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The AirPod is a three-seat and three-wheel car that runs on compressed air.

(Credit: CNET)

Among the plethora of alternative fuels being put forth to replace oil, the most odd might seem simple: air. But MDI International, based in Luxembourg, showed off a car at the 2009 Geneva auto show that runs on just that. What motivates the little AirPod concept is the energy from compressed air stored in a tank at 5,000 pounds per square inch (PSI).

The driver sits alone in the AirPod, turning the front wheel with a joystick.

(Credit: CNET)

The AirPod vehicle is small, holding just three passengers, with a single seat facing front for the driver and a bench facing backward for two more people. MDI claims a range of more than 112 miles in an urban setting, and less than two minutes to refill the 46-gallon air tank. But even though the AirPod can reach speeds of just less than 45 mph, the air-powered engine produces only 8 horsepower, suggesting slow acceleration.

Because of the low horsepower, the AirPod is designed to be exceptionally light, coming in at 485 pounds. Because the air tank and engine don’t take up much room, most of the AirPod is devoted to passenger space. The car is a three-wheeler, and the driver uses a joystick to turn, rather than a conventional steering wheel.

Although air power means the AirPod drives emission-free, some energy is required to compress air into its tank. MDI puts the cost of a tank refill at just 1 euro.

MDI has announced deals with Air France and KLM to run a test fleet of the AirPod cars at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris and Schipol airport in Amsterdam.

The flying car is the equivalent of transportation’s carrot on a stick. It’s a concept that always seems to be 3-5 years down the road. According to an Isreali inventor named Rafi Yoeli, the flying car will actually be here by 2010 in the form of his X-Hawk. The X-Hawk uses a ducted fan design that allows it to have the same manueverability of a helicopter without exposed blades that prevent choppers from hovering near buildings and the like. Yoeli’s own company, Urban Aeronautics, is developing the X-Hawk first as a workhorse vehicle that could be used by firefighters, rescue teams, and the military to aid in the recovery of people stranded in hard to reach places.

Like a helicopter, the X-Hawk can take off and land vertically, it will be able to fly up to 155 mph, reach an altitude of 12,000 ft and remain in the air for two hours. The size of the X-Hawks rotors, which are powere by four internal combustion engines, will be much smaller than a helicopters, which will make the vehicle quieter but also guzzle 50% more fuel. The X-Hawk only exists as a full-scale mockup right now, but Yoeli expects an unmanned Mule version to fly in 2009. A larger version capable of carrying ten people is also planned. The estimated price for an X-Hawk will make a Veyron owner blush: between $1.5 and $3.5 million, and Yoeli admits those estimates might be low.

At this point, we’re prepared to pony up whatever cash is necessary to make the most famous example of automotive vaporware a reality. Check out more details on the X-Hawk after the jump.

Assembly Dingolfing, Germany
Engine(s) 5.0 L 507 PS (373 kW; 500 hp) V10
Transmission(s) 7-speed (SMG)
6-speed manual
Wheelbase 109.5 in (2781 mm)
Length 191.8 in (4872 mm)
Width 73 in (1854 mm)
Height 54 in (1372 mm)

BMW M6 2010

BMW M6 2010

BMW M6 2010

BMW M6 2010

BMW M6 2010

In May of 2009, Business Week magazine named the Wrangler “One of the Most Iconic Cars of the Last 20 Years.
Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2010

Predecessor Jaguar S-Type
Class Mid-size luxury car / sports saloon
Body style(s) 4-door saloon
Layout FR layout
Platform Ford DEW98 platform
Engine(s) 3.0L 240 hp AJ30 V6
5.0L 385 hp AJ133 V8
5.0L S/C 510 hp AJ133 V8 XF-R
3.0L V6 Diesel Jaguar/ PSA AJV6D
Transmission(s) 6-speed automatic
Wheelbase 114.5 in (2908 mm)
Length 195.3 in (4961 mm)
Width 73.9 in (1877 mm)
Height 57.5 in (1461 mm)
Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Jaguar XF 2010

Manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover
Production start 2009
Assembly Castle Bromwich Assembly, Birmingham, England
Predecessor XJ X358
Body style(s) 4-door saloon
Engine(s) 5.0 L 385 PS (283 kW) AJ Gen III V8

5.0 L 510 PS (375 kW) supercharged AJ Gen III V8
3.0 L 275 PS (202 kW) V6 Diesel
Kerb weight (SWB)

Diesel : 1,796 kg (3,960 lb)
Petrol : 1,755 kg (3,870 lb)
Supercharged: 1,892 kg (4,170 lb)
Add 23 kg (51 lb)) for LWB
Designer Ian Callum
Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

Jaguar XJ 2010

in 2010 , Ford significantly updated the Fusion, along with the Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ,with new front and rear end fascia designs and interior and powertrain updates for the 2010 model year. Powertrain options are similar to those that debuted on the 2009 Ford Escape, including the new 2.5 L I4 and 3.0 L PIP Duratec series V6 engine coupled to Ford’s new 6F35 six-speed transmission.
2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

Production 2009-
Model year(s) 2010-
Engine(s) 2.5 L Duratec 25 I4
3.0 L Duratec 30 V6
3.5 L Duratec 35 V6
Transmission(s) 6-speed Mazda G6M manual (I4)
6-speed Ford 6F35 automatic (I4 & 3.0L V6)
6-speed Aisin TF-80 automatic (3.5L V6)
Continuous variable transmission (hybrid)
Wheelbase 107.4 in (2,728 mm)
Length 190.6 in (4,841 mm)
Width 72.2 in (1,834 mm)
Height 56.9 in (1,445 mm)
2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

2009 Ford Fusion

Production start January 29, 2007
Model year(s) 2008-present
Assembly Claycomo, Missouri, United States
Engine(s) 2.3 L Duratec 23 I4
2.5 L Duratec 25 I4
3.0 L[3] Duratec 30 V6
Transmission(s) 5-speed manual
4-speed automatic
6-speed 6F automatic
Wheelbase 103.1 in (2619 mm)
Length 174.7 in (4437 mm)
Width 71.1 in (1806 mm)
Height 2008: 67.7 in (1720 mm)
2009-Present AWD: 67.8 in (1722 mm)
2009-Present FWD: 67.9 in (1725 mm)
Fuel capacity 16.5 US gal (62.5 L; 13.7 imp gal)
Hybrid: 15.0 US gal (56.8 L; 12.5 imp gal)
Ford Escape 2010

Bentley Motors is staging an art auction at Bonhams to raise money for The Christie, a cancer hospital in Manchester.
The men and women of the Bentley styling and design team have turned their creative energy to making art.
The aim is to raise money for The Christie Hospital in Manchester, a leading international centre for research [...]

speedART presents the PS9 – based on the new Porsche Panamera Turbo:
Power:
Power kits with 550, 600 and 650 hp up to 890 Nm consits of bigger turbo chargers, sport exhaust with sound switch, sport cats and ECU updates. The 650 hp car accelerates in 3.5 seconds from 0 – 62 mph and the top speed [...]