Pretty exquisite, yes?

Last year, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-type, the Swiss firm Classic Factory unveiled its Growler concept car. Intended as a modern version of the classic sports car, the concept was so well received that a new car-making company, Lyonheart Cars Ltd. has been opened in Coventry, U.K., for the purpose of turning out a limited run of the production version of the Growler - the Lyonheart K.

So - you WANT one, you say. Shouldn’t be a problem - we’ll just run your thick-as-a-brick gold bullion credit card, for - let me see know......yes.....

the paltry sum of $655,529.00.

No biggie......

Source: Lyonheart Cars

The hybrid-electric Giugiaro Brivido concet car - Geneva Car Show

The new Lamborghini Aventador -

Geneva Car Show

The new Bentley EXP 9 F concept car

: : :

The Deskbox is a practical small table/cabinet that is hung onto a wall and it is ideal for settings where there is little space available for furniture. It is an elegant small work place, which is excellent for working on a laptop for instance, and it can be retracted to form a closed box, half the size of the table top.

The Deskbox represents a new typology in Arco's focus on tables, which is an area of specialisation that sets the company apart from others. Continuous research often leads to new inventions and solutions.

This design from Raw Edges originated from the project Arco Okay 2011, where Arco challenged ten designers to develop new ideas, based on the production possibilities of the company. Desk Box is based on the parallel mechanism from earlier sewing boxes, which Arco used to produce a long time ago.

http://www.raw-edges.com/projects/shuffle

Is this Hover Car the next people's car?

Volkswagen's Hover Car concept seats two, hovers above ground, travels along electromagnetic roads, and could be the car of the future.

When you think of a basic, affordable vehicle that everyone can buy, a hovercar doesn't immediately come to mind. But that's what emerged from the People's Car Project launched by Volkswagen in China last year.

Volkswagen, which translates to "people's car" in English, challenged China residents to submit their ideas of what the car of the future should look like. The company sifted through more than 119,000 ideas submitted to the project website and compiled three concepts, including the Hover Car.

The Hover Car is a two-seater zero-emissions vehicle that hovers above the ground and travels along electromagnetic road networks. It can detect other vehicles on the road while navigating China's congested traffic centers, and its small footprint makes it easy to park.

Electromagnetic highways where vehicles can be operated autonomously and continuously powered have beenfloated by other designers. Stanford researchers are working on electric highway technology that will solve the wireless-charging part of the equation, and it's only a matter of time until we're all relaxing behind the wheel of a self-driving car.  So maybe the Hover Car isn't so far-fetched after all. Whether or not it could be affordable enough for the masses is the real question.

Written by : : Liane Yvkoff

Liane Yvkoff is a freelance writer who blogs about cars for CNET Car Tech. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET

American designer Bec Brittain is the mastermind behind the SHY light, a geometric light fitting that has a highly adaptable shape. Brittain, who studied industrial design at Parsons, earned a BA in philosophy from New York University, before gaining an architecture degree from The Architectural Association in London, chose the name of the light by combining her grandmother’s initials.

By using  thin LED tubes, the function of Brittain’s light fitting creates its form and vice versa. She was inspired by the shape of crystalline structures and the way that they grow so the light mimics this. The modular hardware can be configured in a number of ways and new shapes can be created depending on the requirements of the room in which it is to be used.

From www.freshome.com

Geometric Light Fitting Inspired by Crystalline Structure

Following is some of the work of Marc Newson, a brilliantly talented designer. He grew up in Sydney, Australia - received an initial grant from the Australian Arts Council.

One of his earliest works was the Lockheed Lounge shown below : :

A few of his product designs : :

Many of his designs have been a runaway success for his clients and have achieved the status of modern design icons. In addition to his core business, he has also founded and run a number of successful companies, including a fine watch brand and an aerospace design consultancy, and has also held senior management positions at client companies; including currently being the Creative Director of Qantas Airways.

