The Mercedes C-Class represents the most successful vehicle from the German manufacturer and due to this, it attracts many tuning companies who wish to present their tuning kits for the compact car. The latest tuning house who unveiled it customization program for the C-Class is Lorinser, a German tuner specialized in Mercedes vehicles.
The new kit of the compact Mercedes includes a new rear bumper, new side sills, a new rear roof spoiler and a re-designed rear bumper with integrated exhaust system and integrated air diffuser. Also a new set of RS9 19 inch alloy wheels were added in order to offer a better view.
Press release after the jump!
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Tadashi Arashima, the chief of Toyota Europe, announced the company plans a compact car from Lexus that will compete with cars like BMW 1 Series and the Audi A3. He also said he wants to double the sales of hybrid cars.
Arashima said: "We will offer a car in the compact class. We need smaller and more efficient vehicles, developed to meet the new CO2 emission targets."
Toyota wants to raise the hybrid sales from the current 50,000 units to 60,000 units in 2009 and 100,000 units. In 2009 Toyota will offer the new generation Prius that will also get a family van version. A plug-in version is scheduled for 2010.
Abarth will unveil at the Paris Auto Show the "esseesse" kit for the 500 Abarth, only few months after the standard car was launched. Next to it the company will also unveil the Assetto Corse Abarth.
The 500 "esseesse" kit’s display area is characterized by those elements of the Scorpion philosophy that have made it so unique and popular worldwide: the tough spirit, speed, and an innate desire to win. Compared to previous shows, nothing has changed as far as the brand’s distinctive identity is concerned: the colour red, a great passion for cars, the red and white chequered flag used to signal the end of endurance races (the competitions in which Abarth has notched up its greatest achievements), and the yellow and red shield with the black scorpion, representing the stinging zodiac sign of this mechanical genius.
The beautiful polished white floor only adds to the dynamic look of the stand, while the materials and finishes almost fade into the background in order to show off the car and the kits – the real protagonists of the stand.
Press release after the jump.
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As a result of the high gas prices, Pontiac will bring one more small car on the US market: G3. This Aveo-based small car will be available on showrooms starting early next year.
The G3 will be the fourth Pontiac model capable of more than 30 miles per gallon on the highway. The other three are the Vibe (32 mpg), G6 sedan (33 mpg) and G5 coupe (37 mpg), which make up in Pontiac’s “Over 30” club.
The G3 is powered by a 1.6L Ecotec four-cylinder engine that delivers 106 hp. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission.
The all-new Pontiac G3 hatchback arrives in dealer showrooms in March 2009 and becomes Pontiac’s fourth vehicle achieving highway fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon or higher. Pricing will start from $14,995.
Press release after the jump.
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Lincoln is usually about luxury cars, but this might change in the near future as Ford is considering a compact, or C-segment for it. "We do think that there is room for a smaller car in the Lincoln brand," said product development chief Derrick Kuzak.
When Ford replaces the Escape crossover early next decade, the company is expected to bring out a Lincoln companion at the same time. Suppliers and analysts expect the C-segment Ford Kuga crossover sold in Europe to be the basis for those vehicles. If this happens, this would go against earlier reports that Lincoln would focus on larger cars, while Mercury would use small premium cars as a gateway to Lincoln.
In another contradiction, Kuzak also said Ford has no plans to bring the European Ka microcar to the United States. In July, he called the Ka an "opportunity" for the United States.
What’s in a name? Probably not much for the picture above. Although the car in the picture wears the Daewoo badging and name, this may actually be the 2010 Chevrolet Beat. It would be no surprise that Daewoo would get a version of the little car considering it will be the ones that build the Beat.
The Beat was first unveiled as a concept in 2007 at the New York Auto Show. The production car is expected to be powered by a 1.2-liter turbocharged engine.
The real question that remains is will the beat be coming to the U.S.? Although the beat got the most attention from North America out of the Beat/Trax/Groove showdown, it is rumored that it will not arrive here because it does not meet U.S. safety standards.
Back in March, BMW announced plans for a new small city car, called "Project i" placed below the 1-Series. Today AutoBild revealed a first rendering that shows what the smallest BMW may look like. Power may come from an electric engine, but its more likely that an engine from a BMW motorcycle will be used in the little car. BMW plans to make the future i-car a global model and sale 100,000 units a year.
Suzuki will unveil at the Paris Auto Show its new Alto. This car is based on the A-Star concept revealed in March at the Geneva Auto Show.
Although Suzuki did not reveal any details on the new Alto, we can tell you that under the hood there will be a newly developed 1.0-liter aluminum engine with CO2 emission under 110 grams per kilometer. The new engine is said to be compliant with the new strict Euro-5 emission standards.
Here’s a new rendering of the future Alfa Romeo 149, this time with style inspired by the 8C Competizione and the newly launched MiTo.
The future model will be a semi-successor for the current 147, and that’s because the Italian company will build two different models for the three and five-door versions. MiTo will be the replacement for the three-door version of the 147, while the 149 will be successor for the 147 five-door version.
149 will offer between 120 and 265 hp, the top version being powered by a 3.2-liter V6 engine. Its world debut will be made early in 2009 with production to begin later in the year.
Topolino (the Italian translation for Mickey Mouse - "Little Mouse") was the world’s smallest car when it was launched back in 1937. For almost twenty years, the little car helped Fiat weather some stormy times. And now that all good automotive designs must come back, just like the 500, the Topolino is reborn. Spy photographer already caught it on testing, and now here’s a TopSpeed rendering of the car.
The little Topolino will be placed bellow the current 500 with whom it will share the platform, but shortened to 3150mm in length (35 cm shorter than its brother 500). If this is true, this may contradict rumors about the car sharing a platform with a revival of the BMW Isetta. Unlike the original, the Topolino will will seat four people. This is scheduled for production in 2010 when will compete with models like Toyota IQ, and future Volkswagen Up!
The Topolino will be powered by Fiat’s forthcoming 900cc two-cylinder gas engine, which will first debut in the 500 later this year. For the Topolino Fiat will offer a normally aspirated unit that will deliver 65 hp. This is mated to a Volkswagen DSG-style twin-clutch gearbox, while the car is also equipped with a stop-start system, which can switch off the engine when it’s not needed in traffic. As a result, the Topolino should return fuel economy of more than 80mpg and emit less than 90g/km of CO2.
Topolino will be built in the former Zastava plant in Serbia. U.S. consumers know Zastava as the company that made the Yugo in the late 80s and early 90s.
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