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  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited August 2 Posts: 18,988
    Yes they used the same design, basically. Funnily enough AC did the same thing years later with another concept car, the 328 Zagato, which was a design used for another brand already, but I forget which now.

    IMG_0813sc.jpg

    The 428 itself was pretty similar to a Maserati, although it is a different design. I think they're superb.

    AC428Fastback_02.jpg
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    edited August 29 Posts: 4,466
    Here is the first revelation of BMW's New Class (Neue Klasse) iX3. I appreciate their courage, but have mixed feelings concerning the design, particularly the inside.

  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited August 29 Posts: 2,117
    That's just an old concept at this point. The actual new western iX3 (it's been on sale in China for years already) will debut *very soon* please use a real news source.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 18,988
    Are there actually Neue Klasse cars coming? I really love the design language, they feel like the BMs of the 70s a bit, which I really appreciate.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited August 29 Posts: 2,117
    mtm wrote: »
    Are there actually Neue Klasse cars coming? I really love the design language, they feel like the BMs of the 70s a bit, which I really appreciate.

    According to all the spy shots, it should be pretty revolutionary. They are going for it. The gas 3 Series will also adapt NK looks, and then the gas 5 and i5 will get tweaked to be similar, and 7 sedan is also getting tweaked but not really full NK design. Makes sense as they are prioritizing higher volume models with the dramatic design and will keep more classic, boxy lines for the limo. Makes sense to me to not have the limo look too similar to the more affordable car.

    https://carbuzz.com/electric-2027-bmw-x3-m-launch-name-details/
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 2 Posts: 18,988
    New Audi concept looks cool I think.

    audi-concept-c-100.jpg

    A251474_large_1.jpg?w=1784&h=1004


    Just a bit of a shame it looks like every other sports car Audi have made for the last thirty years I think.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,367
    All Audis have been looking like their preceding models for the last thirty years. Or make that more than fifty. As for this one, I find the front ugly, just imitating the current Bugattis (which are also ugly). With the grille, they seem to be reminiscing the 1930s' Auto Union racecars...but not successfully. - On the upside, it does look better than the atrocious concept cars coming from Jaguar recently. Which is a low bar to clear.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 2,117
    Jaguar has only produced one concept car in a long time. Everyone is overreacting to it and it's embarrassing.
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,367
    OK, make that one concept car. But I agree it is embarrassing. The car, that is.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited September 2 Posts: 2,117
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    OK, make that one concept car. But I agree it is embarrassing. The car, that is.

    Everybody hated the 2011 Land Rover DC100 Sport Concept, until it showed up as the 2020 Defender and suddenly people liked it. Similar automaker and similar design approach. Production cars never look like concept cars. In a world of Rolls Royce and Chinese design, the Jag makes a lot of sense for how the brand wants to reposition itself. They have Chinese ownership and a CEO from India. It's not embarrassing until something actually happens. Right now, things are going according to plan for them, if not even better given the attention.

    Back to the Audi. I think it's smart to look at the past of the TT and R8 and go, "this can be one car now." While they wont move the combined volume of the TT and R8 at its height with one model again, I'd guess, they'll sell almost as many on a good year and make a lot more per car than they ever did on a TT.

    Also, as per the earlier discussion re: BMW SUVs and the Neue Klasse design, it's coming this week as promised:

    Gz3pSQuXkAAw83X?format=png&name=360x360
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou, but I now hear a new dog barkin'
    Posts: 9,367
    Hate to correct you, but Jaguar Land Rover is owned by Tata Motors of India. It's not just the CEO who is from India. As for the Audi, I doubt that this will in any way be able to take the place of the TT, which originally was based on the same platform as the VW Golf. It will probably cost three or four times as much and will be closer to the R8. Meaning that there are very few who will buy it, and some of those who can afford it may reject it because it is electric. For the time being.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited September 2 Posts: 2,117
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    Hate to correct you, but Jaguar Land Rover is owned by Tata Motors of India. It's not just the CEO who is from India. As for the Audi, I doubt that this will in any way be able to take the place of the TT, which originally was based on the same platform as the VW Golf. It will probably cost three or four times as much and will be closer to the R8. Meaning that there are very few who will buy it, and some of those who can afford it may reject it because it is electric. For the time being.

    Ah yeah, Tata, my bad. And as for Audi, it is stated by the brand this one model is meant to replace the TT and R8 together, so you aren't correcting me on anything there. Audi will guide those interested in a two-door sports model to this car. That is a replacement for its other two door sports cars. That's just a fact. The TT has been an expensive sports car, far moreso than the Golf, for the past decade. They don't need to replace the TT, however, because nobody is interested in that type of vehicle for what it would cost today.

