While we adore sexy three-door hatchbacks in the same way that our lungs crave oxygen, our fellow countrymen don’t quite seem to feel the same way. Three-doors simply don’t sell in America, and that’s exactly why the delicious isn’t headed to the states, according to The Detroit Bureau.
Instead, American buyers can look forward to a market-specific sedan version that Johan de Nysschen, CEO of of America, says won’t share so much as a single body panel with the longroof you see above. While that’s a crying shame by our eyes, de Nysschen says the U.S.-spec will likely be successful enough to boost model sales to 30,000 per year.
The A3 Sedan is expected to bow with a more upscale, refined interior and more passenger volume as well. We wouldn’t be surprised to see an abundance of available technology options as well. The Detroit Bureau says the new model may even bow with the same touch pad control system found on the and a larger LCD screen mounted in the dash.
Nine times out of ten, if the Autoblog crew isn’t talking cars, we’re discussing cameras. Or cat videos. But mostly cameras. We love shooting the world’s newest vehicles almost as much as we enjoy driving them, and odds are we aren’t alone.
If you’ve ever wondered how the real pros manage to get their best photos, wonder no more. The crew at FStoppers.com tagged along while Blair Bunting trained his lens on the . The shot you see above was crafted using around $60,000 in lighting equipment, a full staff of assistants and a professional retoucher.
Bunting says he actually uses Forza Motorsport 4 to plan his shots before the vehicle ever arrives. Using the game’s Free Look mode allows him to spot interesting aspects of the car that would otherwise be missed by viewing the stock photography.
But the pro lets us all in on another little secret toward the end of the video. Amateurs and enthusiast photographers like ourselves can get a very similar effect with a small light box and a lightbulb on a stick. Now we just need a car worth shooting in the middle of the night. to watch the video yourself. It’s a long one, but completely worth it.
There are a lot of ways to describe the Valmet Dawn you see pictured above, but our favorite could be mouthed by Keanu Reeves: Whoa. And then we would expand it to WTF? As in, “Whoa the F?”
That’s because Valmet Automotive – the makers of the , among other vehicles – has wrapped its electric vehicle engineering chops in what is perhaps the most impractical and odd-looking concept vehicle we’ve ever seen. The Dawn concept is meant to show that Valmet can both research and develop EV components like drivetrains and batteries and put them together into a vehicle, a two-prong approach that Valmet says is a new strategic focus area for the company. With that in mind, perhaps it not a total surprise that Valmet hasn’t released any sort of information about the range, power or really any real-world details about the Dawn. Like, for example, what’s that blue disc in front? An inductive charger? A 21st Century cow catcher? An Identity Disc?
Valmet says this test bed vehicle “integrates both the component developer and integrator roles. Displaying the battery pack, drivetrain, control unit and charging options, it also shows what ultimately can be achieved in the world of electric mobility, by integrating solutions in an innovative fashion.” Innovative. Yeah, that’s the word.
Carbon Motors, maker of the purpose-built E7 police car, won’t receive the $310 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program that it applied for almost three years ago, and said that it’s a victim of politics.
“We are outraged by the actions of the DOE and it is clear that this was a political decision in a highly-charged, election year environment,” Carbon Motors William Santana Li said in a statement. The company added that it was “actively examining its strategic and financing alternatives.”
Carbon Motors says its vehicles will save government entities money because they get better fuel economy and they’re purpose-built, meaning that factory vehicles don’t need to be retrofitted. Carbon Motors has said its diesel-powered cars may cut law-enforcement fuel use and greenhouse-gas emissions by as much as 40 percent, and that building such cars may create as many as 10,000 jobs. The car was to feature a BMW 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine.
The company says it’s received about $200 million worth of financial commitments from private and public sources and has taken orders from more than 500 law-enforcement agencies for more than 20,000 cars.
Last December, the company urging the Obama Administration to push the DOE to approve the loan.
The federal loan process has vexed other automotive companies. Bright Automotive, which was to make extended-range plug-in utility vehicles, publicly pleaded with the government to process its application for a $400 million loan in January. Last month, that company .
Meanwhile, , maker of the extended-range plug-in sports sedan , has been fielding questions about its future after the company in early February and halted production. Fisker has received less than $200 million of the $529 million loan it was slated to get from the DOE.
