Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati: Yet Another Limited-Edition Cinquecento [Geneva Auto Show]

Fiat 500 Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati: Yet Another Limited-Edition Cinquecento [Geneva Auto Show]:

Fiat’s Abarth performance subsidiary is no stranger to injecting some big-money mojo into the Fiat 500—it’s already gifted the world the 500 695 Tributo Ferrari and 695 Competizione. For the Geneva auto show, the scorpion division is rolling out yet another special-edition 500: the Abarth 695 Tributo Maserati. Modeled after the Gran Turismo style and execution of Maserati’s road cars, this Tributo is more sedate than its Ferrari and Competizione forebears and emphasizes elegance over road-burning capabilities.

For starters, this one is based on an Abarthified 500C “convertible” as opposed to the other two being coupes. Aside from its roof arrangement, the baby Maser poser inherits much of its parts from the previous 695s, including a five-speed single-clutch automatic transmission; a 180-hp, 1.4-liter turbo four; a dual-mode exhaust system; and Brembo brakes. However, it keeps its back seat and goes without a roll cage or carbon-fiber front seats.

Think of it as a quicker, more enthusiast-friendly Fiat 500 Gucci edition. The Tributo Maserati wears a classy Pontevecchio Bordeaux red paint job, a grey cloth top, unique 17-inch wheels, and Maserati-inspired hexagonal exhaust outlets. Seats and door panels are trimmed in beige Poltrona Frau leather, carbon fiber covers the dash and center console; there are Jaeger gauges in the instrument cluster, and “695” graphics nearly everywhere.

Abarth will build 499 examples of the Tributo Maserati, making it just as rare a specimen as the Tributo Ferrari and 695 Competizione. Don’t count on any of them making it to our shores; Fiat is having a difficult enough time trying to move normal 500s in the U.S., so we doubt that its dealers are pining for the challenge of selling a more-expensive model.

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2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Photos and Info: Twin-Turbo V8, Up to 557 Horsepower

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG Photos and Info: Twin-Turbo V8, Up to 557 Horsepower:

Attention, landed gentry and Hollywood elite: The previous-gen SL63 sitting in your pea-gravel driveway is outdated and should be disposed of immediately. Mercedes-Benz and AMG have now birthed its successor, a new SL63 created by marrying the SL-class chassis with AMG’s fire-breathing, twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8.

Keep Reading: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG – Official Photos and Info

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Restyled 2013 Lexus ES Sedan Spotted Undisguised in China

Restyled 2013 Lexus ES Sedan Spotted Undisguised in China:

With its official debut at the New York and Beijing auto shows still more than a month away, the next Lexus ES has already been outed to the public. Pictures of an undisguised, apparently production-ready ES surfaced on a Chinese web site yesterday afternoon.

Lexus stylists have done a nice job applying the company’s suddenly ubiquitous design language—headlined by the hourglass-shaped “spindle” grille—to the Toyota Camry bones that underpin the ES. Despite detractors slighting the mid-size Lexus as “just an expensive Camry,” that truth hasn’t seemed to affect shoppers. Sales of the ES almost always have been strong, and the marked differentiation provided by the ES’s new look should keep them rolling out of showrooms in decent numbers.

The car seen in China wears a plate that reveals it to be an ES250; we don’t expect to see that model here, however. Our mainstay likely will remain the ES350 with the same 3.5 liter V-6 making 268 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque found in the current car and the new Camry. We suspect Toyota also will offer the new ES with a hybrid powertrain, and a trademark application the company made last year suggests it could be called the ES300h. If this gas/electric version does blink into existence, the hybrid system will be borrowed lock, stock, and battery from the Camry hybrid.

Full info on the latest Lexus ES should be available within the next few weeks.

Source : Google Reader

Ford Tourneo Van Concept Is Only Slightly Related to the Transit We’ll Get [Geneva Auto Show]

Ford Tourneo Van Concept Is Only Slightly Related to the Transit We’ll Get [Geneva Auto Show]:

Ford will debut the first of its new generation of big vans at the 2012 Geneva auto show in the form of the Tourneo Custom concept. Don’t let the name throw you: the Tourneo is a short, low-roof van built off of the Transit platform that’s sold in Europe. Despite the company’s proclamation that the European Transit van will become a global Transit van, this particular one’s not coming to the U.S. We’ll explain why.

