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Around Autoblog HQ, we likey the wagons. And the the latest Hyundai i30 is one of our favorite road-going interpretations of the automaker’s “fluidic sculpture” design language. But while the i30 hatch – a.k.a. the Elantra Touring in the States – fits the bill for most, Hyundai recognizes that some people need more and that’s what the i30 Wagon delivers.

Hyundai’s hexagonal grille, gem-like headlights and restyled taillights take the i30 from ho-hum family-hauling econobox to something boarding on stylish – a challenge for a utilitarian people mover – and the additional cargo space is surely a welcome addition for families with more kit to carry.

The interior gets a generous dose of upgrades as well, including a two-tone IP, creamy leather seats, brushed aluminum accents and a steering wheel full of redundant controls. This new i30 could be the perfect competitor to the Jetta Sportwagen in the U.S., but Hyundai remains mum on its chances of making it across the Atlantic.

2013 Hyundai i30 Wagon hauls in high style

Following in the footsteps of the U.S.-bound A4 Allroad, Audi has unveiled its bigger, stouter brother here at the Geneva Motor Show.

The 2013 Audi A6 Allroad takes the same proven formula of past rough-and-tumble models and applies it to the Avant version of the latest A6, raising the ride height by around 2.5 inches, slapping some plastic cladding around the wheel arches and fascias, flaring the fenders, tucking a few stainless steel trays to the underbody and topping it all off with a pair off roof rails.

Three diesel powerplants will be available ranging from 204 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque to 313 hp and 479 lb-ft of twist. The lone gasoline engine – the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 from the S4 – puts out 310 hp and some 324 lb-ft though a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box to all four wheels.

However, unlike the A4 Allroad, we likely won’t be seeing the A6 in the U.S., so only one beefed up Audi wagon will have to suffice.

2013 Audi A6 Allroad evolves the formula

It was only a matter of time before Mini spiced up its Countryman crossover with the application of its go-fast John Cooper Works kit, and it’s now made an official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

Boasting 211 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque (up to 221 on overboost), the 2013 JCW Countryman is the most powerful production machine ever to wear the Mini badge. Those ponies are routed to all four wheels through a six-speed gearbox (either manual or automatic) and can propel the upright box to 60 in as little as seven seconds.

We’ll have to wait until the car’s official launch this fall to find out for sure if this latest JCW lives up to its storied name, but in the meantime, check out our live photos above and the press release below.

Continue reading 2013 Mini John Cooper Works Countryman packs an up-sized punch

2013 Mini John Cooper Works Countryman packs an up-sized punch

The all-new 991 variant of the Porsche 911 has only been on sale for a few months, but renowned Porsche tuner Ruf is already hard at work applying its patented blend of power, handling and braking to the latest 911.

On hand at the Geneva Motor Show are two new 991-based Rufs, the Rt 35 Anniversary (green, above) and the RGT 8 (yellow). The Rt35 is a rolling celebration of Ruf’s 35 years in business and beats Porsche to the punch by offering a twin turbo kit for the Carrera S, outputting 621 horsepower and an equally astounding 608 pound feet of torque through a standard seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Ruf isn’t citing a 0-60 time, but claims the Rt35 tops out at a little over 205 mph.

The original RGT 8 debuted here in Geneva two years ago and shocked Porsche purists by packing a race-derived V8 where the flat-six would traditionally reside. This updated version based on the 991 uses a similar 4.5-liter V8 good for 543 hp and 368 lb-ft of twist, all routed through a proper six-speed manual gearbox.

Finally, Ruf has updated its flagship CTR 3 in a new Clubsport variant, with copious quantities of carbon fiber both inside and out and powered provided by a twin-turbo flat-six outputting 740 hp and 708 lb-ft of torque. A six-speed sequential gearbox puts the power down, further ensuring its status as a track machine that’s barely suitable for a run to the corner store. Bonus Ruf porn in the video below.

Continue reading Ruf gets to work on the 991 Porsche 911, reveals new CTR 3 [w/video]

Ruf gets to work on the 991 Porsche 911, reveals new CTR 3 [w/video]

Swiss. Winter. X. Cargo.

