News: a flying car capable of vertical takeoff and landing is being developed by the makers of a two-seater aircraft that turns into a car (+ movie).

Massachusetts-based company Terrafugia has announced it is working on a concept for a four-seater vehicle with motorised rotors, which can take off without the need for a runway.

Dubbed TF-X, the vehicle's wings and rotors are designed to fold into the side of the car when it's on the road, making it small enough to park in a standard garage.

The ability to take off from standstill would allow owners to take to the air from their driveways. Once in the air, it is expected to be able to fly nonstop for 500 miles.

The TF-X probably wouldn't be suitable for escaping traffic jams, however, as it requires a 30-metre-wide clear space around it during takeoff.

A working model of the aircraft is expected to become available to purchase within eight to 12 years.

Meanwhile Terrafugia's earlier flying car concept, the Transition, which last year flew for eight minutes at an altitude of 420 metres during its test flight, is set to become available to buy within two years, priced at £190,000.

In 2010, Terrafugia worked with Danish industrial designers KiBiSi on the second generation redesign of the Transition.

Other hybrid vehicles we've featured include a car shaped like a catamaran and designer Ross Lovegrove's idea for bubble-shaped cars powered by solar canopies – see all transport.

Here's more information from Terrafugia:

Terrafugia Shares TF-X Vision

Terrafugia Inc., the developer of the Transition street-legal airplane, announced its vision for the future of personal transportation. Building on its experience with the Transition program, Terrafugia has begun feasibility studies of a four-seat, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) plug-in hybrid- electric flying car, the TF-X. Incorporating the state-of-the-art in intelligent systems, fly by wire controls, and currently available technology, the TF-X will further increase the level of safety, simplicity, and convenience of personal aviation.

"This is the right time for us to begin thinking about the future of the company beyond Transition development," says Terrafugia CEO/CTO Carl Dietrich. "We are passionate about continuing to lead the creation of a flying car industry and are dedicating resources to lay the foundations for our vision of personal transportation."

Terrafugia’s design team is excited to be looking ahead to TF-X development activities as the Transition programme shifts from research and development to certification, production, and customer support activities. The Transition serves as a Proof of Process for TF-X development and commercialisation through the many technical, regulatory, and usage challenges it has overcome.

By directly addressing congestion and other transportation challenges currently being faced internationally, widespread adoption of vehicles like the Transition and TF-X could result in significant economic benefits and personal time savings. Preliminary conversations with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the TF-X concept have demonstrated their willingness to consider innovative technologies and regulatory solutions that are in the public interest and enhance the level of safety of personal aviation. Terrafugia is excited to be nearing production of the Transition and continuing to push the envelope of personal transportation.

Terrafugia (terra-FOO-gee-ah), based in Woburn, MA, is a growing aerospace company founded by pilot- engineers from MIT and supported by a world-class network of advisors and investors. The company name is Latin for "escape the earth." Terrafugia’s mission is to build practical flying cars.

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concept unveiled appeared first on Dezeen.

Massaud and Toyota designed the electric car to tackle current economical and environmental crises by using cheap, lightweight materials that reduce the vehicle's energy consumption.

A tubular aluminium structure would support recyclable polypropelene body panels, which could be customised with different textures, patterns and colours. Strips of bamboo that wrap around the dashboard would extend out to form the bonnet and also cover the remaining horizontal surfaces, including the floor and roof.

All the windows, including the windscreen, would be retractable so passengers could feel the breeze from every angle. The rear bench could fold down and tuck under the front seat when not needed, and would be removable for use outside the vehicle.

Luggage could be stored on the roof under a fold-out neoprene cover to create more space inside. Alternatively, the boot could fold out to make room for larger goods.

A screen above the steering wheel would display vehicle speed, battery charge, journey information and navigation instructions provided via a smartphone, which could be mounted below and used to control music and temperature.

Heating and air conditioning would be delivered by a low-energy air pump and electric seat heaters to minimise power consumption. An in-wheel motor system means the car would be operable in two or four-wheel drive.

Other recent concept car include Ross Lovegrove's blue vehicle for Renault with a glass roof covered in LED patterns and Pininfarina's two-seater model without a windshield. See more car design »

Read on for more information from Toyota:

Toyota presents the ME.WE Concept

Working with Toyota since 2011, Massaud has sought to create an “anti-crisis” car that addresses contemporary human, economic and environmental challenges, bringing his independent vision and experience from outside the motor industry.

