The embargo on the photos of the new VW Scirocco hatch due for Geneva has broken, and images of the car have quickly found their way onto internet forums. Although it’s not quite the compact blend of sexy and sleek the previous Iroc concept promised, it does represent a new direction in VW design.
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Yesterday Consumer Reports released its annual ‘Top Picks’ list of the best cars of 2008 and now we have a list of the worst contenders. Judges compared over 260 vehicles in this year’s evaluation and once again American SUVs dominated the field although there were a number of Toyota models, usually the strong players, at the bottom of the field as well.
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Cadillac has confirmed the new CTS sedan will spawn several other body styles including a coupe and wagon-crossover, and now we have the first tangible evidence that GM’s product planners are working on at least one of these new variants. GM teased us with the Cadillac CT Coupe Concept at last month’s Detroit Auto Show and now spy photographers managed to scoop the actual production version out testing in sunny California.

As the images reveal, the final production version shares the concept car’s wedge profile and tall rear deck. Other striking features the angled roofline, vertical taillamps, centrally mounted exhaust pipes and oversized wheels.
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Despite their position as technology leaders, hybrid cars have spent the last decade in relative torpor. Battery, motor and design technology are all fundamentally the same as they were when the first Prius debuted over a decade ago. Many car makers have been working on new hybrid technologies, but so far very little has actually made it to the market place. Daimler hopes to change that with its new S400 BlueHYBRID, powered by lithium-ion batteries.
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Car shows are typically about bringing new concepts to the press and showing the virtues of production models to the public. Geneva’s auto show is typically no exception, but Lotus has decided to do something a bit unorthodox, and instead of showing a whole car, it will show a portion of the chassis of its upcoming Eagle 2+2.
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Swiss company Peraves first revealed its MonoTracer at last year’s Geneva Motor Show but back then the enclosed bike was still in the early stages of development and it hadn’t even undergone official testing. For this year’s Geneva Motor Show, Peraves is back and this time ‘round officials have some exciting numbers to boast about.
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The first two Ford Mustang GT500KR KITT cars from the new Knight Rider series are about to go under the hammer at next month’s Barrett-Jackson auctions in Palm Beach. There are in fact three different modified Mustangs that star in the new series, of which we bet there are a number of doubles. The cars include the ‘KITT Hero’, a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR, the ‘KITT Attack’, a high-speed version of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR Hero car that can transform into ‘attack’ model with the help of air-ride technology and specialized body parts, and finally, the ‘KITT Remote’, a driverless Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR version of the Hero vehicle.
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An image of the first of three new Kia concepts planned for next week’s Geneva Motor Show has been leaked, revealing a sporty compact hatch with boxy profile and garish paintwork. All three cars will carry the ‘SOUL’ title and are closely related to an upcoming production model Kia claims will start a whole new segment and entice customers that normally would overlook the brand.
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Updated: Porsche has confirmed production of its 911 models will resume at its Zuffenhausen plant on Monday following the explosion in the plant’s paintshop earlier this week. Porsche said the explosion was due to a technical defect and that damage amounting to several hundred thousand euros will be covered by insurance. Production delays for about 800 cars will be filled in within the current business year.
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Italian design house Zagato has developed a unique coachbuilt body for Bentley’s new Continental GT Speed, which it plans to unveil at next week’s Geneva Motor Show. Labeled the ‘GTZ’, the modified Bentley is just the latest in a long history of coachbuilt cars from Zagato including last year’s Diatto Ottovù and previous works from Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rolls Royce and MG.
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Porsche is just over a year away from launching its first ever diesel model with news today the company plans to release a diesel powered Cayenne SUV next year. Porsche will likely go with a V6 diesel borrowed from Audi, which insiders claim will develop more than 300hp. Porsche had the option of selecting V8, V10 and even V12 diesel powerplants (as seen in the Audi R8 TDI concept) but ruled these out because they were deemed too heavy.
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Diesel hybrids seem to be the flavor of the month. Already we’ve seen hybrid oil-burners from Peugeot, BMW and Volkswagen, and now Mercedes-Benz has revealed a hybrid version of its GLK with a BLUETEC diesel engine. Labeled the Vision GLK BLUETEC Hybrid, the new concept features an already efficient BLUETEC four-cylinder diesel engine mated to an electric motor.
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Updated: Australian sports car manufacturer Bolwell has debuted the latest version of its Nagari coupe and confirmed that it will go into limited production early next year with a price tag between AUD $200,000 and $300,000. Designed as a modern interpretation of Bolwell’s 1970s model, which goes by the same name, the new Nagari ditches the stripped-out racer look of the original model and instead adopts a luxurious grand tourer theme.
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Mitsubishi may have pulled its manufacturing operations out of Australia but that doesn’t mean the carmaker’s Aussie subsidiary will be totally ignoring this week’s Melbourne Motor Show. Unveiled today in Melbourne was a range of new ‘Panther’ concepts, with the Colt hatch, Lancer sedan (pictured), Grandis people mover, Triton ute and Pajero 4×4 three-door all getting striking black paint and the trademark ‘Panther Claw’ detailing.
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Mazda has unveiled a rally-ready Mazda2 at the 2008 Melbourne Motor Show. Dubbed the Mazda 2 Extreme, the car is the fourth model in the line of ‘extreme’ cars created by Mazda Motorsport in Australia. While the engine is still under development for the Mazda2 Extreme, the plan is to increase the car’s “real world” performance by at least 20%. Mazda Motorsport chief Allan Horsley said that “this was a surprisingly challenging Extreme car to do. Starting with such an agile car really put the pressure on when it came to improving its real-world abilities.” Current modifications include a three-inch sports exhaust that gives the car better airflow and a more appropriate soundtrack for a car with ‘Extreme’ in its name.
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