All good things must come to an end, and so does this excellent Lamborghini documentary with its seventh episode dedicated to the Sesto Elemento, the high-performance concept car designed by Lamborghini for the 2010 Paris Motor Show. For the ones who don’t know, the sixth element in the periodic table is carbon, which explains the name’s choice: this vehicle’s chassis, body, driveshaft and suspension are in fact made of carbon fiber, which has reduced Lamborghini Sesto Elemento’s overall weight to an astonishing 999 kilograms (2,200 lb).

And its lightness, combined with the power of its V10 motor, has enabled this concept car to reach outstanding standards in terms of performance: 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of just 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 350 km/h (217 mph).

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Tesla just introduced its new Model X Concept at its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, in front of over 1000 attendants. The car is an all-electric crossover that will join the Roadster and the Model S as the third model in Tesla’s range, and has been described by its maker as ‘more responsive’ than a Porsche 911 and ‘roomier’ than an Audi Q7.

The Model X is powered by the same electric powertrain of the Model S and it can be coupled to a battery packages of 40, 60 or 85 kWh, that would provide the model with a range between 145 and 270 miles (233 and 435 km), thereby a good 10% less than the Model S. The Model X is also the first model to adopt Tesla’s Dual Motor All-Wheel Drive system, which provides for two extra electric motors giving the car a proper 4-wheel drive traction.

Design-wise, the car sports a quite captivating curvy dome and an interesting an innovative “Falcon Wing” rear doors opening system, a new take on the classic gullwing-doors concept. According to Tesla, this configuration will allow for an easier access to the rear seats. The cabin in fact can host up to seven people over three rows, and offers the same sort of electronic trickery that can be found on the Model S as well, but with better finishing. At the moment the Tesla Model S is still a prototype, but the definitive version of the car is already scheduled to enter the market in early 2013.

View the full Tesla Model X Concept photo gallery

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A few days ago, at the Dubai International Marine Club, Nissan arranged a quite interesting little challenge featuring its much-hyped Juke-R (the model that hosts a GT-R engine in a Juke’s body) and three well-established supercars: the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Lamborghini Gallardo and the Mercedes SLS AMG. This curious race - which took place on a short and narrow course laid out in the streets of Dubai - ended with a quite surprising result, although it must be considered that the particular features of the improvised circuit did not help some of the cars to fully express their mind-blowing potential.

The Juke-R is the outcome of the collaboration between Nissan and specialist Ray Mallock Ltd. and - thanks to the 485 hp of its impressive 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 - is capable of reaching 100 km/h (62mph) from standstill in just 3.7 seconds, hitting a maximum speed of 257 km/h (160 mph). The model is not meant for production and is used as a show car at the various Nissan’s events around the globe.

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Audi has released a new official video starring their new Q3 Vail Concept, which was premiered at the last North American International Auto Show of Detroit. This particular version of Audi Q3 anticipates shape and contents of the RS variant - which is expected to surface pretty soon - and has been developed on the same platform used for the A3 hatchback. The model is equipped with a 2.5-litre TFSI engine producing 314 hp and 400 Nm (295.02 lb-ft) of peak torque and, according to the carmaker, it can push the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) in 5.5 seconds, with 262 km/h (163 mph) of top speed.

The Audi Q3 Vail Concept has been named after the famous Colorado ski resort - underlining the fact that Audi designed it for winter sports fans - and comes with an exclusive Energy Red paintjob and matt gray add-on body parts. The black-gray-red theme continues in the cabin, where innovative leather/fabric material is used for the upholstery.

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Lexus has just released a new video starring the LF-LC Concept, its new 2+2 sportscar that was one of the undisputed stars at the recent North American International Auto Show of Detroit. The footage shows us a little bit more of the new model, which was developed at Lexus’ Calty design studio in Newport Beach, California, and uses Lexus’s own Hybrid Drive technology.

The video features contributions from some of the designers who worked on the project, and is quite revealing as for how certain elements of both the exterior and the interior design of the car came about. Apparently, the response to the LF-LC Concept has been so positive that Lexus is seriously considering putting it into production. Rumor has it that, in that case, the car will probably end up being priced at around 100.000 €.

View the full Lexus LF-LC Concept official photo gallery
View Lexus LF-LC Concept at the 2012 NAIAS images

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Italian design firm UP Design has introduced today at the Qatar Motor Show its latest creation: the Vittoria. The model is the first prototype entirely made by the company and follows two other cars that were instead developed by UP Design in cooperation with Turin-based company I.DE.A.: the Era in 2009 and the Sofia in 2010.

The mastermind behind UP Design is young Italian designer Umberto Palermo (UP are his initials), who also created this sporty and intriguing concept car. The Vittoria measures 4.75 meters in length, 1.96 meters in width and 1.25 meters in height, is proportioned like a GT car and adopts a pretty innovative and original design language, which is said to be production-ready.

The Vittoria has been developed on a parallel hybrid platform comprising a V8 engine and an electric motor, both of which will deliver the power to the wheels through an highly advanced drive line. This device will handle speed of the car and torque of the two engines in order to maximize the energy recovery when braking. As we speak though, there is no word on the actual power and torque figures of the model. The Vittoria also uses the art of renowned painter Taraski to make its styling even more unique. “All of our partners will follow up on their commitments for the future development of the vehicle - stated Mr.Palermo - and the fact it is now on display at the Qatar Motor Show is only the starting point.” For the record, UP Design is not into cars only, they work in many other different sectors (i.e. electric appliances, furnishing and construction, just to name a few): check out their official website to find out more.

