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At the Beijing Motor Show this weekend, Honda took the wraps off of the Concept B Hybrid, a "new-value concept" that will apparently do its level best to get the Japanese automaker back into the entry-level gas-electric game. Powertrain details for the five-door concept hatch are noticeably absent, so we are assuming that what Honda wants with this concept is for us to focus on the looks. Honda says the car's exterior design is "advanced and cool-looking." We like the shape, but think a few changes will do wonders for the production model.

If the busy front end gets turned down a bit in production (it's especially glaring from the front), we can see this becoming a darn good replacement for the Insight at the lower end of the hybrid price spectrum. Sadly, for now, Honda is saying that the mass-production model that uses the Concept B as a foundation will be available "exclusively" on the Chinese market in two years.

Speaking at the Beijing show, Honda president and CEO Takanobu Ito continued to look for ways to green his company's line-up, and said Honda, "will strive to become number one in complying with Chinese CAFE regulations, which are the toughest in the world, and offer a new lifestyle for Chinese customers." Come 2016, that new lifestyle could look like the car you see in the gallery above. Think it's a good one?

Peugeot is no stranger to dirt-oriented motorsports, but with the 2008 DKR, the French automaker is striking out in a different direction than the rally stages of Europe. Instead, it has placed aim squarely on the notorious Dakar Rally, arguably one of the most grueling, demanding and dangerous (and longest) races on the planet.

The race has been dominated the past few years by the X-Raid team and its wildly modified Mini Countryman rally cars. Peugeot is aiming to change that, teaming with Red Bull (arch-rival of X-Raid's main sponsor, Monster Energy) and parking two-time World Rally champion Carlos Sainz in the driver's seat.

Like the Countryman, the 2008 has very, very little in common with its road-going cousin. For one, it's rear-wheel drive, unlike the production, front-drive 2008 (and the four-wheel-drive Countryman). Peugeot's reasoning, as we explained on our original post on the dune-busting racer was that larger tires could be fitted - 37-inch Michelins - while suspension travel could be increased substantially.

There's still no word on what sort of powerplant sits under the 2008 DKR's hood, but if the Countryman's 3.0-liter, turbodiesel six-pot is any indication, the DKR will likely be an oil burner.

Take a look up top for our full batch of images from the 2008 DKR's debut at the Beijing Motor Show, and then scroll down for the official press release, video and images from Peugeot.

Living in the United States, Land Rover Defenders aren't exactly thick on the ground. Even if you are lucky enough to stumble on one that's worth buying, though, the price can easily exceed the cost of a new Land Rover LR4 or Range Rover Evoque, with the finest, low-mileage examples going nearly as much as a new, fullsize Range Rover.

The obvious solution, then, is to just buy your Defenders in bulk. Ex Army UK somehow acquired 43 Defender 110 Puma models from military surplus. And get this - they're new. Yes, the diesel-powered beasts of burden were bought by some government agency and put in storage. They were bought between 2008 and 2009 and look pretty much pristine. The downside, at least for our friends in the UK, where the Landies are located, is that the vehicles can't be operated within the UK or European Union. We promise, if they're sent to the US, we'll take very good care of them.

We won't even attempt to hazard a guess at how much it'll cost to acquire this small army of SUVs, but it probably won't be cheap. Still, if you're contemplating starting your very own militia, 43 rough-and-tumble (and new) military vehicles would be a solid start.

Peugeot might not market in the United States – although according to our compatriots at Edmunds, that may be about to change – but don't think that it doesn't export out of Europe. In fact, together with its Citroën subsidiary, Peugeot SA is among the top ten automakers in the world. China is one of its most vital markets, one where it consistently turns a profit. And reflecting the importance of the Chinese market, Peugeot has rolled in to the Beijing Motor Show with several new debuts.

Aside from launching the new 2008 crossover and RCZ R in China for the first time – to say nothing of the new Citroëns debuting at the same show – Peugeot has created the Exalt concept sedan for the Beijing expo and also revealed its new 408 sedan. Slotting, as you might have guessed, in between the 308 hatchback and the 508 flagship, the 408 is a C-segment sedan designed specifically for the Chinese market but will, like its predecessor, likely find its way into other developing markets like Russia and South America in the near future as well.

