compact cars:
Abarth returns to track racing, and it has chosen to do so with its new ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’, the baby supersports car from Abarth, due to be produced in a Limited Edition (49 cars).
The new vehicle, designed by the Fiat Group Automobiles Style Centre and produced by a team of Abarth Engineers and Designers will be the star of track races from next year and its creation confirms Abarth’s racing vocation.
The Assetto Corse version of the petite 500 Abarth takes up the baton from its forerunner, the ‘595’ that notched up numerous successes and great victories from 1963 and led to the coining of the description ‘small but deadly’.
The cars sports a full racing outfit: wide track, white 17’ special ultralight racing wheels, low ride, sports racing mirrors and a place for a number on the sides.
Available in pastel grey with red Abarth side stripes, the ‘500 Abarth Assetto Corse’ reveals an assertive front end that houses a badge bearing the Abarth logo and, below this, wide bumpers complete with an aerodynamic spoiler and screen-printed grilles to replace the plastic louvres on the standard production version. In addition to the classic bonnet clips, the bonnet houses two carbon air intakes bearing the Abarth scorpion logo.
>> read 2008 Abarth 500 Assetto Corse Picture Gallery .
The Volvo C30 is a very interesting new 2 door hatchback that was introduced on the US market in 2007. The C30 is the smallest Volvo available to date. It features the maker’s signature design elements in a concentrated shape. If you like Volvo’s curvy body style and over sized rear taillights you will love this car. >> read
If you’re a fan of the French Chateaux you’ll definitely like the new Mini Clubman Chateau by Aznom, the well-known French coachbuilder. Based on the Mini Clubman, the vehicle reveals the elegance of the Grands Chateaux but also a really special trunk with 6 bottles found in some specially created places which suggest the idea of a wine cellar.
The most spectacular thing about the new vehicle is the interior due to the fact that it features aged leather and Alcantara. Also the exterior received a special sandy/gold metallic paint for the top and pearly-changeable brown for the rest of the car. The vehicle will be built in limited edition of just 12 exclusive units featuring numbered labels with the name of the owners. No word about the price yet! Press release after the jump! >> read
Of course, everyone knows that the Volkswagen Golf V Variant is just a family car designed to take the kids to school and help you transport some groceries.
Well, Caractere, the well-known Belgian tuner saw something else in the car and created a tuning kit in order to add some sportivity to the vehicle. The kit consists in a front bumper, a front grille in GTI style, side skirts, a roof soiler and 19” alloy wheels. The engine remained untouched in order to keep the safety of the family.
To appeal to young drivers, Toyota launched a complete line of vehicles in 2004. This new brand is called Scion. Their hope was to repeat the Lexus success story with the Scion. Don’t ask me what Scion means or where it comes from, but after only 4 years in the US, you will have a hard time to find a teenager who doesn’t know or want a Scion. >> read 2008 Scion xB Picture Gallery .
Comebacks have a real success on the market. Or at least they do for Fiat; the 500 is the latest proof. But the Italian company will not stop here. They also want to re-build the Topolino, a model first unveiled in 1938. The new Topolino will be built in the former Zastava plant in Serbia. Based on the A-platform used by the 500 and Panda minicars but shortened to 3150mm in length, the new Topolino will seat four people and debut late next year. Fiat said the new company will invest 700 million euros to modernize the Kragujevac plant. The Serbian government will contribute 200 million euros through tax breaks and incentives. By the end of next year, Fiat plans to build 200,000 units a year in Kragujevac. Capacity will grow to 300,000 units from 2010 with the addition of the B-compact models.
Why are we saying this? Because the latest rendering come from AutoBild, and as you know they have always been very close to the reality! Built as a replacement for the unsuccessful A2, the future A1 will go on sale byt the end of 2009. First unveiled as the Metroproject Quattro concept in 2007, the future A1 will be serious competition for Mini.
Even if the Metroproject was supposed to be a preview of the A1, Audi will not keep the design idea though as it was was disliked internally, because its round shape didn’t look sporty enough. The production car will look more low and stylish, maybe similar to the Audi Shooting Brake concept. It will be available in three and five-doors version and also different roof options will be available which you can fold, open and move. Audi will offer the following engines: 1.2-liter TFSI, 85 hp; 1.4-liter TFSI, 122 hp; 1.4-liter TSI, 170 hp; 1.6-liter TDI, 75 hp; 1.6-liter TDI, 90 hp; 1.6-liter TDI, 105 hp. All engines will meet the Euro5 emissions standard and will be available with six-speed manual transmission. Audi A1 Metroproject Quattro concept
Ford will launch the second generation Ka in October at the Paris Motor Show. It will be powered by either a 1.2 gas engine or a 1.3 diesel engine and will be built in Poland, same as the Fiat 500. The 2009 Ka will feature Ford’s new Kinetic design, same used in the newly launched 2009 Fiesta. The kinetic design includes full surfaces, bold graphics and dynamic lines.
Volkswagen will unveil the production version of the Up! Concept in 2010. It will come to compete with Fiat 500 and the all-new Toyota iQ. Up was first unveiled as a concept car last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It has a super-compact, rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive powertrain, and promises to be incredibly environmentally friendly, with low CO2 emissions. The production version will maintain all the cheekiness and stand-out style of the concept. And that’s no surprise; bosses at VW have always made it clear that the production up! would look virtually identical to the model seen on the stands at Frankfurt. It will be offered in both in petrol or diesel version, and have a capacity of around 600cc. Both units are likely to be turbocharged, and Volkswagen is targeting CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km and combined fuel economy of 94mpg. A 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol motor is under consideration, too. The production version Up! will be offered in both three and five-doors version; but a MPV will follow at a later date. A hybrid version is also under consideration. %##1@ <:picture_gallery:>
Due to the pressure in producing cars with lower CO2 emissions, Mercedes-Benz announced that is taking in consideration building a four-cylinder power plant that will be used especially to power the cars sold on the U.S. market.
Mercedes executives said that a supercharged 1.4-liter engine is already in testing. Although the engine will not be very powerfull, the manufacturer declared that the car will feature a louder exhaust and a better acceleration in order to give the driver the „perception of performance”. >> read
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