View the full UP Design Vittoria photo gallery

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Audi releases a one-minute-and-a-half long video dedicated to the A2 Concept, which was premiered at the latest Frankfurt Motor Show. This futuristic footage shows us a 3D reconstruction of the design of the car, also emphasizing some of its most distinctive features such as its all-electric powertrain. The actual prototype of this model measures 3.80 meters in length, 1.69 meters in width and 1.49 meters in height, and is also an anticipation of the next generation of the A2, the little compact hatchback that the house of the four rings produced between 1999 and 2005.

The A2 Concept boasts such features as a photochromic roof with a command on the inside of the car, LED technology for the head lamps, an adaptable light control and an innovative lighting system for the interior, which the above video explains quite well. Besides, the lights running along the length of the car detect the owner’s approach and can open the doors with a “gesture control”.

The whole videoclip is made in CGI, but if you want to see the A2 Concept ‘in-the-metal’, check out the official photo gallery of the prototype showcased in Frankfurt by clicking on one of the thumbnails below.

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Hungarian designer Peter Vardai from Vardai Design presents this video animation starring his own Mercedes History Concept, a very interesting exercise in style meant to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the three-pointed star house. As the editing of the video smartly emphasizes, the bold design of this concept captures the lines and feeling of several historic Mercedes models of the past, creating an improbable body shape that is both futuristic and harmonious. Besides, you will just need to see it from all angles to spot some surprising reference to certain Mercedes trademark elements, something that just cannot be spotted at a first glance.

As Mr.Vardai himself puts it: “I aimed to design something which would be a tribute before the Mercedes brand, strengthen the feelings toward Mercedes and also worthy of the traditions. My main goal was to express the speed and motion. I tried to show these with the dynamic and streamlined features of an aircraft through Mercedes’ well-known features.” The designer also specifies that: “The initial design was the Mercedes logo. The sporty design refers to the competitive success of the brand. The statue is an extract of the Mercedes’ sport models.” We definitely like it.

via | Vardai Design

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Audi has revealed the interior of the next Audi A3 at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), currently ongoing in Las Vegas, where the German carmaker also brought some already known model of its range as well as the Urban concept car. Frankly, the dashboard of the new A3 looks elegant but pretty minimal. Among its most distinctive there is the electrically deploying dash-mounted 7″ LCD screen - which allows for 3D graphics - and the original “Phone Box”: it is an area located in the center console that works as a signal amplification chamber, passing the signal of the mobile phone to an antenna mounted on the outside of the car. This device allows for better reception, less dropped calls and faster data speeds. The electronics of the car are based on a MMX board (Multi-Media eXtension), a plug-in module whose highlight is a powerful 1.2 GHz Tegra 2 processor, courtesy of Nvidia. The new 2013 Audi A3 will be officially unveiled at the next Geneva Motor Show, in March.

The other highlight at the Audi’s stall in Vegas is the Urban Concept, a futuristic compact two seater powered by a 20 hp electric engine. This model can go from 0 to 60 km/h (37.2 mph) in about 6 seconds and reach a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph), with 50 km (31 miles) of range and charging time between 20 minutes and 2 hrs, depending on the voltage. Rumor has it that Audi Urban could actually become available to the general public in 2013 in the form of a 999 units limited edition series, but there is no official confirmation on the matter.

Here is an exclusive photo gallery of the Audi stand at the 2012 CES (courtesy of our buddies at Autoblog.it) as well as an official photo gallery released by Audi with the new interior of the next A3.

View the full Audi at the 2012 CES photo gallery
View the full 2013 Audi A3 interior photo gallery

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In the wake of its recent unveiling at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Audi releases an official photo gallery starring the Q3 Vail concept, the model that somewhat anticipates the future ‘RS’ version of the popular compact SUV from the four rings house. This all-wheel drive concept car shares its platform with the A3 hatchback and is powered by a 2.5-litre 5-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 314 hp and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of peak torque that - in combination with a 7-speed S-Tronic automatic transmission - provides the model with a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 262 km/h (163 mph).

The Audi Q3 Vail concept has been named after the famous Colorado ski resort, hinting at the fact that Audi designed the model targeting a young custom base made of winter sports fans who love skiing and snowboarding. The model uses an exclusive Energy Red paintjob with matt gray add-on body parts are in its lower body. However, the most striking elements are the flared fenders and running boards, which Audi will soon add to the already wide range of Q3 accessories. Another interesting feature is the front roof-rail support with integrated LED lights that can illuminate the area around the vehicle.

As for the interior, the Audi Q3 Vail Concept comes with a combination of color matching black, gray, and red elements. The headlining is made from titanium gray Alcantara and large parts of the interior, including the carpet, are black and edged with red velvet-finish leather. To find out more about the Audi Q3 Vail Concept, see the official Press Release after the jump.

View the full Audi Q3 Vail Concept photo gallery

Continue reading: Audi Q3 Vail Concept: official photo gallery released

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