Marc Newson was included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World and has received numerous awards and distinctions: he was appointed The Royal Designer for Industry in the UK, received an honorary doctorate from Sydney University, holds Adjunct Professorships at Sydney College of the Arts and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and most recently was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty the Queen.

His work is present in many major museum collections, including the MoMA in New York, London’s Design Museum and V&A, the Centre Georges Pompidou and the Vitra Design Museum. Having set numerous records at auction, Newson’s work now accounts for almost 25% of the total contemporary design market.

It appeals to all of us - FLIGHT - freeing the bonds of gravity....soaring, swooshing. It’s soon coming. At a price, of course, but in time, as we know, costs become reduced until we have wonderful technology at the appliance cost level. So - feast your eyes on this.

It's only fitting that as we get closer to finally realizing the dream of cars that can fly, their two-wheeled counterparts are also getting off the ground. A company called Aerofex has created a flying "motorcycle" based on an abandoned 1960 era design that could one day be sold in showrooms.

The design that Aerofex has chosen for its hover bike was originally given up on more than 40 years ago because engineers couldn't find a way to keep it from tipping over. Their current-day counterparts have evidently found a relatively simple mechanical fix for the problem, which allows riders to shift their weight side to side in order to prevent rollovers. After all, it's important to maintain control when you're traveling at 30 mph up to 15 feet above the ground, as the current prototype is capable of doing.

Although it has a human-piloted version of the bike up-and-running, Aerofex is actually planning to use the technology to develop unmanned, robotic hovering platforms that can be used to transport gear and supplies for military use. Due to the contraption's narrow size and enclosed rotors, it's being looked at as an ideal solution for use in urban environments where space is tight and traditional helicopter rotor blades would be far too dangerous.

This article was written by Randy Nelson and originally appeared on Tecca

This shelf panel is constructed from elaborate aluminum parts, and at 34mm thick, it looks as if it’s made of natural wood. Attaching sliced veneer to a thin structure, we made space between two boards which can be opened using magnetic keys.

When pulled, a secret 23mm thick drawer appears, it is of minimal thickness to store your valuables such as stamps and passbooks.

The impression of the shelf completely changes when its hidden aluminum space is revealed from within the sliced veneer surface.

Principle use: Shelf
Manufacturer: TANSEISHA Co, Ltd.
Material: Aluminium／Board of Japanese Ash／Magnet
Size: W900 x D150 x H34
Design period: 2012.04-06
Production period:: 2012.06-07

peugeot onyx concept car

french automobile manufacturer peugeot has teamed up with dutch designer meike meijer and Vij5 to develop the interior of
a new concept vehicle, 'the onyx'. based on the techniques and material from their recycled 'newspaperWood' wool and carbon,
the entire interior configuration including the seating and dashboard combines the special uses of typically foreign materials
for automotive cabins. additionally, elements like the fuel gauge constructed from blown glass demonstrate a new approach to
vehicle interior design .

the exterior wings and doors are made from pure copper sheets, while the rest of the body panels use a matte black carbon fibre finish.
the front end of the 'onyx' integrates a vertical grille and tapered full LED lights, as the rear adopts its signature 'three claw' rear lamps.
a 600 horsepower 3.7 liter V8 hybrid 'HDi FAP' engine powers the vehicle using a six-speed sequential gearbox.

the new hybrid technology recovers kinetic energy which is usually lost with braking. by storing the excess losses in lithium-ion batteries,
the system is capable of adding an additional boost of 80 HP when needed during acceleration.

Eurostar | Paris – London | 2 – 2012

Traveling the line between the Capital of cool and the capital of fashion, we wonder how this train is such a soulless design experience.

This commission is a vision of a future we can all enjoy. With transport set to play an ever more pivotal role in the way we seek to improve our relationship with the planet, surely it should be tasty too?

