You can bet that when Ferrari does a hybrid, it isn't going to be your run-of-the-mill battery assist. Based on its experience last season in Formula One with the Kinetic Energy Recovery System – developed in concert with Magneti Marelli (another automotive technological powerhouse under the Fiat umbrella) – Ferrari unveiled the HY-KERS concept earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show.

Incorporated into a rolling test bed based on the 599 GTB Fiorano, the HY-KERS concept integrates a regenerative braking system into the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (first seen on the Ferrari California) to provide a 100-horsepower boost, stored in a flat lithium-ion battery mounted below the vehicle's center of gravity. The system was designed to minimize weight, the penalty further offset by the elimination of the V12 engine's conventional battery and starter motor. But don't take our word for it: follow the jump to watch a video straight from the factory explaining how Ferrari's system works.



[Source: Ferrari via YouTube]

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What's the one thing that would fix the automotive industry today? Fresh ideas, you say? Well, this isn't quite that. In fact, auto shows these days – Geneva particularly – have become packed with legions of swoopy, stylish four-door hybrid concepts. What this is, though, is one of the more attractive ones we've seen to date.

Created by the quizzically-abbreviated I.DE.A. Institute, the Sofia's hourglass shape is (according to the press release after the jump, at least) inspired by the female form. And we don't have much trouble believing that line, curvaceous as it is. The hybrid part, though, is pure fantasy. Because like many design studies, the I.DE.A. Sofia is an empty body shell. It's got no interior, but more to the point, it has no mechanicals inside. Its creators say it could theoretically accommodate a V8 engine, with or without the assistance of an electric motor, driving either the front wheels or the rear.

Like it? Don't get too excited by the prospect of production. The I.DE.A Institute claims to have contributed to designs for numerous major automakers, but in its 30-year history has produced more household appliances and furniture. For the next upstart looking to join the likes of Fisker and Tesla, though, the sumptuous shape could be just the ticket. Don't take our word for it; have a closer look for yourself in the galleries below.




Photos by Noah Joseph / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

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Ask anyone who's ever shopped for an ATV, outboard engine, personal robot...heck, even a private jet, and they'll tell you that cars are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg for Honda. The Japanese industrial giant is one of a handful of automakers that also makes motorcycles (along with the likes of Peugeot, BMW and Suzuki, to name just a few). And here in Geneva, the two core competences have come together in the form of the 3R-C Concept.

Packing two wheels up front and one in the back, the 3R-C is the latest take on the trike formula. The open cabin (which can be closed by the canopy windshield when parked) can accommodate one passenger/driver/rider in enclosed comfort, while the twin front rims keep it stable. It follows in a long line of intriguing R&D products from the technological powerhouse, but don't expect to see it parked curbside in front of your office/home/biker bar any time soon.

Onlookers green with envy. Waiting twitchingly for the traffic light to turn green. A briefcase full of greenbacks. Even British Racing Green, if you're talking about a GT. You could find a few ways to associate Ferrari with the color green, but the environmental sense would be a bit of a stretch – historically speaking, at least. But the times, as one Mr. Zimmerman wrote, they are a-changing. Now even Maranello has been forced to get on board the "Heal the World" train. And this is the result.

Called the HY-KERS, what you're looking at is a rolling test bed. It's a hybrid, sure, but if you thought this was a haphazard application of a plug-and-play hybrid system, think again. The HY-KERS incorporates a roadgoing derivative of Ferrari's Kinetic Energy Recovery System – fancy-talk for regenerative braking – from last year's Formula One program.

Ferrari has worked diligently to optimize the benefits of the system to the 599's performance. The entire system weighs a modest 40 kilograms, partially offset by the obviation of the starter motor and conventional battery. Integrated into the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and mounted below the car's center of gravity, the system returns over 100 horsepower, supplementing the V12 engine under hard acceleration and it can even operate under full electric power when puttering around town. Of course, a Ferrari never putters around anything, save for when it takes its owner for a round of golf at the local country club.

Take a closer look in the gallery of live shots of the lime-green show car – complete with 599XX-style matte-black roof and mirrored floor – from the Geneva Motor Show floor below, and brush up on the details on the latest from the Italian technological powerhouse after the jump.




Live Photos: Noah Joseph / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

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Of all the automakers in the world – and by the world, we mean the world outside the United States – Citroen's design arguably runs the gamut more than any other's. On the one hand, you've got cheap, compact and quirky hatchbacks like the comically named Revolte concept revealed in Frankfurt half a year back. On the other, you've got the GTbyCitroen, an extreme exotic supercar concept, now slated for limited production. In between lies a gorge as big as, well, France itself. But the chevron-emblazoned automaker has bridged the divide this year in Geneva with an intriguing concept called the Survolt.

Not digging the Revolte/GT comparo? Think Bugatti Veyron meets Chevy Volt, circa "Hackers". Beneath the compact sportscar shape, splattered with more neon graphics than "Tron", lies an all-electric powertrain. Citroen's provided little in the way of details regarding the propulsion, but you can read more esoteric prose about the design in the press release after the jump. Better yet, check it out for yourself in the gallery of live shots from the Geneva show floor below, and the studio shots in the gallery below that.

