Japan's Most Radical Sports Car at Geneva Motor Show

Esflow concept blends futuristic sports car styling with production-ready electric technology. Its streaky LED lights make it look like a sports car from Tron, but Nissan's new Esflow concept could be a pointer to an all-electric version of the company's famous GT-R supercar.

Nissan will use next month's Geneva motor show to display its new Esflow concept, a rear-wheel-drive two-seater that borrows drivetrain technologies from the production-ready Leaf electric hatchback.

The Japanese brand says the Esflow it its vision of a future zero-emissions sports car, blending driving thrills with environmental benefits. The Esflow's compact, 'fastback' shape has more in common with the company's smaller 370Z coupe, though the concept has been built on all-new, lightweight aluminium underpinnings.

The Esflow will accelerate from standstill to 100km/h in less than five seconds and travel 240km on a single charge, according to the company.

It's futuristic shape of steeply raked windscreen, indented bonnet, and ultra-short front and rear overhangs are complemented by LED lights that are slashed across the bodywork - blue at the front, red at the rear.

Aerodynamics and noise refinement are aided by the omission of side mirrors - substituted with tiny rear-view cameras positioned at the base of the windscreen pillar.

The Esflow's recharge sockets are even less evident - hidden in the air intakes below the headlights. They flip out when the sports car's battery pack needs replenishing.

Nissan has yet to reveal interior pictures but says the Esflow's cabin features gold leather/suede seats, dark blue leather and suede door trim, and multi-function LCD displays.

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Best SUVs 2007

Printing a story on the best sport utility vehicles two weeks after An Inconvenient Truth won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature is perhaps a bit politically incorrect.

On the other hand, the people at the Oscars who made such impassioned pleas for a greener world with lower carbon-dioxide emissions--folks such as Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Melissa Etheridge--would probably feel a bit smug if they saw SUV sales reports from 2006.

DaimlerChrysler's (nyse: DCX - news - people ) Chrysler Group saw passenger-car sales decline by 3%, while sales of trucks and SUVs declined 8%. At General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ), car sales declined 7%, while truck and SUV sales declined by around 9% or 10%.

Among American automakers, Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people ) produced the most dramatic discrepancy between car and truck/SUV sales last year.

The company's passenger-car sales increased 5%, while truck and SUV sales declined 14%. In a January statement announcing its 2006 sales figures, Ford said "higher gasoline prices and long-term demographic trends drove SUV sales lower, and a soft housing industry weighed on full-size truck sales."

But the sales picture is changing in the first two months of 2007.

Balancing Act
The arrival of such new, car-like "crossover" SUVs as Ford's Edge, Lincoln's MKX, GMC's Acadia and Saturn's Outlook are helping even the scales a bit--even perhaps tipping them back toward good news for SUV manufacturers.

GM reported in a recent statement that the Acadia and Outlook "drove a 97% retail increase in the mid-crossover segment" for the company in February, compared with that time the year before. Such other new SUVs as Jeep's redesigned Wrangler have also been well received.

These new, car-like SUVs, as well as steadier gas prices, could make 2007 a better year for builders of the practical but socially maligned vehicles--but American automakers aren't placing their bets yet.

In that January statement in which Ford blamed declining truck and SUV sales on gas prices, demographic trends and the housing industry, it added, "Ford believes these factors will continue to weigh on these segments in 2007."

Still, the best new SUVs really are quite something.

Winning Wheels
Cadillac's overhauled Escalade, which the company introduced in 2006, has the nicest interior of any American automobile.

Mercedes-Benz was quick to follow with tough competition for the Escalade: the plush, full-size, $53,000 GL-Class SUV, which saw 19,000 sales in 2006--a better performance than that of Mercedes' more-affordable R-Class SUV.

The GL and the Escalade are among the best SUVs, but 2007's fourth quarter will see the arrival of an SUV unlike any other: the Dutch-built, 12-cylinder, 500-horsepower Spyker D12 Peking-to-Paris: the world's only exotic SUV.

Post- Inconvenient Truth, is it gauche to be excited about a few SUVs? We know that plenty of people still love the vehicles for their cargo utility and commanding views of the road, so a guide to 10 great ones, we think, is perfectly acceptable.

Sorry, Mr. Gore.

Source @

Hyundai's Concept Genesis

Once known for building economy cars of dubious quality, Hyundai has been moving upscale with such well-appointed, near-luxury cars as its recently overhauled Santa Fe SUV and its all-new Veracruz SUV.

Hyundai's unveiling of its Concept Genesis prototype last week at the New York International Auto Show was a turning point in the company's history, because the Concept Genesis is the first Hyundai that is a bona fide luxury car--a sedan with faux-Lexus styling and the size of a BMW 5 Series. The prototype, which previews a production model that will go on sale next year, puts Toyota Motor (nyse: TM - news - people ) on alert: Hyundai is about to challenge not only Toyota but its upscale Lexus subsidiary as well.

The rear-drive Concept Genesis will spawn a car that will cost "well under $30,000," says Hyundai Motor America Vice President John Krafcik.

The other most important detail about the car is that it will feature a V-8 engine--the type of power plant widely used by such luxury automakers as Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz. The highest-caliber sedans, such as BMW's 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz's S-Class, use V-8 or V-12 engines, so Hyundai's first V-8 is a step into the big leagues for the automaker. Not even Acura has a V-8 in its lineup.

In a recent statement, Hyundai said the Concept Genesis' 4.6-liter V-8 delivers "well over 300" horsepower. The V-8 comes with a six-speed transmission, and in future applications, Hyundai could enlarge the engine or equip it with supercharging. "Concept Genesis," the company said, "marks the beginning of premium performance for the Hyundai brand," adding that the car has a zero-to-60 time of "well under six seconds."

Americans have never seen a rear-wheel-drive Hyundai before. Rear drive, in which the transmission sends the engine's power to the rear wheels, provides superior steering and sportier driving dynamics, compared with front-wheel drive. Premium sedans, such as the 7 Series and S-Class, are rear drive, as are such sports cars as Porsches and Ferraris.

Hyundai says the Concept Genesis uses "ultra-high-tensile steel" in its construction, giving the car a stiff, light, large body that compares favorably to those of BMW's 5 Series and Mercedes' E-Class midsize sedans. Hyundai also says it tuned the Concept Genesis' suspension to be sporty and responsive. The driver can select settings for the car's ride and steering characteristics.

The car also features such upscale amenities as adaptive cruise control, which can make the car follow the vehicle in front of it at a fixed distance; heated and cooled seats; a push-button starter; a navigation system with a rear-mounted camera to assist in parking; Bluetooth technology; and an Infinity audio system.

The Fact
The closest thing Hyundai has to a luxury sedan right now is its $25,000 Azera, which is one of the market's best values. The Azera has a 263-hp V-6 engine, and its interior volume compares favorably to that of the most expensive sedans from Mercedes and BMW. The Azera's interior looks remarkably like that of a Lexus and features standard upscale amenities, such as a leather-wrapped steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. Last year, Azera sales increased by 50% to 27,000 units.

Source @ Forbes