Love it or hate it, the automotive industry of today is not lacking for its exercises in reviving old nameplates. The trend ranges from Mini

to Maybach

, from Dodge Dart

to Dodge Challenger

. And the French are certainly not immune. Citroën

revived its fabled DS

moniker for a range of premium hatchbacks, and Renault

- most of all - has been mulling bringing back the Alpine

for years now.

Arguably just as central to Renault's performance heritage as the recently revived Gordini

line, Alpine made mid-engined sportscars with Renault mechanicals starting in the 1950s and discontinued four decades later. Its most famous model, however, was the A110 (pictured above), which is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. And if a new report from Autocar is accurate, Renault has no intention of letting the occasion slip by unnoticed.

In fact, the French automaker is reportedly planning an Alpine concept car to unveil at the Paris Motor Show

next fall. But the question remains whether there's any production potential with such a concept. The French are known for producing some rather intriguing show cars - sportscars in particular - that never seem to get very far from the show stand, from the GTbyCitroën

to the Renault DeZir

.

Whether Renault can make the business case - without the North American market, at that - to take on the sports car establishment remains to be seen, but having the Nissan

product bin to raid certainly couldn't hurt.

Renault planning 50th anniversary Alpine tribute concept for Paris

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

One very unusual electric car

has debuted in Brussels. The Hiriko EV uses a hub-mounted electric motor at each wheel, though that's not the most interesting aspect of the vehicle. According to The Telegraph, the Hiriko uses an interesting rear suspension design that allows the vehicle to fold up, rotating the cabin vertically, to take up less space while parking. The partnership behind the vehicle say the car consumes approximately one third the parking space of a Smart ForTwo

. Occupants enter from a single front door, and the Hiriko ditches the traditional steering wheel in favor of a joystick.

The vehicle is set to begin production in Spain

next year, and the partnership behind the vehicle's development aims to use several European and American cities as testbeds for the bubble machine. The two-seater has been co-developed by a collection of Basque businesses, the Spanish government and the MIT

media lab (you may remember the concept, from 2007

). A total of 20 test vehicles are currently being built, and each vehicle is said to cost $16,253 to manufacture. No final price tag has been set, nor are there solid details on range, power or charge times.

Hiriko folding electric car headed for production

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

The Mini Rocketman

(we'll spare you the Elton John lyrics) was one of our favorite concepts from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show

. Sure, the name is silly, but this pint-sized concept showed what could be in store for an even more mini Mini

. A smarter Smart

, if you will. However, a new report from CAR states that the entry-level Mini project has allegedly been canned. The Rocketman as we know it has been grounded.

The reason? CAR reports that it would be a costly endeavor to develop the Rocketman to meet street-legal specifications; specifically, handling, stability and crash standards. The concept only measures in at 134.6 inches long - a full 12 inches shorter than a standard Cooper

hatchback, and while Mini insiders said that a production version could come as early as 2016, there are now no plans to offer a vehicle smaller than the current Cooper.

Mini Rocketman reportedly canned

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

Last Summer Toyota

showed off its Window to the World

technology created in partnership with the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design. It turned a rear window into an augmented-reality screen that would keep kids interested in something other than asking "Are we there yet?" Now General Motors

has showed off a similar bit of kit called Windows of Opportunity, developed with the Bezalel School of Art and Design in Israel.

GM's Windows concept is aimed just as much at kids as adults. The team came up with four different apps that provided interactivity ranging from a virtual take on drawing on foggy windows to checking what was on other augmented windows on cars around the world. We're probably a long way from seeing something like this in production, but you know you can look forward to the day when your kid monitors your driving style from his child seat. Follow the jump

for the full press release and a short video on GM's new tech.

Continue reading GM latest to explore turning rear windows into screens

GM latest to explore turning rear windows into screens

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

The Geneva Motor Show

never fails to deliver when it comes to concept cars. Unveiled alongside the latest production models, concepts represent a way for automakers to showcase where their heads are at and where they want to be going in the future. But it's not always automakers that present the concepts. Sometimes they come from design houses like Pininfarina

.

