Volkswagen’s “People’s Car Project”

Volkswagen invited the people of China to submit their best design ideas, and they now have three concepts to show for it. A Hover Car, a Music Car and a Smart Key concept were unveiled at the 2012 China Auto Show, the result of Volkswagen’s “People’s Car Project.” Launched last year, the initiative asked users to log onto a website and submit ideas that could be discussed with others, in what the German described as “mass manufacturing.” 33 million page views and 119,000 submissions later, the “People’s Car Project” will be extended indefinitely, Volkswagen announced.
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Mercedes-Benz Style Coupe Concept

The Mercedes-Benz Style Coupe Concept doesn't disappoint. Defined by a striking exterior, it features innovative, aggressive new headlamps and taillights, a diamond-look grille, muscular lines, 20-inch wheels, and a special Alubeam paint finish, a tested, road-ready turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder engine, and a funky interior that's highlighted by a panoramic glass roof, the lack of B-pillars, a carbon fiber dash, white nubuck leather on the instrument panel, air vents that change color based on the selected temperature, neon green accents, and a new version of MB's COMAND system that uses your smartphone's data connection to stay up-to-date.
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IKEA is now selling houses

Last week at the Portland Home & Garden Show affordable furniture giant Ikea unveiled the “Aktiv,” a prefab home which will set you back $86,000 and arrive by trailer in either one or two pieces.  When the home arrives it will be partially furnished and have the pipes, light fixtures, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom already installed – you get to pick the colours.
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Apple iPhone 5 Concept

Check out Italian designer Federico Ciccarese mock-up of what the Apple iPhone 5 could look like based on numerous rumours.
Ciccarese’s vision of the iPhone 5 predicts a slightly curved back. The body of the phone, in fact, looks similar to Apple’s Magic Mouse. The display is flat and “retina” in nature and the phone tapers off at the top and bottom.
The headphone jack has moved to the side to accommodate the new design and the back looks to be blasted aluminum, similar to what is used on the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and iMac.
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BlackBerry concept by John Anastasiadis

It’s a surprise to see how this BlackBerry concept by John Anastasiadis incorporates an all-encompassing sensitive display.
These polished images of the proposed mobile phone picture an uninterrupted interactive surface of apps that smoothly turns the corner along one side of the device, covering the entire back and front of the handset. The only visible buttons appear on the other edge of the gadget, and these presumably offer convenient volume controls. This BlackBerry concept by John Anastasiadis also has at least one more trick up its sleeve. A slim QWERTY keyboard pops out and retracts to accommodate those who still crave tactility.
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Mercedes-Benz F-125 Gullwing Concept Car

Unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show, here’s the first official pictures of the new Mercedes-Benz F-125 Gullwing Concept Car. The experimental hybrid concept is powered by four electric motors with a combined output of 231-horsepower that draw energy generated by fuel cells. 

The coupe model completes the standard 0 to 62mph sprint in 4.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 137mph, while it has a driving range of 622 miles. Chassis and bodywork of the new prototype are made ​​with a mixed technique that uses aluminum, plastics and carbon fiber.

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The Vittoria Concept Car

Italian designer Umberto Palermo has officially unveiled his Vittoria concept car at the 2012 Qatar Motor Show. The Vittoria is a supercar with a hybrid V8 engine. The concept is shrouded in mystery, with no specific engine details or performance specs given.

What we know about the Vittoria concept car is what we can see, which is actually kind of a lot. 

This concept has a futuristic design that makes it look more like it belongs in the world of “Speed Racer” than in this one. The front grille has an odd look that replaces a single grille with a series of small portholes. The taillights use LEDs and the cabin looks a lot like a cockpit.

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Hospitalis Restaurant

Hospitalis is a hospital-themed restaurant in Riga, Latvia. The entire restaurant was decked out to look as much like a hospital as possible.
The people behind Hospitalis went all out when they designed the restaurant. Patrons or “patients” ate on operating tables with scalpels and forceps. Dishes were designed to look like body parts and patrons could even have their meal fed to them by a sexy nurse provided they were willing to be bound in a straight jacket. 

The bizarre restaurant also featured a dentist and gynecologist-themed dining area. Hospitalis seems like a great idea, but unfortunately it was not up to code and was shut down by Latvian health inspectors.
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TAG Heuer Mikrogirder 2000 Concept watch

Meet the TAG Heuer Mikrogirder 2000 Concept watch- a dual-assortment, ultra high-beat watch with a Chronograph beating at 7.2 million times every hour, meaning that the watch can time events to 5/ 10,000th of a second.

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The Ferrari Xezri Concept

The Ferrari Xezri Concept, designed by Samir Sadikhov for the Ferrari World that held a design contest last year and fielded designs from all over the world from hopeful artists who had an opportunity to have their car put into production. The second place entry for the Ferrari World Design Contest 2011 was Sadikhov from Azerbaijan who designed the Xezri Concept car.

