Filed under: Paris Motor Show
by Jonathon Ramsey Apr 21st, 2009 at 1:58PM
Filed under: Wagons/Estates, Paris Motor Show, Saturn, Opel, Vauxhall
2009 Opel Sports Tourer - Click above for a high-res image gallery
The
Opel Insignia Sports Tourer landed at a dealer in the Czech Republic, and it is nothing but tasty: a six-speed diesel with seating for five that holds from 540 or 1,530 cubic liters with the seats down (from 19 to 54 cubic feet) and the handsome hauler gets and 50 mpg (US) from its 160 horsepower 2.0 CTDI. What's more, the rear cargo area has a beautifully flat entry, and a hidden compartment underneath the load floor.
It also has a host of convenience technology such as the Adaptive Forward Lighting with nine (count em!) different settings and the Opel Eye, which memorizes street signs and displays them in the dash. Sounds a bit like the Eye of Mordor, but it could come in handy when on unfamiliar turf. For the consortium looking for new Saturn models to import, please start here.
Thanks for the tip, Evzen![Source:
Autorevue (
translated)]
SourceTags: czech republic, CzechRepublic, estate, insignia, insignia sports tourer, InsigniaSportsTourer, opel insignia, opel insignia sports tourer, OpelInsignia, OpelInsigniaSportsTourer, saturn, saturn aura, SaturnAura, vauxhall, vauxhall insignia, VauxhallInsignia, wagon
by Jonathon Ramsey Mar 25th, 2009 at 9:26AM 
Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Spy Photos, Economy, Euro, Green, Paris Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Mazda
UPDATE: This is not a prototype for the Mazda1, it is a Chinese-market Haima subcompact based on the Mazda2. Thanks to everyone who sent in the correctionWhen we were told that the
Mazda Kiyora concept unveiled at last year's
Paris Motor Show would influence Mazda's coming city car, it looks like we overestimated the word "influence." At least, that's the case if the little Mazda caught in
Evo's spy shots is actually the Mazda1.
Evo makes a compelling case for the car actually being the Mazda1 – not merely a revised Mazda2. Save for the ascending shoulder line (now moved to shoulder height, way above the rocker panels as on the Kiyora) the prototype has almost nothing in common with the design of the swoopy Paris beastlet. At the very least, we hope this car comes with the concept car's tech, but we won't know for certain until the car's expected launch at September's
Frankfurt Auto Show.
[Source:
Evo]
SourceTags: city car, CityCar, concept car, ConceptCar, economy, frankfurt, frankfurt auto show, FrankfurtAutoShow, hatchback, kiyora, mazda, mazda kiyora, mazda kiyora concept, mazda1, mazda2, MazdaKiyora, MazdaKiyoraConcept, paris, paris motor show, ParisMotorShow, spy shots, SpyShots
by Chris Paukert Mar 17th, 2009 at 12:59PM
Filed under: Concept Cars, China, Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Misc. Auto Shows
SsangYong first unveiled its C200 concept crossover at the Paris Motor Show last autumn, and it will release a toned-down version that's nearly production-ready at next month's Seoul Motor Show. The financially battered Korean automaker says its less aggressively-styled C200 is similar in size to the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4, a class of vehicle that's growing quickly in SsangYong's home market.
The ItalDesign-penned CUV concept is powered by a new 175-horsepower, 2.0-liter diesel engine (torque figures have not yet been released), and four-wheel drive is expected to be available when the C200 reaches showrooms later this year.
SsangYong also expects to show off a new diesel-hybrid version of its oddly styled Kyron, which it says will result in at least 30% better fuel efficiency and at least 50% fewer emissions. Details remain scarce on the powertrain, but SsangYong says the system will involve a direct-injection diesel engine along with a proprietary Torque Split Device that governs use of the electric motor, as well as the usual tricks like regenerative braking and start-stop technology. Official press release available after the jump, gallery of the original 2008 C200 concept below.
by John Neff Mar 16th, 2009 at 3:31PM
Filed under: Spy Photos, Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, BMW
BMW X1 spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
BMW unveiled the
X1 Concept at the 2008
Paris Motor Show to our bewildered eyes, and spy photographers have just surfaced with photos of the production version that do little to address our concerns for this littlest of soft roaders from Munich. As you can see, the production version will hardly differ at all from the concept, which means the swollen nose from the new 7 Series remains, along with all the surface pinching and odd details that we were so
not fond of in Paris.
Styling aside, we question whether there's a market for another BMW sport or crossover utility vehicle, considering that the brand is already loaded with the X6, X5 and X3. The X1 also appears just plain redundant being so similar in size to the X3. That said, it will be built on the same platform as the 3 Series and offer a heaping helping of BMW gas and diesel engines, so it should be the Ultimate Driving Honda CR-V.
[Source: KGP Photography]
Tags: bmw x1, bmw x1 concept, BmwX1, BmwX1Concept, spy photos, spy pics, spy shots, SpyPhotos, SpyPics, SpyShots, x1, x1 concept, X1Concept
by Jonathon Ramsey Feb 5th, 2009 at 6:40PM 
Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Tech, Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Peugeot, Citroen
Peugeot plans to offer its
3008 CUV with a diesel-electric hybrid by 2011. The step after that is to add plug-in capability, but those plans have been pushed back "a year or two" because of the economy. With R&D budgets pinched by slim sales, the investment in the technology simply can't be justified right now, especially in light of Peugeot's assertion that such cars will sell in "in the tens of thousands, not millions."