Built as part of a joint venture with DongFeng, the new 408 rides on a 107-inch wheelbase to make it marginally longer than the model it replaces. Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo four with direct injection and stop/start ignition, full LED headlamps, automatic parking system, blind-spot detection and more. It also moves the lion badge from the hood onto the grille, marking what could be a new trend for the French brand. Designed as the first car for a 30-year-old urban dweller, the new 408 promises to give Peugeot an even bigger slice of a pie that's estimated at 1.4 million vehicles strong each year. Read more in the press release below.

Among the dozens of foreign automakers eager to showcase their wares to the Chinese market, Kia arrived at the Beijing Motor Show with the new K4. Though technically categorized as a "concept," the K4 previews a sedan which Kia intends to launch in China later this year.

The K4 is a midsize sedan measuring 186 inches long and riding on a 106-inch wheelbase that makes it bigger than the Forte (sold in the Far East as the K3) and just a few inches shorter than the Optima (aka K5). The form is draped in familiar Kia-style bodywork, with a high trunk and low nose to give it a wedge shape and a familiar if somewhat new take on the headlights and grille seen on other new models from the Korean automaker.

Power comes from a 1.6-liter turbo four (smaller than the engines available in the Optima/K5) mated to a seven-speed DCT. Kia has also fitted the K4 concept with push-button ignition, UVO infotainment system, rear-view camera, six airbags and stability management. In short, everything you'd expect from the latest product of a global automaker.

Unfortunately Kia hasn't released much more information than that (or more than two photos, for that matter), but the K4 isn't a product destined for our shores anyway.

According to a report in Reuters, we will get to know the new face of Maybach at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show and Guangzhou Motor Show. The revival of the name has been in the news for a while now, but what hasn't been clear is where it will fit in with other models like the coming Pullman. The Reuters piece says it will be "used to adorn an exclusive version of its S-Class limousine," but the real punch is reading that it is expected to "cost more than double the 165,000-euro ($228,000) asking price of its current flagship, the Mercedes-Benz S600."

The base price of a 2012 Maybach 57, the year the brand died, was $376,300. If Reuters is correct, and depending on how much "more" is added to "double," the price of Maybach just as a trim level and not as a standalone brand could still carry a gaudy premium for what the article calls "soft-touch leather and bespoke materials." True, that listed euro price will be higher than our own S600 - which we don't know the price of yet. But our 2103 S600 cost $160,300, which - again, assuming the double-down price is correct - would have a Maybach buyer staring at a $321,000 bill, or more, before he puts his Conway Stewart pen to work on options.

On the other hand, that still leaves room for a Maybach-branded S-Class to tout its cost difference relative to the Rolls-Royce Phantom, which currently starts at $402,940; if you have a third hand, though, the Bentley Mulsanne is "only" $303,700. We look forward to the LA show to find out exactly how Daimler is going to spice and slice this one up. As for that Pullman, Reuters says it will be a state limousine that has an additional, rear-facing bench in the chauffeured quarters. A camouflaged version of the reported limo - all 21 feet of it - was spotted recently in Germany.

Special editions have proven themselves a great way for high-end automakers to get a little bit more for their wares, but they appear to be gradually being taken over by personalization programs that allow customers to order their exotic new wheels just as they want them. After all, what's the point in ordering a special color scheme someone else has chosen when you can choose it yourself, with special wheels and interior upholstery to match?

Lamborghini has just such a program. It's called Ad Personam, and like the customization catalogs offered by other automakers, it allows its clients to specify any range of stylistic parameters to suit their own taste. To showcase the program, Lamborghini brought a customized Aventador to the Beijing Motor Show. Called the Nazionale edition, it's got a white paintjob with tricolore racing stripes up the hood, anthracite wheels, and a blue leather interior.

