Wednesday, March 28, 2018

#Nissan Debuts 2019 Altima, Resembles Maxima Styling [Auto Styling News]



Nissan today revealed the all-new Altima, bringing excitement back to the mid-size sedan segment with expressive styling (which resembles older brother Maxima) and the first available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive in a Nissan sedan in the U.S. and advanced Nissan Intelligent Mobility features, including ProPILOT Assist.

The car bears a striking resemblance to the Vmotion 2.0, a concept vehicle released last year showcasing Nissan’s new sedan design direction, is the winner of the 2017 EyesOn Design Award for Best Concept Vehicle.

The 2019 Altima goes on sale in the U.S. in the fall, followed by other global markets at later dates. The sixth generation of Nissan's best-selling sedan made its world debut at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, alongside the first North American showing of Nissan's Formula E racing car. "

This new Altima builds on 25 years and more than 5.6 million Altima sales to date – but to us, this is just a starting point," said Denis Le Vot, senior vice president, chairman of management committee, Nissan North America, Inc. "That's why we decided to shake up the midsize segment in terms of design, driving enjoyment and technologies that are advanced and affordable."

The Nissan VMotion Concept



Photos: Nissan USA

Monday, March 12, 2018

Gorgeous #BMW Concept #M8GranCoupe: Designed To "Polarize" [Auto Styling News]


"Polarizing" is not usually the word car designers or auto manufacturers themselves embrace for their products, but that's exactly what the VP of design for BMW's M and i models is saying about the newly unveiled concept M8 Gran Coupe.

"The BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe is designed to stir things up, to polarize – it should move you emotionally,” admits Domagoj Dukec. "With this car we want to reach people who are looking for something special and who want to stand out from the crowd. Here, BMW M is unmistakably taking luxury out of its comfort zone."

Like the BMW Concept 8 Series before it, the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe supposedly shows off BMW’s new design language, featuring expressive surfacing that accentuates the car's dynamic pretensions more vividly than current models. And the concept is more evolutionary than revolutionary, except for a couple of elements that, as we'll describe below, may very well be left on the designer's drawing board.

Low to the road and broad in stance, the eye-catching front end of the BMW Concept M8 Gran Coupe is designed to set hearts racing. But it is the one thing that also may ACTUALLY polarize BMW enthusiasts.

The face is wearing a copper grin, as the familiar kidney shaped grille is outlined in copper, and the look is mimicked in the gold headlamps, which are a hexagonal interpretation of BMW's four-eyed front end. The contours of the radiator grille kidneys broaden as they descend towards the road, designed to highlight the car’s low center of gravity. The headlamps are positioned slightly higher than the kidneys and give them the impression of sitting lower, which further emphasizes the car’s closeness to the road.

The rear of the car also carries with it the possibility of major polarization. A large "lip" rises up from the hood to form an aerodynamic wing, and massive "scoops" are carved out of the rear bumper. It is  very hard to believe these gaps will
make it to production in the US, what with all the safety regulations, which have traditionally required a large 5-MPH-impact bumpers, as silly as some may think they are. The quad exhaust pipes also feature the copper colored theme that works its way into almost all metal on the concept M8 Gran Coupe.

The sides feature strong lines that cut into the form of the car and give it an undeniably muscular appearance. The windows in this computer model seem gold tinged, which follows nicely from the front end styling, and the "Hofmeister kink" remains, as part of a large rear window of the coupe that looks elegant and upscale.

The greenhouse looks too small in the concept drawing, but in the actual art (clearly this car hasn't been built) it's better proportioned, in fact, it's very nicely proportioned, and easily helps peg this as a BMW. And finally, one must call out the rather large BMW badge on the rear, which is a trend and not at all a bad one (yet.)

So, there are possibilities here that the M8 Gran Coupe concept will indeed polarize. But there's also a lot here to love. The style is undeniably BMW-flavored, and it is undeniably a well-designed concept. But whether some of the more "boy racer" elements remain - including the huge rear scoops and the more mild and mainstream front end ones - is up for debate. It's easy to see the rear become more restrained and the rest of the design remain as-is. Which will work for most BMW enthusiasts just fine.

(Photos: BMW Group)

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

#Porsche Stuns With "Road Ready" Luxury Electric #MissionECrossTurismo At Geneva [Auto Styling News]


Porsche has stunned the automotive world and upended the luxury electric car markets with the introduction of its Mission E Cross Turismo at the Geneva Motor Show.

The four-seater, with its low-cut hood and heavily curved wings happens to go from zero to sixty MPH in 3.5 seconds, matching the speed of the Tesla Model X P100D.

It can also be charged by induction, at a charging station or using the Porsche home energy storage system. The road-ready Mission E Cross Turismo (yes, you read that right: ROAD READY!) builds on the Mission E study Porsche presented at the 2015 International Motor Show and uses elements that are close to series production.


Its look is designed to spark emotional memories of the iconic Porsche 911, says the company. Vertical air inlets in the front, known as air curtains, are a distinctive design feature.

Another stylistic highlight are the matrix LED headlights. The brand’s typical four-point daytime running lights have evolved into narrow, three-dimensional glass elements. Embedded in four sweeping wings, these also contain an innovative four-point indicator light.

At the same time, the vehicle has high-performance full beams with Porsche X-Sight technology. The off-road design elements include robust wheel arch protection and door sills, a striking front spoiler and lower rear and increased ground clearance.

The silhouette is defined by a sporty roofline that slopes off to the rear, which Porsche designers refer to as a "flyline." This is reminiscent of the rear of the Panamera Sport Turismo.

Equally distinctive for the brand is the dynamic shape of the side windows. The broad wings and three-dimensional side panels with air outlets behind the front wheels reinforce the sporty crossover character of the concept car, which is 6 feet 6 inches wide.

Photos: Porsche.com