    And you can't claim nobody will buy the new e-Audi. They sell plenty of their other performance EVs at volumes that are sustainable. The E-Tron GT sedan outsells most of the A7/S7/RS7 lineup. You are not an expert in this field, you don't have Audi's research and customer book, and you don't even know how much it will cost yet. So don't speak out of turn and call it a failure. You should be excited that there's a new sports car coming.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 18,988
    They're saying it's likely the new Boxster platform is under the clothes so it'll undoubtably be more upmarket than the TT was, but yeah: somewhere beneath the R8. I just find it a little bit of a shame it's such a familiar look (it even looks like the future Audi Will Smith drives in I, Robot), but I think it is pretty handsome, and the details look lovely. I don't love the front but I don't think it looks bad, the rear end is very nice though.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 2,117
    Agreed. And the front is the most changing part of a car across variants, which Audi sports cars famously get a lot of. So there will be more aggressive lower aero on future production models I would imagine, and possibly different uh grille shapes.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    edited September 5 Posts: 2,117
    @zebrafish you were about a week early on the new BMW stuff, I couldn't say anything but here is the new iX3 (link broke see below)
  • 007InAction007InAction Australia
    Posts: 2,733

    Awful.......... Anyone like it ?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 5 Posts: 18,988
    You don't like anything though.
    I think it's pretty handsome but, like a lot of concept cars to real world ones, it's lost a bit of the lovely purity of the Neue Klasse designs. I do like the front and that the leaning-forward nose has come back, and the bonnet is almost 2002.
    The performance and range sounds very impressive.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 2,117
    I would prefer some classic metal/chrome on the grille in place of light-up everything but otherwise it's what I was expecting. The current X3 had gotten sort of bulbous and awkward, this is less of that.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited September 5 Posts: 18,988
    Yeah, although it's not as pure and simple as the concepts, it is still nice and pared down compared to where the current cars had gone. I also like that, although it is a bit beefier compared to the concept language, it doesn't look aggressive- I don't like all of the aggressive-looking cars around now, I think it's silly. As you say: look at the current X3 and its slightly ridiculous angry face.

    It's not as daring-looking as a new BM usually is, but it's pretty nice. Won't scare any horses. As I say, I do really appreciate the slight 60s/70s feel of it.

    It's got a hint of a sharknose, and look at that old-school BMW bonnet shape:

    P90615625_highRes.jpg?w=1784&h=1004

    And the new i3 looks like it might be quite a handsomely-proportioned car to me:

    2026-bmw-i3-na0-spy-photos-10.jpg
  • zebrafishzebrafish <°)))< in Octopussy's garden in the shade
    Posts: 4,466
    @LucknFate yeah, I was a bit early, as I had gotten too excited by first news from the International Automobile Fair in Munich, where BMW today announced the final design of the iX3.

    But I am rather happy, compared to that study the real deal has been smoothened a lot around the back wheel arches. In the end, the major change is on the inside. I do not think that the wide, free standing display of current models is well integrated. The new idea of projecting the most important stuff along the bottom of the windscreen is an interesting idea that removes the clutter from the driver/center monitor. That to me is the biggest change for a BMW: Historically, everything was centered towards the driver, now even the driver's display is gone.

    A few questions remain, why is there a top-spoke on the wheel? I get that all info now is above the wheel, but still it feels strange.
    Is there a physical button to turn all nonsense noises off?
    Without the iDrive button, is there a way to avoid touching the display? I am not a fan of fatty fingerprints on shiny surfaces.
    What are the personalisation features regarding the look and feel of the displays?
    What happened to the idea of the low side windows of the study? Will its airy atmosphere re-appear at some time? I quite liked the big spacey windows of the 90s cars.
    The iX3 gets the vertical kidneys, the i3 is back to horizontal. Is this the end of the oversized beaver-teeth look or just the start of new endless variations?
    Lots of colour variants is a great bonus over competitors like Volvo (which still have too few options) and the blue from the presentation is a great choice, in my opinion.

    Still, all in all not bad. It will be exciting to see how the new design features will be integrated into the rest of the model line.
  • LucknFateLucknFate 007 In New York
    Posts: 2,117
    Good fair points.. I fear my answers about the interior would disappoint you.

    Also, I have to say the iX3 looks far better than the new Mercedes GLC that will debut on Sept. 7. Don't say I didn't warn you.
  • Posts: 7,024
    Love the new Audi. Finnaly a good looking ev! Pure architecture, that one. Well done, Audi.

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