These independent styling studios and engineering firms have come into some trouble lately as the automakers that used to contract their services for a variety of applications are increasingly relying on in-house departments. But Pininfarina has been resilient. Where others have closed, Pininfarina soldiers on. And this is its latest design.

Called the Cambiano after the town in which the company is based, this design study was first teased with a solitary cropped frontal image

released on Facebook. Now a little over a week later, Pininfarina has released two more, showing part of the side in profile and the top from above. We'll have to wait a little longer to see more, but from what we've seen so far, the Cambiano has our interests suitably piqued.

Pininfarina Cambiano concept comes into focus with two more images

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

A Black Knight stalks the ramparts of corporate castles, he carries a shield decorated with a wreath of beans, he swings a double-edged spreadsheet and he rides a terrifying black mare called The Bottom Line. His name is The Business Case and if a new report from Autocar is accurate, he's done his foul work again, this time dealing another blow to the already-long-delayed Volkswagen Bluesport Roadster

. Even though the engineering work for the two-seater convertible is reportedly finished, it appears no one can come up with a way to support the necessary sales projections of 50,000 units annually.

That is in part because Jonathan Browning

, head of VW USA, apparently doesn't see the point of expanding VW's product portfolio with another model (a truly unexpected sentiment coming from Volkswagen

as far as we're concerned). The U.S. being the largest consumer of sports cars, our sitting this one out puts the 2009 Detroit Auto Show showcar

in a tough spot.

Synergies being what they are, that also puts Bluesport's brand brothers from Audi

and Porsche

in doubt. Audi

plans for an R4

will apparently get iced in light of the news, but Porsche

might have dodged a bullet

: it wanted a four-cylinder 550-successor, but not one that would eat into Boxster

sales, which this car almost certainly would. The Bluesport isn't officially dead yet, but at three years in and counting, you can be sure there's a hand on the life-support plug.

VW Bluesport Roadster might finally be dead before it lived

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

The only thing we can show you is the image above. No video, no additional pics, just that.

We can't tell you how many times we've each been asked about concept cars, "Why can't I buy one of those?" Well you can. Not often, mind you, and not cheaply. But every once in a while, one of those glitzy concepts you see on a show stand comes up for sale. And now, it's time to grab your checkbooks.

The show car (or truck, to be precise) you see here was the centerpiece of the Ford

display at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show

. Dubbed the F-150 Lightning Rod, it takes the formula employed by the SVT Lightning to a more stylized extent, with a chopped roofline and raked windshield, flush-fitted neon head- and tail-lights, and a minimalist interior. The whole package is finished in metallic red with a tribal tattoo motif. A 5.4-liter SOHC V8 sat under the hood, mated to a four-speed automatic. The 21-inch aluminum wheels wear tires whose tread is cut to match the tattoo pattern.

This unique concept truck is expected to fetch around $50,000 when it crosses the block at the RM Auctions

event in Arizona next week, but while it's in proper running condition, it isn't certified to drive on public streets. Check it out the listing after the jump and browse the attached photo gallery.

Continue reading 2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept up for grabs at RM Auctions

2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept up for grabs at RM Auctions

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.

, the Eyes on Design awards honors the best designs among production vehicles and concepts debuting that year. Unlike, say, the North American International Car and Truck of the Year awards

, the only vehicles eligible for an Eyes on Design award are the ones that introduce themselves to the world - well, really just North America - in Detroit.

What's particularly interesting is that the judges for these two awards (one for production vehicles and the other for concepts) are all active or retired designers themselves, so they know a little something about the topic. This year's group includes, among others, Volkswagen

head of design Walter de Silva, President and CEO of SRT Ralph Gilles, and GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.

This year, the Eyes on Design awards were handed out to the 2013 Ford Fusion

in the production category and the Lexus LF-LC

in the concept category. The Fusion's fellow finalists were the 2013 BMW 3 Series

and 2013 Cadillac ATS

, while the LF-LC eked out a W over the Chevrolet Tru 140S

and Lincoln MKZ

.

Ford Fusion, Lexus LF-LC win Eyes on Design awards

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

.