Translated material
Taking off over traffic jams
Canadians presented an airplane car at the New York Auto Show
The 2008 New York International Auto Show Car of the Year is the Mazda2 (known as the Mazda Demio). This Japanese car beat out 38 other models in the competition, including the Ford Mondeo and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. In the final competition, Mazda2 received 47 votes from juries from 24 countries. However, the real sensation was the airplane car. Those who do not want to sit in traffic jams will have to pay 450 thousand dollars for this miracle of technology.The Car of the Year competition was first officially held in 2005 and since then has been considered one of the most prestigious and authoritative in the world. The criteria for getting into the list of finalists this year were quite simple - the car had to be “fresh” (the premiere should have taken place no earlier than the Frankfurt Motor Show 2007), be in mass production and sold in at least five different countries on two continents. The awards were awarded by a jury of 47 automotive journalists from 24 countries. In their opinion, it is the Mazda2 model that embodies all the latest trends: it is distinguished by its stylish design, environmental friendliness, safety and fuel efficiency, which is achieved by reducing the car’s weight by about 100 kg. Mazda2 was recognized as the best in countries such as South Africa, Greece, Austria, Belgium and Denmark. In Europe, the car has already gone on sale, but in Russia it will begin to be sold in April of this year. The basic version with a 1.5-liter engine will cost about 18 thousand dollars.
The new Audi R8 model with a 4.2 liter V8 FSI engine was recognized as the best in two categories at once - “Best Design” and “Best High-Speed Passenger Car”, overtaking Mazda2 and Volvo C30. True, this did not come as a big surprise to market observers, because Audi has held the championship for the second year in a row - last year its Audi TT was in the lead in this category, and in 2006 the Citroen C4 was recognized as the “most beautiful” car.
The BMW 118d Efficient Dynamics model, with emissions figures of just 119 g/km, is recognized as the most environmentally friendly car of the year. Fuel consumption reduced by 21%. In this category, the hatchback managed to get ahead of SmartForTwo cdi and Volkswagen Passat 1.9 TDI BlueMotion. The BMW 118d is not yet available in Russia.
However, the AirCar concept from Milner Motors made a real splash at the auto show. In addition to the usual equipment of the car, it has folding wings and a front horizontal “tail” (the so-called “duck” design). After some modifications, the car will be able to rise to a height of 7.5 km. So he won’t be afraid of any traffic jams. The maximum speed on the highway is only 137 km/h, but the estimated cruising speed in the sky is 322 km/h. Dimensions of the machine in the air: length - 5.08 m, wingspan - 8.53 m, height - 1.68 m. On the ground (with wings folded) the width of the device is reduced to 2.13 m, but the height increases - up to 1.98 m. The empty weight of the car is 817 kg, and the take-off weight is 1.36 tons.
The New York Auto Show is attended by more than a million people every year, so it is not surprising that this year more than 20 car manufacturers presented their new products here. However, never before have non-luxury cars won the title - previously the title of "Best Car of the Year" was received by such cars as the Audi A6 in 2005, the BMW 3-Series in 2006 and the Lexus LS460 in 2007.