Sport Cars i8 Concept

Volvo, the Swedish unit of Ford Motor Co., will not participate in the Tokyo Motor Show this fall.

"We have evaluated our participation at motor shows for 2009 to see how we can make the most out of our resources, and this year we decided not to participate at Tokyo," Volvo spokeswoman Maria Bohlin said today in an e-mail.

Ford Motor Co. said earlier this week it would not participate in the show, but a spokeswoman said she could not comment on plans for Volvo or Mazda Motor Corp.

Mazda will participate in this year's show. Last year, Ford raised $540 million by cutting its stake in Mazda from 33.4 percent to just over 13 percent, but the two automakers will continue joint ventures and the sharing of vehicle platforms and powertrains.

Ford joined General Motors and Chrysler LLC in skipping the event this year. Pullouts by non-Japanese automakers and concerns raised by some Japanese automakers stemming from the global auto sales slowdown have cast doubt on whether the October 21-22 show will take place.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association will decide by early next month whether to postpone the show, Toshihiro Iwatake, JAMA's executive director, told Automotive News earlier this week.

If the event is canceled, the next Tokyo Motor Show would be in 2011, Iwatake said.

Several auto companies pulled out of the Detroit auto show, which opens to the public tomorrow. The missing companies included Nissan Motor Co., Suzuki Motor Corp., Porsche AG, Rolls-Royce and Land Rover. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. canceled its corporate presence, but local Mitsubishi dealers put together an exhibit.

Some participating automakers, including federal loan recipients Chrysler LLC and General Motors, toned down their Detroit displays and built single-story exhibition stands to save money.

First picture car in the future like that will make you say that is very imagine. This car design like capsule or the faster car in the world.
For students of the way car demand is changing — and how design will adapt — the next few years will provide some fascinating spectator sport.

Seems to me that many of the rules about how cars look and are laid out will be rewritten, even before the expected blizzard of hybrid and electric powertrains arrives.
Second picture car in the future There are signs this week that Volvo is about to redesign its traditional V70 estate - because customers think its roof is too low - just as Renault is preparing to drop its Espace MPV because customers feel, in this new age of insecurity, that the pioneering people-carrier’s glassy, high-riding way of doing things makes them too vulnerable.
Third picture car in the future Discovering who’s right (each company doubtless has iron-cast research to justify its point of view) will be fascinating.
The future of car design
Other trends? Big-engined cars are obviously in trouble, now that fuel efficiency is all. That threatens formerly bulletproof premium cars.

Buyers have traditionally used their BMW purchase to justify an extra-performance engine with accompanying trimmings. BMW does perfectly good ‘cooking’ engines, of course, but it’s the pizzazz that earns them the money. If they start making a higher proportion of ordinary cars, as they surely will, the bottom line is bound to suffer.
Fourth picture car in the future Don’t expect big-cabin cars to go into a spiral, though. Consumers keep growing, and they enjoy the comfort too much to squeeze themselves into micro-cars. Look forward instead to a renewed crop of innovations in packaging, accompanied by cheaper and more effective weight saving.

Superminis that weigh 1100kg can’t be afforded, when they used to weigh 800kg. So which are the areas of traditional strength?

Ironically, I believe the Mondeo/Insignia crop of models may generate renewed interest as we wait for the hybrids to arrive. They’re big bodied and well priced, while their staple engines are both advanced and economical. I’m especially impressed by their traditional voluminous estate versions (which is one reason why Volvo should have a care before it kills the traditionalist’s V70).

New Toyota Alphard design is the best car in 2010

BMW 320d Winter Concept by Miranda-Series :

Though there’s not much left of this winter, German tuner Miranda-Series announced a very good looking winter sport package for the BMW 320d (the current generation, but the version before the facelift). By optimizing the ECU, the tuner managed to increase the 2.0 liter turbo diesel’s power output up to 199 hp. Handling was improved by equipping the car with Eibach Pro-Street-S coilover suspension and Stop-Tech brakes. Other changes include new 19-inch black alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop winter tires and new Recaro seats. However, there’s one small setback. The package, though it looks good, it’s not that impressive, but instead is priced at €13,544 (almost $18,000), which is a lot.
Check out more photo after the jump New BMW 320d Winter Concept.

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