Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid coming in 2013Mitsubishi plug-in hybrid coming in 2013

Autoweek reports that Mitsubishi will wade into plug-in electric waters in 2013. The automaker's head of electric vehicles, Yoshikazu Nakamura, said the vehicle will be an SUV similar to the 2009 Px-MiEV Concept and that the production version is already nearing the final stages of development. The concept got its pep from a tiny 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine working in coordination with two electric motors and a battery pack. Mitsubishi pegged the Px-MiEV as being able to travel for up to 30 miles one pure electric go-go, so there must be some pretty hefty battery technology onboard as well.

Whether or not the production SUV will use a similar drivetrain remains to be seen. We can say with some certainty that Mitsubishi is likely to simplify the vehicle's name considerably. The automarker has already scrapped the i-MiEV moniker for the somewhat more palatable name of "i powered by MiEV" in the States. We can't wait to explain that one to the fine people of the DMV.

[Source: Autoweek]

Paris 2010: 2011 Citroën DS4 continues the automaker's design revolution

Citroën continues to expand its DS lineup of cars. The first model-launched with the DS styling was the DS3, and here at the Paris Motor Show we have just gotten our first look at the all-new Citroën DS4.

The five-door hatchback shows off the new direction of Citroën styling and pushes the automaker into a new era. The DS4 will be available with a slew of engine choices that can be paired up with either a six-speed automatic or manual transmission. For diesel fans, there are 110- and 160-horsepower units, however the ever-important torque figures are not yet available. Petrolheads can choose from either 120-, 155- or 200-hp gasoline-drinking variants. Word on the virtual street is that a sportier DS4 Racing model is also in the works.

We love seeing automakers push for new design styles that help refine the brand. It's even better when they create a car that looks damn good in the process.

Paris 2010: Chevrolet Cruze hatchback looks good in Paris, would look better in America

You know, the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback is a pretty good-looking little C-car. Sure, many of the show car bits will be removed when this five-door Cruze goes into production, but on the whole, General Motors has impressed us with this attractive hatchback version of its new compact car.

Unfortunately, the five-door Cruze is not slated for North American consumption – we'll have to make do with the still-good but less-functional (and less-attractive) sedan. GM may think that Americans don't buy hatchbacks, but according to recent sales data of hatches versus their sedan counterparts, The General would be very, very wrong. Regardless, Europeans will get to sample the Cruze Hatchback when it goes on sale in the old country in mid-2011.

Thus, we are left to sit and stare at the Cruze hatchback as it shines under the lights of the Paris Motor Show.

Paris 2010: First factory-built Fisker Karma hits the stage

Staying true to its concept form, the factory-built Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid that hit the stage at the Paris Motor Show retains the concept's massive 22-inch wheels (Fisker says it'll be the first production car equipped with standard 22s), sensuous styling, 403-plus horsepower rating and the company's promise of achieving 100-plus miles per gallon in regular use. So, what's exactly different about the factory-built version? Well, the most notable exterior modification is the addition of a (blacked-out) B-pillar, which was apparently required to increase the vehicle's structural rigidity.

Aside from the added pillar, we can't really pick out any differences between the gorgeous concept that we laid eyes on a few years ago and this production-ready version that hit the stage in Paris. Fisker still lists a base price of $88,000 and anticipates that deliveries will begin early next year, or so it says. We hope to get up close and personal with the Karma at the upcoming LA Auto Show,

Paris 2010: 2011 Fiat 500C Abarth EsseEsse packs quite a punch

At this year's Geneva Motor Show, Abarth-tuned versions of the Fiat 500C and Punto Evo debuted, adding some cajones to the cute-as-a-bug Fiat 500C and the no-less-lovable Punto. Now, at the Paris Motor Show, the mark of the Scorpion brought us even hotter versions of both, and our reaction was that the difference between 500C, Abarth 500C and Abarth 500C EsseEsse is much more than just shades of gray.

Wearing a gray-on-gray paint job and carrying the EsseEsse postscript – Italian for "SS" – the Abarth 500C gets a substantial boost in output and a variety of upgrades to match. In the case of the 500C, it picks up 22 tiny ponies under its curved bonnet to bring the total to 160 horsepower. That's good for a 7.6-second sprint to 62 miles per hour. Perhaps not record-breaking, but just look at it; cute as a button and pretty darn quick.

The EsseEsse also features an array of upgrades to the suspension, brakes, rolling stock and more, plus Blue&Me connectivity and Record Monza exhaust.

Paris 2010: Ferrari California featuring HELE system

One theme we have seen so far at this years Paris Motor Show, is automakers showing off vehicles which don't seem to flow with past company history. Ferrari just added a vehicle to the growing list. Have a look at the Ferrari Calfornia fitted with the HELE System. HELE stands for High Emotion Low Emissions and is a system designed to reduce C02 emissions without taking away from the joy of driving a Ferrari.

