We like matte black cars. Nothing says badass like the anti-bling.
We were pleasantly surprised by how many customizers and even some manufactures who used the flat black (or sometimes grey) to showcase their product at the Geneva Motor Show. Understatement is always cool, so here are some of our favorites from the show.
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Although Citroen revealed the official details about the reviving the DS line back in February, it used the Geneva Motor Show to give the car its first public showing. The DS3 will be joined by two other larger model’s in Citroen’s future lineup. The technical detail is not available yet for any of the DS line.
What was shown in Geneva was just a concept preview. The production version will be revealed in 2010, and Citroen has set cars like the Audi A3 and Alfa Romeo 149 as its main competition. Eventually the DS3 will be joined by large siblings currently known as the DS4 and DS5.
The original DS was referred to as "Goddess" because of its strange and beautiful styling (also the French pronunciation of D-S, “deesse”, translates to goddess). Now Citroen says it wants DS to stand for “Different Spirit”. From what we’ve seen so far, the new DS is dead-on stylish, but as for different from the competition, the Mini may have something to say about that.
Press release after the jump.
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Does something look familiar? Do these pictures look a lot like something we saw in September?
Opel and Vauxhall get their own versions of the Chevrolet Volt called the Ampera. Usually when cars are developed for other markets and other countries, there are some major changes, but that not the case with the Ampera. The electric car with a gas backing powertrain from the Volt (now called Voltec) was developed to recharge on 110V (standard U.S.) or 230V (standard Europe).
All the other major components of the Volt/Ampera, including the 1.4-liter gas engine, are also utilized in the Chevrolet Cruze, which was designed to be sold around the world. The most notable changes on the Ampera are the visual touches on the front fascia to give the car a family resemblance to GM’s other European offerings.
For journeys up to 60 km, the five-door, four-seat hatchback runs on electricity stored in the 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery, and emits zero CO2. When the battery’s energy is depleted, the gasoline engine will then be used to recharge the battery, and extend the Ampera’s range to more than 500 km. We didn’t bother to convert these figures because we wanted to give our metric-loving friends a break, and they are the same as already reported on the Volt.
Press release after the jump.
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The new Toyota Verso made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show. It will be offered in three different trims: standard, Verso Sol and Verso Luna and Entry, Mid, High and High Plus model grades.
The Verso get the new Toyota Optimal Drive. A five engine line-up features 126 hp 2.0 litre, and 150 and 177 hp 2.2 litre examples of Toyota’s D-4D turbodiesel technology, as well as 1.6 and 1.8 litre Valvematic petrol units offering class-leading power and CO2 emissions. Mated to a new, 6-speed manual transmission, the new 1.6-litre Valvematic develops 132 hp, 22 hp more than the 1.6 VVT-i unit it replaces, whilst torque has been increased by 10 Nm to 160 Nm at 4400 rpm. Conversely, CO2 emissions have been reduced by 20g to 158g/km and combined fuel consumption is a frugal 6.7l/100km.
The next generation Verso diesel engine range features a newly available 2.0 D-4D turbodiesel, available with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). Mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, it delivers 126DIN hp and 310 Nm of torque from 1800 to 2400 rpm. CO2 emissions are as low as 140g/km on units fitted with a Catalytic Converter, and 146g/km on those with a DPF. The Verso 2.0 D-4D 7-seater has the best-in-class CO2 emission levels for the 110-140DIN hp range, the core of the C-MPV segment.
Full details in the press release after the jump.
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Land Rover unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show the limited edition Range Rover ’Westminster’. It will be built in only 300 units and sales will begin at the end of March.
This special edition adds 20" Diamond Turned wheels, an exterior design pack, ’Westminster’ tailgate badging, half wood steering wheel and stainless steel accents to the brake and accelerator pedals.
It will be available in either Santorini Black or Stornoway Grey with Ivory/Jet or Jet/Jet interior color and prices will start from £62,995.
Press release after the jump.
