Paris Auto Show reveals the Fisker Karma hybrid

Fisker Karma Hybrid

The Paris Auto Show will reveal the presentation of the series Fisker Karma model using a hybrid powertrain. The sedan hybrid model of the American manufacturer manages to develop an impressive horsepower amount with just few CO2 emissions every kilometer.

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Beijing Auto Shows - Bentley Continental GT Design Series China and Continental Flying Spur Speed China

Bentley Continental GT

China is, perhaps surprisingly, a big market for Bentley. Since starting Chinese sales in 2002, sales have grown tenfold, making the Asian country Bentley’s third-largest market. And so it makes sense that the brand would offer a couple of China-exclusive special editions, both of which were unveiled at the Beijing auto show.

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Auto Shows - 2011 Scion tC

Auto Shows - 2011 Scion tC

The words “all-new” are as overused in the car business as three particular words thrown around by adolescent hornballs trying to advance a runner in Mom and Dad’s basement. Case in point: the 2011 Scion tC. Scion says it rides on an all-new platform, but the fact that its wheelbase is unchanged says to us that someone’s just looking to turn the corner on third—let’s just call the underpinnings thoroughly revised, shall we? Also, the fact that the press release says the new tC has 16-inch brake discs at all four corners raises a red flag, if only because those are larger than basically anything else on the road. Including the Corvette ZR1’s. Including the 253-mph, 4500-pound Bugatti Veyron’s.

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - Official Details and Info

2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Hyundai is doing things a bit differently with its new 2011 Sonata—it’s a mid-size sedan that actually looks appealing—and that concept extends to the just-announced hybrid version. This gas-electric sedan is being shown for the first time at the 2010 New York auto show, alongside the turbocharged, 274-hp Sonata 2.0T.

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Geneva Auto Show 2010 - Citroen SURVOLT

Citroen SURVOLT

TAKE a look at Citroen's electric Puma! This is the stunning SURVOLT – an all-electric concept car that points the way to how a future small coupe could look.

Making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, the SURVOLT is said to fuse the design themes of the Revolte and GT by Citroen concept cars. To this it adds a sports racing look, complete with a big wing and compact dimensions at just 3.85m long, 1.87m wide and 1.2m high.

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Geneva Auto Show 2010 - Audi A1

Audi A1

Audi's MINI-beater has arrived! Revealed for the first time in front of a packed auditorium at VW’s pre-Geneva party, the German firm’s first foray into the premium compact market is the most hotly anticipated model at the show.

As if the media frenzy surrounding the A1 wasn’t enough, Audi has signed up singer Justin Timberlake as a brand ambassador - and he was on hand to drive the car onto the stage with Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler in the passenger seat. Timberlake commented: “I’ve driven the car several times now and it’s fantastic, Defintiely faster than you think.”

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Geneva Auto Show 2010 - Bentley GTC Supersports

Bentley GTC Supersports

Meet the fastest four-seater convertible in the world! We’ve already driven and been blown away by the lighter and faster Bentley Continental Supersports. But now the Crewe-based firm has revealed a convertible variant, revealed here in a brand-new ‘citric’ paint tone.

Using the same 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine as the coupe, which produces 621bhp and 800Nm of torque, the GTC can travel from 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds and 0-100mph in under 10 seconds. The top speed is a sensational 202mph – whether the roof’s up or down!

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Geneva Auto Show 2010 - Lamborghini LP 570-4 Superleggera

Lamborghini LP 570-4 Superleggera

There’s nothing quite like a new Lamborghini to excite a motor show crowd, and Geneva is no exception! Building on the success of the LP 560-4 and the limited-run rear-wheel drive Balboni edition, this is the new flagship in the Gallardo range.

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Hyundai Sonata Hybrid - New York Auto Show 2010

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

The big news at the Hyundai stand was the North American introduction of the Equus, but the Korean automaker also debuted two new variants of the recently revealed Sonata. One of those models features a more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, but the other is powered by Hyundai's proprietary hybrid drivetrain - a first for the brand - and extends the company's 'fluidic sculpture' design language through unique exterior design elements.

While the Sonata was conceived at the Korean automaker's Southern California design studio, the Hybrid variant was the work of designers in Hyundai's Korean design studio. The goal was to make the car more aerodynamic, but also to make it stand out from its more conventionally-powered siblings.