It's similar to the Gallardo Tricolore that rolled out of Sant'Agata three years ago – the kind of treatment we'd otherwise call a special edition, but despite carrying a different name, it just goes to show the possibilities Lamborghini offers it customers. For the right price, of course.

It was just a few days ago that Mini unveiled its refreshed Countryman at the New York Auto Show, and now it has followed up with the revised version of that model's coupe counterpart, the Paceman. Revealed today at the Beijing Motor Show, the new Paceman adopts all the changes applied to the new Countryman – which is to say, not a whole lot, but maybe enough to keep it current for the masses of customers in the market for a three-door version of a vehicle that's bigger than its stablemates but smaller than most other crossovers.

Pictured here in Piano Black (one of three new shades on offer alongside Midnight Grey and the Jungle Green in which the new Countryman was featured), the mildly refreshed Paceman has, like its five-door counterpart, been so subtly updated that we can scarcely tell the difference... even after sorting through the press release below. There are some minor revisions to the exterior, the cabin features slightly updated equipment, and the Cooper S gets an extra few horsepower. And that's about all she wrote, folks.

Mini will offer the updated Paceman worldwide with a wide array of four-cylinder engine options. With no budget-oriented One model, the Cooper is the base model with a 122-horsepower version of the brand's ubiquitous 1.4-liter four and the John Cooper Works sits at the top of the range with 218 hp. The two diesel specs are present as well, and buyers cam choose (on most models) between front- and All4 all-wheel drive.

Scope out the details in the press release below, if you're so inclined, and the 45 high-resolution images in the gallery above for a closer look.

With apologies to Robin Thicke (and to anyone offended by his unarguably catchy hit song), but Mercedes-Benz has just shown that BMW isn't the only automaker that knows how to blur the lines between seemingly unrelated market niches to create something new entirely. The subject today is the Mercedes-Benz Concept Coupe SUV, and its name alone tells you pretty much all you need to know about its style, shape and intentions.

Some might argue, and perhaps rightly so, that putting a sleek coupe-shaped body atop a chassis that is styled to look like it's capable of traveling off the beaten path makes little sense. Others may counter that the BMW X6 has proven that there is a market for the disjointed merger, and they too may be right. Regardless of which side of that line of demarcation you fall, here we are with MB's latest concept, powered as it is by a twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 with 333 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, sending that motive force through a 9G-Tronic nine-speed automatic gearbox to all four 22-inch wheels.

We suggest you take it all in by perusing our image gallery of live photos above, and you're free to complete the picture by reading through the press release below. Oh, and don't be surprised if something eerily similar to this Concept Coupe SUV hits dealership floors in the coming years...

We've now seen the Lincoln MKX Concept in the metal, and we've shot it with the lenses of our own DSLR cameras. And we have to say, our opinion of the concept's design language has improved over our initial reaction. Yes, it's clear that this MKX shares its underpinnings with those of the Ford Edge Concept that we saw in LA, but the changes made by Lincoln stylists are a welcome departure from the angular lines of its corporate cousin from The Blue Oval.

We like the subtlety of the MKX Concept's front fascia, and the lighting elements both front and rear lend a luxurious quality to the crossover's typical two-box proportions. When combined with the smaller MKC that was shown in production form late last year, it's clear to see that Lincoln has a specific design direction that at least seems visually capable of setting it apart from the Ford models with which the brand shares its platforms. Here's hoping there are some Lincoln-specific upgrades underhood...

Have a look at our image gallery of live photos from Beijing above, reread the press release below, and feel free to let us know what you think.

Lexus showed off its polarizing new NX at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, trotting out both the turbocharged 200t model (Lexus' first production turbo) alongside the hybrid-powered 300h.

We still don't know a great deal about the turbocharged model, aside from the fact that the engine underhood is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder, although we're hoping to get details sooner rather than later. For reference, the 2.0-liter turbo in the BMW X1 pumps out 240 horsepower while the four-pot turbo in the Mercedes-Benz GLA250 turns out 208 horsepower, which leads us to think we should expect the Lexus to fall somewhere between these two figures.

