2012 Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept

Jeep®Wrangler “Dragon” Design Concept Debuts at 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition
• Jeep Wrangler “Dragon”design concept blends two powerful icons
• Jeep brand portfolio on display reflects presence in three core SUV segments for China market

Today, the Jeep® brand introduced the Jeep Wrangler “Dragon” design concept at the 2012
Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. The concept integrates two icons together in one: the Wrangler, as the off-road icon of the Jeep brand, and the honored Chinese dragon. Belief holds that both possess incredible capabilities, making them a perfect combination.

According to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the Year of the Dragon, which is held with high regard in Chinese culture. The dragon symbolizes strength and power and is an aspirational character normally associated with royalty and good fortune. It was these characteristics that inspired the upscale design of the Jeep Wrangler Dragon concept.

“The Jeep brand is committed to China and therefore we must design and tailor our vehicles to the specific tastes and preferences of Chinese consumers,” said Mike Manley, Chief Operating Officer for Asiaand President and CEO – Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “The Wrangler Dragon design concept is the first Jeep vehicle designed specifically with Chinese elements in mind and showcases the opportunity for special editions that might be available for China in the near future.”

Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept
The Jeep Wrangler Dragon design concept is based on a China-market Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon painted black with a black body-color three-piece hard top. From there, the designers incorporated numerous bronze-gold details – a color associated with the dragon. These bronze-gold details can be found inside the front grille slats, headlamp surrounds and Jeep badging front and rear.

The unique 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels are matte black with a bronze-gold high-gloss outer edge and feature 35-inch off-road tires. Other bronze-gold touches include a pad-printed engine cover, bolts for the fuel-filler door and the taillamp assembly, a Chinese dragon character side badge and wheel center caps.

The exterior also has black highlights such as painted fenders, a gloss-black applique on the front bumper, and a tone-on-tone dragon decal that starts on the hood and runs down the driver’s side of the vehicle. There is also a dragon motif on a unique carbon-fiber insulator mounted under the hood and on the gloss-black spare tire cover. Final exterior touches include a Mopar® fuel-filler door and a black-finish LED exterior lighting package that features aftermarket projector headlamps, fog lamps, turn lamps and taillamps.

Moving to the interior, the black and bronze-gold theme continues with black leather seating surfaces with bronze-gold accent piping and stitching. Magic Wand metallic leather is on the side bolsters and the sides of the head restraints, while a laser-etched dragon pattern is on the face of the head restraints. Dragon-scale patterned bronze-gold leather covers the outside edges of the seats and front center arm rest.

Other interior touches include high-gloss piano black instrument panel bezels, bronze-gold accent trim on the steering wheel spokes, instrument cluster, passenger-side dashboard grab handle and door handles,and gold accent stitching on the leather-wrapped door bolsters. Finishing the interior modifications are dragon tags on the front and rear floor mats.

Chinese dragons symbolize potent and auspicious powers, particularly control over water, rain and winds and their more severe weather phenomena. Dragons are symbols of the natural world, adaptability and transformation – divine creatures capable of doing anything.

While debuting as a design concept at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, the Jeep Wrangler Dragon could become a production model if demand is great enough.

Jeep Wrangler for 2012 in China
Jeep Wrangler – the most capable and recognized vehicle in the world – becomes even more capable both on- and off-road for 2012, courtesy of an all-new, more fuel-efficient and more powerful 3.6-liter V-6 engine, as well as a new automatic transmission – both of which it shares with the award-winning Jeep Grand Cherokee (In Europe, Jeep Wrangler is also powered by a 2.8-liter turbo diesel engine).
Chrysler Group’s 3.6-liter Pentastar® V-6 engine – winner of the prestigious Ward’s 10 Best Engines award in the U.S. – delivers 284 horsepower DIN (209 kW)and 347 N•m (256 lb.-ft.) of torque. The improvement, when compared to the previous 3.8-liter V-6 engine, is over 40 percent in horsepower and 10 percent in torque.

2012 Jeep Wrangler interior highlights include a recently redesigned instrument panel and storage areas with improved ergonomics and upgraded materials. A lockable console and upgraded door armrest areas boast comfortable touch points, while a redesigned center stack is easier to reach and operate. Heated power mirrors are available, and drivers and passengers enjoy enhanced visibility courtesy of larger rear windows.

2012 Ferrari SP12 EC

New stylistic notes for Ferrari: the SP12 EC is born. EC like Eric Clapton
Exclusively in the Ferrari Magazine the great English musician talks about his passion for Ferrari and his one-off model.

