There’s not much going on with Suzuki cars these days. All that could change at the Shanghai Motor Show when the Japanese automaker that specializes more on small vehicles and motorcycles introduces the Authentics Concept.
The concept, which has been described as one embracing Suzuki’s new design philosophy of "Sporty x Elegant," sure does look like a concept that could bring Suzuki’s design language into the new millennia.
Not much was revealed apart from these two teasers, but the images do offer some distinctive qualities about the Authentics Concept, including what certainly looks to be a sedan concept with a low roof line, sweptback headlights, massive taillights, a dual-exhaust system and a pretty long wheelbase.
The Suzuki press release also says the car has a "strong character line, which gives a wind-cutting image along with a rich and fine curved surface." That’s a way of describing the Authentics Concept that’ll surely have a lot of people interested in seeing what the car looks like when it rolls out of the shadows at the Shanghai Motor Show later this month.
The latest installment of Kia’s superhero lineup was finally unveiled at the New York Auto Show.
This time, DC’s Wonder Woman was the recipient of the Korean automaker’s superhero-themed vehicles.
The Sportage Wonder Woman is actually the seventh of an eight-vehicle partnership between Kia and DC and for what it’s worth, it’s one of the better ones we’ve seen come out of the unique collaboration.
The exterior of the Sportage features a truly unique aerodynamic look with a red and blue exterior scheme that comes accented with the same stars Wonder Woman has in her get-up. Notice also the gold trim found throughout the vehicle; that’s a nod toward the heroine’s golden lasso. On the front, Wonder Woman’s famous eagle chest plate is prominently featured and integrated into the Sportage’s grille with matching blue headlight beams representing her eyes.
Rounding out the exterior modifications is Wonder Woman’s tiara, which is clearly visible on top of the Sportage’s windshield. The chrome side panels on the vehicle that serve as graphical interpretations of her invisible jet and the five-spoke wheel design complete the wonderful work done on the exterior to pay homage to DC’s resident super heroine.
Moving inside, Kia continued the Wonder Woman-inspired theme with red upholstery and dash pieces, as well as blue LED lighting to match the exterior treatment. There are also custom seats bearing Wonder Woman’s costume with embroidered logo prominently featured. Last but not least is the cargo area of the Sportage, which has a see-through panel displaying Wonder Woman’s full list of crime fighting accessories, including her tiara, bracelets and a glowing Lasso of Truth.
Until Volvo finally unveils the revised XC60 we’ll just have to deal with minor updates. The 2013 New York Auto Show brought just that to the current lineup in the form of a new XC60 R-Design that adds a renewed and sporty appearance, a dynamic driving-focused chassis and a powerful engine.
For the exterior, the new R-Design package adds a frameless Tech Matte Black grille with high-gloss black stripes, a silk metal diagonal and a refined R-Designed emblem. For the interior, the new XC60 R-Design gets new sports seats wrapped in a combination of black nubuck textile and perforated leather, and features an embroidered "R" logo.
The new R-Design models have been specially designed for "performance-minded individuals with a passion for exquisite details." Volvo also hopes that with its latest addition to the lineup will steal attention from customers currently driving other car makes today.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Volvo XC60 R-Design.
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As we all know, the Acura MDX model that we saw in Detroit was only a prototype that gave prospective buyers "a strong indication of the styling and design direction for the third generation." Well, now that the 2013 New York Auto Show is upon us, the 2014 MDX has officially been unveiled in full-production form.
In all honesty, the prototype and the production models are very similar, but Acura basically just toned down the extreme stuff. Things like the LED bars on the front and rear bumpers are nixed. Additionally, Acura gave the front skirt a more traditional look; as opposed to the futuristic treatment it received in the prototype. From the side, the prototype and the production models are nearly indistinguishable, as they both carry almost the identical profile and the rims are identical.
One thing that we’re sure every Acura fan has been waiting for is the revealing of the new model’s interior. And Acura delivered the goods today.
UPDATE 3/29/2013: Acura has finally unveiled the production MDX at the New York Auto Show. Plus nearly all of the details have been revealed.
Click past the jump to read all about the 2014 Acura MDX.
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When the Kia Soul dropped onto the U.S. market in 2010, hipsters everywhere saw Kia in a whole new light. This boxy compact car had all the tuning capabilities the Honda Civic had when it was a tuning phenomenon through the late 1990s and early 2000s, plus it had a catchy commercial with hip hop hamsters. All was well in the world of the Soul, and it’s about to get even more real with the preparation of the future-generation model.
Fresh off of its facelift in 2011, the most sold model from Kia has just entered a new generation. The 2014 Kia Soul was unveiled at the 2013 New York Auto Show and will be put on sale in the third quarter of this year.
For the new generation, the Soul has switched to a new chassis, received a new design language inspired by the Track’ster concept and features significant suspension upgrades.
Updated 03/29/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
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When Porsche announced the initial specifications for the upcoming 918 Spyder, it announced a combined output of 795 horsepower.
Apparently, that was a little bit off, as it is now rumored that the supercar will be significantly better than initially claimed. The output will go somewhere in the 875-horsepower area, the weight will be lower and the Nürburgring time will be under 7 minutes.
