click above for more high-res pics of the Twingo Renault Sport
As Bob Lutz likes to often remind us, Americans don't want to pay big money for premium small cars. But oh, if we did, the just unveiled Twingo Renault Sport might be what we get. Unveiled today along with Renault new R28 F1 car (more on that later), the Twingo Renault Sport joins the larger Clio and Megane Renault Sport in the automaker's lineup of hotted up forms of basic transportation.
Based on the new Twingo that was unveiled last year at the Geneva Motor Show, the Renault Sport model adds a 133-hp 1.6L motor to the small three-door hatchback. Coupled with Renault's expert chassis tuning and an inherently slim figure, the Twingo Renault Sport should make for one fun ride. For Europeans, that is, because Renault doesn't sell cars in the US. For shame, we say, as this little guy looks like fun. We'll see the Twingo Renault Sport up close and personal in March at the Geneva Motor Show, as well as bring you more details, specs and live photos. Until then, Renault's provided some high-res pics over which we can ogle.
click above for more high-res images of the 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL
Today, Mercedes-Benz officially released details regarding the 2009 SL-class, photos of which escaped onto the web last week. In addition to its updated exterior styling, which you can see for yourself in the attached gallery, the hard-shell droptop adds a new entry model for Europe -- the 231-horsepower SL 280. On top of that, the SL 350 gains power (now 316 horses) while improving overall fuel economy. The other engines are carryovers -- the 388-horse V8 in the SL 500 and the monstrous 517-HP twin-turbo V12 in the SL 600. Both get a slight improvement in fuel economy, too. The flagship 600 is distinguishable from its lesser kin via unique 18" wheels and the matte-finish "gills" aft of the front wheel well.
Also new for the SL is MB's direct-steer system, which was introduced on the new SLK and also recently made its way into the warmed-over CLC. Improved lighting is standard and the optional Intelligent Light System offers drivers five different light settings to handle varying road conditions. Inside, the usual raft of luxury and techno-baubles are in place, and we particularly like the SL's re-engineered AIRSCARF neck heaters, which now have their motors and blowers built into the headrests, with nifty views of their fans visible from the rear. You can read all about the new SL in Mercedes' ridiculously verbose press release, which we've pasted after the jump. Absent from the discussion is the next SL-class AMG missile, but our buddy Ashley at eMercedes-Benz has scored a photo of that bad boy already, which is shown above. The SL will have its coming out party in Geneva this March.
As we promised last month, Pininfarina has hit us with a teaser sketch of the upcoming Sintesi concept car. The show car, which will be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, is the first concept the famous Italian design house will have shown in three years.
Sintesi is Italian for "summary", and the concept ties together themes from its last two design studies: the Maserati Birdcage 75th that stopped the Geneva show in 2005, and the Nido city-car from Paris '04. The design for the new Sintesi was directed by Lowie Vermeersch, head of the company's design department. We'll look forward to bringing you more as Pininfarina doles it out, but you can check out their nifty cyber-mag in the meantime by following the link below.
Any regular reader of Autoblog should know that the major automakers aren't the only ones unveiling striking new concept cars. In fact, independent designers tend to create even more exciting concepts than the big boys. All the more so for design students who give us a preview of what the future holds for creative automotive design. This year the graduate students at the Instituto Europeo di Design (we'll let you decipher the translation yourself) are coming to Geneva with a full-size concept Maserati.
The Chicane concept you see above is a take on what the anticipated upcoming entry-level Maserati sports coupe could look like. Like the GranTurismo, the Chicane is a 2+2 with a front-mounted V8 driving the rear wheels, but while it retains certain Maserati design elements, the IED students have done away with some of the elegance of the GranTurismo in favor of more sportiness: at 4.4 meters long, it's some 400mm shorter than the Pininfarina-designed GT, and it ditches the chrome for a more menacing look. We particularly like the recessed headlights.
click above for more high-res images of the Mitsubishi Prototype-S
Mitsubishi has given up the goods on what last week we referred to as the Lancer Sportback, but will go by the name of Prototype-S when it debuts this March at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. The car itself is basically a production version of the Concept-Sportback that debuted at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, and Mitsubishi hints in its press release that the 5-door hatchback Lancer is destined for the European market.
Some details revealed that we didn't know last week include that the Prototype-S is powered by the same 2.0L turbo four-cylinder MIVEC engine that debuted earlier this month in the Lancer Ralliart. It produces 235 horsepower and 253 ft-lbs. of torque, which is routed through Mitsubishi's Twin Clutch SST transmission and sent to all four wheels via a full-time 4WD system using the automaker's Active Center Differential. The Prototype-S, therefore, is basically a hatchback body wrapped around the mechanicals of the Lancer Ralliart, a car with which we're already smitten. Add the practically of a fifth door and more cargo capacity, and we'd be looking to tussle with a Mazdaspeed3 or Caliber SRT-4 on our way home from the grocery store. Sure, those higher horsepower cars might beat us in a straight line, but eventually the curves will come.
Volvo is working hard to finish development on the production version of its XC60 CUV before it goes on sale later in 2008. We'll see the official unveiling in Geneva most likley, and the concept has certainly whetted our appetite. Aimed at the smaller end of the premium CUV market, the XC60 will take on comers like the BMW X3 and the upcoming Mercedes Freeside, as well as the Land Rover LR2, with which the XC60 shares pieces and corporate parents.
AutoExpress has posted spy shots of an XC60 dressed for modesty cavorting in the snow. Comparing the mule to shots of the concept shows that the major points of the design are headed for the showroom after some tweaking. The changes are pretty minor, the door handles change, the roofline appears to be a little higher, though still with the same profile, so you might actually be able to load things in the production car. It does look like the curvaceous taillights are headed for reality, only slightly changed, too. The pictures don't offer any insight as to whether the trick two-piece hatch from the concept will make it to the public, and we're going to bet that the all-white interior will be ditched for something less cleaning-intensive, too. For the most part, what we saw in the concept is what we'll be able to buy in early 2009.
Our new friend Dan sent us a few sketches of what's supposedly the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback, a near production-ready version of the Sportback Concept that debut back in 2005. Although we're not sure if these are official images out of Mitsu-HQ, they're very similar to some of the concept sketches we've seen in the past.
This new shot stays true to the original Sportback concept's profile and lines, but comes complete with a front clip that's more reminiscent of the rest of the Lancer line and a rear end that looks far more feasible for production. When the hatch finally makes it to dealers, likely sometime later this year, expect power to come from a 2.4-liter four, with an Evo version getting the same turbocharged 2.0-liter and all-wheel-drive system from its four-door sibling. And if Mitsubishi is smart, and decides to bring the hatch to the States, a Ralliart version to compete with the Subaru Impreza WRX five-door should be in the cards.
You knew it was strictly a matter of time. AutoExpress is reporting that Fiat intends to bring a convertible version of its popular 500 micro-car to Geneva in March. The only vehicle that has the potential of challenging the MINI's cuteness and flickability will come with a soft-top that will attempt to keep the bulbous rooflines of the coupe model, complete with a glass rear window and doors that are fully framed. But Fiat isn't stopping there. To challenge the Cooper S, the automaker also plans to unveil the 500 Abarth SS in Geneva, packing a turbo'd 1.4-liter four producing 155 hp. Sales of both models should begin sometime towards the end of the year.
Add another ride to the list of cars we'd love to have, but can't. Mazda has confirmed that it will unveil the 3-door Mazda2 at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Dimensionally equal to the 5-door and offering the same selection of powertrains, the sporty Mazda2 3-door hatchback definitely takes the win over its sibling in the looks department and is sure to garner a following in Europe. More photos and info are likely to surface as we get closer to Geneva, but to tide us over, Mazda has released the rear three-quarter shot you see here. You can read the automaker's press release after the jump.
click above for more high-res teaser images of the Euro Honda Accord
Honda plans to unveil the new European-spec Accord at the Geneva Motor Show in early March, and a batch of teaser images previewing the vehicle have surfaced on the web today. They show the European Accord Tourer model, which is the station wagon version based on the Honda Accord Tourer Concept that was unveiled at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show.
We like the few design details that we can make out from the teaser images. Note the sharp new shape of the headlights, the chrome door handles that look like medieval hand-to-hand combat weapons and the subtly flared fenders. Very nice. And it's a good thing we like what we see so far since the European Honda Accord is basically the same car as the Acura TSX sold in the U.S. Thus, what we see in Honda's booth at the Geneva Auto Show in a couple months is what we can expect in Acura dealers shortly thereafter. Except for the Accord Tourer model, that is. Interest in wagons in the U.S. is notoriously low and responsible for the demise of the wonderful Dodge Magnum and still-born Pontiac G8 Wagon, so don't expect a TSX Sportwagon anytime soon.
The new European Accord will also be the first application of Honda's new 2.2L four-cylinder i-DTEC diesel engine that we saw at the Detroit Auto Show this year. It will also make its first U.S. appearance in the Acura TSX.
UPDATE: Teaser video of the new Euro-spec Honda Accord added after the jump.
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First Drive: 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
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