Automotive Cockpit Concept Punishes Bad Driving With Hasselhoff Tunes [Design]

If the designers of the Automotive Cockpit have their way, the next time you cut off your fellow traveler or turn without signaling, you'll be punished by a serenade from none other than the Hoff.

With the relentless integration of personalized music into car stereo systems in an effort to insulate the entire natural world from our senses, interesting opportunities for feedback on driving styles emerge. Since the youth market is so tuned into music that is their own, it's conceivable that playing other music when they behave badly behind the wheel will act as a deterrent for future poor driving. This is the concept behind the Automotive Cockpit.

Besides swiping the single bottom spoke design from Citroen and using chipper colors and gee-whiz techno-ideas, the Automotive cockpit will play your music happily when you're being good. When you make a low level mistake it'll play tunes by the great crooner David Hasselhoff, if you make a high level mistake, it plays something called "hüttenschlager," which, we assume is some mercilessly bad German traditional music totally uncool with the kids these days.

Of course, if this were released in Germany, it would have the opposite effect, with kids breaking the rules to hear the Hoff rock out in symphonic surround sound. [Design Launches]

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Corsa Motorsports Creates Hybrid Le Mans Racer, Goes Quietly Into That Green Night

According to FOXNews, the American Le Mans Series has teamed up with the Environmental Protection Agency to create the “Green Challenge”, a harbinger of the apocalypse intended to promote the use of alternative fuel technologies. In addition to overall performance, participants in Le Mans will also be ranked by the amount of energy their vehicles use and the size of their subsequent carbon footprint.

Reigning LMP1 champs like Audi R10 are already powered by enviro-friendly diesel or ethanol-converted engines, but Corsa Motorsports is changing the game entirely with their Zytek LMP1 hybrid racer.

Developed jointly with hybrid part supplier and racing engineer, Zytek Group, the Zytek LMP1 hybrid racer is capable of reaching speeds well over 200mph and is technically classified as a serial hybrid. Powered dually by gasoline and electric engines, the Zytek LMP1 features a lithium ion battery-powered 50-hp electric motor that is directly connected to a 4.5L V8 gasoline engine, configured to run on the E10 ethanol/gasoline blend of fuel. Entered to compete in Le Man’s top LMP1 prototype division, the Zytek LMP1 is scheduled to make its preliminary debut October 2 at the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta.

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Is the Caterham Seven Superlight R500 Beckoning You to the Track?

If you are in the UK walking near a race course and suddenly hear the stirring of giant bee’s do not be afraid. It just means that sales for the new Caterham Seven Superlight R500 are doing well and some UK racers are receiving a temporary facelift and a lot of thrills.

Caterham has upped the ante with their latest Seven series that builds off the earliest racing roadsters influence, but with more grunt, punch and far lighter materials. With the Superlight R500 they have added even more carbon fiber and Kevlar to shave off even more weight from the car. For the 2.0 Ford Durtec engine and its 263 horses and 177 ft lbs of torque that results in a 0-60 time of 2.88 seconds. With a horsepower to weight ratio of 520-hp to 1 (coming in at 516kg, or 1,116-lbs) the new Seven is the purpose driven open-cockpit track dragon many racers have been waiting for.
…Check out the Offical Press Release and gallery after the leap… (more…)

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Ford Europe adds a Cabriolet to their New Focus Line-up

Ford Europe outshines its North American counterparts yet again with the introduction coming at the Geneva Auto Show of the new Focus Cabriolet. It is based off the new Ford Focus design that has already had a friendly reception in Europe. The Cabriolet version will join the ranks with the 3-door, 4-door, 5-door, Wagon and Sporty ST and the anticipated racy RS version when it is released in 2009. However, with its hard-top convertible and open air driving the Cabriolet is certain to have an appeal all its own.

In the Press Release below you will notice that Ford is highly talkative about their trunk space. For a Convertible in general, but particularly for a small hard-top convertible, the Focus Cabriolet comes in with an adequate 524 liters of trunk space with the top up. With the top retracted there remains a complimentary 248 liters. This way if the whole convertible thing does not work out for them they can still promote the trunk space.

Full Gallery of images to follow

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VW taps the Who to usher the return of the Camper Bus?

It has been reported out of the UK that after years of concepts and toying with the notion VW may finally be ready to put out an affordable and modernized version of the VW Camper. Following a 60 year anniversary celebration in Hanover, Germany where the Who performed before 40,000 fans VW officials contacted the Who to get them involved in the Campers revival. While the original VW Camper still has the connotation as a Hippie-mobile, the new Camper would be marketed to attract buyers both old and new.

Ofcourse it will be with its feet in the “old” that the VW Camper will find its marketing campaign. The Who have reportedly already agreed to allow VW to utilize their Magic Bus song for the marketing campaign. (more…)

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Aptera Motors accepting pre-orders on 300-MPG car

After years of work Aptera Motors is finally ready to accept pre-orders for their unique 3-wheeled hybrid. The Aptera, as it is aptly called, is an electric-hybrid that is said to achieve up to 300-mpg due to its lightweight construction and electric propulsion. The one-cylinder engine housed within the car is used solely for recharging the batteries. The Cesna/teardrop design is intended to reduce the drag on the car thus aiding it in reaching 60-mph in 11 seconds. The top speed of the Aptera is 95-mph. So the question is: while the Aptera is nearly ready for you, are you ready for an Aptera?

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Callaway C16 Speedster to be unveiled at Pebble Beach

Callaways latest rendition of the Corvette strips away all barriers between you and the road with its open cockpit design. The new Callaway C16 Speedster shares the redesigned lines of the C16 but with far less glass and much more punch beneath the hood. The first production Speester will be delivered to its buyer at the Pebble Beach Conours de’Elegance that runs August 15th through the 19th.

Like all Callaway cars the new buyers of the C16 Speedster can make their choice of color and interior leather for the car, but all cars come with the supercharged 6.2 liter engine. Not only will the driver of this car have the wind in his or her hair they will also have the power of 700-hp pushing them headlong into that wind. That is an 85-hp increase from the regular Callaway C16 already on sale.

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