2012 Honda CR-V Concept: First Official Photo Leaked Onto the Web

Circulating around the internet today is an official photograph of the 2012 Honda CR-V Concept that previews the production model that is scheduled to follow by the end of the year.

In June, Honda had announced that it would present a new generation of its popular compact crossover model; however, the Japanese company had not disclosed any specific details on the vehicle other than it would sport a "new design inside and out, new features and new possibilities".

As with the recent Civic concepts, the CR-V show car seen here is very close to the actual production model. Just don't expect to see the concept's more dramatic elements such as the dark headlamp crystals, small exterior mirrors, large alloy wheels and the contrasting lower trim in a black finish.

The inner works of the fourth-generation CR-V remain a mystery for now though it's a pretty safe bet to assume that it will be offered with both front- and four-wheel drive configurations, as well as four-cylinder gasoline engine (in North America) linked to a six-speed automatic transmission.

We’ll have more comprehensive details on the 2012 Honda CR-V in the next few days.

Photo via Caranddriver

Ferrari World Design Contest: And the Winner is….

For the past few months, design students from 50 universities across the globe took up Ferrari’s challenge of designing a future supercar for the famous Italian brand. Now, following the completion of the second phase in which seven schools were chosen to move to the final round, we have a winner.

Drum-roll please…and the winners of the Ferrari World Design Contest are…the students from Seoul’s Hongik University. The South Korean school finished first ahead of the second-placed IED of Turin in Italy and London’s Royal College of Arts.

The first three winning models are:

1) Eternità– Kim Cheong Ju (Rep. of Korea), Ahn Dre (Rep. of Korea), Lee Sahngseok (Rep. of Korea) – Hongik University (Seoul)

2) Xezri– Samir Sadikhov – IED (Turin)

3) Cavallo Bianco – Henry Cloke (UK), Qi Haitao (China) – RCA (London)

Following the announcement of the winners, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo commented:

“Ferrari World Design Contest represents a window that we want to keep open on the world and the creative energy of the next generation. I saw at first hand the many genuinely innovative ideas that these talented youngsters sent us and could feel the enormous passion and commitment that had gone into them. I am certain that some of these suggestions will come to light in the Ferraris of the future.”

The Italian company said that the all of the design concepts focused on reducing weight and fuel consumption, the latter through alternative propulsion systems, and in particularly hybrid engines.

Commenting on the winning design from Korea, the Eternità (pictured in the opening photo), Ferrari stated: “The Seoul students provided the finest interpretation of Ferrari’s design brief for a thoroughbred hypercar brimming with new generation technologies and materials, an extreme (“hyper”) car not only in its architecture but also in every other aspect.”

PHOTO GALLERY

Volvo Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of its Pioneering SCC Study

Most concepts presented at motor shows remain just that: a stylistic exercise by the automaker’s designers, a “what if” proposal, a flight of fancy. At best, a few of them make it into production, mostly in a much more conventional form. But as with every rule, there are always an exception.

Volvo’s SCC Concept is one such example. Presented at the 2001 Detroit Motor Show, the Swedish carmaker’s Safety Concept Car was more than just a glimpse into the future or the main inspiration behind the C30’s design: it was the car that, above any other, influenced Volvo’s technological advances.

That is because the SCC was the starting point in Volvo’s active safety evolution: almost 15 of the advanced technical solutions that are found today in Volvo’s production cars were first previewed in the SCC.

"When we began work on the concept car at the end of the 1990s, Volvo was still primarily known for making family cars designed to protect their occupants in a collision. The SCC signaled the start of a new approach which enhanced safety for the occupants, where the car's most important safety task is to help avoid dangerous situations and accidents in the first place," explains Östen Strandberg, who was responsible for the development of the SCC.

One year later Volvo’s engineers started working on translating the SCC’s safety features into production realities. Moreover, in 2003, Volvo gave the green light for the development of the C30 which made its premiere at the Paris motor show in 2006.

Volvo is therefore celebrating the 10th anniversary of its active technology-introducing concept. To understand the impact of the SCC to the Swedish brand’s development, here is a list of the features that made it into production:

· Forward collision warning - today in its third generation with Pedestrian Detection, Collision Warning and Full Auto Brake. In addition, there is the ground-braking low-speed system, City Safety, which is fitted as standard to several Volvo models.

· Information projected on the windscreen - today the head-up display is part of the Collision Warning system.

· Technology that monitors vehicles in the "blind spot" and alerts the driver. Today this is known as BLIS (Blind Spot Information System).

· Warning system to alert the driver to the risk of straying from the lane. Today known as Lane Departure Warning and Driver Alert.

· Cruise control that maintains a set distance behind the vehicle in front. The present ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) operates all the way down to standstill in cars with automatic transmission.

· Flashing brake lights during hard braking - today known as Emergency Brake Lights.

· Safety cameras - today there are integrated reversing camera and grille-mounted camera offering drivers a 180-degree field of vision (accessory). A camera is also a key component in the Pedestrian Detection and Collision Warning system.

· Advanced headlights that follow the curvature of the road as the car turns - today Active Bending Lights.

· Further-developed HMI (Human Machine Interface) - now Volvo Sensus.

· Height-adjustable rear seat. Present today in the integrated two-stage child booster cushions.

· Protection for pedestrians - today this system is found as the energy-absorbing front structure and bonnet and in Pedestrian Detection.

· Steering wheel adjustable for height and reach - fitted today as standard.

· Passive unlocking and engine starting - today Keyless Go.

· Communication with the car via mobile phone - today via a newly developed Mobile Application that was introduced in spring 2011.

PHOTO GALLERY