“My Ferrari project was an idea of designing a model that a synthesis of its technological knowledge and its sporting experience, said Sadikhov. “This project must be the source of the highest level of technology characterizing a unique car, which is absolutely innovative and represents the quintessence of Ferrari past and present and looks to the Ferrari of the future.”
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Maserati’s Kubang Concept set to be launched

Maserati’s Kubang Concept, which was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, is all set to make its debut on North American soil in Detroit. The Kubang shares a sentiment with Detroit, the city being the place where the SUV will be built. Maserati expects the SUV to do well, anticipating sales of about 20,000 a year, mostly in the US and China.
Though the SUV is now being referred to as the Kubang, the name will be changed as soon the vehicle gets into production. The Kubang shares a common platform with the latest Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango. The Maserati Style Center headed by Lorenzo Ramaciotti has, however, ensured that the body design remains unique.
Not much is known about the performance of the Kubang at the moment. The company has revealed that the production model of the Kubang will be similar to the concept, save for the interior which will get a revamp before production. North America continues to remain Maserati’s most important market, with an incredible sales growth of 10 per cent year-over-year in 2011.
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HYT Watch Concept

HYT represents a new concept in watchmaking — HYT stands for “Hydro Mechanical Horologists” and the brand will be dedicated to producing watches that not only contain liquid in them but use the liquid for a functional purpose.
HYT claims 7 pending patents for various aspects of the H1, further underscoring the new ground that HYT CEO Vincent Perriard is breaking with this watch.
Coming in three case styles the H1 will be available in titanium, DLC black coated titanium, and 18k red gold. The case will be 48mm wide and 18mm thick.
Of course the most notable aspect of the watch is the luminescent greenish-yellow liquid ring you see around the dial. The H1 uses the liquid to display the hours on a circular tube around the edge of the dial.
The two piston looking devices you see on the bottom of the dial are used to push and pull the liquid to show the time on the scale.
The minutes are displayed on the medium-sized sub dial set near the center-top watch, with a cool paddle-wheel style seconds hand to the left.
On the right you can see there is also a power reserve indicator (65 hours) for the manual-wind mechanical movement.
The HYT H1 watch price is $45,000 for the titanium model (the titanium DLC and red gold models with be meaningfully higher).
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The Slim Toaster

The Slim Toaster is a great solution to reduce kitchen countertop clutter.

This innovative culinary device earned Ayca Guven and Muzaffer Kocer first prize at an IMMIB Design Competition.

It’s imaginative and practical, it makes efficient use gravity and maintains a standard of neatness.

Only about as thick as three slices of bread, the form of the gadget is streamlined and contemporary with a set of sleek clip-on tongs. Fixed securely to the backsplash, it incorporates a bread slot from top to bottom. Browned slices are dispensed through the base of the Slim Toaster and the crumbs can be collected for bird food.

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E-Bugster concept by Volkswagen

The new 2012 Volkswagen bug goes electric with their new E-Bugster concept. The chop top is powered by an electric motor that produces 114 horsepower and 199 lb-ft of torque. As for range the car has enough power for a little less than 100 miles and can be recharged to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes.
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Lexus LF-LC Concept

Lexus LF-LC Concept is a radical take on the four-seater coupe, with an impressively fluid body, wild front fascia, funky headlamps, and a multi-layered instrument panel. As with most concepts, you're guess is a good as ours as to when — or even if — something resembling this beauty might be available.
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The Droplet outdoor workspace Concept

The Droplet outdoor workspace is an inventive seating system designed to get university students to study outside. 
Droplet was designed by Nick Chubb, a designer obviously against the stuffiness and antisocial studying that occurs inside of college libraries and computer labs.
The Droplet outdoor workspace consists of six hanging chairs (droplets) and two tables. The droplets can be repositioned and re-sized to fit students of all shapes and heights. The unique shape of the chairs ensures that students will be able to study rain or shine.
Creative seating like the Droplet would be a great way to get students to study outside in the sunshine. Here’s to hoping that Chubb designs an indoor version of droplet sometime soon. 
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Lexus Concept Car Teaser

Lexus has released the first teaser image of a new concept vehicle set to be unveiled at next month’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
The Toyota-owned brand said that the new concept model will showcase a new design direction for the brand, developed by its team in California.
Believed to be a sports model, it appears to signal something of a departure from the understated styling that Lexus has been known for in recent years, with sharp lines and an aggressive appearance.
That’s an aim also being embraced by Lexus’s parent company Toyota, which unveiled its new sports car in late November in a bid to shed its rather staid image.
The model will be officially revealed January 9, on the first press day of the show ahead of its public opening, which takes place January 11.
www.lexus.com/

Nissan Juke-R

A one-off build, the Juke-R takes Nissan's smallish crossover and crams a 485 hp, twin-turbo V6 — taken from the GT-R, in case you were wondering — under its stunted hood, making for what are sure to be some striking track times, and adds to the flair with a matte black paint job, black rims, racing seats, and five-point harnesses. 
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Aston Martin Voyage yatch Concept

The Aston Martin Voyage boat was inspired by Aston Martin vehicles such as the Vantage, Rapide, DBS and Virage and was unveiled last week.
De Basto, a Miami-based custom yacht designer, put together the concept as a way to test whether the car brand’s signature design could be transposed onto water.

The design is so clever, it looks like you are basically driving the luxury sportscar on the water.  The model is very much only a concept, and de Basto makes clear that although he has Aston Martin’s permission for the use of their name in the concept, it’s not intended for production or any commercialization.
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Evian Lady

Evian Lady packaging looks unblemished and beautiful.
Designer Kenneth Wong wished to appeal to a precise consumer base: women who are drawn to fashionable things. Evian Lady packaging turns a dull molded flask into a delicately carved diamond-esque vessel which no girl would be ashamed to carry.
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