Autoblog

When the doors open at the Paris Motor Show next month, Mercedes-Benz will be giving everyone a sneak peek of the new E-Class front-end styling. No, not in the form of the new E-Class itself, which will be unveiled at a later date, but in the ConceptFASCINATION, an attractive shooting brake concept based on the upcoming E-Class Coupe's architecture and featuring the new E's front-end styling.

Gone are the round headlamps we've become accustomed to. In their place are new "rhomboid" lamps that, on the show car at least, incorporate fiber-optic driving lights. The grille will likely be the same one seen on the new E Coupe, while we'd expect the sedan to have the traditional grille-and-hood-ornament combo instead. Power comes from Mercedes' new 2.2L, 204-horsepower BlueTEC (with AdBlue) 4-cylinder diesel, which will make its production debut this fall in the Euro-market C250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Super Verbose Prime Edition sedan.

The ConceptFASCINATION's cargo area is covered in wood, and boasts such show-car goodies as a folding glass table that can be pulled rearward, a humidor, a chilled compartment (natch), and storage for binoculars and a camera. A pronounced rear fender arch lends some visual muscle to the whole affair. Hopefully, that's also a hint at what the inevitable E-Class wagon's rump is going to look like. As for the new front end, it's a lot better looking here than spy shots have led us to believe. We'll have much more next month from Paris. In the meantime, Mercedes' extensive press release is pasted after the jump.

UPDATE: New high-res images added to gallery.


[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Nissan Shiraz Concept

Design student Miguel Ángel Iranzo Sánchez created the vehicle you see above, and he describes it as "a mix between a[n] SUV and a sportscar infused with Nissan brand DNA." For his efforts, which took an entire summer, he won a scholarship to get his Masters in Car Design in Valencia, and -- put on your Price is Right voice for this -- a brand new car! A Nissan Note, to be exact.

Billed as 100-percent all-terrain, ecological, sporty, and Nissan, we admit it's interesting. The doors are gullwing, and the interior is terrific concept car simplicity. And our guess is that the purple glassworks have to do with the purple drink after which the car is named. But that vastly arcing front end that descends to the windshield... well, that just reminds us of a moose. Bullwinkle, to be exact. And the rear end reminds us of something that... excretes things. But have a look at the gallery of hi-res images below, and let us know what you think. While the Shiraz isn't exactly us, with the Seat Brisa on the other hand, now we're getting somewhere... Thanks for the tip, Yogesh!


[Source: Design Launches]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Honda OSM

Honda says that the OSM roadster on display at the 2008 British Motor Show is merely a design study, but given that "design study" is frequently a euphemism for "future design language," we wonder if we're seeing the next iteration of Honda car styling. Frankly, we hope so, because this is worlds better than what we've seen from the automaker of late, from the Accord right on up to the bland and bloated Pilot. The OSM, short for Open Study Model, is a shapely two-seat convertible that we'd be happy to drive today. Well, maybe with headlamps that weren't lightsaber-sized. Other than that, we love the jaunty look, especially in back, where the taillamps sweep gently from one side of the car to the other. Since it's a styling exercise, there's no specific powertrain combination associated with it, but Honda assures us that the car is an indication that lightweight, low-emissions motoring needn't be boring. No kidding, guys. Inside, the cockpit basically evolves the two-tier instrument panel you'll find in the current Civic into a far more attractive driving environment that we hope to see in road cars sooner than later. While Honda says there's no plan to create a production sport/econo roadster like this anytime soon, somebody's obviously thinking about it. Future S2000 replacement, maybe? "Design studies" such as this don't happen by accident.


[Source: Honda]

Click above for high-res gallery of the VW Golf GTI Performance

VW hasn't released any info on the car you see here, which is called the Golf GTI Performance design study, so we'll call it like we see it. A black-and-copper checkered flag motif adorns the hatch, which is enhanced with a widebody kit, lowered suspension, and the expected wheel/tire upgrade. Out back, the GTI's rear bumper cover is covered with more grillework than you'll find on the rump of a Lamborghini Gallardo. A pair of giant exhaust outlet cutouts are also built into the corners. And speaking of Lamborghinis, VW has fitted the Golf GTI Performance with the dreaded "Lambo doors," which look predictably ridiculous here. The exterior color scheme carries through to the passenger cabin, which gets a 2+1 sport seating arrangement and what appears to be a substantial audio system install. Not our cup 'o tea, but it'll probably go over very well with the VW tuners who take part in the WörtherSEMA... er.. Wörthersee Tour.