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Cruze CS is Reppin’ the BTCC in 2010

Cruze CS is Reppin’ the BTCC

As everyone knows, blue is the fastest color. Actually, according to GM Europe, Moroccan Blue is the exact subset of blue which is the fastest. With that fact in mind, the GM folks across the pond have decided to make a new “CS” package available that speaks as a tribute to the Cruze’s BTCC competition entry. We think it’s a home run, the people that made this package don’t know what that means, but we digress. The package seems to make the Cruze pop and isn’t just a fancy frock.

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Auto Show - 2010 Canadian Autoshow

2010 Canadian Autoshow

The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is one drool-worthy car. Few cars can have you grinning from ear to ear without you sitting behind the wheel. It was definitely the best in class at the 2010 Canadian Autoshow. The Infinity Essence Concept was also a major show stopper. If you were there when the Reborn Camero was on display a couple years ago, you know exactly what I mean. If you weren't, just imagine that your favourite sports team is about to lose a big game, but in the final minute, they manage to pull off an interception and are about to snatch victory, from the jaws of defeat. Yeah!!

Yes my friends, that feeling you get, as you watch in rapt attention; that half smiling, half unbelieving, adrenaline-induced stupor, is what the Reborn Camero was all about. Sad to say, apart from the two cars mentioned before, nothing else even came close. The Ferrari California, tucked away in its little corner, didn't have it. The Jaguar XJ couldn't do it; and even Audi which has unleashed a string of stunning designs of late, really missed the mark (in my humble opinion) with the new A8.

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Chevrolet MPV5 Volt concept - Beijing Motor Show 2010

Chevrolet MPV5 Volt concept

GM chose the Beijing motor show to show the Chevrolet MPV5 Volt - a new hybrid prototype inspired by the Volt sedan. Sharing the same essential design theme as its four-door counterpart, the MPV5 has been developed to showcase the flexibility of the Voltec platform which will be used across a range of different types body segments in the near future.

The MPV5 is a crossover with an iconic American van identity that integrates and refines characteristic design elements of the Volt sedan, such as headlamps, taillamps and grille. It is well-proportioned with 19-inch five spoke wheels sitting in strong squared wheelarches. The overall masculine presence and stance accentuated by the crisp shoulder line, the sharp sill undercut and details such as the large door mirrors indicates a well defined user/consumer group for this product.

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Ferrari 599 GTO - Beijing Motor Show 2010

Ferrari 599 GTO

Ferrari officially presented a more performance oriented version of the 599 at the 2010 Auto China in Beijing. The company's newest and fastest ever front engine sports car bears the GTO initials to support its performance credentials, but it is not an entirely new car. Ferrari designers have been preoccupied intensively on reworking most of the car's details and color and trim elements for the limited production model. Only 599 examples will be built.

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Audi E-Tron Detroit concept - Detroit Auto Show 2010

Audi E-Tron Detroit concept

This is the third time Audi has affixed the E-Tron nomenclature to a concept car, but while the previous concepts seen at the Frankfurt and Los Angeles auto shows in 2009 showcased an electric powertrain in the shell of the Audi R8, the Detroit E-Tron is based on a shortened version of the R8 platform and its design has been reduced along with the exterior dimensions.

Designed by Pforzheim graduates Wolf Seebers (exterior) and Florian Flatau (interior), the two passenger rear-engined electric sports car pares back all non-essential elements to a simplified and sculptural form that retains Audi's design DNA. "The goal was to transfer the [previous] E-Tron aesthetic into a more reduced, small sports car," Seebers told CDN.

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Ford Focus - Detroit Auto Show 2010

Ford Focus

The US-spec Ford Focus never had the sales success of its European namesake, for obvious reasons: the ungainly vehicle always had the appearance of a spartan economy car that simply lacked the perceived quality of its European counterpart. The all-new Focus, however, signals Ford's intention to market the vehicle as a new global contender, and its newfound aesthetic is indicative of the Blue Oval's goals.

Shown in Detroit in four and five-door variants, the third generation C-segment vehicle was developed in the Ford of Europe's Cologne based-studio in Germany under the direction of Stefan Lamm, Ford of Europe's exterior design director. It implements the company's kinetic design theme but also pushes it one step further. The exterior design, created by lead designer Murat Gueler, is more upmarket than the Euro Focus it will soon replace and it accentuates the dynamic theme by appearing "fast whilst standing still," as Lamm told CDN.