Among the numerous renditions of its DS line unveiled at the , Citroën went a step further with the introduction of the DS3 Racing S. Loeb. Taking advantage of the ridiculous success it has had with the DS4 WRC piloted by Sebastien Loeb, the DS3 Racing S. Loeb is for those who want a cuter brute than the .
Even better, you can actually buy this one: Citroën is making 200 examples, all of them numbered and signed. Citroën was mum on any power upgrade, but we do know the hatch comes “cloaked” in a textured matte black hue with red accents and will come standard with the company’s MyWay nav system.
Citroën was also mum on the price, but we’re sure there’ll be a premium. for more info on the models it showed off at Geneva, and there’s a high-res gallery from the show floor plus a couple of stock images of the car with the man himself, and his DS3 WRC car.
Among all the automakers unveiling their new wares in every year are a handful of independent designers and schools that aim to change the way we think about the automobile. They range from mainstream design houses like and to the zany obscurity of the and – most especially – .
Not to be confused with the Italian fast-food chain, Franco Sbarro has a history of creating off-the-wall show cars for the Geneva show. But while we were expecting to find the concept created for , instead we found the vehicle you see above.
Called the Intencity, this vehicle is less a design of Franco himself and more that of his students at the Espera Sbarro school in Montbéliard, France. Details are few and far between, but what we can tell you is that the innovative design packs an electric powertrain into a 1+1 body-style with a giant front-hinged canopy.
Power (whether theoretical or otherwise) comes from a 100-kilowatt electric motor fueled by a 96-cell lithium-phosphate battery good for about 180 kilometers fitted in a tubular frame chassis for a package that weighs a lithe 980 kg overall. OZ provides the wheels and Recaro the seats, and you can check out the whole package in our high-resolution live images from the show floor.
Please excuse us while we banish thoughts of – Magna; MILA… Uma; Oprah – and instead focus on what this concept car brings to the table. This is , the Austrian arm of Canadian auto parts giant Magna International, and it’s meant to showcase the capabilities of the supplier.
First and foremost, the MILA Coupic’s two-door crossover shape can convert into a convertible or a pickup truck, depending on the configuration of the rear seat. There’s seating for as many as five occupants in full CUV mode, and the two glass roof elements can be opened or closed independently.
The MILA Coupic is an impressive engineering exercise, and, since Magna builds such production machines as the , Fiat 500C and , it’s one that could potentially see a roadway near you at some point in the not-too-distant future. See for yourself in our image gallery above, and read more in the official press release .
Wide, chunky, low-down and matte gray. There aren’t many things for which we’d consider that a flattering descriptive, but the concept is just such a thing.
Developed by Citroën Racing and a step up from the , it’s 35 millimeters lower, 55-mm wider than the production car and sits on two-tone wheels hiding massive brakes. Under the hood is a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with 256 horsepower.
Galleries of high-res photos are above and , along with the official press release.
It may not be the most exciting vehicle that debuted at the , but the new is an important one nonetheless. The Romanian-bred, French-owned automaker says the Lodgy will be offered in multiple configurations that will include options for five or seven occupants.
We can’t say for certain what will power the machine, but we can comment on its interesting name. Dacia says, as you can read in the press release after the break, that the moniker is “derived from the English word ‘lodge’ and refers directly to the model’s ability to comfortably accommodate a family and its luggage.” Odd name aside, we expect the Lodgy will be popular with European families looking for an inexpensive way to transport their brood.
Alongside the new Lodgy MPV, Dacia also displayed the Lodgy Glace Alain Prost drove to . Check both out in our included photo galleries and read the few details released by Dacia .
If on the McLaren MP4-12C was a fiery sunrise, then this is the other side of dawn: the Gemballa GT. Gemballa is campaigning a McLaren in this year’s GT3 series, and the company’s motorsport experience has been “distilled into a state-of-the art super sports car.”
That means new front and rear clips, side skirts and rear wing, plus Gemballa wheels that go an inch bigger than standard – 20 inches up front and 21 in back. Inside, there’s white leather trimming and a reworked steering wheel. No engine upgrades have been applied to the GT, but Gemballa says its’ working on a power program. Check out all of its angles in the gallery of high-res photos.