Those are the names of the four new Up! models that Volkswagen has brought to the Geneva Motor Show, the latest expansion of the supermini that by now has more personalities than the United States of Tara.

You might think the Swiss Up! is named for the its Geneva debut location, but instead it’s all about versatility, like a Swiss Army knife. We couldn’t get a view inside the car, but the name association is taken to the extreme with knife holders on the backs of the front seats. How’s that for practical?

The Cargo version is a bit more self-explanatory, turning the small car into a reasonable delivery vehicle that will carry 49 cubic-feet of goods. The X Up!, on the other hand, is designed for adventure, with searchlights and a roof box. The Winter Up! comes ready for the mountain slopes with snowboards on the roof and a higher ride height to clear icy hurdles.

None of these clever new concepts will be available when the first Up! model goes on sale in Europe this week, but they do show that VW is serious about thinking outside the standard econobox. The Swiss Up! is the snazzy red one pictured above, and you can see all four models in the galleries we’ve included from the show floor.

Continue reading Volkswagen introduces four new Up! concepts, because we didn’t have enough already

Volkswagen introduces four new Up! concepts, because we didn’t have enough already

Not every item on your list of 1,001 Car Things To Do Before You Die will involve racing through the night across Baja, crushing cars with a tank or surviving the world’s silliest test of endurance. This week we slow things down a bit with an oft requested item for The List: Visit an automotive museum.

Many towns across the nation have their own automotive museum, but for The List, we visited what’s considered by many to be the premier one in the country: the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.

Come with our hosts Jessi and Patrick as they get a special tour of what the Petersen museum offers, and go behind the scenes with us to see how an operation like this works.

Follow the jump to watch The List #0060: Visit an Automotive Museum.

• Have an RSS feed? Click here to add The List.
• Do you have an idea for The List? Click here to tell us what would be on yours.
• You can also click here to learn more about our hosts, Jessi and Patrick.

Continue reading The List #0060: Visit an Automotive Museum

The List #0060: Visit an Automotive Museum

If you’re a sucker for high-riding shooting brakes, the Hyundai i-oniq concept has what you’re after, albeit with a certain anonymity we haven’t seen from Hyundai of late.

Complete with elongated gullwing doors and an expansive greenhouse featuring curved glass both behind the A-pillar and on the hatch, the i-oniq is the latest interpretation of Hyundai’s “fluidic sculpture” design language. It’s a beautiful profile and a classy shape, but the front fascia has shades of Citroën while the rear is more amorphous bulge than svelte hatch. It’s pretty, but it’s just not striking.

Inside, the i-oniq embodies concept car chic, with layers upon layers of materials, textures and tiers spanning the dash, seats and door panels.

Hyundai claims a 1.0-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine is fitted under the hood, but its 60 horsepower doesn’t reach the wheels. The engine is strictly a generator, juicing up a lithium-ion battery pack that sends power to a single-speed transmission and on to a 100-hp electric motor.

As with most high-style concepts, the i-oniq isn’t headed to production, but some kind of series hybrid drivetrain is certainly in the cards for future Hyundai models. Hit the jump for the details.

Continue reading Hyundai i-oniq Concept blends series hybrid with shooting brake style

Hyundai i-oniq Concept blends series hybrid with shooting brake style

We’ve seen plenty of Evora GTE models over the last two years. Some concepts, some production variants and now this, a carbon fiber-bodied Evora to celebrate Lotus’ Formula 1 heritage and christened by none other than Kimi Raikkonen.

Like the rest of the GTE Evoras, this variant is a road-going version of Lotus’ ALMS car currently campaigned by Alex Job Racing. Power is provided by the same 444-horsepower supercharged V6, with overall weight reduced by some 200 pounds, making it the fastest roadworthy Lotus in the company’s history. And it’s only fitting that the F1 edition wears the marque’s storied black and gold livery both inside and out.

Lotus coats Evora GTE in carbon fiber for F1 Edition

Cadillac admits it only needs to sell a half dozen CTS-V Sport Wagons to cover its development costs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the 2013 Audi RS4 Avant. Audi execs have made it clear that its hottest midsize Avant won’t be coming to the States anytime soon, so if you’re particularly sensitive to forbidden fruit, stop reading now.

