Lumma Design Draws Tuning Concepts for BMW i8 Coupe and i3 Hatch

You didn't think that BMW's first i-series models, the i8 hybrid coupe and the electric i3 hatchback, would avoid the touch of the tuning industry, did you? While seen here in rendered concept form, Lumma Design's CLR i8 and CLR i3 point to what we should expect in the near future once the cars begin to arrive in the hands of their new owners.

For the 357hp (362PS) i8, the German tuner proposes a full carbon-fiber kit comprising a front spoiler, side skirts and rear bumper with diffuser along with a tailor-made sticker set with lime-green accents and matte-black, spider-style alloy wheels.

The CLR i3's appearance is modified with a front spoiler lip, a specially designed hood and side skirts, all of which are all made of high-strength and ultra-light carbon. It too gains a different set of rims.

Lumma Design did not say if and when it will introduce these parts for the BMW models.

Hyundai PassoCorto Mid-Engine Sports Car Concept by IED for an Alfa 4C Rival Looks the Tits

Italian design studios still have that magic wand when it comes to creating impressive-looking cars, no matter the ethnicity of the people they employ. I mean, just look at this new Hyundai concept for an Alfa Romeo 4C competitor from the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) of Turin and tell me you wouldn't want to take it for a spin…

The study is called the PassoCorto and it was commissioned by the Hyundai Design Center Europe "as a tribute to the Made in Italy design that is studied at the IED".

The two-seater sports car with the rear-mid-engine and rear drive layout will be presented in the flesh at the Geneva Motor Show next month. It's the tenth full scale model to be created by IED Turin and displayed at the Swiss auto event since it started doing so back in 2004.

The PassoCorto is not only similar in philosophy to the 4C, but in size as well, measuring 4,100mm long, 1,880mm wide and 1,160mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2,450mm.

The study is static, but it was designed to be built around a lightweight carbon fiber monocoque chassis and a target weight of just 840kg (1,852 pounds), with power coming from a Hyundai 1.6-liter bi-turbocharged four producing around 270-horsepower.

According to IED, the interior "was designed to have two cockpits with integrated instruments clearly divided by passenger and driver; the seat is optically connected to the dashboard and the backrest is cut directly out of special niches in the frame".

Thomas Bürkle, Chief Designer at the Hyundai Europe Design Center, commented:

"I would like to express my gratitude to the director Riccardo Balbo, the management of IED and especially to the students of the Master Course. The cooperation between our Design Center and IED was very inspiring and fruitful. The PassoCorto is a dream coming true and fulfills the high expectations we had at the beginning of the project. The result is of such a high standard that I can say that the Hyundai badge sits proudly on the bonnet of this exciting sports car!"

So, what do you think; should Hyundai at least ponder about bringing this car to production?

UK Firm's Kinda, Sorta Wants to Recreate Subaru WRX Concept…But Not Really

The name is Bond, Michael Bond, and he is the founder and owner of a UK company called Rumbler that is purportedly planning to recreate the looks of the striking 2013 Subaru WRX Concept on the production WRX with a project codenamed "Concept 13".

To my knowledge, Subaru has only confirmed a limited number of units of the WRX STI (and not the WRX) for Britain, but Rumbler says it will "by-pass the normal supply channels to import additional models specifically for the Concept 13 project". How that's possible and if Subaru UK will allow it, is something I do not know.

But what exactly will Rumbler do to the production car to make it look more like the study we all loved? Well, here's what the press blurb states:

"It will restyle the WRX body to reflect the original Subaru concept around the nose and tail and recreate its sophisticated modern design style. Although little can be done with the bulk of the body every customer will also be given tuning options for the engine to raise performance above the standard model from 350 bhp upwards to a maximum potential of 1,000 bhp depending on the customer's preference and budget."

Leaving aside the insane horsepower figure coming from a company that, on its website, showcases drawings of a Batmobile Tumbler-inspired study and the Ultra-Smart Watch, the whole idea sounds vague, if you ask me, and let's be honest; the concept looked great mostly because of its proportions and low-slung, coupe-like styling, both of which can't be recreated without new sheetmetal from top to bottom. Deleting the rear wing and adding a new fascia and rear diffuser won't really turn the WRX into the impressive concept, will it...

Right now, it's only an idea with Rumbler stating that, "production will begin when we cross the threshold of fifty (50) confirmed orders. There is no upper limit," and adding that, "At present the Concept 13 project is limited to the UK/British Isles (including Eire) but may be extended to other markets with sufficient demand".

We know for a fact that Subaru has priced the WRX STI at £28,995 a pop in the UK – so if Bond is referring to the STI and not the plain WRX, that would mean an investment of at least £1.45 million (US$2.4 million) for the cars alone.

A visit to Rumbler's website, where Michael Bond describes himself as "confidential escrow financial services agent" by day and a "technology designer, innovator and occasional writer" by night, will probably raise more questions than answers (i.e. this: "Acquiring The RUMBLER Sport Tank – FREE)", at least until we see something tangible to back up the talk.  

Subaru Warms Up New Viziv 2 Concept for Geneva; Is it Pondering a Production Version?

