Events

Game-changing Concepts at the Paris Motor Show

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Robb Young | September 30, 2010

As the biennial auto show gets under way, Lamborghini and BMW's MINI have previewed new models, from two extremes, which the firms hope will shake up their respective markets

As the biennial auto show gets under way, Lamborghini and BMW’s MINI have previewed new models, from two extremes, which the firms hope will shake up their respective markets

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

The premiere of the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, is named after the sixth element of the periodic table, carbon, which is the material (CFRP) giving the car its feather weight feature – in spite of the burden of a supercar-sized engine. Automobili Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann suggested to Forbes that it would be a game-changing design in the sector : “It shows how the future of the super sports car can look,” Winkelmann said. “Extreme lightweight engineering combined with extreme performance results in extreme driving fun.”

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

The MINI Scooter E Concept

First previewed during the London Design Festival, BMW’s MINI brand is also hoping to shake up the market with its new retro-looking eco-scooter concept. “The MINI scooters are based on an electric drive train so that would lead to zero emissions and that’s the same as the Mini E and the electric car,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, head of design at BMW. The Daily Mail profiled its high-tech gadgetry including a snap-in adaptor in which a driver can insert his smart-phone into the front console. The feature functions like a secure ‘key’, allowing only the driver to start the engine.

British model Agyness Deyn unveiling one of the MINI Scooter E Concept models in London before their launch at the Paris Motor Show

Cars