The carriage finished in hardwood, brushed Brass and Carbon fibre illustrates a hybrid of the golden age and the new. Individual accommodation in single seats provides essential armrest services ( air, power, connection ) and retractable privacy, while large screen windows open a view to the World flying by. Come onboard and safe travels …

From TrendsNow Magazine

: : DESIGNPLAN : :

10-09-12

Peugeot is betting even more on black (and copper) with the Onyx three-wheeled scooter concept. A fanciful sibling to the Onxy hybrid supercar concept, the scooter looks as if it could have come straight from the Japanese anime, Akira.

The Onyx scooter makes do with a bit less gumption than the 680-horsepower Onyx coupe. The three-wheeler's powertrain is a 400cc engine paired with an electric motor pushing a combined 60 horsepower and 43 pound-feet to the 17-inch rear wheel.

In between the cockpit and the seat is a storage unit called the ClipBox. The scooter is in Sport Mode with the ClipBox affixed, the rider leaning against it to reach the handlebars, naturally pushing the feet into a more sportbike-like position. Remove the ClipBox and the Onyx goes into Urban Mode, a more traditional scooter configuration with an upright seating position. Peugeot says it's good for 30 miles of all-electric travel at 31 mph, or 310 miles if it uses the ICE. You can check out its transformation in the attached photo gallery, and we'll find out more in person at the Paris Motor Show.

British engineers produce amazing 'petrol from air' technology

There could be some argument here....on the surface, this article / news is not purely Industrial Design....more, Engineering. But HolySmokes Batman! THIS is amazing!

If it proves viable and economically accessible, well - Hello NewWorld!

What a stunning achievement!

Revolutionary new technology that produces “petrol from air” is being produced by a British firm, it emerged tonight.

By Andrew Hough, graphic by Mark Oliver

11:30PM BST 18 Oct 2012

A small company in the north of England has developed the “air capture” technology to create synthetic petrol using only air and electricity.

Experts tonight hailed the astonishing breakthrough as a potential “game-changer” in the battle against climate change and a saviour for the world’s energy crisis.

The technology, presented to a London engineering conference this week, removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The “petrol from air” technology involves taking sodium hydroxide and mixing it with carbon dioxide before "electrolysing" the sodium carbonate that it produces to form pure carbon dioxide.

Hydrogen is then produced by electrolysing water vapour captured with a dehumidifier.

The company, Air Fuel Synthesis, then uses the carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce methanol which in turn is passed through a gasoline fuel reactor, creating petrol.

Company officials say they had produced five litres of petrol in less than three months from a small refinery in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside.

The fuel that is produced can be used in any regular petrol tank and, if renewable energy is used to provide the electricity it could become “completely carbon neutral”.

The £1.1m project, in development for the past two years, is being funded by a group of unnamed philanthropists who believe the technology could prove to be a lucrative way of creating renewable energy.

While the technology has the backing of Britain’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers, it has yet to capture the interest of major oil companies.

But company executives hope to build a large plant, which could produce more than a tonne of petrol every day, within two years and a refinery size operation within the next 15 years.

Tonight Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) officials admitted that while the described the technology as being “too good to be true but it is true”, it could prove to be a “game-changer” in the battle against climate change.

Stephen Tetlow, the IMechE chief executive, hailed the breakthrough as “truly groundbreaking”.

“It has the potential to become a great British success story, which opens up a crucial opportunity to reduce carbon emissions,” he said.

“It also has the potential to reduce our exposure to an increasingly volatile global energy market.

“The potential to provide a variety of sustainable fuels for today’s vehicles and infrastructure is especially exciting.”

Dr Tim Fox, the organisation's head of energy and environment, added: “Air capture technology ultimately has the potential to become a game-changer in our quest to avoid dangerous climate change.”

Peter Harrison, the company’s 58 year-old chief executive, told The Daily Telegraph that he was “excited” about the technology’s potential, which “uses renewable energy in a slightly different way”.

“People do find it unusual when I tell them what we are working on and realise what it means,” said Mr Harrison, a civil engineer from Darlington, Co Durham.

“It is an opportunity for a technology to make an impact on climate change and make an impact on the energy crisis facing this country and the world.

"It looks and smells like petrol but it is much cleaner and we don't have any nasty bits."