Important Innovations Collection

ROBO-01: Really Smart Robot Car                                                                                Source:  Baidu A Car that Self-Drives, Talks & Tells You How It Feels China's internet technology giant Baidu has just unveiled its first robot car and it is an amazing piece of automotive technology.  The concept car, called ROBO-01, is an AI powered electric vehicle. It is controlled by voice recognition of the human behind its yoke, retractable wheel. Baidu's smart EV group JIDU invented the vehicle with China's automotive technology powerhouse Geely. The 2 companies say ROBO-01 offers industry leading AI technology, futuristic automotive design aesthetics and a spectacular user experience.  Priced at around $29,914, this new...

Lynk & Co.'s Next Day EV                                                  Source:  Lynk & Co. Style and Technology Sweden's Lynk and Co., noted for its luxurious, high technology cars, has created a spectacular looking, new electric car concept that it just unveiled in China. Called Next Day, it represents the future direction of design for Lynk which is currently selling a lineup of vehicles in Europe and Asia. Next Day has cutting edge technologies, awesome design and added touches of a supercar.  Lynk is owned by China-based Geely, which is the automotive technology powerhouse that also owns Volvo and Polestar.  The Next Day is Lynk's third concept car, after the 2016 CCC and the 2020 Zero. Lynk calls Next Day "a new energy, 4-door GT that's a large futuristic liftback". Tech Specs and Design It appears that Next Day m...

Polestar 3 Made in & for US Source:  Polestar Debuts in October 2022 Sweden-based EV maker Polestar will debut its first electric SUV, the Polestar 3, in October 2022.  Polestar is a very hot, technologically advanced player in the global EV market.  It is jointly owned by Volvo and Volvo's parent company Geely, based in China.  The Polestar 3 is the company's first EV made in and made for the US and its very lucrative EV market.  Polestar 3 is in the premium vehicle category and will be competing directly against the Porsche Cayan, Mercedes EQE, Tesla Model X and Audi's E-Tron.  Polestar 3 will be manufactured at Volvo's factory in Charleston, South Carolina. Highly Advanced Technologies Polestar 3 has spectacular good looks, a sleek, sporty design, state-of-the-art safety technologies and very solid EV performance.   Equipped with Luminar lidar sensors and Nvidia software, the Polestar 3 offers a partially autonomous driving system for hands...

Polestar's Latest Electric Convertible Concept                                                  Source:  Polestar Car With Flying Drone Launches to Videotape the Drive Sweden-based electric car manufacturer Polestar has a new all-electric convertible sports car concept that comes with its own flying drone.  The EV called O2 is a stunning sports car convertible with 2+2 seating, meaning 2 seats in the front and 2 snug seats in the back.  O2 is a highly advanced piece of automotive engineering with a bonded aluminum body.  It is totally electric, zero emissions with the added advanced technology of a flying, built in "cinematic drone".  The drone is engineered to launch from the rear of the car, while the car is moving, and then videotape the driver's journey along the road for later cinematic viewing. Tech Specs The O2 i...

Daimler-Geely Ownership Collaboration                             Source: Smart - Concept #1 & Prototype Very Smart, Very Autonomous, Very Zero Emissions The Smart Concept #1 prototype electric SUV is being tested in camouflage on the streets of China.  It is a very important new concept car.  Concept #1 is the first electric vehicle from Smart, since Daimler and China's automaker giant Geely combined their considerable forces to rescue Smart and keep the brand alive .  It is shaping up to be an awesome piece of technology. Advanced Autonomous Driving Technology Smart is not providing any details yet on the electric powertrain.  But this new EV is expected by experts to have a number of highly advanced driver assistance systems.  In terms of design, it has a very short front and back end.  The EV has a very pronounced roofline with very smooth sides, angular side window...

Geely's Vision Starburst                                                                  Source:  Geely Vision Starburst Concept Car Concept Inspired by the Cosmos & the Stars Vision Starburst is China based, global automaker Geely's design inspiration for future electric vehicle models.  The inspiration comes from deep space and the nebulae and other stellar phenomena that come together and burst into new stars.  Geely owns Volvo, Lotus, Terrafugia, Polestar and the London Electric Vehicle Company, plus a slew of brands in China.  Geely's Shanghai design team, in creating the Vision Starburst concept car, worked to "create unity between exterior and interior, color and materials, as well as car and user". Star Quality Exterior The surface of the concept car is curved and ins...

 Small Electric Smart SUV                       Source:  Artist Rendering SMART Concept Car                                        Source:  Geeley SEA Platform Designed by Mercedes, Developed & Produced by Geely Mercedes Smart brand, through a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz AG and China's Geely AG, will launched a Smart, electric SUV in 2022.  This will be the first vehicle model from the new joint venture between the two global automakers.  Geely is the owner of Volvo and a top global manufacturer of electric cars.   Brand New Concept Mercedes says the new vehicle will be ultra modern, sophisticated, highly advanced in connectivity and the smartest feature of all - "it will be super compact on the outside and big on the inside."  The new e-SUV will be built on ...