The HELE System works by utilizing a variety of technical measures including a start/stop function that can restart the car in 230 milliseconds, intelligent engine fan and fuel pump control, electronically controlled variable displacement air-conditioning technology and adaptive gear shifts. The result is a 23 percent reduction in C02 emissions.

We joke about automakers moving away from their traditional vehicles, but it's these types of cars that allow them to continue to build the ones we love. There probably would be no Porsche GT2 RS without the Cayenne, for example. The Ferrari California fitted with the HELE System shows that the purveyor of the Prancing Horse understands the world is constantly changing – and Ferrari is doing its best to continue to build the cars it's known for while staying in tune with the current climate of the world.

Protoscar Lampo Electric Concept Car

Protoscar Lampo Electric Concept Car

The Lampo electric roadster is the latest creation of Swiss design firm Protoscar and it is a preview of the upcoming production due next year.

Lampo features a twin-motor design and an output of 268hp (199kW) and 440Nm of torque. This design allows one motor to power each axle, which provides four-wheel-drive capability. A 32kWh battery gives the vehicle a claimed range of over 120mi (200km) and using a typical 240V and 10-16amp European household power outlet charge times should take no longer than 12 hours.

This may be a little too long for practical use but the Lampo also features an intelligent charging system that lets the user select the key criteria for performance: shortest charging time, maximum charge yield, and the desired total level of charge to be attained in a given time period. In this way, the batteries can be charged very quickly but the driving range will be shortened significantly.

Designed to seat two, the Lampo will accelerate from 0-100km/h in five seconds flat and reach a top speed of 200km/h. It relies on lithium-ion batteries to draw its power, which alone weighs more than 140kg, and under its carbon-fiber composite bodywork is a full tubular steel chassis measuring 4,315mm in length.

Protoscar is a small firm based in Rovio, Switzerland, and employs only 14 staff. The company currently specializes in the design of environmentally-friendly vehicles, and has worked with Daimler, General Motors, Nissan and Rinspeed in the past.

Protoscar Lampo Electric Concept Car

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

The doors still haven't quite opened up at the Paris Motor Show and already the leakage has begun in full force. Yesterday we got a sneak peek at the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept, but the lone photo was small and grainy. Thankfully, the wait for real images is now over mere minutes before the car is officially unveiled at an evening event held by the Volkswagen Group in Paris as we speak. A total of five shots of the carbon-intensive supercar have just hit the interwebs, and they didn't come from Lamborghini.

To put it mildly, we like what we see. As could be seen in the series of teasers officially let loose by the boys from Lamborghini, every single bit of the car has been fashioned from carbon fiber. Suitable, then, that the car has been named after the sixth element of the periodic table – Sesto Elemento literally means sixth element in Italian. Even the tailpipes have been fashioned from a sort of composite called Pyrosic that is able to withstand extremely high temperatures.

Those high exhaust temperatures will be exhaled by a V10 engine that's putting out a stonkin' 570 horsepower. With just 2,200 pounds of weight to move, the run to 60 will take less than 2.5 seconds.

Lamborghini Jota won’t be in attendance in Paris

We’re going to warn you now; what you’re about to read probably won’t sit well with you, especially if you’re one of those people that have been waiting for the Lamborghini Jota to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.

According to Auto Guide, the highly anticipated successor to the Murcielago won’t be in attendance when the auto show kicks off in a week’s time. Instead, Lamborghini will only be bringing one concept vehicle to the show, the technology demonstrator concept that has been the subject of all those teaser images Lamborghini’s been releasing.

This latest news is, of course, crushing for everyone – including us – who have been waiting with baited breath to see the Jota completely undisguised. Unfortunately, all of us will just have to wait a little while longer.

Despite that largely deflating news, Lamborghini still has plans to make an impact at the annual event with the new technology concept they’ve developed over at Sant’Agata. It’s still one of the vehicles that we’re mostly looking forward to seeing, but it still doesn’t escape our disappointment that we’ll only be seeing one Lamborghini at the event instead of two.

[Source:Auto Guide]

2014 Lotus Elite

Lotus’ plan of reinventing its brand after years of mediocrity is looking less and less like wishful thinking after the company officially released initial details of their future hybrid supercar, the 2014 Elite.

It’s been widely known that the British sports car maker is aggressively pushing to remake their entire portfolio to cater to a more upper echelon consumer base and if everything goes according to plan, the 2014 Elite should be the first of many aggressively designed sports cars the company is looking to introduce to the market.

Word has it that the Elite will be powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces around 500-plus horsepower with a 0-60 mph time of around 3.5 seconds and a top speed of just under 200 mph at 196 mph. If these numbers are anywhere close to what the production version of the Elite will be capable of, then you can expect the supercar, with the aggressive backing of the company, to be a player in a market long dominated by the likes of Aston Martin, Audi and Porsche. Even the car’s expected price tag - £115,000 – is right up there with the Porsches of the world.

