2009 Rinspeed E2 based on Fiat 500 Abarth

(from Rinspeed Press Release) Swiss Innovative Thinker Frank M. Rinderknecht Builds Fiat 500 with Two Energy Levels. „E2“ - 60 or 160 hp at the Push of a Button from Swiss Automotive Powerhouse Rinspeed

What is this? It is round, small and cuddly, has eyes to fall in love with, a sexy behind - and on demand 60 or 160 hp as necessary. It is Rinspeed’s answer to the fast changing requirements of the market and sociopolitical perception about the tuning industry.’ Rinspeed boss Frank M. Rinderknecht hits the nail on the head: “Just like the auto industry has to adjust to the demands of a new era, tuners have to look for new ways to do business as well.” The Swiss automobile visionary Rinderknecht, who has his roots in the tuning business, observes a change in people’s attitude, at least in the western world: “We need an intelligent use of our fossil resources, especially of our energy".

Rinspeed’s creation is based on the Abarth version of the Fiat 500. Its name ‘E2’ signals the fact that the nimble little Italian car is equipped with two different power levels: The 60-hp ‘Commuting’ level is more than sufficient to move along with city traffic while saving energy. In this mode the ‘E2’ consumes just some four liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. Outside the city, the ‘Highway’ mode provides driving fun and added power for fast and safe passing. In ‘Highway’ mode the engine produces 160 lively horsepower and transforms the Italian flea into a venerable hornet. Fuel consumption in ‘Highway’ mode is in the neighborhood of seven liters per 100 kilometers. The energy management system of the ‘E2’ is controlled by a small button in the cockpit that affects the engine electronics.

Rinderknecht believes he is on the right path with his new interpretation of automobile customizing. With the ‘E2’ and his concept car ‘iChange,’ which is much further removed from production, he wants to nudge the automotive as well as the tuning industries in a new direction, to leave well trodden paths and creatively look for new ones: “I don’t believe too much in eco tuning. Many drivers are not willing to miss out on driving fun and don’t want to drive a something that announces to the world that they do without. But the number of people who want to use our energy supply responsibly not in the least because they want to protect our environment will grow quickly.”

© Source: seriouswheels
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Swiss Tuner Rinspeed Rolls Out Cocoon-Like "Sensosphere"

When Rinspeed introduced the Senso concept car at the 2005 Geneva Auto Show, it showed off a Zen-like vehicle that exerted a "positive effect" on passengers through the use of patterns, colors, music and aromatherapy. Now the Swiss tuner has taken some of the lessons learned with the Senso and applied them to postmodern aircraft cabins.

Rinspeed on Monday introduced its "Sensosphere" for airplanes, a concept developed in partnership with Strahle & Hess, Lumitec and the University of Zurich. The goal was to move away from "clinical and plastic" aircraft interiors into an elaborate sensory cocoon that puts a premium on mood lighting, fragrances and sound. The Sensosphere uses high-tech, computer-controlled surfaces that shine green, blue or orange. Rinspeed showed off images of the Sensosphere mimicking a sunset or a starry night inside an airplane cabin. Rinspeed said "the material can be made into any shape and does not need electric bulbs or LEDs." Instead, it uses what is described as "an innovative electroluminescent film technology."

"On the basis of the measured data, the passengers now receive various impulses to their senses that put them in a state of relaxed attentiveness," Rinspeed said in a statement.

In the past, Rinspeed has brought out many showstoppers at European auto shows, including such concepts as the zaZen, which featured a rear window that uses lighting technology to become a large holograph. At the 2007 Geneva Auto Show, Rinspeed rolled out the eXasis, a two-seater made of transparent high-tech plastic in collaboration with Bayer Material Science.

© Source: insideline
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