Also, one buyer said at the Goodwood Festival of Speed said that he has seen the final production version, and when compared to it, both the LaFerrari and McLaren P1 look “mediocre.” Also, the same buyer claims that while everyone thinks they know how the supercar looks like, we are all in for a huge surprise when the production model drops.
The buyer also stated that the 918 Spyder will be a targa model and "will travel at 150 kms on electric alone." This can be taken one of two ways. The first way is that he means it delivers an electric-only range of about 150 kilometers (93 miles) — a rather stout number. The second meaning is that it has a top speed of 150 km/h (93 mph).
The new Porsche 918 Spyder will make its world debut in September at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
The GT-R just keeps on getting better and it appears as if Nissan is not planning on slowing down any time soon. This is courtesy of Nissan North America’s senior vice president saying to “stay tuned later this year for news that will electrify our legions of GT-R fans worldwide” at the 2013 New York International Auto Show. A rather innocuous statement on the surface, but if you look at that statement in a literal sense and also remember that Nissan has already planned a hybrid racer in the future, that makes you wonder if there was a more literal meaning to that statement.
Reading between the lines makes us wonder if this statement means that the hybrid system that Nissan is planning to use at the 2014 Le Mans may make its way into a production GT-R in the near future. Now we’re not talking about a hybrid system to drastically improve mpg – though it usually will just a little. Rather, we are talking about a high-performance hybrid system seen in the likes of the Porsche 918 and the Ferrari LaFerrari.
We already saw a shrunken down variant of the GT-R engine – a 3.7-liter V-6 – strapped inside the Infiniti Essence Concept with a powerful electric motor to add some extra ponies. Chances are, this concept was simply the first example of what Nissan plans to do with the existing 3.8-liter.
Imagine the GT-R with the added boost of an electric motor. We’re talking well over 700 horsepower and we are thinking conservatively here. That sounds like sweet music to our ears but also a nightmare to our wallets. Chances are that if Nissan does pull the trigger on “Electrifying” fans in a literal sense, the base GT-R would likely remain as a – dare we say – “cheaper” option.
We’ll keep you updated.
The 2014 Kia Optima SX Limited made its debut at the New York International Auto Show and offers a sporty package for the mid-sized sedan market.
The Kia Optima line is the best-selling line for the Korean automaker and the SX Limited model offers a more upscale feel. The cars styling has subtle details that set it apart from the other cars in the model’s lineup.
The SX Limited offers a high performing engine and a lot of tech goodies. The more powerful engine option is given away with styling cues such as larger chrome alloy wheels, red brake calipers and chrome accents. Kia is hoping that this model will help give the car a bit more excitement than the lower level cars in the model’s lineup.
The design of the car was out of Frankfurt Germany to help ensure a pleasing European design. The Limited is styled to compete with sporty mid-size sedans from Europe and Japan and looks like it will give them a run for their money.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Kia Optima SX Limited.
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Though Ford decided not to offer any big unveilings at the 2013 New York Auto Show, Shelby American came with a tuning kit based on one of its pickups, the 2013 Ford SVT Raptor. The kit adds enhanced power and handling, and a specially designed exterior and interior.
Shelby installed a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger onto the standard 6.2-liter V-8 engine in the Raptor and a new Shelby Stinger exhaust system. As a result, the engine’s output jumps from the standard and already awesome 411 horsepower up to a total of 575 horsepower. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox that transfers the power to all four wheels. Additionally, an "Off-Road" mode that calibrates the transmission, stability and traction control systems for optimal operation at high speeds off road.
The package includes a set of Shelby side fender heat extractors to keep the engine cool and make the truck look downright sweet. Also included for the exterior is your choice of one of three Shelby graphics packages – Traditional, Shelby Splash and Shelby Super Snake – so everyone knows that this isn’t any old SVT Raptor.
On the inside, the base kit comes with a custom interior that includes two-tone leather with contracting stitching, a serial numbered dashboard badge, and boost and fuel pressure gauges to make sure everything is within spec.
There are also a number of optional items you can add to the base kit, for a fee of course. First up is an optional set of customs wheels wrapped in 35-inch Goodrich All-Terrain tires, a Shelby roof-mounted light bar, front and rear Shelby-spec bumpers, a spare tire and bed-mounted spare tire carrier. More options are coming down the pipe soon.
The update package is priced starts at $17,995 – a relative bargain – and will be limited to only 100 units, so get to ordering.
Click here to see the full Shelby Raptor brochure.
Subaru is going to expand the XV lineup with the addition of a XV Crosstrek Hybrid version – the brand’s first-ever production hybrid vehicle. The model made its world debut at the 2013 New York International Auto Show and will be put on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013.
With the new XV Crosstreck Hybrid, Subaru managed to keep all the features offered in the standard version, but enhanced it with higher fuel efficiency. The model is powered by a compact hybrid system that weighs just 209 pounds, so the new hybrid model weights just 300 pounds more than the gasoline engine XV Crosstrek.
The model displayed in New York featurs a very cool Plasma Green Pearl exterior color - an exclusive feature for the XV Hybrid.
Updated 03/28/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek Hybrid.
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