Mercedes, partering with Ziploc have replicated the technology to encase items in "carbonite".   The first successful test happened with a Mercedes SLS, Ziploc and Mercedes are currently looking for a suitable bounty hunter to find the next "test subject". 

If NAIAS 2010 is remember for a theme in the European community, it will definitely be remembered as the year of the electric car concept.  As with years past, general themes start to emerge.  In 2009 we saw a lot of green cars, literally green cars.  Painted green to signify their "green" effort, many manufactures apparently had the same idea.  This year, for "ze Germans" at least, the appearance of an emerging trend is no different; electric drive.

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Audi has recently taken to the idea of going electric, and is making a point to show just how much fun it can be. During late 2009 Audi introduced the e-tron concept at the Frankfurt Auto show. A car that was loosely based on the current Audi R8. This car featured a slightly more sculpted design, and an electric motor with an output of 313hp, and 3,319 pound feet of torque.

The car unveiled at Detroit was not an other version of the e-tron, and should be addressed formally as the 'Detroit showcar Audi e-tron' (not to be confused with e-tron), and is a completely new design and powertrain.  This car features muscular shoulders, and a more compact design that houses a powertrain putting out a respectable 204 hp, and 1,900 lb-ft of torque.

Ever since VW brought us the Eos, many in the VW community had thoughts of how much they have missed a proper coupe in their lineup. In the US, we really only had the Scirocco, Corrado, and Jetta Coupe to keep 2-Door drivers happy (ok the New Beetle too). Unfortunately this concept is a Hybrid, which I find both annoying, and somewhat disrespectful to those in the automotive community who know that Hybrids are not the right answer to the Eco question.

My hope is that they drop the Hybrid technology, and make it either a Diesel, Hydrogen, or proper electric vehicle. More likely, we will see a production version with a TDI, and a few tasty petrol engines for us to drool over. As usual, VW's event was full of their typical choreographed pantomime celebration.

Hitting the show floor for the first time at NAIAS is always a great experience. One of the most terrifying things about it though, is the scope of work that lays before us during the show.

Now after I have made my first step out onto the floor I have to say that I am a bit taken back by the overall vacancies in show space, and the overall improvements of some manufacturers who chose to remain. The biggest and most uniform space on the floor still appears to belong to Ford Motor company, with GM feeling a bit too disconnected while attempting to differentiate their specific brands.  It feels like comparing a model home to one that is still under construction.

Much more to come from the show, as we begin to cover various aspects of it for both Neuwerks.com, Cardomain.com , and Bimmerforums.com .

 

Matt Wellumson and Michael Vann have once again arrived at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).  2010 marks Neuwerks' 6th year in attendance at NAIAS, and once again we will be working with other sites such as cardomain.com and bimmerforums.com to bring you expanded coverage of the show.

The show floor is set to open soon, so stay tuned to the homepage and to the gallery for updates.

Hi all, Sorry for the lack of updates recently! I have some stuff in the works, including a couple of road tests that I want to get blogged up. In the mean time, take a look at some images we took for CarDomain at the Chicago Auto show 2009!

Chicago Auto Show gallery on CarDomain

Volkswagen was displaying one copy of their Jetta TDI cup sedan at CAS. This car participated in a race series that is growing in popularity for many reasons. For VW it showcases their clean diesel technology, while also giving up and coming race drivers the opportunity to make a name for themselves on the track. The cars are fully race prepped, and feature some awesome touches to give any driver in the program a professional racing experience!

 Additional images have been posted up on the Neuwerks Gallery from the Chicago Auto Show. We plan on posting up many more, however we are only planning on being here a part day today, and need to keep gathering as much aspossible! Take a look at the Spyker, and VW galleries as they are mostly complete!

 

Chicago gallery link