Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive sets Nurburgring production EV record

The Mercedes SLS AMG ED (pictured) set a new EV lap record at the Nurburgring Just as Audi decides that the R8 e-Tron isn’t a production viable option, Mercedes decides to prove there is potential for electric cars at the very high end. The Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive has been to the Nurburgring and set a new lap record for a production electric car of just 7 minutes 55 seconds. The SLS AMG ED, which goes on sale very soon at more than £300k, may weigh a chunk more than a regular SLS (550kg more), but it gets plenty of help from its four electric motors – one at each corner – to overcome the weight of its batteries with 751bhp and 737lb/ft of torque on hand.

Toyota Winglet concept (2008): first pictures

By Tom Richards First Official Pictures 04 August 2008 14:33 Toyota has just unveiled the ‘Winglet’, one of its ‘people-assisting Partner Robots’.  It isn’t exactly a car per se, but it has wheels, a motor, and it is a valid alternative to walking. It even has its own ‘trim’ levels – ‘S’, ‘M’ and ‘L’ (from left to right in our pictures). These range from ‘practical’ (with the long handle) to ‘hands-free sporty’.

Range Rover designers talk tactics [w/Video]

Range Rover designers and engineers have come together in a short video to discuss the reasons and influences behind their decisions when it came to designing the brand's fourth-generation flagship SUV. Developing a new Range Rover is always going to a difficult job, given its status as the world's best 4x4 and its avid fan base, and in this video we get a chance to hear from the people who influenced this latest model. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer, explains: "Great design is the gateway to customer desirability, it's about making that personal connection.