Like the RS5, the RS4 Avant packs Audi’s meticulously crafted 4.2-liter V8 putting out 450 horsepower at a stratospheric 8,250 RPM and 317 pound-feet of torque from 4,000 to 6,000 RPM. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends power to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system, including a beefed up version of the S4’s torque vectoring rear differential. The run to 60 blows past in the high four-second range and while the “standard” top speed is limited to 155 miles per hour, grease the palms at the Audi service department and you’ll max out at 174 mph.

The 14.4-inch front rotors are framed by standard 19-inch lightweight wheels, with optional 14.9-inch carbon ceramic discs barely obscured by 20-inch hoops. A customizable, active suspension is fitted at all four corners, dropping the RS4 by nearly an inch over its standard Avant counterpart.

Pricing hasn’t been set, but sales are due to begin this fall in Germany. And if Audi can make the case in the States, we hear the next generation could be a global model.

2013 Audi RS4 Avant is the latest behatched forbidden fruit

A few months back, Ford told us that it had listened to consumers and wanted to cure the ills of the first generation MyFord Touch. Starting today, the Blue Oval will begin shipping out USB drives to owners of 2013 Ford Taurus and Flex models, allowing them to install the latest version of the software from the comfort of their garages.

The update addresses many gripes that both the public and press have had with the MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch interface since its launch in 2010. The graphics have undergone a relatively major overhaul with bolder text and a cleaner, more user friendly UI. Just as important, the touchsceen lag we’ve complained about in the past should be all but eradicated and voice recognition has also improved. No word from Ford on how it’s dealt with the intermittent crashes that users have experienced, but we know that it was a top priority for engineers.

Ford’s wonks have also added more phone support, Audible audiobook integration, a revamped mapping and navigation system and the ability to link a variety of tablet devices to the Sync platform.

Ford is shipping both a USB flash drive that contains the update and an SD card with all-new mapping data. Ford claims the installation should take around an hour, but if you’re hazy on the install process, it can be performed at your local Ford or Lincoln dealer. Make the jump for the official details.

Continue reading MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch upgrades shipping this week

MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch upgrades shipping this week

You have to applaud an automaker like Bugatti. Not content with being second place in the production car top speed category, the automaker created the monstrous Veyron Super Sport which, with a top tested speed of 267.81 miles per hour, holds the record for the world’s fastest production coupe. Now, here at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Bugatti has officially debuted the next chapter of its top speed world domination story, because why settle for just having the world’s fastest coupe when you can have the world’s fastest convertible, too?

Meet the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. It’s a pretty simple (yet technically astounding) package: Take the 1,200-horsepower, 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 from the Veyron Super Sport and fit it under the hood of the roofless Grand Sport. Vitesse nomenclature aside (that’s French for ’speed’, by the way), just think of this as a Super Grand Sport.

Bugatti states that the Grand Sport Vitesse is the most powerful production roadster of all time, and once this thing hits the street, it’ll surely be the fastest, too. “Once again our engineers worked hard to demonstrate that Bugatti is able to constantly redefine the boundaries of what is technically feasible,” states the automaker’s President, Wolfgang Dürheimer.

Scroll through our attached image gallery to see the Grand Sport Vitesse live from the Geneva show floor and check out the official press release after the jump.

Continue reading Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is where top speed goes topless

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is where top speed goes topless

It is expected that the BMW 4 Series – which will be what we used to call the 3 Series coupe and convertible – is expected to be revealed sometime later this year. Nevertheless, it still has much to hide, since it’s wearing the same amount of all-sheathing camouflage as when we saw it four months ago.

This is the convertible version, and it is figured to be the new 3 Series with a few tweaks at the front. It is capped by a folding hardtop and presumably uses the same engines offered in the 3. When the camo does come off, we’re anxious to see if the lower front intake really does retain the shape of a Wallace-and-Grommit smile.

BMW 4 Series Convertible spotted buttoned up for winter

The Aventador J adheres to a pretty simple recipe, namely dispense with everything unnecessary to going fast.

Let’s cut to the chase here: Yes, it’s a real car, and yes, it’s for sale. Lamborghini makes that point clear at the end of its press release, and we imagine the furor among the 1% to get that first spot in the queue will be enough to rival the 99% on iPad 3 launch day.