For a Ferrari enthusiast and great musician like Eric Clapton a one-off car just had to be produced.  Designed by the Centro Stile Ferrari in collaboration with Pininfarina and the engineers from Maranello, the SP12 EC was created as homage to Clapton's career and his long lasting experience as a Ferrari owner.

The world-famous guitar player has been attached to one particular Ferrari model: the 512 BB, of which he has owned three over the years. So his desire was to drive a car inspired by this model, with influences from the multi-award winning 458 Italia. Exclusively in the latest issue of the Ferrari Official Magazine Eric Clapton talks about his passion and how the idea of a one-off car was born.

Meticulous attention in terms of style and technology was paid to the proportions and architecture of the SP12 EC - which is part of Ferrari's One-Off Programme – making this exceptional car even more significant. Just like music is created, applying the right notes in the right places to build a musical score, so was the creative process behind the SP12 EC.

For Eric Clapton, following the project through from what was, essentially, a blank canvas, was one of the most satisfying things I've ever done.” Unique and irreproducible like the final car

2012 A Kahn Design Jeep Restoration Challenge

The Afzal Kahn JEEP restoration challenge

Just how did Afzal Kahn’s team of savvy designers persuade the principal British designer to take time out of his busy schedule to oversee the transformation of a vehicle with 75,000 miles on the clock?

As you can imagine, this was no mean feat. Afzal had no control over the type of vehicle which was delivered to him. The design team simply sourced the vehicle and asked him to get on with it.
And as expected, Afzal Kahn delivers this high-impact military edition Jeep with such clout; it is safe to say that this military grey metallic game-changer would not look out of place with London, Chelsea or New York centric drivers, rock climbers and off-roaders at the helm, nor would it look weary in a Daniel Craig inspired 007 movie.

Under the Kahn expedition vehicles umbrella, the ‘Chelsea truck company’s Wrangler Jeep Military edition includes a meshed front grill, gold finished calipers, quad exhaust system, rear wheel cover, smoked side lights and repeaters, petrol flat cap in billet mat black, mud flaps hardwearing, aluminum machined foot pedals, smoked side lights and repeaters, sat-navigation, reverse camera, blue tooth, dial facia clocks and LED driving lights and to finish it all off, the compulsory branded rear wheel cover.
Furthermore, a commitment to fostering cutting edge technology ensures, should customers wish, for the blank rear window sections and LED lights to be made available in bullet-proof glass. Furthermore, depending on the level of protection required, a superior type of glass, more advanced than the sort of glass which is used to protect world statesmen, is also available.

Inside is the ‘bespoke touch’, this particular vehicle comes with red quilted leather seats, dial facia clocks and more. However, we always provide our customers with what they want. And Afzal Kahn could, for example, design for you a vehicle with an exterior the colour of your jeans and an interior with seats akin to the shade of, let’s say, a grey t-shirt. Customers could also change the colour of the clock, or ask for anything else, the world is their oyster, so to speak.

Kahn wheels sit perfectly, on any vehicle, conveying the essence of the vehicle’s identity. Created using state-of-the art manufacturing and materials technology, the Kahn RS wheels are available in 9 x 20 in silver or black and fit all original centre caps.

With simple clean lines, soft organic surfaces on the edge of the spoke and a purposeful mechanical centre, the RS wheels are synonymous with elegance and innovation.

A. Kahn Design is for the individual who will not submit to a life of uniformity and who will only accept perfection. Dedicated to the creation of luxury bespoke vehicles, we redesign the ordered monotony of mass produced vehicles and rebuild them into individually tailored creations.

2012 BMW Zagato Coupe

The BMW Zagato Coupé.
Cernobbio. The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este will once again host a spectacular world premiere in 2012 and, in so doing, build on its tradition as a gathering of the industry’s leading coachbuilders. The premiere in question will see the time-honoured Milanese coachbuilder Zagato team up with BMW to unveil the result of a unique collaboration: the BMW Zagato Coupé.

Zagato has worked in close collaboration to create an exciting and emotionally charged coupé in the finest tradition of automotive workmanship. The BMW Zagato Coupé embodies the unbridled fascination of cars and fuses the design DNA of the two companies into a fresh and desinctive whole. This one-off model is the product of many hours of skilled hand-craftsmanship and breathes new life into the tradition of coachbuilding.

It is hard to think of a better occasion for the premiere than the Concorso d‘Eleganza Villa d’Este, one of the most exclusive events in the world of classic cars and motorcycles. The vehicles shown on the banks of Lake Como are hand-picked, the number of entrants limited and the surroundings simply without comparison. The Concorso began as a get-together of coachbuilders presenting one-off hand-built creations, and the BMW Zagato Coupé follows very much in that tradition.

