BMW will be tweaking the love-it-or-hate-it styling of the next generation 7-series and making it more similar to the current 6-series design.

The harsh lines and flamboyant design will be toned down for a more sedate look. The 7-series will have a wider front grille as well as wrap-around headlights. Presumably, BMW will also be getting rid of the ‘Bangle butt’ that so polarized critics. Expect to see it on the roads late next year or early ’08.

Read the full report here.

Ford officially unveiled their new Mondeo wagon concept at the Paris Motor Show, and here’s a video that shows you some of the highlights on the vehicle. We’re loving the exterior, and the interior would be a lot nicer if it wasn’t that shade of gaudy orange. Check it out.

Hyundai’s entry to the C-segment market is the FD, which is shown in concept form as the Arnejs. Though the production car will probably lose most of the features that make this concept special, the basic design elements and style should remain the same. Hyundai has revealed that the concept comes decked out with 19” aluminium wheels with 245/35 R19 low-profile tyres, 5-sp auto transmission, and a 2L VGT diesel engine pumping out 170hp.

Interesting design features include glass panorama roof and jeweled headlights. Click ahead for more images and full details on the Arnejs.

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Volkswagen’s next generation Passat will feature four-door coupe styling along the lines of the Mercedes Benz CLS. Due for an upgrade in 2008, the all new Passat’s design will see the car getting an arching roofline and wedge profile. The sleek bodywork, namely the strongly curved roof and wrap-around headlights should provide for improved aerodynamics. Hopefully, the rear-door’s roof won’t be as low as this rendering from Germany’s Autobild suggests.

The squared of rear portion will be smaller than the current model to allow for the tapered roof, and the new Passat may even by less roomy. We’re sure most owners would be happy to trade off some functionality for a little style. The range-topping VR6 model will come with a 3.6L V6 developing 280hp with drive going through the front wheels, while the base model starts with a small 170hp 1.4L turbo.

Sitting alongside its Fetish sibling on the Venturi display at the Paris Motor Show is the self powered Venturi Eclectic. Touted as an autonomous energy vehicle, the Eclectic can be powered independently of any natural energy reserves. It’s powered by a small 22hp (16kW), 50Nm electric motor, and is normally charged up by the 2.5 square metres of solar cells on its roof.

The Eclectic is designed as a daily-driver for urban areas and more closely resembles a golf buggy than an actual car. Designer Sacha Lakic describes the vehicle as a “modern, autonomous and intelligent automobile.” The beauty of the Eclectic is that when it stands still, it’s actually adding energy to its batteries. In regions where the sun doesn’t shine that often, the vehicle uses wind power to rotate a force wheel, which generates electricity topping up the battery.

Complete charge of the liquid cooled NIMH batteries provides a range of about 50km and allows the car to reach speeds of 50 km/h. Wind power alone can drive the car 15km after a full day of charging. If all else fails, owners can simply plug it into a mains unit at home. The four-seater Eclectic weighs just 350 kilograms and will go into production in June 2007 with a price tag of 24,000 euros. Initially, only 200 units will be made but if they prove popular a cheaper version will be produced starting from 2009.

Click ahead for more high-res images.
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Hummer will need to introduce several new models if it hopes to even come close to reaching its target of doubling its current production. General Motors executives at the Paris Motor Show, including Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, told reporters that “Hummer needs some more products. It needs two or three more products to give it sufficient market coverage.” The first model on Hummer’s wish list would be a pickup truck and a possible MPV version remains as an option.

Investor, Kirk Kerkorian, has been pressuring GM to sell off Hummer but executives argued that it was one of GM’s core brands. Currently, sales of Hummer are up almost 50 percent for the first 8 months of this year compared to the rest of GM, which is down 12 percent overall. Hummer’s smallest model, the H3, accounts for three-quarters of the brand’s current sales. GM executives already realise that a smaller Jeep Wrangler sized model would be the ideal option.

We managed to catch a glimpse of the Avenger at the Paris show and we’re left fairly impressed with the overall look and dimensions. The car will share the front-wheel drive platform from the Chrysler Sebring and will come in both four and six cylinder flavors. This will include a mid-level 2.7-litre V6 and a range topping 3.5-litre V6, as well as the 2.4-litre four from the Dodge Caliber.

General Motors has confirmed that it will sell the Holden designed Commodore in America under the Pontiac label. Australian journalists who tout the car as a BMW rival are so in love with it that they forget that its commonly used as taxis and that it often suffers from reliability issues. GM will wait until the Chicago motor show in 2007 to unveil the American version of the car.

Bob Lutz at the Paris Motor Show suggested that the new car will definitely be a Pontiac and it would receive some visual changes including a new nose. Previously, Pontiac sold the previous model Monaro coupe as the Pontiac GTO, but only 18,000 units were delivered due to strict union rules. Depending on how popular the Commodore sells in the US, GM may even start building it over here.

Click here to see some comments on Australian website Drive.com’s blog regarding claims that the Commodore is a genuine BMW rival. Holden always harks on about how much better the new model is over the old one – then all the problems start. Faulty engines, dodgy gearboxes and terrible fit and finish are among the list of common problems for the Commodore. Considering GM’s reputation for quality, we highly doubt this car will ever be a credible BMW rival, no matter how many high-tech toys or leather trim options you throw at it.