As for the new – and aggressive – design of the car, the man behind it, designer Donato Coco, left no stones unturned in giving the Elite a more aggressive approach by adding some depth to the car’s front fascia. As somebody who noted the two-dimensional looks of prior Lotus vehicles, Coco’s design of the Elite is about as good as it can get for a brand looking to be edgier and more upscale that what its previous reputation suggests.

Lamborghini releases third teaser

A few years back, Lamborghini made big promises that it would have a new debut at every major international auto show, every year. That seemed like a big bite to chew for a company with essentially two models in its line-up, but the exotic carmaker from Sant'Agata has managed to keep up brilliantly.

Now, hot on the heels of reports indicating that the Raging Bull marque is preparing to unveil not one, but two new debuts at the upcoming Paris Motor Show comes the third in a series of teasers released by the company in anticipation. The question, then, is which we're looking at.

Well, for starters, it's quite clear that this is the dashboard of the car in question. And a nifty dashboard it looks indeed. But of which car? Given that the last teaser clearly showed a ten-cylinder engine, our guess is that it's not the highly anticipated replacement for the Murcielago, tentatively dubbed Jota, since that would presumably carry twelve cylinders. So your guess is as good as ours, but one way or another, we'll be finding out next week at the Port de Versailles, so stay tuned.

[Source: Lamborghini]

2012 Dodge Viper Preview

The last model for the current generation Dodge Viper has already rolled off the assembly line, but instead of crying about it, we can take comfort in knowing that the next generation has already been confirmed for production. News of this came when the future sports car was shown at a private Chrysler dealer conference this week.

Insiders at the event said that the next Viper will come with a more aggressive design, featuring all-new bodywork painted 25 times in candy-apple red. They also said the car’s look had moved away from its race-car roots and evolved into a more traditional sports car.

It is rumored that Chrysler will place an 8.4-liter V10 engine incorporating Fiat’s innovative Multiair technology under the hood. Rumors are also circulating that an entry-level V8 engine is also under consideration.

The next generation Viper should be a force to be reckoned with considering Dodge has asked for Ferrari’s assistance in the development of the new sports car. Ralph Gilles, Dodge CEO said that we should be seeing the next Dodge Viper in 2012. We can’t wait!

[Source:Autocar]

Online configurator for the new Bentley Continental GT

The Continental GT has only just been unveiled and already Bentley is giving potential owners the chance to customize their Continental GT. The online configurator is called the "Visualiser" and it allows you to see your Continental GT in one of 14 exterior colors, a range of wheel designs, and numerous interior choices. Not exactly the perfect configurator on the market, but at least everyone will be able to get an idea of what Bentley has to offer!

All you have to do is get online and start having some fun!

Refresher: The new Continental GT gets a more upright grille with new headlamp design, in traditional four-lamp format and LED daylight-running lamps, a bootlid inspired by the Bentley Mulsanne and flared elliptical exhaust tailpipes. Under the hood there is a 6.0 liter W12 powertrain that delivers a total of 567 HP and 700 NM of torque. The car sprints from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and can hit a top speed of 198 mph.

[Source:Bentley]

Mexican Built Mastretta MXT To Debut At Paris Motor Show

The Mastretta MXT has been a work in progress since the sports coupe concept was first shown back in 2007. This year’s Paris Auto Show will see the debut of the production Mastretta MXT, billed as a competitor to the Lotus Elise. The company plans production of some 150 cars per year, 70% of which will be exported to the US or the UK.

The production MXT will use a bonded aluminum chassis and a composite body to minimize weight. Power comes from a turbocharged Ford Duratec motor, good for an estimated 238 horsepower. The car will feature a mid-engine, rear drive layout for optimized handling.

Next Ferrari Enzo will be hybrid

When it comes to the successor for the Ferrari Enzo we’ve heard all kinds of rumors. However, we can now clear some of those up as Ferrari S.p.A. Chairman, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, himself not only talks about the future car, but also about the company’s future.

The next Enzo will be revealed in 2012 and it "will incorporate the state of the art of our knowledge in terms of increasing performances while reducing fuel consumption and emissions. It will then influence all Ferraris that appear after it." Under the hood there will be the same gasoline-hybrid technology that is found in the Vettura Laboratorio HY-KERS concept that was unveiled in March at the Geneva Auto Show. As for the car’s design language, it was previewed in 2007 by the Millechili concept.

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo also confirmed that Ferrari will be about "fast cars and fast trains – and no politics", and that despite his 63 years of experience in life, he will continue working for Ferrari: "I want to shape the next product cycle at Ferrari to assure a bright future at a company that has been inextricably intertwined with my life."