 Terrafugea's Transition                                              Source:  Terrafugea FAA Approves Transition For Flying The FAA has given the Terrafugea Transition flying car permission to fly.  The next step  for Terrafugea is to secure approval from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for driving of the Transition.  Terrafugea hopes to win street legal designation from the NHTSA by 2022.  The Massachusetts based flying car company, founded by MIT engineers, is now owned by China's Geely, which also owns Volvo.  The company intends to take advantage of the FAA approval by selling flight-only models.  The driving and flying model should be available in 2022. World's 1st Practical Flying Car Terrafugea calls the Transition "the world's first practical flying car".  The vehicles wings ...

Daimler & China's Geely to Develop Next-G Combustion Engine                                                Source:  2021 Mercedes New Engine for Hybrids German based automotive company Daimler and China's automaker Geely have just announced a partnership to develop a next generation combustion engine for use in hybrid vehicles.  The surprise announcement came as many governments, including the European Union, are tightening regulations on auto emissions.  Daimler says the new engine will be modular and highly efficient.  It will be manufactured in both China and Europe for use in hybrid drivetrains. Daimler Saving Money Daimler sets the bar in global automotive innovation and luxury. Geely is a huge automotive powerhouse.  It owns Volvo, the US based flying car company Terrafugia, Geely Auto, Lotus, Proton and has a 9.69...

Daimler and Geely Source:  Daimler Smart Car Global Tie-Ups To Create New EVs German luxury automaker Daimler and China's electric automaker Geely are exploring ways to deepen their cooperation in the research and development of electric vehicles.  The two companies have formed a China based venture to build electric Smart cars.  They've also joined forces to build a premium ride hailing venture.  And, among their projects, each has invested in Volocopter, a state of the art, electric multirotor helicopter/flying taxi service, based in Germany. Geely Operations and Expansions China-based Geely is a global automotive force.  It owns Volvo, Lotus and Terrafugia, the US based flying car company.  It also owns Lynk & Co. based in Sweden. Geely Chairman Li Shufu says he plans to roll out Lynk & Co. cars in Europe sometime in late 2020.  Lynk & Co. says it offers a new kind of mobility: simple pricing, flexible ownership and car sh...

China's Geely Auto Group Building Network of SATs for Self-Driving Cars Source:  Satellite in space image Your Car in Contact with Space Chinese automaker Geely has a space-based plan for "steering"autonomous cars.  It is in the process of building its own network of satellites to provide advanced geolocation and connected vehicle functions for self-driving cars. This is a first in China and Geely's satellites will be solely used to support its autonomous driving vehicles.  It's a very innovative concept to use satellites to track, communicate with and help guide self-driving cars. Global Operations Geely is a huge automotive player.  It owns Sweden-based Volvo cars, US flying car startup Terrafugia, Malaysia's Proton and has a $9 billion stake in Daimler, the owner of Mercedes Benz. Geely hopes to share and benefit from Daimler automotive technology.  Geely is currently integrating Volvo with Geely operations, wh...

Mercedes-Benz & China's Geely Group Partner on Smart EV Production Source:  Mercedes-Benz Smart Car Intelligent New Electric Vehicles Daimler's Mercedes-Benz just announced that it will build Smart branded cars with China's Zhejlang Geely Holding Group in the Chinese city of Ningbo.  The partners will operate from a facility with the capacity to build about 150,000 cars per year.  In 2019, Smart delivered 116,800 vehicles globally. $780 Million Investment Each company is investing $388.8 million into the Joint Venture. They'll build "premier and intelligent" electrified vehicles under the Smart brand name, which is a Mercedes-Benz brand.  They'll manufacture in China and have sales operations in both Germany and China. Mercedes Building Base in China China is the world's largest market for electric vehicles and the Chinese government is pushing and supporting EVs.  Like other global automakers such as Tesla, Stutt...

Evijan - EV that Goes  0 to 62 mph in 3 Seconds Source:  Lotus Lotus' 1st Fully EV Under Chinese Ownership This is a fully electric sports car with top speeds up to 200 mph by the British sport car maker Lotus.  They call it the Evijan hypercar, which means top-tier sports car.  And it's being launched in conjunction with the Chinese automaker Geely that bought Lotus in 2017. The car is elegant, powerful and expensive. It showcases the future of electric vehicles with speed and energy efficiency.  In three seconds, the car accelerates from zero to 62 mph.  The powertrain is electrified and packs 1,973 in horsepower. New Tech They'll start with manufacturing 130 cars in 2020.  Obviously, the customers are millionaires ++. The cars will be built in England.  The cost per car is $2.15 million and the range is over 250 miles on a charge.  With an 800 kw charger, it takes only 9 minutes to fully charge the vehicle. Lotus exe...