Thomas Edison, Alessandro Volta, Nikola Tesla and Benjamin Franklin. All pioneers in the field of electricity and all of them would’ve been very proud of today’s happenings on the Automotive front.

As you may or may not know the LA Auto show is on at the moment and the main theme is electricity and hybrids. It seems as if every car maker used the show to announce their very own zero emissions aspirations.

First up is the Audi e-tron. While we have all seen the red version a couple of months ago, Audi brought along a butt-ugly orange version for the LA show. What we didn’t know till now was that Audi is planning to sell the e-tron from 2012.

Some of the stats are truly unbelievable like the torque number of 4500 nm of torque! Acceleration is awesome too with 100km/h coming up in4.8s and 60km/h-120km/h takes only 4.1s!

What you see in the above picture is what happens when you “clip” a Seat coming out of a gas station at an undisclosed speed and smash into a row of parked cars.

At least that’s what the Italian Police wants you to believe. The crash took place after the driver of the vehicle attended a function at night promoting safe driving. Oh the irony of it all.

It was also driven by one of 20 Italian Policemen that were trained to handle the power of the Gallardo for chasing bad guys.

But I smell a rat. I think what more than likely happened was something more like this -

BMW just announced that next year (2008) they will make their MINI Clubman car available in the US but in a limited edition. And boy that’s limited and should be very exclusive, with only four models available to US dealers each month and should increase gradually over the year.
All these will happen because BMW is, apparently, making more money from selling a MINI Clubman on the European market rather then doing it in US. And to enforce it, you should know that Italy is the country that sells the most MINI Clubman-s in the world.
The laws of economics are very powerful and even if you won’t like it, BMW will do it

via MotoringFile

A press release just came in today from Honda, that announced they will be showing off the next generation of the Pilot SUV in January at the Detroit Auto Show. Though I like the sporty-rugged looks that makes it very strong I can’t help noticing but isn’t it looking like a Jeep?

Honda’s Pilot features the same eight seats and medium off-road capabilities, should bring advanced technologies for safety, fuel efficient engines and an interior that may get you sleep inside for a night or two. I am sure it won’t wrack its reputation of a midsize SUV that won the “5best truck” award by “Car and Driver” magazine for six years in a roll.

I would be much more comfortable to have a live version the new Honda Pilot, but we’ll have to settle with the prototype above.

[Source : Honda]

The big whale in Skoda’s yard, Superb, is getting an upgrade next year and rumors say we may see the new looks at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. The picture below is not a live model but a rendering image and all I can say is that I like it this time. It’s not that Passat-alike and it has some BMW flavor on that redesigned front.

The first time I’ve heard of the new Superb model was back in November when Skoda announced they finished hot-weather testings in the US and release a few photos and some technical data like the 1.8-liter TSI engine that sports 160bhp.
The Geneva Motor Show will start on March 6th, so if you want a picture of a live model, you’d better stay close.

via WorldCarFans

If you were wondering what would be the next Bond car, the answer is simple, Aston Martin DBS. Aston Martin just signed the contract that would continue their deal with MGM Columbia Pictures to provide James Bond with luxury cars to crash.

So far, Bond’s most famous cars include Aston Martin DB5, DB7, V8 Vintage, V12 Vanquish, Lotus Esprit, BMW Z3, BMW 750iL and BMW Z8.

Dr Ulrich Bez, CEO for the British manufacturer said that:

“Aston Martin is proud of our long association with James Bond. The DBS has its own unique character which equals that of James Bond. It is explosive power in a black tie. It is the perfect car for James Bond as it delivers the complete driving experience and bridges the gap between our road and track cars – the DB9 and DBR9. It is equally at home on a twisting mountain circuit as on the open road and we are all very excited at the prospect of seeing it on the big screen again.”

Aston Martin DBS will be the next star in Bond 22 which is scheduled to be released in November 2008.

via MotorAuthority

These are supposed to be the first photos of the new Renault Megane III. They are artist renderings and from what I see Megan III it’s based on the concept we’ve seen before, Renault Altica and changes the hatchback rear to something that involves curves this time.

My sources told me that Megan III will please a lot of people out there, because it will come as a sedan, hatchback, coupe, convertible, station wagon and even a crossover version. All these will be in three and five doors. Obviously, the main competition are Peugeot 308, VW Gold VI (not yet released) and the Fiat Bravo.

I don’t have a release date but Paris Motor Show in 2008 sounds like a good one.

No this is not an octopus, this is a camouflaged E65 BMW 7 series that’s dressed up like this because the German maker is testing new camouflage system in Munich, for their future prototypes. BMW admitted it to BILD, the biggest tabloid in the country.

My first impression was that this is the new 2009 BMW 7-series but at a closer look there aren’t many things different from the older version and I don’t think BMW would ever come up with the same product but under a different “color”. But think how many people made the mistake and how BMW laughs at them right now. The system works.
To be honest I wouldn’t mind driving a camouflaged version be it a 3-5 or 7-series. Would they build one if anyone asks ?