The Aventador J adheres to a pretty simple recipe, namely dispense with everything unnecessary to going fast, like the climate control and nav systems. Lambo has also given the roof and windshield of the Aventador LP700-4 coupe the Sawzall treatment, fitting small wind deflectors instead. The company says it’s going for a two-seat sport-bike effect, so it’s done some other interesting things to lower the curb weight of the J.

Notable here is the use of a new carbon fiber fabric called “Carbonskin” that Lamborghini claims is soft enough to be used on the seats and interior trim. Carbon fiber is used in more traditional ways throughout the rest of the car – in the bumpers, designed to increase downforce, the front air scoop, complete with winglets, and in the huge rear diffuser.

Powered by the same 700-hp 6.5-liter 12-cylinder as the standard Aventador, the all-wheel-drive J is capable of speeds over 300 kph (186 mph), meaning the driver and passenger had better have their helmets at the ready.

Click the images above to see our full gallery of images and look below for the full press release.

Continue reading Lamborghini Aventador J roadster is a sport bike built for two, and it’s for sale

Lamborghini Aventador J roadster is a sport bike built for two, and it’s for sale

The Volkswagen Cross Coupe is back and headed to the Geneva Motor Show this week, this time with an innovative diesel hybrid drivetrain under the hood.

Details are scarce at the moment, but the company says a TDI engine works in conjunction with not one, but two electric motors to propel the vehicle. All told, the combination is good for fuel economy of 1.8 liters per 100 kilometers on the European cycle, which translates to a staggering 130 miles per gallon. It’s worth remembering, however, that European and domestic testing cycles vary greatly.

Even with the vehicle’s impressive fuel economy, the Cross Coupe has over 300 horsepower on tap and a top speed of 136 mph. We certainly like the sound of that combination. So, is a diesel hybrid from Volkswagen headed to production anytime soon? Hard telling. Odds are we’ll hear more when the Cross Coupe debuts later this week. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

Continue reading Volkswagen revisits Cross Coupé concept for Geneva, now with PHEV drivetrain

Volkswagen revisits Cross Coupé concept for Geneva, now with PHEV drivetrain

Now that Forza Motorsport 4 developer Turn 10 Studios and Need for Speed developer Electronic Arts finally “found the right terms,” you can have Porsche in your Forza. The Porsche Expansion Pack will be available for 1,600 MS points or $19.99, and will reward you with 30 products from the Stuttgart maker including the 2010 911 Sport Classic. Turn 10 says that seven of the 30 will be completely new to the series, which probably means you can expect the return of classics from Forza 3 like the 962.

The pack isn’t included in the game’s Season Pass, but your Porsche Expansion Pack won’t just get cars, either: there will be 20 new events, 10 XBox Live achievements and a Rivals Mode all based on Porsches as well. The pack is scheduled to be available on May 22 and will take FM4’s car count (with DLCs) to 625. The licensing deal isn’t long-term, so if Porsches are your thing you should mark May 22 on your calendar.

The other two new events on the Forza 4 horizon are that level caps have been raised from 150 to 999, and a new game called Forza Horizon is on the way. It’s being developed by an outside studio called Playground Games and no one seems to know anything about it beyond Turn 10’s assessment that “it’s a fast-paced pick-up-and-play racing game.” There’s a video trailer for Horizon after the jump which won’t tell you anything more than you already know, but sounds pretty cool.

Continue reading Porsche Expansion Pack bringing 30 cars to Forza Motorsport 4 [w/video]

Porsche Expansion Pack bringing 30 cars to Forza Motorsport 4 [w/video]

A seriously stretched Cadillac XTS has been snapped during cold-weather testing doing what appeared to be checks of its traction-control, braking and stability systems, according to our spy photographers. With the Lincoln Town Car having left the building, Cadillac probably sees a huge opportunity not only in the livery market, but also in the celebs-and-prom-kids segment.

More than once the spy photogs mentioned the size of this car, and it looks massive even from its best angle. Another option for its use is as a new presidential limo to replace the rolling Imperial Starship that is the current Cadillac One, though while that vehicle does have the body of a Cadillac, its underpinnings come from a medium-duty Chevrolet Kodiak truck.

