Photo: Yamaha
Japan has long tried to preach its kei car philosophy and while Mazda used to spearhead this offensive, Yamaha now wants in on the ultra-lightweight four-wheeled game. The company has shown its intention by introducing the Sports Ride Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show.
And you can forget all about your one-ton two-seaters, The Sports Ride Concept tips the scales at 1,653 lbs (750 kg). The machine sits at 3,900 mm in length, 1,720 mm in width, and 1,170 mm in height.
The key to the lightweight construction is a carbon fiber tub that sees two carbon skins being wrapped around a paper honeycomb core. The development comes from Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1 and a man who has always been at the forefront of carbon fiber development, both on the road and on the track.
Murray had developed an iStream chassis, but instead of the glass fiber content we saw with that, the setup switched to carbon fiber.
Yamaha hasn’t mentioned anything about the powertrain, but the carmaker is expected to pack an updated version of the 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that was employed by its city car concept, the Yamaha Motiv - this was shown in Tokyo back in 2013.
While the initial engine developed around 80 hp, the unit could pack over 100 hp for the Sports Ride Concept. Sure, that might not sound like a lot, but the resulting power-to-weight ratio would put the Yamaha on par with the 2-liter Mazda Miata.
While the interior obviously packs a weight-saving theme, there are plenty of decorative elements that ensure the eye is pleased, from stitching to color play.
If you pay attention to the details of the concept, you’ll notice the vehicle doesn’t look all that different from what we could expect to see on a production car, but there’s a long way from this info to the production green light.
The key to the lightweight construction is a carbon fiber tub that sees two carbon skins being wrapped around a paper honeycomb core. The development comes from Gordon Murray, the designer of the McLaren F1 and a man who has always been at the forefront of carbon fiber development, both on the road and on the track.
Murray had developed an iStream chassis, but instead of the glass fiber content we saw with that, the setup switched to carbon fiber.
Yamaha hasn’t mentioned anything about the powertrain, but the carmaker is expected to pack an updated version of the 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine that was employed by its city car concept, the Yamaha Motiv - this was shown in Tokyo back in 2013.
While the initial engine developed around 80 hp, the unit could pack over 100 hp for the Sports Ride Concept. Sure, that might not sound like a lot, but the resulting power-to-weight ratio would put the Yamaha on par with the 2-liter Mazda Miata.
While the interior obviously packs a weight-saving theme, there are plenty of decorative elements that ensure the eye is pleased, from stitching to color play.
If you pay attention to the details of the concept, you’ll notice the vehicle doesn’t look all that different from what we could expect to see on a production car, but there’s a long way from this info to the production green light.
Google News