DeLorean and Audi Put Their Brands on Two Wheels

Discerning bicycle enthusiasts with a taste for the finer things in life are in luck. Both Audi and DeLorean are producing cycles worthy of some attention. While the DeLorean sticks to the conventional man-made energy source, Audi’s concepts will provide a motorized option to help any cyclists who get a little bored with the continued cranking.

“Audi used motor racing design principles to build the Audi e-bike Wörthersee,” above, which boasts an electric motor that allows the bike to go up to 50 mph, the Daily Mail noted. Not enough onboard technology for you? The bike also has a touchscreen computer that riders can sync up with the rider's smartphone. And, of course, the “in-helmet camera can be uploaded to the Internet in real time" while a "rankings table on the Internet means you can measure yourself against other bikers and your friends."

And just to be sure you’re never disconnected from your social network while out for a spin, Facebook status reports will also pop up on the screen — just don't text and ride, kids. 

As for the DeLorean, the rebooted carmaker has teamed up with designer Marc Moore, who opted for stainless steel for the bike’s body, and pedaled down the digital/social bells and whistles. “I basically, said, ‘Yeah, I’m interested, but I don’t want to do a $5,000 bike that’s really a $200 Asian bike with a badge on it, which you customarily see from other brands” said Stephen Wynne, CEO of DeLorean Motor Company, to Bloomberg Businessweek about Moore's design ideas.

Wynne, president of the new, Texas-based incarnation of DeLorean Motor, "plans next year to release electric versions of the iconic, gull-winged sedans from the 1980s," Businessweek adds. In the meantime, you can take a spin on the "Anyday" — the 11-speed bike you can see below. It goes up to 11 (speeds) and boasts "luminescent" coated wheels that appear to light up. The price tag? A cool $5,495.

Although it's not motorized like Audi's e-bike concepts, the DeLorean Bicycle "can go as fast as you can pedal,” says Wynne. “Maybe there’s a pedal-per-minute ‘88’ feature that we can factor in there," he added in a win to Back to the Future fans.