Automotive Archives - The Flighter

Automotive

Honda City Turbo II Might Look Like a Normal 1980s Hatchback, But it Came with a Motorbike in the Trunk

By Bill Smith April 17, 2021

Photo credit: Bring a Trailer
For those who have come across a 1983 Honda City Turbo II, nothing about this hatchback really stood out, that is until…you looked in the trunk. That’s right, this is where a folding 49cc Honda Motocompo scooter was stored. The vehicle itself is powered by a turbocharged 1.2L inline-four engine generating 108 hp and 118 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, this was only released in Japan, but can now be imported into the states legally.

Automotive

XPeng P5 Electric Sedan Comes with LiDAR to Give it the Strongest Autonomous Driving Architecture in its Class

By Bill Smith April 15, 2021

XPeng Motors has just announced its third production model, the XPeng P5. It’s touted as the world’s first production smart EV equipped with automotive-grade LiDAR technology, complete with Navigation Guided Pilot (NGP) capabilities for city roads, all powered by a proprietary full-stack autonomous driving system, the XPILOT 3.5. This autonomous driving architecture consists of 32 perception sensors (including 2 LiDAR units, 12 ultrasonic sensors, 5 millimeter-wave radars, and 13 high-resolution cameras) and 1 high-precision positioning unit (GNSS + IMU), integrated into 360° dual-perception fusion to provide sufficient redundancy across the perception sensors to handle tough road conditions.

Automotive

Futuristic MG Cyberster is an All-Electric Roadster with a 500-Mile Range

By Jackson Chung April 4, 2021

The futuristic MG Cyberster is set to be revealed at the 2021 Shanghai Auto Show later this month, and it’s basically a two-door, two-seater sports car that draws inspiration from the clasic MGB Roadster. Other design features include classic round MG headlights, a sleek grille design, a ‘laser belt’ LED strip down the side of the car, and innovative ‘Magic Eye’ headlights that actually open when switched on.

Automotive

What an Apple Car with Wireless Charging Could Look Like

By Bill Smith April 3, 2021

Photo credit: Emre Husmen
Codenamed Project Titan, Apple’s electric car is still under wraps, but details are slowly starting to leak out, with the latest being a possible partnership with Audi or Volkswagen. Whatever the case may be, industrial designer Emre Husmen provides us with his vision of this next-generation vehicle. It’s envisioned as an autonomous urban mobility vehicle of sorts with no real driver, but rather the duties be handed over to AI.

Automotive

Lexus LF-Z Electrified Concept Combines Driving Performance, Styling and Technology Into a Sleek Package

By Jackson Chung March 31, 2021

The new Lexus LF-Z Electrified is a BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle) concept vehicle that symbolizes the brand’s transformation by combining driving performance, styling, and advanced technology into a sleek package that could hit roads as soon as 2025. What sets it apart from conventional vehicles is its innovative four-wheel driving force control technology known as “DIRECT4”, which uses the instant responsiveness of an electric motor’s driving force to freely control a vehicle’s four wheels for extremely flexible driving performance.