Concepts

Audi plans to unveil a two-door four-seater concept car with a soft top at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

The Audi Cross Cabriolet, which Audi says is a mini car/SUV, will have a 240-horsepower 3-liter engine.

But here's the neat thing. The four-wheel drive car will have an electric ride-height adjustment. Audi says it's for driving on different types of terrain, but I'm thinking it's just one of those things people won't be able to resist playing with. The car is also shown in a wild copper color.

Audi says that the … Read more

GM is one of a growing number of automakers that is using the SEMA show to debut modified or concept versions of existing production models. One of the stars of the GM booth is the Pontiac Solstice SD-290, a modified version of the popular roadster. The SD-290 features a covered passenger cockpit, some sharp body styling, and a turbocharged 2-liter Ecotec power plant good for 290 horsepower (hence the designation). This Solstice also sports a custom front fascia, hood and front fascia, and grille inserts.

Performance upgrades include 3-piston, 13-inch stainless-steel caliper brakes, a custom exhaust from Solo Performance, and … Read more

Starting sometime around the last holiday season, it seemed for awhile that the USB turntable was at the top of gadget lists everywhere. So it makes sense that Ion, one of the original manufacturers, would look to repeat that success again this year with a new model.

Enter the "iPod USB Turntable," which not only connects to the computer but turns vinyl tunes into digital files and transfers them directly to the fifth-generation iPod and second-generation Nano through a built-in dock. It's yet another excuse not to throw out those moldy LPs in the basement. Besides, you … Read more

Is there such a thing as a mini minivan?

Volkswagen's Space Up, which was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo auto show on Wednesday, certainly seems to qualify.

The four-door Space Up is just 3.68 m (12 feet) by 1.63 m (5 feet) compared to the VW Touran minivan, which is roughly 4.3 m (14 feet) by 1.8 m (6 feet).

The Space Up follows the two-door Up that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show. As with the Up concept car, the drive train for all of the gasoline, diesel, and electric drives for this … Read more

Honda is thinking very much inside the box for next week's Tokyo auto show, where it will unveil its latest hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered concept. The Puyo, whose name--according to Honda--is intended to convey "the sensation of touching the vehicle's soft body," is designed to be "kind to both people and the environment".

To achieve this, the bubble-shaped vehicle (we can't bring ourselves to call it a car) has no sharp edges and features a "gel body" made from soft materials to minimize injury to pedestrians. Those unfortunate to be hit by a … Read more

As part of the LA Auto Show this November, leading automakers were asked to submit ideas for a design challenge.

This year's theme was the "RoboCar of 2057" and the submissions are as far out as that date.

The concepts take into consideration environmental concerns and safety as well as imagination. General Motors based its car on the ant; Mazda has you thinking like a samurai; and Nissan wants to give you a pet that does the grocery shopping.

Check out CNET News.com's gallery that includes photos and concepts from Audi, General Motors, Honda, Mazda, … Read more

Audi's cutaway restoration of the 1925 Audi Type M is complete, Audi announced Thursday.

The unusual restoration of Audi's first six-cylinder car, which Audi commissioned the German company Fahrzeugrestaurierung Rosenow to turn into a cutaway model, took about 4,500 hours to complete over an almost four-year period.

"Half the car is double the work," Peter Spillner, the owner of Fahrzeugrestaurierung Rosenow, said in a statement.

The car's transformation is significant because it's highly unusual for a car as rare as this one--with only four known surviving models left in the world--to be offered … Read more

As far as we now know, Lexus plans to unveil two concept and six production vehicles at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, which opens in late October.

The Lexus concept cars that will be on display: the LF-Xh and the LF-A.

THe LF-A, a two-seater sports car, features a V10 engine and carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) body.

The LF-Xh, as you can see, is slightly similar in looks to the Lexus IS-F that debuted at the Detroit auto show earlier this year.

The LF-Xh is an all-wheel-drive, hybrid-electric vehicle with a V6 gas engine. The vehicle promises "outstanding … Read more

Photos of the Toyota i-Real robot/car that will debut at the 2007 Tokyo auto show are already making their way across the Web.

But what's all the fuss?

The i-Real is a battery-powered vehicle with three wheels.

The rear wheel can kick back further for a low-to-the-ground fast movement with great stability.

While the i-Real looks neat, it's really no different than other Toyota car/robot hybrids we've written about before.

Remember the i-Foot, the i-Wing and the i-Unit?

If you are interested and want to see more, AutoBlog Green has a nice gallery.