Anticipation has been building around the upcoming release of Volvo’s new mid-size sports sedan. The Swedish automaker is calling this car the “All-New Naughty” Volvo S60 and, in the spirit of this slogan, the promotional campaign for the new S60 includes a series of events called “The Naughty Tour”. The tour will presumably hit a local Volvo dealership in your area, and there will also be special driving events in NYC, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, and LA that people can register for as early as August 11th. Attendees will automatically be entered to win their very own S60 as well as a trip to Sweden. Also, as part of the campaign, Volvo launched a microsite, naughty.volvocars.us, to showcase the S60’s abilities and its agility. The microsite features videos of “tests” filmed to demonstrate the S60’s stability and traction controls, its choice of three chassis, and, more importantly, its safety features (we are talking about a Volvo here). Volvo’s City Safety technology, with which a car automatically breaks if the driver fails to react in time when the vehicle in front slows down or stops, comes as standard. And, for an extra $2100 buyers can have their S60 equipped with Volvo’s brand new Pedestrian Detection technology. These videos are fun to watch and the vehicle looks very impressive in each. But, of course, anything can be made to look good on video. Luckily, Volvo doesn’t force viewers to rely on these as evidence of the driving experience buyers can expect from this car. Volvo provides a “Show me the technology” link on each video that, when clicked, produces a window describing the technology being showcased. All in all, I think these videos (provided that enough people actually watch them) will be successful at convincing buyers to consider the S60 as a viable alternative to pricier European sports sedans. . It’s probably good that another S60 video (a big thanks goes to Richard from MotoringResearch.com for posting this video), which documents “tests” designed to determine what city should be called the “naughty capital” of Europe, was apparently produced exclusively for the European “All New Naughty S60″ campaign . I’m not at all impressed by this type of quasi-intellectualism. It’s not instructive (I doubt it’s scientifically sound) and it really just diminishes the reputation of the supposed experts lending (more likely leasing) their services. While I think this instance is pretty pathetic, Volvo is not the only brand willing to use such tactics, as evidenced by the climate debates that Lexus organized as part of it’s “Darker Side of Green” campaign for the Lexus CT 200h.

If you’ve read Road and Track or visited RoadandTrack.com lately, you may have noticed familiar backdrops to the long running enthusiast magazine’s vehicle tests. If you’ve noticed picturesque desert palms and snow-capped mountains, but did not see the special feature explaining the consistency in setting, now you can learn what Road & Track had been up to.

Earlier this year, Road and Track forged an “exciting” new partnership with Nevada’s Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch. Located 45 minutes west of Las Vegas in Pahrump, Nevada, Spring Mountain has and will continue to play host to R&T magazine tests, as well as a variety of events including driving schools for various experience levels, fantasy camps, and conferences.

The new function resulting from the new partnership will add to Spring Mountain’s existing attractions, which include the Ron Fellows Corvette Driving Center, a Lotus Performance Driving School, and a private motorsports country club.

Learn more about the Road & Track – Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch partnership:

Road & Track and Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch – Special Feature

http://www.springmountainmotorsports.com/

In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of its Helix synthetic motor oil – a lubricant that is supposed to clean the inside of your engine – Shell has produced a functional car constructed entirely out of transparent plexiglas. The car’s design is based on the popular Nissan 370z sports car; and it’s pretty on-point in terms of staying true to the 370z’s details. One obvious difference between Shell’s Z car and Nissan’s (besides the fact the Shell’s is see-through) is that Shell’s car features an engine double the size of a production 370z in order to show it’s helix motor oil at work. Obviously, Shell did not go to so much trouble to produce a see-through sports car that no one will see, so they also produced a great video showing off both the car and, of course, their oil.