Like Ford’s outgoing European van platform, the company’s newest van architecture will be highly variable. The Tourneo shown above, for example, is a light-duty, front-wheel-drive version. It’s capable of hauling plenty of people and stuff, but it’s more of what we’d call a “half-ton” truck rather than a “three-quarter-ton” or a “one-ton.” The same architecture, with heavy modifications, will underpin the Transit we see in the U.S.: a heavy-duty, rear-wheel-drive van that Ford has said is coming in 2013. The platform can even handle all-wheel drive, but we don’t expect that to be offered here.

The European Tourneo is powered by a 2.2-liter diesel four, and this concept uses a version of that engine making 153 hp and mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Ford says the Tourneo’s interior was a big focus, claiming that premium materials make for an attractive cabin. (We haven’t seen it yet to judge for ourselves.) With competition in Europe coming in part from vans with a three-pointed star on their hoods, it seems a reasonable product-development decision. New tech (for a van, anyway) offered on the Tourneo that may make it to our Transit includes SYNC, a rearview camera, a driver-fatigue monitor, and lane-departure warning.

The styling on the Tourneo does preview what we’ll see with the Transit sold here. Ford is promising to show those new Transits later on this year.

Source : Google Reader

Jeep Unveils Special Grand Cherokee, Compass, and Wrangler for Europe [Geneva Auto Show]

Jeep Unveils Special Grand Cherokee, Compass, and Wrangler for Europe [Geneva Auto Show]:

This year at the Geneva auto show, Jeep will debut three Euro-bound special editions: a Wrangler that will go on sale soon, as well as production-intent Grand Cherokee and Compass “concepts.”

Jeep Grand Cherokee Sports Concept

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Sports concept, pictured above, was designed to be an experiment in style. The outcome is a two-tone Jeep that the company says it will offer on the European market.

Cosmetic changes made to give this Grand Cherokee a sporty look include replacing the roof racks with a new molding and adding a variety of black and chrome accents. It has some similarities to the blacked-out Grand Cherokee concept we saw earlier this year.

The show version is powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 turbo-diesel, putting out 237 hp and a massive 406 lb-ft of torque.

Jeep Compass Concept

This nameless, Euro-centric spin on the Jeep Compass takes similar cues from the Grand Cherokee Sports concept. It rocks black 18-inch wheels, black grille inserts, and black headlight surrounds; basically, anything Jeep could black out, it did.

While this Compass is a concept in name, Jeep will build and sell two trim levels, Sport and Limited, and offer both front- and all-wheel drive. Each will feature the same 2.2-liter diesel four-cylinder engine, which delivers 161 hp and 236 lb-ft when powering all four wheels; a low-output, 134-hp version of the engine will drive the two-wheel-drive model.

Jeep Wrangler Mountain Special Edition

The Jeep Wrangler Mountain was created to stand out, and makes its debut in production form. This special-edition Jeep is based on the Wrangler Sport and will be available in both two- and four-door models.

The exterior gets a black hood decal, Mineral Gray grille, and 17-inch wheels. Another decal, reading “Mountain,” runs along the side of the hood. The ute boasts all-new, “look-at-me” Gecko green paint. Brightly colored special-edition Wranglers are nothing new; allow us to submit the 2010 Wrangler Islander into evidence.

It will be sold with either a 2.8-liter turbo-diesel engine that makes 197 hp and 339 lb-ft or the gas-fired 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 with 280 hp and 256 lb-ft. The diesel can be had with a choice of a five-speed auto or a six-speed manual; the gas-powered engine is offered only with the five-speed automatic. The Wrangler Mountain will be in European dealerships this summer.