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Not many people consider the KTM X-Bow an overweight car, but since KTM has a history in making motorcycles, it felt the spartan car could go on a diet. In honor of the Race of Champions where the X-Bow premiered, KTM has unveiled a limited edition ROC edition.
What makes this car special special is the lightweight all-carbon body, sports exhaust, lightweight alloy wheels, adjustable sports suspension, and a removable multi-function steering wheel. The 2.0-liter Audi-sourced engine making 236 hp remains the same.
The X-Bow ROC costs €69,980 (or $88,200 at the current rates), which represents a €20,000 premium over the base X-Bow. Although the extra cash doesn’t buy more power, it does buy exclusiveness. The ROC will be limited to 30 units.
Press release after the jump.
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Skoda added today a new model to its line-up: the Yeti SUV. The Yeti SUV is a 4.2 metre long, five-door vehicle that features an impressive front end with a ribbed grille and friendly looking headlamps.
The SUV is being offered with a choice of two petrol engines and three diesel are on offer: the entry entry unit (front wheel drive), a petrol engine with four cylinders and 1.2 litre capacity, delivers 103 hp, while the top of the line is a 2.0l TDI CR with 167 hp.
The Yeti is very well equipped for load lugging, too. The luggage compartment volume is flexible; up to 1760 litres is available by removing the rear seats. A luggage cover and net as well as lashing rings are available to further secure the load. As the Yeti is born of a brand which offers clever automobile concepts as its core competence, it is designed with a highly flexible luggage system.
Press release after the jump.
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Can someone please tell me what is with people and pink car? If until now you have seen car customized by clients, this pink 500 was created by Fiat itself. It is called 500 Barbie and was created in order to celebrate Barbie’s fiftieth birthday celebrations in Milan.
This special edition features a pink paintwork on the exterior; on the interior the seating is upholstered in strikingly soft fabrics: silver laminated Alcantara is not only trendy but plush to the touch and its glimmer bounces as far as the roof panel.
Then there are mats enhanced with natural silk yarn and sleek viscose, not to mention lip glosses in brilliant colours stored in the glove compartment, plus a LED-decked vanity mirror to ensure perfect application.
The car has more features than a crown has jewels! Crystals sparkle on interior bezels, hubcaps, outer window mouldings and antenna and even outline the doll’s famed silhouette on the pillars. Lastly, this Fiat 500 show car also has its own glossy cover, featuring the distinctive Sixties version of the Fiat 500 and a Barbie autograph.
Press release after the jump.
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BlueEFFICIENCY - the most economical Mercedes technology made its way into the new E-Class. All the BlueEFFICIENCY models have an improved fuel consumption with almost 23%.
To improve fuel economy Mercedes developed a lightweight designs, new forms, more efficient control or enhanced functioning.
The aerodynamic drag of a car rises by the square of the car’s speed and, at just 80 km/h, accounts for around 50 percent of all drag and rolling resistance. These figures show just how important aerodynamics are when it comes to fuel consumption and CO2 emissions – especially when driving at higher speeds. Reducing the drag coefficient (cd figure) by 0.01 only brings about a fuel saving of 0.04 litres per 100 kilometres in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) due to the low average speed of 33 km/h; however, in the real world – for example at a motorway speed of 130 km/h – this reduction in the cd figure equates to a fuel saving of up to 0.15 litres per 100 kilometres.
Full details in the press release after the jump.
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The second special edition (next to the ROC) revealed by KTM at the Geneva Motor Show is the X-BOW Superlight. As the name says, for this special edition KTM focused on reducing the car’s weight. This was possible mainly because of the chassis made completely of carbon fibre. The X-Bow Superlight will be priced at 79,980 Euro (or a bit over $100.000 at the current rates).
The X-Bow Superlight features a radical construction, without a roof or windscreen, and the omission of air-conditioning and an entertainment system. All this decisions were taken for only one purpose: weight reduction.
Full details in the press release after the jump.
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