Check out video of Shell’s Plexiglas 370′z

Jay Leno Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Driving

While Jay Leno is known to be the resident gearhead of late night talk TV, owning about 100 cars out of a total of 200 vehicles and moonlighting as a car-reviewer for The Sunday Times, it might end up being Conan O’Brien who’ll be most remembered for his automotive antics. During the recent feud between the two hosts and NBC over scheduling and ratings, which led to the canceling of the Late Night With Conan O’Brien Show and the Leno’s scheduled return to the coveted 11:30 time-slot, O’Brien decided to take revenge on NBC by producing ridiculously expensive bits. One of these bits featured Conan dressing up a purchased Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport as a mouse and using a very famous Rolling Stones tune  as its theme music. Music which, of course, had to be licensed for a lot of money. Not to be left out of the fun is Leno, who decided it was a good time to add a brand new Bugatti to his Big Dog Garage’s Bugatti wing. Below is a link to a video of Leno with his brand new $2.25 million Veyron featuring Bugatti’s North American Marketing Manager John Hill and former F1 driver Pierre-Henri Raphanel as well as clip of Conan’s Veyron Mouse bit.

Jay Leno’s Garage, featuring the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport.
Conan O’Brien Bugatti Veyron Mouse bit.

Audi e Tron Concept

The second Audi e-tron concept made a strong impression on attendees at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show. Like many concepts, this coupe looks more like a supercar than anything average drivers can expect to see on the road anytime soon. But, to the surprise of many, this electric car will be going into production in the form of an R4 (there’s already a strong family resemblance to the 2010 R8 ) to be sold by 2012. Of course you’re still unlikely to see one on the highway then, because Audi only plans to make 1,000 units, all made to order. And, if all 1,000 don’t sell, production will halt.

As it stands, the e-Tron concept weighs 3000 lb, of which 880 lb is in the form of lithium-ion batteries. It has two motors with a combined output of 204 horses powering the rear wheels. It should take about 11 hours to fully charge this machine, and that charge should be good for 150 miles of driving. Best of all, it looks mean! While I’m far from an expert on car design, I’m definitely impressed with the the work Stefan Sielaff is doing as head of Audi design. While trying to find details about the lecture he gave at the College for Creative Studies I came across some pretty cool promo videos featuring him. Please note, these clips may not impress the car know-it-alls reading this post, especially the ones commenting on blogs about how boring this e-Tron concept is compared to last year’s Sportback(A7).

If an electric R4 is successful, it could mark the first in a series of electric Audi’s marketed under the e-Tron label. While I do like the way “Audi Quatro” sounds, I love how the name “e-Tron” perfectly balances sports car swagger with green car geekness.

Mini Beachcomber

Recently displayed at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, the Mini Beachcomber concept, marks the next step in Mini’s development of a compact SUV. The Beachcomber is a design update to Mini’s original Crossover concept, unveiled at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, which was the first exhibit of Mini’s ideas for an SUV. The beachcomber sits on top of the same chassis and suspension as the earlier concept, which should also serve as the bedrock of a future production vehicle. A vehicle that will feature ample ground clearance and suspension travel, if the Beachcomber is any indication. Just as an idea of how far off the Beachcomber is from transitioning to production, Mini has yet to say what engine or transmission will be under the hood. One thing we know is that Mini has coined the name ALL4 for the featured All-Wheel-Drive system.

Aesthetically, the Beachcomber looks a lot more up to the task of competing with the Wrangler than its predecessor. Unlike the Crossover concept, which had quite the set of doors, the Beachcomber, apparently inspired by the Mini Moke, has shed loose all doors, save for half a tailgate. Attached to the tailgate segment is not an external spare-tire cover, but an extra storage compartment that just so happens to resemble an external spare-tire cover. Squared-off headlights, a smaller grill with inset rally lights, and a muscular hood bulge combine for a tough look. The inclusion of four full-size neoprene racing-style seats puts cargo room at a premium, but the rear seatbacks do fold back for more room. The instrumentation includes a compass and an inclinometer for off-road forays as well as an artificial horizon gauge for no practical reason at all.

A Mini SUV is expected to officially go into production in late Spring 2011. It will be the sixth addition to the line after production versions of the Coupe and Roadster concepts hit dealerships some time that same year.