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2012 Fisker Karma Tested: Likable and Real—and Really Heavy

2012 Fisker Karma Tested: Likable and Real—and Really Heavy:

Nobody can deny (can they?) that the Fisker Karma is the lewdest wedge of car porn to hit the pavement since the onset of the 5-mph bumper. From one 22-inch wheel to the other, the Fisker is a heartthrob, a design spectacularly unchained from the shackles of practicality and brand identity that enslave other automakers. It is an auto-show concept car before it has been horsewhipped into bland banality by the finance, marketing, and engineering departments. It is a car built by a company started by a designer.

Keep Reading: 2012 Fisker Karma EcoChic – Road Test

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2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse: The Most Powerful Roadster of All Time

2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse: The Most Powerful Roadster of All Time:

Bugatti announced the impending arrival of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse in a bravado-laced statement, calling it the culmination of engineers’ efforts to “transfer all the achievements of the Super Sport over to the Grand Sport.” The resultant open-top missile packs 1200 hp, nearly 20 percent more than the Grand Sport convertible’s paltry sum of 1001; torque increases from 922 lb-ft to 1106 lb-ft, so towing the old Bayliner down to the lake for the weekend should be a breeze for this new droptop.

Keep Reading: 2013 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse – Official Photos and Info

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Toyota Teases B-Segment FT-Bh Hybrid Concept with Pics, Video [Geneva Auto Show]

Toyota Teases B-Segment FT-Bh Hybrid Concept with Pics, Video [Geneva Auto Show]:

Toyota is bringing the funky-looking FT-Bh small hybrid concept to this year’s Geneva auto show. The automaker released some teaser images and video of the FT-Bh, as well as a few morsels of info.

The concept’s name stands for “Future Toyota B-segment hybrid,” which pretty much sums up what you need to know: The FT-Bh is a B-segment-sized, gas/electric vehicle. The video reveals little, but does show enough to portend a radically styled hatchback—just check out the wild taillights and the undulating pillars at the rear. It’s not clear yet if the car has three or five doors, but Toyota claims it will offer interior space similar to that of a five-door B-segment car.

According to Toyota, the FT-Bh was designed around five key fuel-efficiency-boosting tenets: mass reduction, aerodynamic optimization, powertrain efficiency, thermal-energy management, and electrical efficiency. As a result, the FT-Bh apparently weighs less than a three-door Toyota Aygo (which the company says comes in at roughly 1800 pounds). As for the success of the other tenets, at this point Toyota presumably expects us to use our imagination until more info becomes available.

Interestingly, the company says the hybrid’s low weight was accomplished without using fancy materials. No specifics were given regarding the FT-Bh’s “downsized full hybrid powertrain,” but we expect to know more when the concept hits the Geneva show floor.

Source : Google Reader

2013 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification Photos and Info [Geneva Auto Show]

2013 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification Photos and Info [Geneva Auto Show]:

Bentley has always pitched its flagship Mulsanne as more of a driver’s car than a limousine, and it fairly satisfies at both roles. Bentley hopes to drive that point home—pun intended—with the Mulsanne’s new Mulliner Driving Specification package, which officially debuts at the 2012 Geneva auto show.

Keep Reading: 2013 Bentley Mulsanne Mulliner Driving Specification – Official Photos and Info

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Audi A1 Quattro: new video available

Audi A1 Quattro: new video available:

Audi releases a new official video starring the A1 Quattro, a sporty limited edition of the popular hatchback that will be produced in just 333 units. The model is powered by the same 256 hp 2.0-litre turbocharged TFSI engine equipping the Audi S3 and will hit the showrooms in the second half of the year.

The 4-cylinder direct-injection unit pulsing under the A1 Quattro’s bonnet is coupled with a 6-speed gearbox that allows the car to reach a top speed of 245 km/h (152 mph) with a 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 5.7 seconds. as the name suggest, the model uses Audi’s trademark “Quattro” all-wheel drive system, which relies for the most part on the front axle transferring the power at the back just in case of low grip through a limited slip differential.

The Audi A1 Quattro rolls on 18″ alloys fitted with 225/35 tyres. In comparison to the standard model, this variant uses an upgraded braking system and a more sporty suspension set up, which allows drivers to better exploit the power of the car. Audi claims an average fuel consumption for the model of about 8,5 l/100 km.

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