety of industries and we look forward to contributing to the progress of XG Sciences.”