We would have preferred it if Subaru placed their focus on the BRZ-esque Cross Sport Concept, but we guess the similar-bodied Viziv will have to do for now. After the original Viziv Concept from the 2013 Geneva Auto Show and the oh-so slightly updated 2013 Tokyo show Viziv Evolution (it gained a different grille and dark headlamps), the Japanese firm has announced the introduction of a third version of the series dubbed Viziv 2, which will make its world premiere at next month's Geneva show.

Subaru tells us that the Viziv 2 "is a future-generation crossover concept that signifies a future path for the Subaru's brand value of "Enjoyment and Peace of Mind". No other of piece of information was given about the concept car.

In the single teaser image that was attached to the release, we see that, compared to the two previous concepts (pictured below in the second and third row of our gallery), the new Viziv 2 adopts a different fascia and lights.

The first two studies featured a hybrid powerplant coupling a 2.0-liter horizontally-opposed turbo diesel engine to a pair of rear-mounted electric motors, which may or may not be the case for the latest concept.

New Mazda Hazumi Concept Previews Next Mazda2 Hatch

Mazda is slowly wiping out the annoying smiley face from its range, with the Mazda2 sub-compact hatch being next in line to adopt its lauded Kodo Design language. We’ll get a taste of what this means with the Hazumi concept car that's set to debut at the 84th Geneva Motor Show in about two weeks' time from now.

From the single image released by the auto brand, we clearly see the new Mazda3 and Mazda6 styling influences on the "2's" smaller body, while it also appears that the Hazumi, which Mazda says is Japanese for “bound” or “spring up”, won't be too far away from the production version that will follow later this year.

The brand's Geneva stand will also host the premiere of a new small-displacement 1.5-liter SKYACTIV-D clean diesel, which should be offered on the next Mazda2, among other models.

New Nissan Juke Box is Louder than a Jumbo Jet with 150 Decibel, 18,900W Sound System

The Juke is gathering a lot of attention lately from Nissan as after the limited production Juke R the new Juke Nismo, the Japanese carmaker has presented another special model, appropriately called the Juke Box (get it?).

This one-off study was created to celebrate a new long-term brand partnership with Ministry of Sound (MoS), a business comprising record labels, nightclubs and bars, live events, consumer electronics and fashion.

With lots of help from Martin Audio, Nissan and MoS designed a ferocious 150 decibel, 18,900W sound system which is said to be louder than a jumbo jet in take-off.

The Juke Box will make its first public debut at this weekend's 24 Hours of Le Mans and then go on a summer tour across Europe.

New Volvo S60 Polestar Performance Concept Packs 508-Horses, Eyes BMW M3

The highly anticipated Volvo S60 Polestar performance concept made its world premiere on Saturday on the sidelines of the Gothenburg City Race in Sweden.
The first thing you will need to know about the performance version of the S60 is that it is a one off model developed by Volvo Cars Official Motorsports and its racing and tuning partner Polestar for an as of yet unnamed client.

However, there's a ray of light for those that are gawking at this concept as the two brands stated that "a small series of Polestar modified S60s may be built pending market response". So in other words, if you like it, let the company know it. You can start by our comments section...

Now, to the juicier details of the S60 Polestar starting with the powertrain. While some sources believed that it may use the XC90's Yamaha-built V8, Polestar based the car on the S60 T6.

The regular model is motivated by a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline six delivering 300hp (304PS) to all-four wheels for a zero to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h (155mph).

The Swedes, however, made a whole lot of changes to the inline-six including modified cylinder head, combustion chambers, inlet manifold and air intake along with a larger Garret 3171 turbo, and as a result, the engine produces 508-horsepower at 6,500rpm and 575Nm (424 lb-ft) at 5,500rpm.

Polestar then lowered, widened and reinforced the chassis and also tuned the Haldex all-wheel drive system and Öhlins suspension and fitted the car with bigger Brembo brakes. Power is channeled to the wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox.

The company quotes a 0 to 100km/h (62mph) sprint time of just 3.9 seconds and a top speed in excess of 300km/h (186+mph).

By comparison, the current Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG that is powered by a 451hp (457PS) 6.3-liter V8 hits 100km/h in 4.4 seconds and tops out at 250km/h (155mph - electronically limited).

On the outside, the S60's body was widened by 20mm on both ends and features a styling kit comprising flared wheel arches housing 19-inch rims in 265/30 R19 tires, a new front bumper with a splitter, side skirts, a discreet boot lid spoiler and a new rear bumper with a diffuser.

As for the interior, the performance S60 gets Polestar designed sport seats with increased support, Alcantara on all functional areas such as the steering wheel, gear knob, and seats plus a lowered center console lowered for improved gear-lever ergonomics.

Robert Dahlgren, Volvo Polestar racing driver, commented after taking the car for a spin:

"To me the Volvo S60 is a very well sorted car from start. In our concept car we have developed chassis, engine and transmission just like we want it, and the result is a huge leap forward in terms of handling and performance. It is, by far, the most impressive street Volvo I’ve ever driven. But I must also say that the genuine Volvo feeling is still there."

Thanks to Carlos A. for the tip!