The thinking behind the concept

Massaud and Toyota defined three primary aims for the concept: -

Pertinence – their vision for the car is passionate but considered. The concept should be adaptable to a wide variety of lifestyles as well as displaying high quality and innovation.

Synthesis – a move away from motor industry tradition to remove excess and suggest a new way of responding to people’s behaviour and expectations. The concept should propose an alternative synthesis based on personal choices about vehicle architecture, lower running costs and the way the vehicle will be used.

Modernity – challenge conventions and seek change in designing a car that goes beyond just looking good through the experience it offers, its intelligent solutions and its ability to exceed the needs of the owner. This should be a car that reflects the values of forward-thinking people rather than simply their social status.

ED2 and Massaud combined their expertise to produce a car that reflects a quest for change in personal mobility. While cars have increasingly become subject to restrictions, they have put road users – drivers and pedestrians – at the heart of their thinking. The focus is on the desire for freedom, pleasure, emotion and the ability to travel free from constraints, while at the same time addressing people’s sense of personal responsibility and commitment to good citizenship.

The result is car that takes a modern, global view of travel and forms part of a wider view on how to adapt to the environmental challenges that will shape the future of personal mobility. It is a no-extras package, conceived as an “anti-excess” vehicle. In short, the Toyota ME.WE represents the transition from the culture of “more” to the culture of “better”.

The vehicle

ME.WE seeks to resolve a number of real-life contradictions, not through reinvention of what a car is, but by taking a different approach that is simpler, more appropriate and realistic – an alternative to cars that are about “passion and status”. The goal was do more and create better while using less. By reducing the pool of resources and constraints, it was possible to increase capability, quality and
pleasure.

Light and resilient: ME.WE has a tubular aluminium structure, on to which light and hard-wearing polypropylene panels are fitted.

Individual and standard: the moulded panels are made using a cost-efficient standard production system, but they are easy to personalise.

Freedom and responsibility: ME.WE is a pick-up, convertible, off-roader and small city car in one. It appeals to a wide range of users, and has a small eco-footprint thanks to its light weight and the materials used in its construction.

ME and WE: the concept’s name expresses its simultaneous concern for personal well-being (ME) and that of others (WE). ME.WE is electric-powered, using the same in-wheel motors as the Toyota i-ROAD, with batteries located under the floor, as in the iQ EV. With none of the traditional packaging restraints associated with conventional powertrains, the entire interior could be devoted to the vehicle’s occupants and luggage.

The lightweight construction using aluminium and polypropylene panels helps keep the car’s weight down to a target 750kg, about 20 per cent less than a conventional steel-built supermini. The body panels, which are 100 per cent recyclable, weight just 14kg. Bamboo is used in the construction of the floor and for the cabin’s horizontal surfaces, chosen both for being a renewable resource and aesthetically pleasing. ME.WE is easy to keep clean with a simple wash, inside and out.

ME.WE is an intelligent response to the ecological threats posed by mass production and the increasing number of cars on the world’s roads, as it is made from materials that help reduce the energy it consumes and the CO2 and harmful emissions it produces.

The simplicity of its design is matched by it ease of use. The in-wheel motor system means it can be operated in two or four-wheel drive, allowing it to tackle rougher terrain than a traditional car, and without the weight penalty of a 4x4 transmission system.

In the cabin priority is given to driver and passengers, so luggage can be carried on the roof beneath a fold-out, weatherproof neoprene cover. However, the rear luggage space can be extended into a platform like that found in a pick-up. The rear bench seat is mounted on floor rails and when not in use can be folded and stored beneath the front seat. It can also be removed altogether and even used for ad-hoc picnic seating.

The simplicity of the design is also evident in the instrumentation, which comprises a single screen above the steering wheel which displays vehicle speed, battery charge, journey information and navigation instructions, delivered via a smartphone. The phone itself is mounted below the screen so the driver can personalise the cabin environment with music and other apps, as well as controlling on-board temperature.

The heating and air conditioning are delivered by a low-energy air pump and electric seat heaters to minimise power consumption. And to achieve a cabriolet-like open air feel, all the windows can be opened, even the windscreen.

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for Toyota appeared first on Dezeen.