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For the aftermarket scene, SEMA isn't the only show in town. Well, in that particular town – Las Vegas, that is – maybe, but not in the world. Europe's got Essen, and Japan's got the Tokyo Auto Salon. With the latter fast approaching, Honda has revealed what they've got up their sleeves for this year.

First is the Insight Sports Modulo Concept you see above. Based on the Insight hybrid, the concept demonstrates what Honda's Modulo customization range can do for the company's Toyota Prius rival. And if the idea of tricking out a hybrid seems strange to you, remember that this is the automaker that just gave us the CR-Z.

Alongside the Insight show car, Honda Access Corporation (the accessorizing division of the motor company) will also showcase tricked-out versions of its Freed minivan and Life kei car, and a handful of other customized vehicles Honda offers in the Japanese Domestic Market. Considering how popular Hondas are with the tuner crowd, that should come as no great surprise, but you can read about them in the press release after the jump and view them in the high-res image gallery below.



[Source: Honda]

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Capturing lost energy with regenerative braking systems is one thing. This, however, is another ball-game entirely. Researchers in Israel have been experimenting with power generators placed underneath the road's surface to capture the mechanical energy of cars passing above and turn it into electricity.

The research is being carried out by an Israeli start-up called Innowattech, in conjunction with the Israel National Roads Company and the Technion, Israel's technological institute in Haifa. Referred to as "parasitic energy harvesting", the technology involves small piezoelectric generators placed five centimeters below the asphalt's surface. The weight of the cars passing over the road's surface is captured – 2000 watts an hour in "regular" traffic conditions – and stored in roadside batteries. Drivers reportedly feel no difference in the road, although naturally the initiative is limited by the progress of battery technology (or hydraulics, with the Dragon Power system).

As Better Place discovered, Israel's geographic and economic situation makes it an ideal testing ground for green technologies. The first implementation was over a relatively small ten-meter stretch of road on Israel's main north-south highway, and is now being placed in one-kilometer sections for further study. Further applications are also being evaluated, including pedestrian walkways, airport runways and railroads. It's not just for Burger King any more. Thanks for the tip, Mono!

[Source: Globes.co.il | Image: Uriel Sinai/Getty]

Most of us would be willing to kill for the opportunity to have an Aston Martin as our daily commuter. (Then again, most of us here at Autoblog are writers and don't commute much of anywhere). But the British purveyor of luxury GTs figures some of its customers – those based in major European metropolitan centers like London and Paris, for example – could use something a little more compact for driving into the city. Hence the Cygnet, which as you may recall is essentially a Toyota iQ with some Aston touches.

News of the car's development broke a few months ago, but the latest reports now indicate that the Aston-badged city car could begin shipping as early as next year. Although no mechanical changes are expected to take place, the pre-assembled units are expected to be shopped to AM's plant in Gaydon, England, where the company will give the citycar its own unique interior, slap on an Aston grille and the requisite badging and raise the price up to $32,000 – about twice the price Toyota fetches for a stock iQ.

Whether Aston's customers bite remains to be seen, but for our part, we still want to see one of these face off against the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari for the exotic supermini crown.

[Source: Automotive News – subs req'd]

Hyundai returned to Frankfurt a far bigger player than it was two years prior. The Korean company has leapt up the sales standings to become the world's fourth largest automaker, eclipsing such major players as Ford and Honda. And its product line has long since expanded from diminutive hatchbacks to include crossovers and luxury sedans. What better way, then, to mark its newfound stature than to unveil... a diminutive hatchback/crossover thing?

Of course, Hyundai also unveiled the new ix35 Tucson, but presented along side was the automaker's vision for a compact hybrid. Called the ix Metro, it may be about the same size as the Geo that once bore the same name, but packs more curves and creases into the same plot of real estate than a linen mill. Curiously, Hyundai hasn't provided any details on the electric component of the hybrid drivetrain, but the conventional side of the equation boasts direct injection, variable valve timing and a turbocharger in a tiny 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine, driving through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission. The interior looks like something straight out of Star Trek, but don't take our word for it, check it out for yourself in the gallery below.

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Between storming the Bastille and a national rejection of the Venus razor, the French certainly know the meaning of the word "revolt". Interesting, then, that Citroen knowingly used the word – albeit Francofied with a superfluous E for its hybrid electric drivetrain – for its latest concept car.

The REVOLTe concept is a throwback to the 2CV of yore, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. But while the Tata Nano might carry the flame of the bare-bones four-wheeled transport today, the REVOLTe simply borrows the basic shape of its forbearer and gives it a modern twist. That bit comes courtesy of an unspecified "small-capacity conventional combustion engine combined with an electric motor and a battery re-charging function." Measuring just twelve feet long, the REVOLTe seats three – one offset up front and two in the back – accessed by suicide doors. We could go on, but Citroen has waxed poetic enough in its press release after the jump, so we'll let them pontificate and have you skip straight to the photos below.

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