Volvo will unveil at the Frankfurt Motor Show the facelift version of the C30 hatchback. The new C30 comes with new exterior design, on both front and rear, and with a wide range of options, including an urbane, bold accessory styling kit.
At the front Volvo added new front bumper, the new headlamps, larger iron mark and also larger air intake, the black plastic panels have been replaced with more body colour lower down, in the same or a contrasting color, to forge a closer visual contact between the car and the road surface.
Also new for the C30 is a new optional sport chassis: it is considerably sharper, with stiffer, more distinct properties than previously. The new sport chassis is available in all C30 versions except for 1.6D DRIVe.
Press release after the jump.
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Volkswagen will also unveil the diesel sipping Golf BlueMotion at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The car uses similar common rail TDI technology as the Polo BlueMotion, except it makes a maximum output of 100 HP and 185 lb-ft of torque, it will accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just 11.3 seconds and has a top speed of 118 MPH while getting 62 MPG.
Press release after the jump.
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The Polo BlueMotion was first unveiled this past March as a concept in Geneva, Volkswagen has plans of bringing the production version of the very efficient alternatively fueled compact city car to the Frankfurt Motor Show with sales slated to begin early in 2010.
The Polo BlueMotion is powered by a newly developed common rail 1.2 Liter TDI engine that produces a maximum output of 75 HP that gets nearly 75 MPG. According to the manufacturer, a person driving a Polo BlueMotion from Berlin to the IAA in Frankfurt, for example, can cover the 545 kilometer route at a cost of only 19 Euros for fuel.
The new 220 pound city car was developed with an entire array of efficiency measures in mind, including an aerodynamic package for the body that is lowered by about half an inch, as well as an aerodynamically optimized underbody. The German team of efficiecy enngineers even equipped the Polo BlueMotion with a set of lightweight 15 inch alloys wrapped in low rolling resistance tires.
Press release after the jump.
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The German tuning firm JE Design has a long history modifying every member of the Volkswagen Family, all the way from Audi to Skoda. Well the small design house has just released details on their latest customization package for the Spanish built Seat Leon Cupra, a car that won the FIA World Touring Car Championship outright in 2008 with a TDI power plant. The new package from JE Design adds a bit of that attitude from the race car to the ordinary lion’s performance and styling.
On the outside JE keeps things simple with a straight forward ground effects package starting off with a front spoiler to close off the bottom of the Cupra’s wide mouth front bumper. This if followed by a pair of sculpted side skirts that bring the body closer to the ground visually and add some extra scoops to the Seat’s body. Out back JE Design incorporates a rear skirt attachment and diffuser inserts with a wild wing on top to transform the Cupra into a truly hot hatch.
Not wanting to leave the Leon all show and no go, so JE upgraded TSFI power plant to make a maximum out of 285 HP and 283 lb-ft of torque. This allows the Seat Leon Cupra to go from 0 to 60 MPH in only 5.9 seconds, half a second faster then the factory version, while the car’s top speed is raised to a tested 162 MPH.
Press release after the jump. > More
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Fiat Grande Punto has just changed its name into Punto Evo, a name that symbolize a new level of technology, design, driving pleasure and environment respect. The new Punto Evo will make its official debut in two weeks at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The new Fiat Punto Evo comes with a wide choice of Euro 5 engines, including a 1.3 second generation Multijet diesel and a 1.4 petrol engine with the revolutionary MultiAir technology. Compared to a conventional petrol engine of the same size, a MultiAir engine develops more power (up to 10%) and torque (up to 15%), while consuming significantly less (up to 10%) and emitting less CO2 (up to 10%), less particulates (up to 40%) and less NOx (up to 60%).
In the area of safety, the Punto Evo sets new standards thanks to 7 airbags, including a driver knee airbag. The Punto Evo is one of very few cars in its segment with a driver knee airbag fitted as standard on all versions. Other innovative safety systems are also available, including Hill-Holder to help with hill starts, adaptive ’cornering’ front fog lights that switch on automatically with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering, and Fiat’s tried and tested ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems.
Press release after the jump.
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We have just received a brand new third generation Toyota Prius into the Top Speed test fleet. Wile we are usually about high horsepower rides that are in contention to set land speed records even we must bow out and admit that these little Hybrid commuter cars are only going to become more common as time goes on. Now this is not quite the prototype we saw back in May, our 2010 Prius didn’t come with the very trick sunroof mounted solar panel and we didn’t even get leather. But that’s OK, because we do have the same 1.8 Liter Hybrid Synergy Drive engine that was in the previous Prius we saw. In an effort to improve fuel economy Toyota has decided to increase the engine’s displacement giving it more torque across the rev band meaning that it won’t have to work as hard getting the Prius moving to the tune of 50 MPG.