Click here to view Mini Beachcomber concept photos

Honda’s SkyDeck Hybrid concept car was unveiled in October as a futuristic 6-seater for the modern family. Core77 magazine pointed out their favorite specs of Honda’s Skydeck, including the really neat design linking the windshield with the sunroof. Please check out their page for a closer look at the revolutionary SkyDeck.

www.roadandtrack.com

Legendary Mustang tuner Saleen has introduced yet another pumped-up version of Ford’s venerable pony car. The 2010 Ford Saleen Mustang S281 features a supercharged 4.6-liter V-8 that produces 485 horsepower, a bump of more than 150 horses over stock. The 281 refers to the engine’s displacement in cubic inches.

In addition to the more robust powerplant, the S281 features bodywork enhancements that include a new hood with a power dome/scoop that accommodates the supercharger, a revised grille, more aggressive front fascia and covers for the quarter windows. The S281 also features a sport-tuned suspension, beefed-up brakes and larger wheels and tires. Saleen says the upgrades are good for a 0–60 time of less than 6 seconds.

Photo Credit: RoadandTrack.com

At 2811 lb., the Boxster Spyder weighs 176 lb. less than the Boxster S, due partly to aluminum door skins and lighter interior door panels from the 911 GT3 RS. Less weight, combined with an upgraded direct-injected 3.4-liter flat-6 producing 320 bhp (an increase of 10 bhp over the Boxster S) and Porsche’s twin-clutch PDK transmission, enable the Boxster Spyder to reach 60 mph in just 4.6 sec., according to the manufacturer. For sure that’s a conservative figure, as we achieved 0–60 in 4.1 sec. in a 2009 Boxster S equipped with PDK (see R&T, July 2009 issue). Hard-core convertible fans will be happy to know that the Boxster Spyder is capable of reaching a top-down top speed of 166 mph.

Photo Credit: RoadandTrack.com

Unlike the limited-edition Boxster Spyders from 2004 and 2008, the 2011 Boxster Spyder will be a regular production model sold alongside the Boxster and Boxster S. The 2011 Porsche Boxster Spyder goes on sale in February 2010 at a price of $61,200.

The University of Kentucky’s solar car, competitor in the Great American Solar Car Challenge, is powered only by the sun’s renewable energy without releasing any emissions. Their advanced research is helping automobiles of the future and the progression of implementing solar technology to street legal cars. 2004 marked the start of development on Gato del Sol II.

The team decided to shift to a rigid fiberglass/polystyrene composite shell with a more aerodynamic foil significantly decreased the respective power consumption. A lighter chassis and shell contributed to a 50% reduction in weight. Electrically, substituting nickel metal hydride for lead acid batteries, and mono-silicon for poly- provided for a huge boost in power. The new and improved team vehicle made its first showing at the 2005 North American Solar Challenge.

Work and improvements to Gato del Sol II continued through the end of 2007 when a revision of the race rules were released for the 2008 North American Solar Challenge. These changes required a remarkable redesign of the car. A new stronger chassis, higher capacity lithium polymer batteries, more reliable maximum power point trackers, and 50% new shell marked the renaming of the car from Gato del Sol II to III.

Gato del Sol III was the team’s first finisher of the North American Solar Challenge in 2008. The momentum gained during that race propelled the team to adding efficient and reliable improvements during the following year. During the national Formula Sun Grand Prix 2009, their car outlasted the competition to take second place. Design is now completed, and construction underway on Gato del Sol IV. This car will be one of the most efficient solar cars in the country, pushing the brink of the technology even faster. With a theoretical drag coefficient of 0.09, the aerodynamics will be the marked improvement. This foil design, incorporating a rear-positioned driver, will allow the car to operate at high speeds on nearly the same power as earlier predecessors. The powerplant of over 2000, 28%+ efficient GaAs Solar Cells will help the car derive more energy during long days of racing. Lastly, an increase in the capacity of the battery pack, a 50lb reduction in weight, and more efficient tires will all add up to a blaze of solar blue. This car will debut at the 2010 American Solar Challenge, to be followed with a trip to the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia. Aside from designing and building cars, the team members actively promote the technology that they develop, and give presentations to K-12 students, peaking their interest in science, math and engineering.