Archive for 2013
Report: BMW working on new FWD model below 1 Series
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Hatchback , BMW , Luxury Rumors of a front-wheel drive model to slot in below the 1 Series have been circulating for some time, with the most recent report coming last October . Now, Autocar has confirmed with BMW ’s chairman, Norbert Reithofe, that an all-new model is coming from the automaker, designed to compete with the recently introduced Audi A1 and built atop the next generation Mini ’s platform. However, the unsurprising introduction of a new premium sub-compact won’t just be limited to BMW – Reithofer told Autocar that, “We will be extending the BMW and Mini brands into the small car segment with new models and variants.” The exec also took pains to differentiate the new Bimmer from the upcoming Mega City EV, saying that this new model is being developed for both front- and all-wheel drive applications, and that the new urban runabout is a separate endeavor.
Report: Morgan to debut 2+2 concept at Pebble Beach
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Concept Cars , Convertible , Coupe , Performance , Misc. Auto Shows , Luxury Morgan Aero SuperSports – Click above for high-res image gallery As if we didn’t have enough reasons to look forward to the Pebble Beach Concours this August – beautiful weather, beautiful machinery and beautiful scenery, to name but a few – news comes by way of Autocar in the U.K. that Morgan plans to debut a new 2+2 concept at the famed event on the California coast. Details on the new model are, as you might expect at this early stage in the game, rather hard to come by
Read the original:
Report: Morgan to debut 2+2 concept at Pebble Beach
Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-1 gets drawn up
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Hatchback , Saab , Design/Style Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars , has made it clear that Saab , which was just recently acquired by Muller’s exclusive automaker, will introduce a new small car to go up against the Mini and the newly shown-off Audi A1 . What’s more, the new small Saab will hearken back to such classically styled Swedish iron as the classic 1949 92. It’s been rumored that the next Saab will be known as the 9-1 and will be based atop the underpinnings of the Opel Astra hatchback. Unlike past GM -based (or Subaru -based, depending) Saabs, though, Muller is reportedly telling his designers that every car wearing the Born-from-Jets badge must be instantly recognizable as a Saab
Original post:
Rendered Speculation: Saab 9-1 gets drawn up
Ford to expand electric and hybrid offerings to Europe from 2011
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Hybrid , Geneva Motor Show , Technology , Ford , Electric Ford Transit Connect Electric – Click above for high-res image gallery Ford has big plans for electrification of its fleet over the next decade, and while most of the emphasis has been on North America so far, Europe will be joining in on the party starting in 2011. Nancy Gioia has announced that between 2011 and 2013, Ford of Europe will get five new hybrid and battery electric models added to its lineup. About six to nine months after each of the new models rolls out in North America, they will be introduced in Europe.
Read this article:
Ford to expand electric and hybrid offerings to Europe from 2011
Report: Saab 9-2 plans proceeding, design influenced by brand’s ’50s teardrop models
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Saab , Design/Style You wouldn’t know it by looking at Saab ’s current automobiles, but once upon a time the Swedish marque was known for crafting almost impossibly rounded bodywork. Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars, which just completed its acquisition of the Saab brand, plans to reintroduce such teardrop-shaped emotion back into the automaker’s line with a new vehicle codenamed 92, or in more modern parlance, 9-2. Don’t expect to see the small, premium 9-2 before 2013 or so, when it would theoretically go up against machines like the Mini and Audi A1 . According to Autocar , Saab would likely borrow a suitable set of underpinnings from GM ’s Opel division, as is the case with the new 2011 Saab 9-5 .
Go here to see the original:
Report: Saab 9-2 plans proceeding, design influenced by brand’s ’50s teardrop models
Rumormill: Rear-drive Hybrid Lexus IS, V10-powered GS F on the way?
Posted by: | CommentsFiled under: Hybrid , Sedan , Performance , Lexus , Luxury Lexus GS 450h – Click above for high-res image gallery It looks like Lexus is planning to go to both extremes on the green-performance continuum. When the next-generation IS appears in a couple of years, it will likely add a hybrid powertrain option. Such a move would be in keeping with Toyota’s oft-stated commitment to having hybrid drive available in almost all of its platforms by the end of the decade. The IS hybrid may also spawn a new rear-drive hybrid sports car around the same time
Excerpt from:
Rumormill: Rear-drive Hybrid Lexus IS, V10-powered GS F on the way?