Lovegrove added colourful LED patterns over the glass roof and down the windshield edges of the carbon fibre Twin'Z electric city car, after Renault invited the British designer to provide finishing details to the bodywork.

"Passengers are hooded in a technological envelope that bathes them in a light which responds to the energy and pulse of Twin’Z," says Ross Lovegrove. "This roofscape heightens the sensation of space and blends seamlessly into the rear window."

The smaller two of four headlights glow through radial fibrous spokes, a motif also used for the bright green wheel alloys. Swirling lines adorn the tyres, which were developed by manufacturer Michelin.

Lovegrove also designed the interior of the four-seat vehicle and added fluorescent yellow bands to emphasise the contours of the design. "The interior is not broken up into separate elements and all passengers feel very much part of the travelling experience," he says. "The rear seat backs have been integrated into the floorpan to create space and a new, informal aesthetic."

Instead of a dashboard, statistics such as speed and range are displayed on a smartphone that sits where a gearstick would usually be. Four electric doors open without handles like pairs of shutters on each side, alleviating the central pillars found on most cars.

The car's colour was inspired by French painter Yves Klein, whose signature blue hue was also the muse for a collection of pleated garments we featured last week. "It echoes France's cultural heritage while also mirroring the virtues of our planet. After all, isn't the Earth blue when seen from space?" says Lovegrove.

Other recently designed concept cars include Audi's vehicles that drive and park themselves and Pininfarina's car that has no windshield.

The car is on show at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, Viale Alemagna 6. Elsewhere in the city, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have designed an installation of spinning cork platforms for BMW i.  Check out our map of events taking place in Milan this week.

See all our stories about designs by Ross Lovegrove »
See all our stories about car design »
See all our coverage of Milan 2013 »

Here's some additional information from Renault:

Twin'z Concept-Car - a refreshing view of the city-car, blending technology and refinement

Renault and British designer Ross Lovegrove today took the wraps off Twin’Z. This concept car is the fruit of their close collaboration and brings together two worlds where Design plays an important role : the world of furniture and that of the automobile.

As the 'Play' petal of Renault Design's life-cycle 'flower', Twin'Z is the latest concept car in the programme which sets out to illustrate Renault's new design strategy through parallels with threshold phases of human existence. Twin'Z is a fun, modern, artistic take on the city- car which plays on emotions and excites the senses. It draws its inspiration from the heritage of some of the brand's most emblematic models, such as the Renault 5 and Renault Twingo. The Twin'Z is an all-electric car with rear-wheel drive and a rear-mounted motor.

Renault invited British designer Ross Lovegrove to add some design flourishes and the result is an arresting blend of technology and refinement. Ross Lovegrove was given a free hand to imagine a cabin that is truly occupant-friendly. This project eloquently illustrates the many possible sources of inspiration that can drive Design and represents an original approach to the city-car.

Ross Lovegrove's personal vision of the automobile takes its inspiration from the world of nature, and the result combines an unprecedented play on light and organic forms to make Z28RL an endearing, almost living object.

Project team

Renault
Laurens van den Acker - Senior Vice-President, Corporate Design
Anthony Lo - Vice-President, Exterior Design
Axel Breun - Concept Car Design Director
Philippe Ponceau - Project Manager
Raphaël Linari - Exterior Designer
Nathalie Granger - Designer, Colours and Trims
Minh Au Truong - Technician, concept-car
Philippe Alves - Workshop Manager, Digital and Physical Modelling
Antoine Boulay - Manager, Digital Images and Films
Vincent Ciccone - HMI Architect
Gerard Picard - Director, ESTIVAL Design Studio

Studio Ross Lovegrove
Ross Lovegrove - Designer
Matt Longbottom - Director of Industrial Design
Christoph Hermann - Director of New Product Architecture and Digital Philosophy
Andrea Locatelli - Senior Project Architect
Gianluca Berruti - Marine Architect and Industrial Designer
Miska Miller-Lovegrove - Architect & Adviser on Special Projects
Anka Simone - Director of Special Projects
Sean Simone - Director Film & Video
Emily Ayers - Head of PR & Communications

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for Renault appeared first on Dezeen.

"[Our] intention is to reveal nature's underlying blueprints and transfer them into a new design language," says Lovegrove.

"These methods are process-driven and aim to explore tessellation, performative surfaces, lightweight structures and new material behaviours rather than the literal translation of appearances found in nature into visual design," he adds.