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GMC Granite concept - Detroit Auto Show 2010

GMC Granite concept

Arguably the biggest surprise of the first NAIAS press day was GMC's Granite concept - a design that expands (or rather contracts) the truck/crossover brand's ‘professional grade' philosophy to a compact hatchback aimed at urban hipsters and early adopters. Conceived by Frank Saucedo's Advanced Design team in California and then built at GM's Design Center in Detroit (and in less than eight months), the Granite combines the basic proportions of the Nissan Cube and Scion xB with a military/industrial feel inspired by the current G-Star and Diesel fashion lines.

The resulting design is an undisputed success. The DRG is extremely aggressive, yet doesn't overwhelm the car as you might expect, positioning the huge GMC grille below a scalloped hood that bends up at each side to create a pronounced step down to the combined shoulder and headlamp surface. The distinctive interlocking slashes in the body sides also help break up the visual mass inherent to a tall, high-sided two-box design like this, and have been executed to perfection. The way they form a natural recess for the vertical vents behind the front wheels is a particular highlight, as are the wheels themselves, which inform some of the interior themes.

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Geneva Motor Show 2010 - Seat IBE concept

Seat IBE concept

It surprised many to see this concept on the Seat stand. A white exterior model only, it was missed by many designers at the show - its limelight stolen by the VW stand next door and Audi's A1. The overall impression did little to counter a suspicion that Seat is sometimes the VW group's forgotten marque, and that its positioning in the overall brand hierarchy is somewhat unclear.

However, the design is not to be dismissed, because on closer inspection the IBE is well resolved, and previews design boss Luc Donckerwolke's new language for the Spanish brand. Essentially a B-sector hatch, it is shorter, wider and lower than the Ibiza, endowing it with a strong set of proportions - the wheel at each corner, gently flared wheelarches and sharply defined rear shoulder giving the car a strong stance and planted feel.

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Geneva Motor Show 2010 - I.DE.A Sofia concept

I.DE.A Sofia concept

Turin-based IDEA Institute presented its Sofia showcar at the Geneva show, showcasing a new design direction for a hybrid-powered four-seat sedan. Shown as an exterior only model, the Sofia is a streamlined study with a sculptured hood, fenders that rise above the beltline and a dynamic shoulder leading to a pronounced rear diffuser.

At the front, a gaping grille leads to slender twin LED strips to give the car a strong, immediately identifiable DRG, slightly reminiscent to that of a current Aston Martin. The outer concave areas of the hood lead off below the A-pillar to become the shoulderline of the car, which continues to widen until it reaches the C-pillar, where it rises to disappear into the DLO. It is this intersection that appears particularly contrived, as the shoulder becomes convex and seemingly pinched beneath the C-pillar. It does however give definition to the rear haunch.

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Beijing Motor Show 2010 - Ford Start Concept

Ford Start concept

Ford's Start concept was one of the undeniable stars of Auto China this year. A diminutive five-seat premium car, roughly the size of a Mini, the concept surprised many with its minimalistic design and thoughtful details. Speaking with Freeman Thomas, Design Director at Ford's California-based Strategic Concept Group, CDN learned that the car was born out of an unconventional approach: it was actually modeled before being reversed into sketches.

The clean, timeless design was inspired by the nautilus shell as well as the rounded designs of the Alfa Romeo Zagato SZ and the Porsche 356 Speedster (owned by Thomas himself): "We wanted the car to be soft and endearing," Thomas said. "We love round shapes."

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2010 BMW 335is World Debut

BMW 335is World Debut

Today at the 2010 New York Auto Show, BMW has unveiled the all-new 335is. The E92 and E93 335is are the most powerful of standard 3 Series BMWs. The ’s’ typically meaning the most sporting of possibilities of the current model range for BMW.

The 2011 BMW 335is is powered by the same award winning N54 inline-6 3.0-liter twin-turbo motor that comes standard in the 335i, although the motor is now enhanced…ever so slightly. It comes packing 320hp at 5,900 rpm and 332lb-ft of torque is available from 1,500-5,000 rpm. The engineers have tweaked the twin-turbo 3-liter motor to have an overboost function that increases torque to 370lb-ft. The overboost function comes into play at higher engine speeds and gears.

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