[Source: Volkswagen]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Italdesign Giugiaro Quaranta concept

Beauty may be in the eye of the proverbial beholder and all that, but the Italdesign Quaranta wasn't quite the beauty of the Geneva ball. And while Giorgetto Giugiaro, the celebrated designer at the studio's helm, has more iconic designs to his name than we could possibly list here, his latest was not his best, easily outclassed by the Giugiaro Mustang concept with which we fell so deeply in love and the Ferrari GG50 he built for himself.

The Quaranta concept was built to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Italdesign Giugiaro, and features the Lexus RX400h's mid-mounted hybrid 3.3-liter V6 powerplant driving all four wheels through a CVT and supported by a solar panel on the unfortunately styled nose. Think of archrival Pininfarina's Maserati Birdcage concept crossed with Robocop 3 and you're beginning to get the picture. While we're reassured by the knowledge that this is purely a design study and has no chance of seeing production, we wonder what the future holds if this is what's supposedly pointing towards it.

We managed to assuage our angst long enough to snap off a few photos, which we've added to the gallery below along with the images released by the studio.

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.

[Source: Car Body Design]

Click image for photo gallery

Based on the Fabia Combi (wagon) that's making its world debut for Škoda at Frankfurt, the Fabia Scout "design study" on the show floor is, in all likelihood, a lock for production. Škoda already offers an Octavia Scout and a Roomster Scout, both of which are dressed up allroad/Outback-style with unpainted lower cladding to give the cars a tougher, SUV-ish look. In the case of the Octavia Scout, it actually has 4WD, too, because that's an option on the regular Octavia. Don't expect the same from the Fabia Scout, as the car it's based on is FWD-only. We expect to see the Fabia Scout in European showrooms wearing the exact same duds as the very production-looking show car you see above. File it under "concept in name only."

[Source: Škoda]

You can probably guess how much fun reading our mail is here at Autoblog. Tips and comments come flooding in all day and all night. Sometimes the tips are good, sometimes not so much, and sometimes we just can't figure them out. Whether it's a missing link, an incorrect link, or a link to a foreign language site, we sometimes have to pass on what might have been a great post. Of course, there are times when just the graphic is enough to create a post, because it is so compelling. Despite a lack of information, we occasionally decide to run a story with little or no supporting material. As you can probably guess, this is one of those times. We got this tip about an artist's interpretation of a future VW. Whether it's supposed to be a new Polo or Golf is unknown, but it definitely has style to spare and we felt like it was interesting enough to share with all of you. The best guess at a translation of the text is printed after the jump.

Thanks for the tip, Kevin!

[Source: Sina Blog]

The Paris Auto Show is around the corner, and automakers are steadily pumping out announcements in advance of the big event. Today, Škoda officially sent out word of the Joyster Concept vehicle it'll be unveiling in France.

The Joyster is a 3-door design study that hints at a future styling direction for the Czech automaker. Currently, most Škoda products clearly show their Volkswagen roots, but if the Joyster is any indication, that may be changing. Škoda appears to be developing a style all its own, much in the manner of another VW Group corporate cousin, SEAT, whose cars have a unique look even though they're based on VW mechanicals.

The sketch released shows the Joyster as having blacked-out A- and B-pillars, giving the front and side glass a wraparound look. The C-pillar is of the huge-blind-spot variety that seems to be very much in style nowadays. Slick, aggressive headlights and a bulging hood and fenders, and what appears to be a glass roof complete the package.

Inside, Škoda says that roominess, comfort and technology all combine to support the company's motto, "Simply Clever." We'll judge that for ourselves when we touch down in Paris next week.

(Press release after the jump)

[Source: Škoda]