It seems that everything about the Prius was made so that the car could cut through the air with the least amount of resistance. The bulges on the sides of the front bumper push air away from the turbulent rotating wheels at speed, which are covered with some pretty interesting plastic covers that were almost certainly included as a fuel-saving afterthought. The design team even incorporated finlets at the rear of the flat paneled under tray that are more functional that the majority of the diffusers bolted to the bottom of a rear bumper. Toyota engineers go to countless measures to squeeze every last ounce of efficiency from their flagship hybrid. A number that was being thrown around when we first spoke to a Toyota representative was one million, because that is how much the Japanese automaker spends every hour of every working day conducting drag reduction research which has led to the Prius’ .25 Cd.
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It’s easy to mistake a car like Fiat 500 Abarth as a lightweight when it comes to performance. But don’t tell that to the boys at Karl Schnorr Kraftfahrzeuge.
The German auto tuners took a stab at modifying a 500 Abarth and they did a splendid job of tweaking – both in performance and aesthetics – this particular Abarth right down to the very smallest of details.
The result is a car that now runs on two levels of power. One is a 1.4-liter engine that produces up to 163 hp and 251Nm of torque – a spike in performance from its previous numbers of 135hp at 206Nm of torque. The second power level is – obviously – stronger than the other variant with speeds going all the way up to 200hp, thanks in large part to a bigger turbocharger and a sports exhaust system.
Prices for the two fine-tuned 500 Abarths are €950 for the level I Abarth and €5,050 for the level II Abarth.
It’s worth noting that driving an Abarth with that much power tucked under its hood is sure to surprise a lot of folks. If looks really were deceiving, then we sure won’t mind getting behind the wheel of one of these babies.
MINI sure knows how to celebrate its 50th anniversary in style.
After months of releasing a number of special edition MINIs, the BMW-owned car brand has arguably saved its best for last. On the eve of birthday no. 50, MINI unveiled their latest pride and joy: the MINI Coupe Concept.
The concept is a far cry from previous MINI models. It has been reinvented to become MINI’s new flagship coupe for the future. For starters, the windshield, which has been positioned near-vertically for a long time, has been laid back, giving the car a less-boxy appearance.
In addition to that, the honeycomb grille – another MINI staple – has been replaced by three three horizontal slits painted in the same decaled color-way as the rest of the car. You’ll also notice that the racing stripes do not run the entire length of the car in the same color. To accentuate the Coupe Cconcept’s refreshed look, MINI decided to invert the stripes on the roof, which, for the most part, it has rarely done with their past models. Since color coordination appears to be a big thing with the new MINI, you’ll also notice that the car’s multispoke wheels have also been painted black and blue to match the car’s body colors.
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Lexus has been a busy bee these days. Fresh of showing teasers of their latest premium hatchback, Toyota’s luxury brand is now announcing that the car, which is set to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, has now been penciled in for a US release sometime in 2012.
While we welcome the addition of the Lexus hatchback in the States, we remain skeptical as to how the car is going to perform in this part of the world, especially when you consider that hatchback cars aren’t necessarily in demand in the US these days.
Nevertheless, Lexus is pushing through with their plans in hopes that their new car can give the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series a run for their money.
Apart from a few renderings loitering around the Web these days, the car is still being kept under wraps before it makes its grand entrance at the Frankfurt Motor Show. From what we’ve gathered though, the car is set to come with the same hybrid drivetrain that’s currently powering one of Lexus’ hybrid vehicles, the HS 250h. If that’s the case, expect Lexus’ new compact car to come with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with a total of 187 horsepower.
Though not yet confirmed, it seems to be in line with what a compact car’s engine should be.
Stay tuned for more updates.
When Audi introduced the A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro the automaker from Ingolstadt wasn’t just showing the world how desirable a TDI powered three door hatchback could be, but they were also testing the waters with the radical deign of the upcoming Audi RS3, a car that we could be seeing as soon as September with a possible debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show after being delayed for over a year.
The RS3 is a factory tuned hot hatch based on the Audi A3 premium compact. The highly anticipated RS version of Audi’s popular hatchback takes performance and styling to the next level by fitting the limited edition model with distinct bodywork as well as an upgraded power plant. In true hot rod fashion, the RS3 will be powered by the engine from a real sports car, the Audi TT-RS, combining Audi’s proven Quattro all wheel drive system with a turbocharged five cylinder engine to produce a factory backed 340 HP. However from what we have seen from spy shots and renderings, it looks like Audi is leaving the bold fender flares at home.
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