2011 Bentley Continental GT arrives with new design, optional V8

The 2011 Bentley Continental GT is just the second generation of the blockbuster coupe that rumbled ashore eight years ago. And frankly, this new one looks a lot like that ancient one, but Bentley would have us believe that this is actually a completely new car. Outside, the bodywork gets all kinds of massaging: prominent front fender lines that roll over the headlights and into the more-upright grille, a more pronounced grille treatment that asserts itself into the lower intake, LED running lamps surrounding the main headlight elements, a double-horseshoe rear-end treatment inspired by the Mulsanne and taillights that curl into the rear fenders. For a start...

More substantively, the 2011 Conti gets a boost in horsepower from its 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 engine, hitting 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet. The engine swipes a page from the Continental Supersports playbook and gains flex-fuel capability, accepting any combination of gasoline and E85. To keep you in touch with that power, Bentley's six-speed Quickshift transmission swaps cogs more quickly and does double downshifts. To keep that power in the right place, the rear track is wider, front-to-rear bias of the all-wheel-drive system is now 40/60 front-to-rear, and the coefficient of drag has been reduced to 0.33. 0-60 mph? 4.4 seconds? Top speed? 198 mph.

As of next year, the nominally eco-conscious will be able to get their Continental GT with a 4.0-liter V8. Numbers haven't been released yet, but you can expect it to register high on the horse and torque while getting significantly better gas mileage than its big brother.

Perhaps the best upgrade of all: the interior accoutrements that now boast an eight-inch touchscreen interface, dynamic navigation and Google Maps. Joining that are a sleeker dash, climate-controlled "Cobra" seats sculpted to provide more rear legroom, and leather-lined door pouches with water bottle holders. It's everything the current Continental GT is.

[Source: Bentley]

Lamborghini teases new supercar ahead of Paris debut

Step-by-step unveilings of new car models can be a painfully slow affair, but when it's something as exciting as a new Lamborghini, chances are that it'll be worth it in the end.

Following the barely-a-teaser shot released three months ago, this new image just released by the Italian factory gives us a glimpse at a section of what looks like the taillight on what is expected to be the company's new Murciélago successor. The Murci has served admirably in its range-topper role, having carried on in numerous variants since 2001.

What you're looking at is the first in a series of six teasers slated to be released by the Bolognese exotic automaker ahead of the car's expected debut at the upcoming Paris Auto Salon. The rest of the shots will undoubtedly follow in a timely fashion, so stay tuned.

[Source: Lamborghini]

Audi wants your help designing its future electric vehicles

So you think you've got what it takes to design an electric car? If so, Audi is interested in hearing from you. The company just kicked off an electric car competition that challenges people to try their hand at designing the cars of tomorrow. The competition is open to anyone with an eye for design who also knows a thing or two about electric cars. Audi officially calls the competition "The Production of Electric Automobiles," and concept ideas are currently being accepted. Unfortunately, the site is in German, making entry a wee bit more difficult, but this translated Google page will help English-only speakers out.

There are a few guidelines that must be followed in order to have chance at winning the contest, but it's pretty simple stuff. Of those who do enter before the July 31st deadline, Audi will select eight finalists to attend a workshop to perfect and resubmit their ideas. The company will then choose an overall winner in November. Bernd Griesbach, an Audi spokesperson for the event, hints at what the company expects from entrants:

We are convinced that we will receive many innovative and creative entries because the competition is a unique opportunity for young employees and potential employees. It is important that the concept can be easily implemented and demonstrates clear progress over the state of the art.

Interested? Give it a try, as there's certainly nothing to lose. If you do well enough, your design might even be implemented in future Audi products and could even land you a spot at the company. How's that for forward momentum? Follow the jump to learn more about the contest. Hat tip to Larzen!

[Source: Audi]

Audi Concept New Cars

The futuristic film car Audi RSQ was presented to the public for the first time on April 7, 2004 at the New York International Automobile Show. Audi tackles its most ambitious product placement project ever: For the epic event motion picture „I, ROBOT“, Audi Design developed the spectacular vehicle, which helps leading actor Will Smith – a homicide detective in the year 2035 – solve a mystery that could have grave consequences for the human race. Fox releases “I, ROBOT“ in the U.S. on July 16; the film arrives in Germany in August.

audi concept

audi concept

audi concept

audi concept

Audi Concept New Cars

The futuristic film car Audi RSQ was presented to the public for the first time on April 7, 2004 at the New York International Automobile Show. Audi tackles its most ambitious product placement project ever: For the epic event motion picture „I, ROBOT“, Audi Design developed the spectacular vehicle, which helps leading actor Will Smith – a homicide detective in the year 2035 – solve a mystery that could have grave consequences for the human race. Fox releases “I, ROBOT“ in the U.S. on July 16; the film arrives in Germany in August.

audi concept

audi concept

audi concept

audi concept