As exhibits of Peugeot's intention to employ the diesel-hybrid drivetrain, PSA/Peugeot-Citroen showed three concepts at last year's
Paris Motor Show that employed the technology: the
Peugeot Prologue HYmotion4, the
Peugeot RC HYmotion4, and the
Citroen Hypnos. Nevertheless, the head of Peugeot's hybrid innovations unit said plug-in hybrid production – and we would guess the actual date of any PSA hybrid production at all – would "depend on battery costs."
[Source:
Automotive News, sub req'd]
SourceTags: 3008, alternative, citroen, crossover, diesel, diesel electric, diesel electric hybrid, DieselElectric, DieselElectricHybrid, green, hybrid, peugeot, peugeot 3008, Peugeot3008, plug in hybrid, PlugInHybrid, psa, tech
by Jonathon Ramsey Dec 28th, 2008 at 7:29AM
Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Videos, Paris Motor Show, Supercars, Citroen
The GTby Citroen has had a short, busy life: from
teaser renderings to its
Paris Motor Show debut to
rumors that Citroen might make the coupe - and then quickly to a denial. Now it is evidently running on European tarmac with a distinct high-powered wail. The commentary is entirely in Polish, but you don't need to understand the language to know that this is where the car looks its best: hugging the road at high speed.
Follow the jump to check out the video.
Thanks for the tip, Luzik!
[Source:
YouTube]
SourceTags: citroen, citroen gt, CitroenGt, concept car, ConceptCar, coupe, gtbycitroen, hybrid, paris motor show, ParisMotorShow, sports car, SportsCar, supercar, video
by Jonathon Ramsey Dec 24th, 2008 at 8:58AM
Filed under: Spy Photos, Paris Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Peugeot
The
2010 Peugeot 3008 has been spotted in France wearing a scant amount of camouflage, and unless Peugeot is deceiving us, it looks just like the
Prologue HyMotion4 Concept from the
Paris Motor Show. Updating the sheetmetal of the
4007, this crossover Pug gets a much smoother grille treatment and a combination of lines and curves out back suitable for a display at MOMA. The interior isn't revolutionary, but it's expected to offer seating for five or seven and looks like it will hold up to consumers cross-shopping the Nissan Qashqai and VW Tiguan. Four-cylinder turbocharged engines are predicted to be sized at 1.6-liters, burning either gas or oil and driving two wheels at launch, with a four-wheel-drive variant offered down the line.
Thanks for the tip, Jackob![Source:
Autokrata]
SourceTags: 3008, crossover, cuv, paris motor show, ParisMotorShow, peugeot, peugeot 3008, peugeot prologue hymotion4, Peugeot3008, PeugeotPrologueHymotion4, spy shots, SpyShots
by Jonathon Ramsey Dec 22nd, 2008 at 9:58AM
Filed under: China, Plants/Manufacturing, Paris Motor Show
Ssangyong, which recently attended the
Paris Motor Show and showed off the
C200 4-wheel-drive, is officially out of money. The company is more than $77 million (US) in debt, and no longer has the funds to pay its employees' salaries. Ssangyong is owned by Shanghai Automotive Industries China, otherwise known as SAIC. In what could provide a cautionary tale to Volvo workers assuming
Ford actually does a deal with SAIC for the Swedish brand, when Ssangyong asked SAIC for the money to pay employees, SAIC refused because Ssangyong's internal employee's union had earlier called for Chinese executives to resign. In the meantime, Ssangyong has merged operations and shut down all of its plants and the employees have planned a protest to make their feelings known.
[Source:
Chosun]
by Jonathon Ramsey Dec 16th, 2008 at 12:58PM
Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Paris Motor Show, Supercars, Citroen, Special/Limited Editions
Click above for a high-res gallery of the GTbyCitroen
So while it turns out that
PSA is actually not looking to buy Honda's F1 team (that's why
they call it the rumormill), the brand could have seriously sporting aspirations of a different sort. According to Jean-Pierre Ploué, PSA's chief designer, there might be a 20-edition run of the GTbyCitroen, the car Citroen created for Sony's GT5. The game car specs came in at 3,000 pounds and 782 horses, some of those powered by hydrogen. If a real car -- actually suggested to be a grand tourer by Citroen's press release -- were built, we hope they opt for a version of the Peugeot 908's diesel V12. For 700 hp and 800 ft-lbs, we'd have no problem driving a car that looks like a catfish up front and a platypus out back. No matter what they put in it, expect it to be
tres chere if it ever gets built.
[Source:
Cardisiac via
Motor Authority]
SourceTags: citroen, citroen gt, CitroenGt, coupe, gt5, gtbycitroen, limited edition, LimitedEdition, paris auto show, ParisAutoShow, peugeot, psa, sports car, SportsCar, supercar
by Frank Filipponio Oct 14th, 2008 at 1:58PM
Filed under: Economy, Paris Motor Show, Chevrolet, GM, Rumormill
While at the Paris Motor Show, General Motors COO Fritz Henderson told
Automotive News that GM has no plans for a minicar in the U.S. While Henderson acknowledges the popularity of the Smart mini/city car, he describes it as a phenomenon and doesn't see a strong case for a similar sized minicar for Chevy in the States. His feelings are that American small-car buyers are happier with something like a Cobalt or Aveo instead. What that means for the future of the
Beat,
Groove or Trax is uncertain, but it doesn't look good from this statement. And with costarring roles in
Transformers 2, it seems like
not having them in showrooms is just plain stupid. Hopefully
AN just got the quote wrong.
[Source:
Automotive News, sub. req.]
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