Cool Hunting
Tata Motors, India's largest automaker, unveiled today what could become the Ford Model T for the 21st century, the $2,550 car.
Marketed in India as the “one-lakh” (100,000 Rupee = $2,550) car, with a two-cylinder 623 cc gasoline engine, the world is reacting to what has been touted as a “people's car” for the developing world.
The announcement is making waves in India with the country's Commerce Minister calling it “a proud moment for India.” But not everyone is so enthused with the idea of hundreds of thousands of inexpensive vehicles flooding the market.
“The ultra-cheap small cars in the pipeline will tilt the skewed balance against public transport and two-wheelers irretrievably,” argues Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre of Science and Environment, an environmental advocacy group in New Delhi. “The result will be an urban congestion nightmare and an unsustainable fuel load.”
Be that as it may, at only 10 feet long, a maximum speed of about 60 miles per hour and getting about 50 miles per gallon, the Tata may have some appeal outside its home country. Especially considering SmartCars have achieved a modicum of success in Europe and United States, despite the most basic model costing nearly five times as much as the Tata Nano.
Continuing to push the limits of sportswear innovation, the Zoom Victory Spike and Precool vest are two Nike products that impressed us when introduced at their media summit earlier this week.The Zoom Victory spike takes its design inspiration from the engineering of a suspension bridge, lending strength with minimal use of materials. (We think it looks a lot like a Calatrava, pictured via Lost...
It's rare, but sometimes brand as curator actually works. Such is the case with Lexus' first Hybrid Living Suite (part of their larger Hybrid Living initiative) at the Fairmont San Francisco, a room designed with eco-friendly materials, which we had the recent opportunity to check out first-hand thanks to Lexus and the Fairmont. Their lifestyle marketing efforts succeeds where others don't by leading the...
Simple, effective and possibly life-saving idea, France's Eurovia is developing a thermosensitive road varnish that changes color to indicate freezing and dangerous conditions. Like a Hypercolor t-shirt, the road could turn pink (or any other indicative color) when surface temperature is below freezing and returning to neutral once it warms back up. Not only a boon to motorists, but it helps out the environment...
Born in southern India, raised in suburban Connecticut and formally trained in Syracuse, Brooklyn artist Vinay Somana Ganapathy draws on multiple influences that inform his imagery and work. Mixing pen, pencil and paint, Vinay’s illustrations are marked by fine, almost-frail line work and sudden bursts of color. Taking slice-of-life inspiration from the city around him and his crew of oddball friends, his drawings are...
Known for their eco-chic automobiles, tomorrow Smart Car will introduce "Sideways: A Smart Art Project," a book that's in line with their counter-cultural identity and serving as the brand's creative anthology. Showcasing a myriad of colorful works of art, it's an inventive (and attractive) way to look at both the environment and contemporary motoring. Curated by top international magazines such as Dazed & Confused,...
Named "Beat" for their hand-beaten production method, Tom Dixon's series of lamps and vessels is quickly becoming an iconic part of his oeuvre. After years of working in relative obscurity, Dixon is now something like England's national poster child of design. From his massive light giveaways during London's design week to limited edition copper-clad chairs and private member's club interiors, the designer seems to...
