2008 Suzuki Xl7 Special on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: NASA's EV plane, GM and Navy partner on fuel cell drone sub

NASA is building an all-electric test aircraft called the X-57. The lightweight plane's design balances speed with efficiency. The wings house two main propellers at their tips, with twelve smaller motors with retractable prop blades dotting the wing's lead edge. This helps it get the lift it needs to take off while reducing drag in the air, a delicate balance rooted in wing design. The X-57 is part of NASA's 10-year New Aviation Horizons program to make aircraft quieter, more efficient, and less polluting. Fans of The Right Stuff are sure to be pleased to see X-designated planes back in action. Read more at Wired. Suzuki has made its Baleno hatchback more efficient with a mild hybrid system. The European model has a lithium-ion battery pack under the front passenger seat that stores energy from a regenerative braking system to supplement power from the 1.2-liter engine during acceleration. Suzuki says the system improves the Baleno's fuel economy and reduces CO2 emissions by about five percent. Read more from Automotive News Europe. The Borgward BX7 plug-in hybrid SUV has won several Plus X Awards. The revived German automaker's PHEV received awards in the categories of Design, High Quality, Ergonomics, and Functionality. Any Plus X Award winner must display added value, which the panel of judges call the "Plus X Factor." The BX7 launched in China earlier this year, with plans to go on sale in India later this year and Europe soon after that. Read more at Green Car Congress. General Motors and the US Navy are teaming up to power underwater drones with hydrogen fuel cells. The Navy's goal is to provide its large displacement unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs) with 60 days of operation between refueling. "Our in-water experiments with an integrated prototype show that fuel cells can be game changers for autonomous underwater systems," says Frank Herr, head of Ocean Battlespace Sensing at the Office of Naval Research. "Reliability, high energy, and cost effectiveness – all brought to us via GM's partnering – are particularly important as Navy looks to use UUVs as force multipliers." GM says that just as on-road experience gained through its Project Driveway fuel cell test fleet is valuable, automotive customers stand to benefit from lessons learned from this naval project. Read more in the press release below. GM AND U.S.

Suzuki testing Grand Vitara replacement that is now forbidden fruit

Suzuki might be dead in the US, but its cars are still thriving in many other markets. Aside from the updated SX4 and a slew of promising concepts at the Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki is getting ready to launch a much-needed replacement for the aged Grand Vitara, and our spy photographers recently caught the compact SUV testing in Sweden.
Judging by these spy shots, the replacement for the current Grand Vitara - it may or may not retain the Grand Vitara name - will take its styling cues from the Suzuki iV-4 Concept displayed at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show. These cues include the narrow, angular headlights, the sloped D-pillars and we even get a hint of the sculpted rear-wheel arches. We hear that the new Suzuki SUV could go on sale in Europe next year, so we'd expect it to debut later in 2014.

Suzuki concepts are exploring mountain trails and the culinary arts

Attention is already on Suzuki products headed to the upcoming Tokyo Auto Salon thanks to Japanese tuner DAMD. The company turned two Suzuki Jimnys into the Little 5, a tribute to Renault's 5 Turbo and 5 Turbo 2, and the Little Delta, a tribute to the Lancia Delta Integrale. Suzuki's got a trio of its own creations on the way as well, highlighted by new conceptual takes on the Swift hatchback and Spacia kei van that differ from the ones shown during the Tokyo Auto Show. The star player is the new, fourth-generation 2024 Swift hatchback (below) that's probably best considered an evolved third-gen, here called the Swift Cool Yellow Rev Concept for not-exactly-obvious reasons. Solely a flashy cosmetics package, the design drapes a black roof and black roof pillars over a greenish yellow body and dinky black wheels. The grille wears gloss black above a front splitter, the LED headlights and taillights get smoked lenses, and the vinyl wrap advertises the arrival of the front-wheel-drive variant that went on sale in Japan in December.     Show-goers could be more captivated by the Super Carry Mountain Trail Concept, shown up top. Built atop Suzuki's Super Carry commercial truck sold in places like Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, it looks like a shrunken version of an overlanding build we'd see at SEMA; the Super Carry retail model stretches just 11 feet long — 20 inches shorter than a two-door Mini Cooper — and uses a 658-cc engine. The exterior roll cage and tube doors set the tone immediately. Dimensionally proportionate gear runs from the roof rack and light bar to the off-road racing bucket seats, grilles over the side and rear windows, front skid plate and D-rings, Hi-Lift jack strapped to a riser in the bed, and little knobby tires on little off-road wheels. Smoked headlight lenses make their way to this creation, too. This one's reported to be a concept only, meant to show audiences the potential in commercial vehicles outside the workplace.  Finally, there's the wonderfully named Spacia Papa Boku Kitchen Concept. This slightly adventurous kei car disguise outside hides a kitchen in the cargo bay. We'll find out what the chef's area looks like during the show, but designers are said to have envisioned a space where parents and kids can bond over cooking adventures while camping.   The Tokyo Auto Salon is putting this and all sorts of other novelties on display in Chiba City, Japan, January 12-14.