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Weekly Recap: Takeaways from the Frankfurt Motor Show

We obsessively covered the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and naturally, we selected our favorites from this fall's biggest automotive event. Now that the dust has settled, we're looking ahead to what it all means. Here are three takeaways from the floor in Frankfurt. The Germans are serious about electric vehicles: It's a bit cliche to say BMW, Mercedes, and Audi have downplayed electrics in favor of other technologies, like diesels. For a time that may have been true, but those three companies, along with Porsche and Volkswagen, are emerging as leaders in EV development. That was on display in Frankfurt, when all of them revealed either all-electric or plug-in hybrid models. Gas prices are relatively low in the United States, but clearly the Germans are thinking long-term and globally. Everyone is serious about SUVs: You gotta have one, even if you're Bentley or Jaguar. It's 2015 and it's what consumers want. As Jaguar design director Ian Callum put it, "Not to be in the sector would be a little naive for the sake of purity." It's not just the flashy exotic luxury makers. Nissan showed the Gripz concept, which is rakish, radical, and meant to blend traits of SUVs and sports cars into a vehicle that really crosses over. Look for more, especially in the luxury sector, as Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin ramp up their own SUV efforts. There's no ceiling to the luxury market: Speaking of high-end cars, companies are continuing to invest in extravagant wares beyond just SUVs. Even during the recession, ultra-luxury makers remained relevant, and now they're back at full stride. In Frankfurt, that was illustrated by yet another S-Class model, the cabriolet, which will come in S550 and S63 AMG variants in the United States. Ferrari also showed off the 488 Spider, and Lamborghini opened up the Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder. Meanwhile, Bugatti's Vision Grand Turismo concept reminded enthusiasts that it's plotting life after the Veyron. European auto shows always draw the glitziest reveals from luxury makers, and this year didn't disappoint. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Honda Civic redesigned with snazzier style, turbo power The 10th-generation of the Honda Civic debuted this week at events in Los Angeles and Detroit ahead of its launch in the United States this fall as a 2016 model. Honda fortified the Civic with LED lights, an available turbo engine, and a more tech-laden cabin.

6 car mashups that God never intended

In the 2000s, the musical mashup genre saw a peak of popularity with releases like The Grey Album from Danger Mouse that mixed The Beatles and Jay-Z. UK artist James Pursey from Carwow decided to take the same concept of shoehorning two disparate things together but applied the concept to cars. Your opinion on the results will vary with your sense of humor. These creations are either some funny pieces of abstract art or absolute monstrosities that prove good design should be left alone. Likely the best of the bunch is the Lambotomic (pictured above), which combines a Lamborghini Miura and an Ariel Atom. Granted, the Ariel is little more than a skeleton to begin with, and the outcome looks like a slightly stretched Atom with the new nose and tail from one of the most beautiful vehicles ever. This could actually work. Though, not all of the mashups are quite so pleasant. The Porschiac WW RS (pictured right) is absolutely disgusting. It combines a Pontiac Aztek, which isn't a beauty queen to start with, and a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. Obviously, the 911 is an iconic shape in autonobolia, but that can't save it from the horror of the Aztek. Pursey fits the its nose, wheel, wing, roll cage and stripes onto the Pontiac. The outcome: A design that will show up in your nightmares. Check out the gallery for the rest of the mashups, including the Humi (a Humvee and a Mini), Aston Smartin (Aston Martin and Smart), Rangerini (Range Rover and Lamborghini Aventador) and the Mazdafenda (Mazda MX-5 Miata and Land Rover Defender). They might not all be beautiful (or even pretty), but it's fun to imagine these oddball creations actually driving down the road. Featured Gallery Car Mashups News Source: CarwowImage Credit: James Pursey Design/Style Humor Lamborghini Pontiac Porsche ariel atom lamborghini miura pontiac aztek mashup

Lamborghini Revuelto gets its closeup, makes some noise

Lamborghini revealed the successor to the Aventador at the end of March. The new biggest, baddest bull from Sant'Agata is called the Revuelto, powered by a hybrid V12 designed to celebrate the most feral side of Lamborghini's take on internal combustion while also providing everyday hybrid manners in the city and meeting global emissions regulations. The first public viewing happened at Auto Shanghai in April, the Revuelto taking its first European bow late in the month at Milan Fashion Week, where Lamborghini also showed versions of the 60th Anniversary Huracan models. Now we're getting more details on the new V12 in Lamborghini's own words, thanks a seven-minute video called "The Challenge." Most importantly, we're getting a taste of the Revuelto's sounds. A leaked trademark application in Europe from earlier this year put a clip of the Revuelto's pure EV mode on YouTube. That video's been banished, but at 3:10 in this new vid there's a sample that sounds similar to the leak. It opens up a discussion of techniques the sound engineers used to represent the new frontier for the brand, that section ending with a short blast of V12 noise. Technical officer Reuven Mohr runs through some of the special numbers defining the Revuelto: The carbon fiber "monofuselage" is composed of RTM, pre-preg, and forged carbon fiber and weighs 10% less than the previous carbon tub while being 25% stiffer; and the V12 makes 30% more power than the final Aventador while producing 30% fewer emissions. There's also an animation of the new eight-speed double-clutch gearbox that houses an electric motor. Replacing the former longitudinal transmission placed between the cabin seats with a compact unit mounted behind the engine meant being able to move the engine forward. Mohr gives the impression the relocation enabled designers to add a proper, deep diffuser. However, the 2017 Centenario gave us a taste of what we have now, including the visible chunk of rear tire. There's so much more we're still waiting to find out about the new Italian flagship, but you can start your studies with the video above. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.