The task of trying to update the is like trying to update Mt. Everest – you can swap out a few boulders, add some clouds and a new glacier, but such moves are dwarfed by the simple grandiosity of the highest mountain on the planet. That’s why you’ll need to pay close attention to note the changes made on the Phantom Series II.
The “striking new front end” gets a revised bumper, full/adaptive LED headllights and a rectangular LED array where there once was a round supplemental light. Moving on to the inside, the satellite navigation and infotainment system gets upgraded – it was the previous car’s only real weakness – and includes a larger, 8.8-inch screen, a new controller and a feature called “guided tours.” Sounds glitzy.
Under the skin, the old transmission gets traded for a new eight-speed automatic. Fuel economy gets a boost because of it, but you’re not really worried about that, are you? The changes also apply to the Coupe and Drophead models, too.
We gave the Phantom a once-over here in , so scroll through the above gallery for plenty of live images. There’s more info and several galleries of high-res stock photos for your perusal below.
In the stratospheric zone of the automotive atmosphere, being unique is every bit as important as going blindingly fast or bathing oneself in luxury. To address the need, has introduced Q, a service that goes far beyond standard paint palettes, leather finishes and wood trims. In the automaker’s own words, Q is defined as “a team that brings Aston Martin’s designers together with the company’s engineers and highly experienced craftspeople, allowing customers to enhance and personalize their Aston Martin with meticulous attention to detail.”
The automaker recently sent Q a for the full treatment (a blank check was apparently stuffed in the glove box). What emerged is emphatically unique, but it is also fascinating and rather odd at the same time. Nevertheless, we found it on display at the .
The show car is a Virage Volante sporting a Mariana Blue satin paint finish. The interior is configured with blue carbon-fiber, saddle leather floor mats, and yellow detailing. Other components include lightweight forged diamond-turned wheels, a track-day HD video camera mounted on the header (looking much sleeker than any GoPro) and a completely silly rear luggage rack.
Check out our from the floor, read through the and then take a look at some of the including a Cherry Tree Cygnet, a bespoke city car.
has unveiled what it calls the most environmentally friendly, conventional-engined vehicle sold on the planet – the all-new i20.
We called the first i20 and this new model gets a family-familiar hexagonal grille and swept-back, cat-eye headlights and fog lamps. Much of the car’s profile and rear are carried over from last year’s model with the exception of the tweaked taillights and some shiny new shoes.
The biggest news, however, is the fact that four engines will be on tap. On the greenest end of the scale is a 1.1-liter three-cylinder diesel. With about 74 hp, the little oil-burner generates only 84 g/km of CO2. That’s pretty impressive considering the crazy-efficient 2012 Toyota Prius C breathes out about 110 g/km.
The downside? The i20 isn’t available in the U.S. (Surprise, surprise.) for the full details in Hyundai’s press blast.
With all the exciting news coming out of , you’ll have to excuse us for snickering just a little bit when we saw this press release. Yes, the is as deserving of a mid-cycle refresh as any other vehicle, though it appears from this teaser that whatever tinkering has done will prove itself superficial at best.
As is typical these days, this crossover-ized is getting some revised front and rear lighting, and what we would guess will be minor modifications to the front fascia. We can see from the picture that the grille looks to be a bit smaller and those are surely LED’s in the new headlights.
New 19-inch wheels and three new colors are probably going to matter less to buyers than the fact that “value has been enhanced” by making more features standard. This might help address our biggest complaint when – that’s it’s just too darn expensive for what you get.
Click to read the full press release, and stay tuned for our .
, we’re sorry to say, promised a lot but delivered very little this year in . But that doesn’t mean its show stand was without its eye candy. Feast your eyes on .
Developed by Lola, powered by and set to be fielded by the Kodewa team in the upcoming inaugural season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, this class-two Le Mans prototype may be a Lotus in name only, but it sure looks the part nestled in between the Lotus F1 Team’s latest single-seater and the GT sports racer.
That principally comes down to the black-and-gold livery applied to this beast much as it has to all of the company’s other racing machinery. But that’s no bad thing. See what we mean in the gallery of high-resolution images from the show floor.
The good news for folks who both love and hate the FAB Design McLaren MP4-12C Terso is that there will only be five made. But to our eyes, the Swiss tuners known for some felonious assaults on innocent cars (the , anyone?) have been admirably restrained with this one, although we’ll admit that .