If Lexus' naming strategy in the past rings true here, though, we can confidently say the 300h will use a 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson cycle engine with an electric motor and lithium-ion battery, just like the Lexus ES300h and Toyota Avalon Hybrid. That should mean around 200 system horsepower and well over 30 miles per gallon, although it's probably too early to predict economy with any degree of certainty.

We have images of both the 200t (up top) as well as the 300h (below). We've also included the initial press release from Lexus and a larger gallery of official images, both available below. Scroll down and have a look.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story listed the Golf R 400 Concept's top speed as 201 miles per hour. This is incorrect. The correct top speed is 174 mph and the story has been edited to reflect that.

This, friends, is what happens when you shoehorn 395 horsepower into a Golf. You get a three-door hatch that will happily scurry to 62 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and on to a top speed of 174 mph. Oh yes, we like you, Golf R 400 Concept.

As we explained in our original post, the R 400 is the long-awaited successor to bonkers Golf creations like the GTI W12 from 2007 and, more recently, the Design Vision GTI. It's powered by the same 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder found in a number of Volkswagen (and Audi, SEAT and Skoda) products, although it's been heavily massaged to pump out 332 pound-feet of torque along side its amplified horsepower.

Naturally, it's been lowered and now rides on 19-inch wheels. Outside of those changes, though, mums the word on suspension and chassis enhancements. While this is a bummer, the striking looks of the Golf R 400 more than make up for it.

We're digging the Lemon Yellow accents and Silver Flake paint, while we're quite pleased that VW has avoided the urge to fit an absurd body kit akin to the Golf W12's. Instead, the body of this Concept is tastefully finished and surprisingly, once the carbon fiber is replaced, it all looks quite production ready. The interior, meanwhile, looks mostly stock aside from the trim work (carbon leather and Alcantara abound) and the awesome racing seats. Build it VW. We know you want to.

Scroll up for our gallery of live images from Beijing, and then hop below for the press blast and stock images from VW.

BMW officially unveiled the Vision Future Luxury Concept today (or is it tomorrow?) at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show, giving the world's media an in-the-flesh look at not only a future design theme for the brand, but a rumored flagship model.

This is a looker in person, thanks to its Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe-inspired design, and it's not too difficult to imagine it in production car form, with smaller wheels, larger mirrors and the other minor transformations that take place from drawing board, to auto show and, finally, to assembly line. In general, it seems like there are more than a few parts of this vehicle that are ready for production.

We didn't talk about it in our initial post, but it bears mentioning that this particular concept is wearing an eDrive badge on its backside, indicating that under the Vision Future Luxury's long hood is some form of plug-in-hybrid propulsion. It's anyone's guess as to what engine, battery and motor combinations BMW is playing with, although it does seem questionable whether BMW would launch a PHEV flagship to do battle with a top-rung variant of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (which will likely use V12 power).

Have a look up top for our gallery of live images from the floor of the Beijing Motor Show, and then scroll down for the official press release and images from our original post on the Vision Future Luxury Concept.

MV Agusta has let loose the official specs and pricing for its F3 800 Ago, the decked-out trackday bike dedicated to ex-MV Agusta rider and 15-time World Motorcycle Champion Giacomo Agostini. Starting with its F3 800 triple, the Ago adds uprated electronics including an eight-setting traction control that can also be turned off entirely. The Motor & Vehicle Integrated Control System allows the pilot to adjust the relationship between throttle twist and opening, Bosch ABS with race mode controls the Brembo brakes with the assistance of MV Agusta's rear-wheel lift-up mitigation system that works to keep the back end planted when the front stoppers are hard at work.

A carbon fiber fairing and forged aluminum wheels help shave nearly five pounds off the weight of the standard F3 800, and a price of 22,990 euros ($31,645) - more than double the $15,798 of the standard F3 800 - will lighten your bank account. Act quickly if this is your game, because the company is only making 300 of them, to go on sale next month. Each will be signed by Giacomo himself and will be accompanied by a plaque on the yoke and a certificate of authenticity, and come in that tricolore paint job to let the world know who you ride for.