The dream machines

The cars of the future are being designed today and come fully loaded with everything from energy savers to mood enhancers.

The beauty of the concept car is that developers are left with free rein to design exciting vehicle prototypes, which use styling and technology that are new to the market.

In light of growing concerns about the effects carbon emissions have on the environment, most of today's car manufacturers have focused their attention on technology that reduces the use of petrol and diesel, or omits it completely. This was reflected at various motor shows this year, such
as in Paris and Tokyo, where a large number of hybrid and electric concept vehicles were presented.

Renault ZE Concept

Renault has become dedicated to curbing CO2 emissions with the development of electric vehicles. The concept has been adapted to the spirit of an electric vehicle, and the designers have focused on minimising energy consumption, while at the same time providing core comfort features.

The energy consumption of auxiliary functions such as lighting, heating and climate control are optimised and centrally controlled. Solar panels, which are positioned on the roof, power a temperature regulation system. Heat-reflective paint and insulating bodywork contribute to the reduction of temperature fluctuations, which in conventional cars prompt the use of climate control or heating systems.

The insulation of the car is further optimised by the use of acid green-tinted glass for the glazed areas. In keeping with the energy efficiency theme, the headlamps use high-performance, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which are low consumers of energy.

Nissan Pivo 2

At last year's Tokyo motor show Nissan unveiled the innovative Pivo 2, an environmentally friendly electric urban commuter car, with a cabin capable of rotating 360 degrees. This concept had evolved from the original Pivo that was introduced in 2005. The unique selling point of the new Pivo is its Robotic Agent (RA), which connects the car to the driver, engendering feelings of affection and trust. Developers at Nissan believe that drivers who are in a positive state of mind have fewer accidents, therefore the Robotic Agent has been designed to talk and listen to the driver. RA recognises the driver's moods through conversational and facial monitoring technology and cheers up/soothes them accordingly.

The concept car features a 360-degree revolving cabin, which makes its front door accessible from any direction. The revolving cabin is made possible by advanced by-wire technology. This means the driver can always face forward while driving, even when parallel parking or when leaving a front-in parking space.

Audi A4 TDI concept E

Energy efficiency has become a top priority for the motor industry and Audi is committed to developing state-of-the-art fuel-saving technologies. At this year's Paris Auto Show, the company unveiled the A4 TDI concept technology, which has the handling characteristics of the A4, but requires just 3.99 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres, which corresponds to
a CO2 output of 105 grams per kilometre.

An array of features, from soft springs on the intake valves, to a new thermal management system, improve fuel efficiency. Intelligent technologies are used in the engine's functional environment too, such as on the fuel pump and the automatic air conditioning's compressor.

A start-stop function switches the engine off when the vehicle comes to a standstill, the shift lever is in the neutral position or the driver's foot is off the clutch pedal. The driver has two types of energy conserving features at their fingertips — they can either call up the economy training programme, or have the navigation system calculate the most fuel-efficient route to their destination.

Citroen Hypnos

Citroen unveiled its new environmentally friendly concept car at this year's Paris Motor Show. The vehicle's special hybrid technology shows the company's focus towards reducing carbon emissions. It features an all-new diesel hybrid engine called the HYmotion4.

Hypnos' diesel hybrid technology is designed to respect the environment. The ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) mode is a completely silent all-electric mode with a range of around 3 kilometres at 50 km/h, which is suitable on roads demanding successive acceleration and deceleration. Hypnos is also equipped with high-power Stop and Start technology that cuts out the engine when the car comes to a halt in traffic jams
or at red lights.