Cadillac XTS stretch limousine spotted looking prom-idential

In die cast form, anyway, you’re looking at the next Viper. In the tiny-car world, there’s as much fanaticism about keeping the scaled-down versions of the latest and greatest under tight wraps, while also being the first to hit the shelves when the real deal hits the streets. A preview of what would be great to see as the next Viper has hit the internet by way of a few images of a toy even grown adults will covet in lieu of the real thing.

The hood looks like what we’ve seen in other leaked images, which lends credence to the rest of the accuracy of the overall shape. Significantly, this is the first time we’ve gotten much of a glance at the rear of what could be the 2013 Viper. We’ll find out soon how accurate this sporty plaything is, and we’ll pass those days hoping it’s pretty much spot-on.

This is the 2013 SRT Viper (in 1:64 scale)

Road & Track lined up the Corvette ZR1 next to the Corvette C6.R ALMS racing car to see how they’d compete in a straight line. Notice we didn’t say “drag” or “drag race,” since this isn’t at the track and we can’t tell the distance of the contest.

The C6.R is based on the ZR1, but comes in with about 500 horsepower to push its 2,745-pound weight and uses a sequential transmission and slicks. The ZR1 works with 638 horses but has 3,345 pounds to get going through a six-speed manual transmission and street tires.

The race starts at 0:15 seconds and ends at 0:23. You’ll find the winner in the video after the jump.

Continue reading ZR1 versus C6.R racer in Corvette straight-line race

ZR1 versus C6.R racer in Corvette straight-line race

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Barrett-Jackson hype machine, it’s that if you want to sell an old car for ungodly sums of money, it helps to have a good yarn to tell about it. Which is why we’re somewhat shocked to see this Superbird fail to attract enough interest from bidders at the Atlantic City Classic Car Auction this past weekend.

The 1970 Plymouth Superbird you see above was formerly the property of the Environmental Protection Agency, which used it in some seminal air pollution tests, racing the car down a runway against a jet to measure emissions. The story is a fascinating piece of history, in that this particular Superbird was a product of NASCAR legend Ray Nichels, the chief race car builder for Chrysler during the company’s prolific late 1960’s period.

Yet that wasn’t enough to push bidding past $175,000, so the car will go home to its current owner, Brian Chaffee of E-Muscle in Middlefield, CT. Chaffee spent three and a half years restoring the unique muscle car after acquiring it in 2006, missing the tail end of the historic run-up in muscle car prices in the process.

While the collector market has corrected itself during the past few years of economic uncertainty, the Hagerty Price Guide still lists #1 condition ‘70 Superbirds packing 440 power as $182,000 cars. So the top bid in Atlantic City was a few thousand light even for a car without such provenance.

EPA’s classic 1970 Plymouth Superbird a no-sale in Atlantic City auction

Roger Penske has run a NASCAR operation off and on since 1972, and continuously since 1991. In that time his drivers have piloted cars from AMC, Mercury, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Ford and, for the last nine years, Dodge. Penske announced this week, though, that 2012 would be his team’s last year with Dodge and that 2013 would inaugurate a new partnership with Ford. There’s another Dodge in the Sprint Cup field driven by Robby Gordon, but Penske has been Dodge’s marquee and development team.

Autoweek reports that the move isn’t over money, but Penske’s desire “to ‘benchmark’ his team’s position against some same-brand competition, and that the association with Ford would make that possible. To us that sounds like excessive chivalry. Had Penske Racing been winning with Dodge, would it really swap makers just to make closer comparisons? In the last eight years Penske took the Nationwide series in 2010 with Brad Keselowski, but in the Sprint Cup, the team has won just 18 times in 764 starts.

The 2013 Dodge Charger Sprint Cup car is set to be revealed next week at the race in Las Vegas. The question now is, who will run the new car?

Both Penske and SRT CEO Ralph Gilles say they’re focused on winning this year, and in a statement Gilles added, “We do value our NASCAR program and will be evaluating the opportunities available moving forward.”

Follow the jump for the press releases from Dodge and Ford on the latest events.

Continue reading Penske switches NASCAR team from Dodge to Ford

Penske switches NASCAR team from Dodge to Ford