The design – a BMW seen through the eyes of Zagato.
The BMW Zagato Coupé is a collaboration between auto enthusiasts – a BMW seen through the eyes of Zagato. This comes through in the design of the car, hallmark design cues from both companies merging to form an emotion-laden coupé in the best Zagato tradition. The brief for the car was clear from the outset: the BMW Zagato Coupé was to be a “Vmax concept”, a road-registered, aerodynamically optimised machine capable of achieving high speeds yet at the same time meeting all legal requirements and crash-related stipulations – a car that is ready and eager to be driven.

The proportions of the BMW Zagato Coupé alone exude the promise of a very special driving experience. The extremely long bonnet, greenhouse set well back and double bubble roof and Kamm Tail sum up the dynamic focus of the car as only a coupé could. The flowing roofline melts away into the compact, muscular rear, where the car’s power is transferred to the road. This sculptural and visually striking surface treatment is a Zagato hallmark and lends the BMW Zagato Coupé a distinctive and instantly recognisable personality. The surface treatment, on the other hand, is clearly inspired by BMW. The car’s dynamic silhouette sees precise lines forging a path over taut surfaces towards the rear. Surfaces moulded with eye-catching depth underline the sporting statement of the BMW Zagato Coupé. “For me, the BMW Zagato Coupé holds a very special magic. It exudes a certain spontaneity which, when combined with the type of unconventional solutions typical of Zagato, lend the car a very individual elegance,” says Zagato chief designer Norihiko Harada.

Highlights and details.The unique character of the BMW Zagato Coupé is reflected in even smaller details. The 19-inch light-alloy wheels in classically sporty five-spoke design have a hint of propeller about them, offering a subtle nod to the origins of both companies. Indeed, both BMW and Zagato founder Ugo Zagato took an airborne route into automotive construction. Their subtly attractive matt finish lends the car extra allure from the side.

A very special highlight of the BMW Zagato Coupé is its paintwork. The exclusive exterior paint finish Rosso Vivace – an expressive shade of red – brings the surfaces and forms of the BMW Zagato Coupé to life. Depending on how the light hits the body, the colour spectrum ranges from something close to black all the way to a brilliant red. This remarkable depth and radiance is possible thanks to sophisticated paint application technology. The primer coat – made up of a black application, followed by a layer of shimmering metallic silver – is applied first. Then come six ultra-thin coats of the exclusively developed red shade to deliver this unique effect. Finally, two layers of clear coat seal in the colour.

2012 Ugur Sahin Design Alfa Romeo 12C GTS

After the USD C3 design concept has made its way to production as “Anadi”, UgurSahinDesign is proud to introduce AlfaRomeo C12 GTS Concept.

“The main goal of this design is to reinterpret Alfa Romeo’s historical lines, surfaces and styling
cues with fresh perspective and state of mind in order to create an appealing design and combining
the familiar design language of Alfa Romeo combined with sharper lines and surfaces without losing
the organic attractiveness of the car.

One of the main features of the design is the way its stance is shaped. As a whole it gives you the
impression of “forward-movement” even while standing still. The iconic Alfa Romeo Grille hosts
the center of the organic lines which flow towards the back and around the car with minimum distraction and maximum visual impact. The way the front is designed consists of two different shape
compositions to make the face of the car sporty and aggressive, yet so appealing.

 The side silhouette creates a balanced front-to-back ratio that grabs your attention with proper proportional balance and the perfectly straight line that divides the upper and the lower parts of the car
seamlessly wraps around the back making the car look as a whole.”

Currently we are actively looking for investors and parties who want to be involved in the project in order to build an exclusive car which is destined to give its owner the ultimate feeling of powerful

design and driving experience.

2012 A Kahn Design BMW X5 5S

 

The Afzal Kahn JEEP restoration challenge

London/May 2011 – Just how did Afzal Kahn’s team of savvy designers persuade the principal British designer to take time out of his busy schedule to oversee the transformation of a vehicle with 75,000 miles on the clock?

As you can imagine, this was no mean feat. Afzal had no control over the type of vehicle which was delivered to him. The design team simply sourced the vehicle and asked him to get on with it.
And as expected, Afzal Kahn delivers this high-impact military edition Jeep with such clout; it is safe to say that this military grey metallic game-changer would not look out of place with London, Chelsea or New York centric drivers, rock climbers and off-roaders at the helm, nor would it look weary in a Daniel Craig inspired 007 movie.

