The future has already begun. At the 2011 International Motor Show in Geneva the concept vehicle BMW Vision ConnectedDrive will make its world debut from 3rd to 13th of March 2011. The leading position in the automobile world occupied by BMW in the development of innovative driver assistance systems and mobility services will be further strengthened by this extraordinary concept vehicle.

The concept study, in a two-seat roadster guise, presents the automobile as a fully integrated part of the networked world in both its design and technological innovations. It is with this concept that BMW presents the potential of current and future in-car technology for optimizing comfort, safety and infotainment.

The BMW Vision ConnectedDrive employs a layering principal in its design, demonstrating the bond between the driver, passenger, vehicle and the surrounding environment. This is visualized by the complex light installation which shows the path of data exchange with the driver and passenger as the start and end point of each interaction.

The interior is divided into three layers – comfort, infotainment and safety – each with a corresponding light installation. Each layer is defined by a color, rhythm, motion and texture and, through the transparent surfaces the path taken by the information can be seen via fiber optic lighting.

The first layer focuses on safety, with a red light wrapping around the driver and coming together in a cone on the bonnet. This represents the flow of safety-specific information and the driver's focus on the road ahead. The second layer encompasses the safety layer and extends to the passenger cell, focusing on infotainment. This layer promotes active social exchange between the driver and passenger and is outlined by the blue ribbon of light.

The final layer, defined by the green light flow, concentrates on the interaction of the vehicle with the world around it. The emphasis is on the outside of the vehicle, starting and ending with the two antennas, in place of wing mirrors, providing the data link to the surrounding environment.

The layering principal in the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive requires individual components to perform a number of roles. This can be seen in the headlights and rear lights with their integrated sensors monitoring the traffic and external environment which feed information directly to the driver allowing him to take appropriate action.

The concept embodies the dynamic BMW design language with its long wheelbase, set back seating position and long bonnet but combines it with taut surfaces and distinctive flowing lines. This results in an interesting play of light and shadow making the car appear as if it is accelerating even at a standstill.

The sliding doors, inspired by those on the BMW Z1, disappear into the body of the car. This allows the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive to be driven with the doors open, emphasizing the link between the vehicle and its environment.

The BMW Vision ConnectedDrive showcases the current and future capabilities of BMW's ConnectedDrive technologies. Advanced Head-Up Display takes the technology currently available in production BMWs even further, placing a three-dimensional display of key information in the direct sight line of the driver, eliminating the need for the driver's eyes to refocus. The three-dimensional display allows the real view to be overlaid with virtual information, highlighting hazards allowing the driver to assimilate all of the information quickly and take appropriate action.

In addition to Advanced Head-Up Display the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive is equipped with a freely programmable instrument cluster to provide the driver with additional information, optically emphasized to a greater or lesser degree. While for the first time passengers get their own information display, out of the driver's field of vision, allowing them to evaluate information, music or navigation details and pass them onto the driver with a simple touch of a finger.

The BMW Vision ConnectedDrive demonstrates the interaction between the driver and the passenger and shows how networking with the environment can reach new levels.

the BMW group has come up with some very special for this years 2015 concours d’elegance in pebble beach california. to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the car manufacturer in north america, they modeled the special ‘3.0 CSL’ that first premiered in lake cuomo italy, and came up with the ‘3.0 CSL hommage R’. the aim of the project was to seamlessly integrate the driver into the car with his immediate surroundings.



this advanced approach led the designers first to the driver’s helmet, race suit and seat before moving onto the lines and surfaces of the interior. the helmet visor assumes the function of a display and projects situation based information such as the car’s speed, gear engaged, and engine revs into the driver’s direct field of view. this enables the diver to always have eyes on the road, and to fully concentrate on the job of driving the car.

both inside and outside, the BMW 3.0 CSL hommage r is primarily a reflection of its function,’ describes karim habib, head of design BMW automobiles. ‘the exterior and interior design is based around the requirements of motor sport as far as the car and driver are concerned; aerodynamics and driving dynamics on the one hand,

the most direct connection between driver and machine on the other. in my view, that’s something the hommage car expresses in a very emotional way. at the same time, all the details from the BMW 3.0 CSL are present in the hommage model. and they are all there to be discovered in their original form. it’s a bow to the 1975 car.’

the exterior design is a genuine expression of BMW motor racing. the stretched body is framed by air defectors, wheel arches and a prominent rear spoiler which mirrors the original 1975 BMW.

the colors and graphics used reference to its past. exposed carbon fiber spotlight the commitment to lightweight construction, bring it into the modern era. the BMW ‘3.0 CSL hommage R’ combines classic bavarian hallmarks within a modern and rich design language, adding an already glittering engineering achievement of 40 years ago.

BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R Concept illustrations by Won-Kyu Kang

The Chevrolet Corvette (C7) is the seventh generation of the Corvette sports car manufactured by American automobile manufacturer Chevrolet. It was introduced for the 2014 model year as the first to bear the Corvette Stingray name since the 1968 third generation model. The first C7 Corvettes were delivered in the third quarter of 2013.

According to Motor Trend, GM executives began planning the next-generation (C7) Corvette super car in 2007. On October 18, 2012, GM made an official news announcement confirming it would debut on Sunday evening, January 13, 2013, in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.[4] Chevrolet also showed the new Crossed Flags logo for the new 2014 Corvette. The car was originally planned for the 2011 model year, but was delayed.[5] Mid-engine and rear-engine layouts had been considered, but the front-engine, rear-wheel drive (RWD) platform was chosen to keep costs lower.

The C7's all-new LT1 6.2L Small Block V-8 engine develops 455 horsepower (339 kW) and 460 pound-feet (620 N⋅m) torque, which can accelerate the car from 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds. The C7's suspension consists of independent unequal-length double wishbones with transverse fiberglass mono-leaf springs and optional magnetorheological dampers, similar to its predecessor.

Rear view of the C7 Stingray, a design which has received much criticism from Corvette enthusiasts due to departure from past design language.

The C7 was designed not only to provide a bold styling statement, but also to incorporate an interior makeover that would put to rest past complaints about the quality of interior fit and finish.

While overall the C7 attempts to provide an evolutionary redesign to an iconic theme, the car's designers took their inspiration from the Chevrolet Camaro's squared rear end, incorporating aggressive angular elements that disappointed many Corvette enthusiasts.

The C7 received criticism for some of the more styled elements of the car. "The rear contains what will surely be the C7's most controversial styling elements. It's all creases and vents back there, with aggressive trapezoidal taillights similar to those found on the current Camaro and quadruple-barreled tailpipes lined up in a neat row in the center of the rear valance", wrote Jason Kavanagh for Edmunds.

Functional aerodynamic aids are tacked on or cut into every body panel of the C7, often juxtaposed against sharp creases. This is a radical departure from the prior generations of Corvettes, whose styling had no spoiler, few body panel creases, and only semi-functional gills for front brake cooling. In addition, past Corvette models minimized the size of headlamps or even hid them altogether. The C7 reverses that minimalist styling language with intricately styled headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL).