Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the Peugeot 308 RC Z Coupe Concept

Originally expected to be announced a while back at the Geneva Motor Show, Peugeot has finally officially announced today at the Lisbon Motor Show that the attractive RC Z concept will go into production. Using styling cues from the Audi TT and the classic Karmann Ghia, we think that Peugeot could have a winner on its hands with its new sporty coupe. While Peugeot has not yet announced details on what will be offered underhood of the production machine, the concept used a version of the Mini's 1.6 liter turbo four. We'll be getting all of the details within time, as the official production version will be unveiled in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. European buyers will have first crack at the RC Z when it goes on sale in the sprint of 2010.


[Source: Peugeot]

Click above to view videos

Suzuki is said to be unveiling the Kizashi 3 at next week's New York Auto Show, so we thought we'd refresh our memories about the Manga-styled Kizashi 1 and 2 concepts we saw at the Frankfurt Motor Show and Tokyo Motor Show. There's still no information about what powertrain (we've heard talk of a V8) or platform any car derived from the Kizashi concepts would ride upon, but we like where Suzuki's going with the idea. We expect that the Kizashi 3 may be nearly production-feasible, from what Suzuki has to say. Does this mean there's a sports sedan in the offing for Suzuki? Possibly. Or not. For a taste of what it might be like to see one of these cars actually out in the wild, we've turned up some videos of the concepts riding around in a digital world, posted after the jump.

The trio of Up! concepts foretell Volkswagen's re-entry into the ultra-affordable transportation business, and the interweb car lovers at World Car Fans may have cracked the name code of the cute mini. While Up! is catchy and adorable, the Germans may be playing mind games here, just like when the IROC concept became the Scirocco. The middle two letters of the currently defunct Lupo subcompact are obviously "up." Very clever, we guess.

World Car Fans also penned the production date to be 2011, with a potential grand entrance at the Frankfurt Motor Show. VW has already announced that the Up! will be produced in India, and the factory is expected to come on line by 2012. Both the three door Up! and roomier Space Up! will be produced, along with a possible miniature "off-road" version. We're all for really cheap, rear-engined cars that get phenomenal fuel economy arriving on our shores, but we may only get the larger van version because we're fat.

[Source: World Car Fans]

When the BMW X6 concept was revealed in Frankfurt in September, we had mixed reactions to its oversized hatchback proportions. BMW made no bones about the fact that the sleek CUV was close to its production reality, and after seeing the motion pictures on YouTube, we tend to believe them. Video of the freshly-unveiled X6 in production trim is sitting out there for everyone to see, and from what we can tell, it's almost a dead-ringer to its Frankfurt forefather. As the scribes over at Carscoop pointed out, the b and c-pillars are now predictably visible, the side view mirrors are now larger, and the tail pipes have been modified. The high-end crossover shown in the video carries XxDrive35d badging, which means an oil-burner sits underhood. On the other hand, the start-up audio in the video sounds decidedly petrol-powered.

It's difficult to say if an expensive, less practical four-seat crossover from any other automaker would be a hit in the US, but BMW buyers tend to snap up whatever the Bavarian automaker dishes out. We look forward to taking in the X6 in Detroit next month. The complete video is available after the jump.

[Source: Carscoop]

The 308 RC-Z concept was unveiled just a few months ago at the Frankfurt Motor Show and showed the world what the French automaker can do with the 308's new platform, all the while teasing us with its arrogant air of production feasibility. If the buzz around the French motoring press is to be believed – and we certainly hope it is – Peugeot has decided to put the shapely 308 RC-Z concept into production. Magnifique!

The TT-esque 2+2 is based on the underpinnings of the 308 hatchback but with some revised bodywork, including lines highly reminiscent of Audi coupés (that's a good thing). While the show car used the 218-hp turbo four out of the race-prepped 207 RC, the production version could offer any number of powertrain options to our lucky friends across the pond.

Insiders expect the production 308 RC-Z, tipped to be built by Magna in Austria, to hit the French countryside sometime in 2009. We'll start saving our Air France air miles to check it out now.

