One-off concepts tend not to grab my attention. This time, however, I’ll make an exception. Meet the Ferrari F-340 Competizione, which will be built by Gullwing America. This car, based on the 1952 Ferrari 340 Mexico Berlinetta, will only be built for one lucky owner. The original was much more common, with a whopping three examples ever built.

Not quite just a copy, this F-340 Competizione will be powered by a modern 470 HP 5.4 liter V12, and will be based on a 456 Ferrari platform.

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Source.

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Like any mainstream Honda concept, the 2012 CR-V Concept is 99% likely to be the production vehicle. Once you take off the fancy wheels and shiny bits, of course. For the most part, there’s nothing suprising here. It’s a similar design to the outgoing CR-V, though the rear quarter is a little funky. Not sure if I like it… but I’m definitely not the target buyer for this vehicle anyway.

There is no word on specs yet, but you can count on there being a single four-cylinder engine offered, with your choice of FWD or AWD. The rumormill says to expect a six speed automatic as an upgrade from the current 5. A welcome change, but also not surprising.

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What do we have here? A concept, the likes of which I can’t ever recall seeing.  Meet the Peugeot RC HYmotion4 Concept – part sports car, part sedan, and part hybrid gas-saver.  Say what?  You heard me.  The looks speak for themselves – this is a true “four door coupe”, if you must use that phrase.  It has four full doors, but is styled much more like a coupe than a traditional sedan.  However, the back seat is actually accessible for humans – something that can’t be said about most coupes.  But what about under the hood?  Take a look:

Peugeot RC HYmotion4 Specs

• 313 HP ( combined gas and electric ), 338 lb-ft of torque
• 95 HP electric motor ( front mounted )
• 1.6 liter gas engine ( rear mounted )
• Lithium Ion battery pack
• 0-60 comes in 4.4 seconds
• Top speed: 183 highly illegal MPH
• Estimated fuel economy of 52 MPG

See, even though I don’t believe the loftly claims on fuel economy ( 52 MPG AND 313 HP?  C’mon….. ), I still really want this car to make it to product.  Sad thing is, there’s not much chance it ever will.  Pricing will undoubtedly be prohibitive, at least in the near future.  Lithium batteries are extremely expensive, and could push this car close to the six figure range.  Not exactly a mass-market vehicle. Still, it’s nice to dream.

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Both hybrid technology and diesel engines are known for their fuel efficiency.  What if you took the two and combined them?  That’s exactly what BMW has done with the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept – basically a diesel hybrid X5.  Under the hood is a twin-turbo 2.0 liter 4 cylinder diesel engine that puts out 204 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque.  The electric motor from the hybrid system tacks on another 20 HP and 154 lb-ft of torque.  It doesn’t sound like this thing will have any trouble in the “get up and go” department.

Early estimates from BMW put efficiency in the 43.5 MPG range – wow.  That’s a phenomenal figure for a midsize SUV, and something that hasn’t been done before.  The hybrid diesel powertrain plays a large factor of course, and BMW tossed some solar panels up on the roof to help out.

No word on an ETA, or price.  But it is a BMW, it is a hybrid, and it is a diesel.  It will not be cheap.  But if you’ve got the coin to spend, this could be a fantastic vehicle to own.  All the style, power, and utility of an X5, with the gas mileage of a Civic Hybrid.

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Meet Nissan’s most realistic concept – the Intima. Aside from the horrible name, you’ll see that this is a largish sedan, complete with pointless-feature-of-the-day suicide rear doors. Since the front and rear doors open in the same spot, there is no room for a B pillar. In a car this large, that’s likely to mean the rigidity of a wet noodle – not exactly fitting for a Nissan.

Nissan is introducing a completely new Maxima in 2009 – and this could possibly be the first glimpse at what they have in store for it. There has been talk of a “four door coupe” design, and the Intima goes slightly along those lines, though not as far as I was expecting. The front end seems a bit large and boaty though – it could stand to lose a few pounds.

Once upon a time the Maxima lived up to the “four door sports car” name. Today it’s a big, bloated machine that is outclassed by it’s own younger brother the Altima. Let’s hope that Nissan doesn’t introduce the Intima as the new Maxima. I’d love to see the Maxima go on a diet and shed some pounds – get some of that performance edge back.

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The CR-X is on it’s way back – only this time, it’s crazy cool looking and called the CR-Z. Honda says that CR-Z stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero”, but there’s no question that the CR-Z is really the modern-day interpretation of the CR-X. I didn’t care for the CR-X personally – I thought it was ugly, and the fact that most CR-X’s on the road were equipped with double-decked sky high wings and Folger’s exhaust cans didn’t help. But no matter – the past is past.

The most likely candidate for a powertrain in the CR-Z is the current Civic Hybrid setup – a 1.3 liter 4 banger mated with Honda’s fantastic IMA hybrid-electric system. This setup is already extremely efficient in the Civic Hybrid – it should be significantly moreso in the CR-Z due to the smaller size and lighter weight.

This car has enormous potential – the great looks will attract buyers, as will the potentially amazing fuel economy ( think better than the Prius ). Performance should also be quite impressive, since Honda will be focusing on keeping the weight low. More details will be released in about two weeks – and I can’t wait.

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