Under the Kahn expedition vehicles umbrella, the ‘Chelsea truck company’s Wrangler Jeep Military edition includes a meshed front grill, gold finished calipers, quad exhaust system, rear wheel cover, smoked side lights and repeaters, petrol flat cap in billet mat black, mud flaps hardwearing, aluminum machined foot pedals, smoked side lights and repeaters, sat-navigation, reverse camera, blue tooth, dial facia clocks and LED driving lights and to finish it all off, the compulsory branded rear wheel cover.
Furthermore, a commitment to fostering cutting edge technology ensures, should customers wish, for the blank rear window sections and LED lights to be made available in bullet-proof glass. Furthermore, depending on the level of protection required, a superior type of glass, more advanced than the sort of glass which is used to protect world statesmen, is also available.

Inside is the ‘bespoke touch’, this particular vehicle comes with red quilted leather seats, dial facia clocks and more. However, we always provide our customers with what they want. And Afzal Kahn could, for example, design for you a vehicle with an exterior the colour of your jeans and an interior with seats akin to the shade of, let’s say, a grey t-shirt. Customers could also change the colour of the clock, or ask for anything else, the world is their oyster, so to speak.

Kahn wheels sit perfectly, on any vehicle, conveying the essence of the vehicle’s identity. Created using state-of-the art manufacturing and materials technology, the Kahn RS wheels are available in 9 x 20 in silver or black and fit all original centre caps.

With simple clean lines, soft organic surfaces on the edge of the spoke and a purposeful mechanical centre, the RS wheels are synonymous with elegance and innovation.

A. Kahn Design is for the individual who will not submit to a life of uniformity and who will only accept perfection. Dedicated to the creation of luxury bespoke vehicles, we redesign the ordered monotony of mass produced vehicles and rebuild them into individually tailored creations.

2012 Kia Sportage - Review

Small SUVs sometimes earn the nickname "cute-utes," and it's never been more true. Trucky imitation is so 2005; crossovers like the Kia Sportage are sleek little gym shoes, packing the same convenience in much more stylish duds. It's grown up and out, in size and price and performance, and that means the latest Sportage is now in the thick of things, alongside best sellers like the Ford Escape and Honda CR-V, its kin Hyundai Tucson, and the grassroots favorite Subaru Forester.

Priced from below $20,000 in base form to more than $30,000 as a turbo SX, the Sportage overlaps a lot of larger vehicles now, but it does it with a confident look. We think it's one of the best-looking compact utes, with its deft mashup of SUV and hatchback lines. The tipped-back stance shares some sass with the Soul, and a few well-chosen details lighten up thick body sides. It's chunky, but not at all clunky--we think, what the Jeep Compass could have been. The cockpit relates to the sheetmetal in a way most cars and utes gloss over. Big gauges are framed by a rectangular dash that's toned down significantly versus the one in the Tucson, though if you look hard, you can see how the two share some common hard points. It's workmanlike in the best way possible--it looks substantial, and feels authentic.

All Sportages offer a four-cylinder engines, and in most models the 2.4-liter four makes 176 horsepower. Direct injection is new this year; it hasn't changed the measured acceleration the engine and a six-speed automatic dole out (a manual's available), but pokey, the Sportage is not. It's fairly refined in motion, too, and the automatic's unstressed and reasonably quick to shift when you move the lever to manual mode.
Opt for the turbocharged SX and the Sportage's output rises to a breathy 260 hp, enough to spin the front wheels a little before traction control mellows out the party, and the automatic gets shift paddles for less distracted driving and better response. All-wheel drive is an option across the board, and comes with a differential lock that splits power 50:50 at speeds up to 25 mph. Gas mileage ranges from 22/32 mpg with the front-drive four-cylinder, to 20/27 mpg with the SX AWD.

In either trim, the base four-cylinder Sportage isn't quite as savvy at muting road surfaces as, say, a Subaru Forester. Ride quality's improved a bit this year with more sophisticated shocks on base versions, like those standard on EX and SX versions. Big 18-inch wheels don't help, so think twice before blinging out. Kia tunes its electric power steering systems on the heavy side, which gives them a little more realistic feel than its Hyundai cousins, and better control over minor road modulations. The SX makes great strides toward a truly sporty driving experience, something a little bit more tuning could bring home.
With its wider footprint, the Sportage delivers more interior space than its ancestors, but it's still on the smaller side of crossovers. The front seats benefit from the relatively high dash, and have good leg and shoulder room. As usual, add a sunroof, subtract headroom. The seats themselves are well-shaped and can be air-cooled on high-line Sportages. The back seat's like that in the Tucson--bigger adults will slouch a bit to find a good seating position perched on the otherwise nicely angled cushions. Cargo space measures 26.1 cubic feet, more than some luxury utes, and the rear-end styling means more of the cargo space is hidden behind sheetmetal--great for valuables, not so great if you carry pets often.