[Source: MotorLegend.com via Le Blog Auto]

click above image to view more pics of the VW Space up! Concept

That's right, Volkswagen thinks Americans are fat. At least that's what we take away from comments made by executives indicating that the second and larger up! concept that debuted last week at the Tokyo Motor Show could be sold in the U.S. because it's larger than the first one that debuted in Frankfurt. The first up! concept was a small three-door hatch, and by small we mean very small. The Space up! meanwhile is like a small four-door minivan of the concept on a longer chassis. Basically, we hear VW saying that the smaller three-door hatch version just wouldn't play well with our pudgy selves. That said, the up! van isn't a sure thing either, as VW states it will take the next three months to evaluate whether or not to produce a lineup of rear-engine up! vehicles. One last test for the cars will be in mid-November at the LA Auto Show where a third concept will be revealed. This one, likely to have an equally silly name, will be powered entirely by electricity.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

click above image to view 21 new pics of the all-new Audi A4

We've already been introduced to the new Audi A4 at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show, and the updated car is a lot easier on the eyes than the current model. Incorporating similar styling cues to what you'll find on the A5 Coupe, the new A4 also features shorter overhangs thanks to its new platform that allows more wiggle room for engine placement. Though Audi gave us a smattering of images before the car debuted and we took a good number of our own in Frankfurt, the German automaker released an entirely new batch yesterday that we just had to share. The shots include a red 1.8T and white 3.2L model. We'll take ours with the 3.2L V6 please, as that engine remains one of our fave sixes currently on the market. Click below to see our updated gallery of the new Audi A4; the first 21 pics are all new.

[Source: Audi]

Volkswagen has revealed that it plans to take on the newly minted global leader Toyota and become the world's largest carmaker by 2015. The ambitious goal was confirmed by Michael Kern, head of sales and marketing for the Volkswagen brand, who said they aim to beat Toyota on both vehicle sales and profitability.

According to Kern, VW plans to bring 12 new models to its lineup in the next three years, a level unprecedented by any large carmaker. Kern was also quoted in German magazine Auto Motor Und Sport as saying "we are going to expand our presence in the United States, Russia, India and other markets."

One of the previews at the recent Frankfurt Motor Show was the up! minicar concept. Small cars are expected to be the Next Big Thing as the Indian and Chinese middle class mobilize.

As of 2007, however, Volkswagen is far behind Toyota and GM in sales. The company will manage to sell just over 6 million cars compared to more than 9 million for the two leaders.

[Source: The Auto Channel]

BMW's MINI brand has been responsible for some unique ad campaigns in recent years, so when we first read that their latest ad had been banned in Frankfurt, our imaginations went wild. What'd they do this time? Nudity? Vulgarity? Drugs? Rock and roll? Boy were we disappointed to find out the only thing offensive about MINI's Frankfurt ad was its not-so-mini size.

To emphasize the Clubman's bigger dimensions, the ad was a bit larger than normal. A 10-story-tall video proclaiming the introduction of the new MINI Clubman was projected onto the side of a downtown Frankfurt building for three days as part of the auto show. A MySpace page dedicated to the banned ad claims the ad was pulled after other automakers complained, but there's no official word on the decision. If that's true, then behold the power of controversy on the Internet. Watch the video after the jump to see the ad you can no longer view in Frankfurt.

[Source: Motoring File]

We're back with Autoblog Podcast #77, and it's a Frankfurt-recap extravaganza. We discuss our favorite picks, as well as touching on some of the numerous highlights from the monster-sized show. We got a glimpse of the Jaguar XF in person, and it's better in person, but can it save Jaguar? BMW unveiled the X6, it's own AMC Spirit ripoff, not to be left behind by the Audi Cross Coupe Quattro from Shanghai. We continue on about exotic sheetmetal from Brabus, Schnitzer, Bentley, and Aston Martin, to name a few. On the more mundane tip, the Mazda 6 rocked, the Aveo was ugly, the Journey landed on its face, and could we please, please knock it off with the front quarter panel vents? After Alex's speed-round wrapup, we discuss a solitary piece of non-Frankfurt news, the Jeep J8. Yes, it's awesome, no, you can't buy one. Damn, that's stupid, Chrysler. Onward!

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