The point here is that this is not an indication of how good the Commodore is, rather a reflection on the state of GM’s cars in the US.

Mercedes Benz displayed the SLR McLaren 722 edition supercar on its stand in Paris, and a warning for potential customers – MB will only build 150 of them. Developed with the aid of supercar legend, Gordon Murray, the SLR McLaren 722 comes with a supercharged 5.5L V8 developing 650hp (478kW) and completes the 0-100km/h dash in just 3.6 seconds.

Speed freaks will be happy to know that 200km/h comes up in 10.2 seconds and it then reaches 300km/h in 28 seconds finally topping out at 337 km/h. The odd 722 labelling comes from a race in 1955 in which Stirling Moss competed in a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR, starting the race at exactly 7.22am.

General Motors will develop at least one car based on its new global vehicle platforms in the US for sale in China. According to its Vice Chairman, Bob Lutz, in a statement made during an interview in Paris, GM will build a new long-wheelbase luxury vehicle in China, which will likely be called the Buick Royaume. It’s still early days, which means nothing has been confirmed yet but it’s likely that GM’s Zeta rear-wheel drive architecture will be the choice of platform.

Zeta, which the upcoming Camaro is based, will spawn several other models including large sedans for the likes of Buick, Pontiac and Chevrolet brands. Further, the first Zeta product has already gone in sale in Australia in the form of the VE Commodore. Importantly, Zeta can be used in whole range of vehicles including coupes and large SUVs.

Toyota’s Auris concept, which is basically a pre-production model of the next generation Corolla, will offer a new level of space and comfort in the small car segment. Adopting Toyota’s new Vibrant Clarity design theme, the Auris has a more upmarket feel than many of its rivals.

The car will be launched in European markets in spring of 2007 and should feature the same bodywork as the concept car minus the 19in wheels and chrome plated exhaust pipes. The Auris name, which is derived from the Latin name, Aurum, meaning gold, carries Toyota’s naming practice of adding an “is” to the end of the name (Avensis and Yaris). However, the Auris name will be used for Europe only while other markets receive the Corolla nameplate.

Inside, controls are focused towards both driver and passengers. All the controls including the shift lever are at chest level on the centre console, which is said to save space. The flat floor and high roofline further add to a feeling of roominess.

Rolls Royce has announced that an all new model will be released within four years. RR is developing a new four-door model that will be positioned below the Phantom and be priced within $230,000 and $330,000. The design team, which is being headed by RR’s chief stylist, Ian Cameron, will be tackling the design work.

The firm is already enjoying great success with a flood of orders for its forthcoming 101EX convertible, and the company is poised to sell even more vehicles with the construction of an all new model. Since taking ownership of the company from Volkswagen, BMW has been desperate to release several new models for RR.

The new car will be similar in size to the 101EX and will share parts with the BMW 7-series in an effort to save development costs. The planned engine, most likely a BMW derived V12 will be mated to a new six-speed transmission also developed by BMW. Expect RR’s traditional effortless performance and features such as an aluminum structure and intricate space frame to be adopted.

Seeing that the Paris Motor Show is now in full swing, we just had to add this rendering of the 2008 Peugeot 608 from French magazine, L’Automobile. This new car will replace the slow-selling 607, which was disliked by many motoring journalists, including Top Gear’s, Jeremy Clarkson, who described it once as being the worst car ever made.

Many popular Peugeot websites are predicting that the new 608 luxury sedan will feature four-door coupe styling similar to the current Mercedes Benz CLS, and that a revised version of the current 200hp 2.7 HDi V6 is likely to be carried over as well as a new V6 petrol engine.

Suzuki has displayed its funky Splash concept that will form the basis for an all new model. Sharing a platform with the new Swift, the Splash will measure only 3.8m in length but will be able to seat up to five passengers. Driving the front wheels is a small 1.2L four-cylinder petrol engine mated to a four-speed automatic. Though the car is not confirmed for production as yet, Suzuki will be gauging the public’s perception of the new concept to determine if the car should be built.

Some of the highlights that won’t make it into production are the video camera side mirrors, complex LED headlights, panoramic glass roof or the wide chrome door surrounds. Hopefully the Splash’s safety package, featuring a collapsible steering column, front-side, and curtain airbags, ABS, ESP and disc brakes all round, will carry over to any production version.

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General Motor’s CEO, Rick Wagoner, “absolutely” believes that there’s no need for an alliance between the world’s largest auto maker and the Renault-Nissan partnership. Wagoner reports that the ailing company’s restructuring plan is moving faster than expected and that GM could easily survive without any form of an alliance.

The possible tie-up with Renault-Nissan was urged by investor, Kirk Kerkorian, who recently increased his ownership of GM. Wagoner’s immediate goal, is to sell more vehicles and to reduce costs. He’s currently working on a plan to cut almost $9 billion dollars from labour and manufacturing costs by the end of the year and when asked about a possible merger with Ford, he states “who knows?”

The three companies involved are still in the middle of a 90-day feasibility analysis for the proposed alliance but insiders are claiming that there’s internal resistance coming from GM, and proceedings are not going well. The recent news of a claim for billions of dollars from GM to allow the alliance can only worsen the situation. However, Wagoner states that the meetings are “cordial,” but offered no further comment.