The car will be on display from 9 to 14 April 2013 at the Triennale di Milano exhibition.

Ross Lovegrove presented another futuristic car concept at Biennale Interieur last year, and has also suspended a silver spaceship from the rafters of Lille railway station.

A concept vehicle without a windshield and a fuel-efficient 3D-printed car are the latest stories about cars we've covered recently.

See all our stories about car design »
See all our stories about designs by Ross Lovegrove »
See all our stories about transport design »

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for Renault appeared first on Dezeen.

Named after Sergio Pininfarina, the designer who led the company for 40 years and died last year aged 85, the car has no side windows either, but does come with a pair of crash helmets.

A Ferrari 458 Spider provides the structural base for the car, while its body is inspired by one of Pininfarina's early designs, the 1965 Dino Berlinetta Speciale.

A vintage Dino is on display alongside the Sergio at the Geneva Motor Show, which continues until 17 March.

"My father would be proud of this concept car because it expresses the aesthetic values that always inspired him – the purity of the lines, the harmony of form, and balance," said company chairman Paolo Pininfarina, adding that the car could feasibly be produced in limited numbers.

We've recently reported on a tiny two-seater with wings that shoot out to form brake lights and plans to get a fuel-efficient 3D-printed car on the road – see all car design.

Here's some more information from Pininfarina:

At the Motor Show world debut for the Sergio, a modern interpretation of the 2-seater barchetta. As a tribute to the Senator, the stand is also displaying one of his most beloved masterpieces, the Dino Berlinetta Speciale, 1965.

It is named Sergio after the man who led Pininfarina for 40 years and conceived some of the greatest car legends. It is the new, amazing concept car created to celebrate the Life Senator Sergio Pininfarina. At its world debut today at the Geneva Motor Show, the Sergio joins the brand that has so marked the history of Pininfarina: Ferrari.

Universally known as Master of Italian style, the signature of Sergio Pininfarina left its imprint on the whole history of design with his creative genius, from the age of the great bodyworks to modern industry, often anticipating trends. The concept car dedicated to him renews the spirit of the extraordinary achievements under his leadership, translating it into a modern vision in the name of exclusivity, innovation and passion.

The Sergio, in fact, is a two-seater barchetta that looks to the future, very compact, very sporty, racy, pure and sensual. An exercise that Pininfarina decided to undertake on Ferrari 458 Spider mechanicals. Its formal interpretation is absolutely free, in the best tradition of the Pininfarina research which has produced so many Ferrari-based concept cars or unique models now recognised as masterpieces. Its exclusivity and development on the basis of a production car, in fact, sets the Sergio in the tradition of the great Pininfarina custom-made cars specifically designed for "special" clients. It is therefore a real car that can easily be produced in limited series of a few units.

"My father would be proud of this concept car," said Chairman Paolo Pininfarina, "because it expresses the aesthetic values that always inspired him: the purity of the lines, the harmony of form, and balance. Furthermore, he would be happy with this latest concept on Ferrari base, a brand to which we are related by a history that has helped define the most beautiful cars of all time in an evolution that has lasted 60 years and shows no sign of ending."

On its stand in Geneva, Pininfarina has placed the new Sergio next to one of the Senator’s most beloved Ferraris: the Dino Berlinetta Speciale, a unique model presented at the 1965 Paris Motor Show, which led to the lines of subsequent Dino production cars. Since 1967, the Dino has been part of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest Collection and is exhibited along with other historic prestige cars in the Musée de l'Automobile of Mans.

With the new Sergio, Pininfarina confirms its excellence in design, the cutting edge of a Company deeply involved in engineering services, research applied to sustainable mobility and brand enhancement activities.

"This concept," says the CEO Silvio Pietro Angori, "is the best way to confirm the role of Pininfarina as a bearer of the aesthetic values of Italian design in the world and to strengthen the brand name, the Company's real distinguishing feature. Together with design, Pininfarina is highly focused on all the traditional activities aimed at providing vehicle manufacturers with an all-round service: engineering: product development, testing, prototype construction. The enhancement of production assets and know-how is expressed in the creation of unique pieces like the Sergio or limited edition cars realised thanks to unique craft skills gained in over 80 years of activity".

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by Pininfarina appeared first on Dezeen.