New front and rear clips for the Mac seems to be the thing, and the Terso fulfills that brief with a polygonal theme for its widebody stance. The side skirts are also new, and they’re topped by a side intake with a new cutout to match the stance up front. The wheels haven’t grown in size but, are FAB’s traditionally deep 20-inchers.
The rear wing is a removable bolt-on, and if you look closely at the front of the car you’ll notice a wing just below the front windshield. We’re not sure if that one comes off as well, but remember, there will only be five of these. Check it out while you can in the gallery of high-res photos.
The new produces an impressive 560 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque, but for companies like AC Schnitzer, the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 presents only a starting point. The German tuning company unveiled the new ACS5 Sport here at the this week, managing to squeeze and additional 60 hp and 81 lb-ft from the forced-induction motor.
The ASC5 Sport isn’t all about horsepower, though. AC Schnitzer has also fitted the Bimmer with a new sport suspension system, 21-inch Type IV forged wheels and a slick aerodynamic kit including a carbon fiber front spoiler, chrome front grille, rear spoiler and a carbon fiber diffuser. The exterior is finished off with an attractive matte blue paint. Inside, the car features trim and stitching to match the exterior. You can see the AC Schnitzer ACS5 Sport in detail in the high-res gallery above.
Many of the tuners here at the have little to no restraint when it comes to styling, which is why we appreciate subtlety when we see it. Lumma Design, hailing from Winterlingen, Germany, offers an example of such restraint with its CLR 9 S based on the new 991 . The styling package includes a tasteful strip package, a new front clip with an integrated splitter and a three-piece spoiler at the rear. A new set of quad exhaust tips also peek out from the rear fascia.
Inside, the CLR 9 S features a slathering of new leather and Alcantara on the seats, dashboard and door panels. Carbon leather trim can also be found on the steering wheel, center console and shifter.
You can read Lumma Design’s official press release regarding the CLR 9 S , and check out live photos of the car from the Geneva show floor in the gallery above.
If given the choice, we’d grab the keys to an all-electric way before its gasoline-powered sibling, if for no other reason than it would mean we wouldn’t have to put up with that horrid automated manual transmission. But such faint praise isn’t really fair to the . After all, it’s got 80 horsepower on tap, which is plenty for the little urban runabout, and its 100 pound-feet of torque ought to be available from zero rpm.
Brabus has also seen fit to lower the Smart ED 10 millimeters closer to the pavement, which, along with the 16-inch front and 17-inch rear monoblock wheels, should improve the way it handles. Less convincing an upgrade is the onboard sound generator… though perhaps one strategically pulled fuse might make short work of that oversight.
Feel free to peruse the press release , but not before checking out our high-res image gallery of live photos from the .
We’re pretty fond of the Ram Tradesman. The truck offers impressive power and capability per dollar spent, and now it looks as if aims to give buyers a little extra functionality, as well. For 2012, the Tradesman can be had in either Crew Cab or Quad Cab configurations to provide comfortable-enough transportation for six adults.
Long live the bench seat.
The vehicles will come boasting the same 4.7-liter V8 found in the standard-cab Tradesman, complete with 310 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. With an EPA rating of 20 mpg highway and a standard tow package that allows the truck to pull up to 7,700 pounds, the pickup is still a smart combination of economy and power. That is, at least by full-size truck standards. A six-speed automatic transmission, spray in bed liner and a no-cost Ram Box storage system are all part of the mix, as well.
Ram also announced that it intends to offer a compressed natural gas version of the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty. Powered by a 5.7-liter V8, the truck is technically a bi-fuel offering. While there are tanks on board, Chrysler also threw in an eight-gallon gasoline tank in the event buyers can’t make it between CNG fueling stations. Canadian customers can opt for a 35-gallon gasoline tank, as well. In order for the truck to be able to swill down both fuels, new cylinder heads had to be designed with reworked valves and valve seats. The V8 also wears two sets of fuel rails and injectors: one for gasoline and the other for CNG.
The system is fully automatic, and will switch between the two fuels without any user input. Very cool. No prices have been announced for the 2500 CNG, though we do know the truck can haul up to 1,580 pounds and tow 7,650 pounds. for the full press releases.