Standard curtain airbags and stability control are joined by optional rear parking sensors and rearview camera, which help with the Sportage's sizable blind spots. The IIHS calls the Sportage a Top Safety Pick, too.
Standard features include air conditioning; power windows, locks and mirrors; and 16-inch wheels. Moving up to more expensive models adds features like keyless start; satellite radio; Bluetooth; steering-wheel audio and phone controls; and a USB port. Top models get a telescoping steering wheel; a cooled glove box; a power driver seat; 18-inch wheels; leather steering wheel and shifter trim; roof rails; and a rear spoiler. Major options include leather upholstery; seat heaters; a cooled driver seat; and finally UVO, Kia's version of the Microsoft voice controller sold by Ford as SYNC. Kia's version has a more limited vocabulary and controls fewer functions, but it can search all your media to find the perfect soundtrack to your next drive, whether it lives on your iPod, an SD card, or HD Radio.

2012 Jeep Liberty - Review

The Jeep Liberty is boxy and rugged. And while we're becoming accustomed to seeing carlike vehicle masquerading in trail clothes, that's not at all the case here: The 2012 Jeep Liberty remains mostly truck. But for families who plan on spending most of the time on pavement—and with the trail-focused Renegade model dropped—the Liberty's appeal is limited because of its poor fuel economy and lack of comfort.

Looking tough and traditional—though a bit slab-sided from some angles—the Jeep Liberty appearance hasn't changed much over the years. A few years ago, Jeep amped up the macho-man appeal and added chunky details to look even more trail-tough. The Liberty's styling inside keeps to that role with a stark and simple look, although there are more hard plastics than in most crossovers this size.
The Liberty's powertrain can move the Liberty quickly enough, but we have no kind words for it. The 210-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 engine is torquey enough, but its rather low-revving, raspy, and not altogether smooth character just barely fits in with the Liberty's more rugged character. Because it's a low-revver, relatively speaking, it manages just fine with the somewhat rough-shifting four-speed automatic. But this powertrain's true downfall is gas mileage; at 15/21 mpg with 4WD, the Liberty is no more fuel-efficient than a full-size SUV.

Off-roading remained one of the best reasons for choosing the Liberty over a more easygoing crossover model, yet Jeep has, puzzlingly, dropped the trail-focused Renegade model for 2012. Two 4WD systems remain offered: Selec-Trac II is a full-time system that's also off-road capable but better oriented for snowy roads, while Command Trac is a part-time system intended for trail-running.

At first impression, the 2012 Jeep Liberty feels relatively well laid-out—as well as airy, given the tall greenhouse. Seats feel skimpy, though, and don't offer much support. But there's enough space in back, even for adults on a weekend trip, for instance. And the story is pretty good if you plan to haul cargo and gear: The cargo floor is low, too, and the seats fold neatly.
But there's still plenty to make the Liberty an unappealing choice in today's market, which is brimming with well-designed, family-friendly utility vehicles. The Liberty's on-the-road ride and refinement are probably the biggest turn-offs of this vehicle. There's a fair amount more interior road and wind noise than in more carlike compact crossover vehicles. And as a tall, narrow vehicle with a pitchy ride, the Liberty results in lots of 'head toss' on rough roads, or even choppy freeways, and blemished road surfaces seem to upset the composure of occupants just as much as they seem to upset the Liberty's grip.
Safety features are respectable in the 2012 Liberty, but the federal government hasn't tested it under the new ratings system, and the IIHS gave it a worrisome 'marginal' in side impact and 'acceptable' in rear impact. Base Sport, more luxurious Limited, and new Limited Jet trims are offered. Limited Jet models offer a spiced-up appearance, with big 20-inch aluminum wheels, chrome molding, and other black and bright trim throughout, plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel and alarm system. Limited models are dressed up with a a long list of equipment over the sport, including leather upholstery, heated front seats, steering-wheel audio controls, a Bluetooth hands-free interface, and a garage-door opener. There are plenty of cool options, such as a music hard drive system, a new Garmin nav system, rain-sensing wipers, and a Sky Slider sunroof, if you don't mind the higher price tag.

For 2012, Jeep has dropped prices on Liberty Jet models by $795, and it's added a Bluetooth hands-free interface (with voice command), a garage-door opener, overhead console, and rear park assist as standard equipment on all models.