Autoblog

Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante concept revealed early

Chris Tutor — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:13:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Alfa Romeo, Design/Style, Luxury

The string of early reveals in front of the Geneva Motor Show continues with bonafide auto-porn shots of the Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante concept. And if it's true that sex sells, Alfa Romeo could seriously clean up if it put this hot hatch into production.

Coachbuilder Carrozzeria drew heavily from the Touring Disco concept it created for Alfa in 1952. The boattail-like rear window and tiny twin taillights are direct descendants of the 60-year-old muse. Same goes for the long hood, short rear deck proportions that just scream speed.

Beneath the sexy skin is an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione, including its 443-horsepower, 4.7-liter V8 and six-speed tranny.

Looking to add a Disco Volante to your harem of supercars? Get in line. Quickly. Carrozzeria says it will build only a few for the very wealthy who probably aren't you.

Carrozzeria Touring Disco Volante concept revealed early originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari rings in record profits, promises 599 successor for Geneva

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Luxury

Inside Line is reporting that Ferrari has promised to show the replacement for the 599 GTB Fiorano at next month's Geneva Motor Show. Currently dubbed the 620 GT, the new coupe will be powered by a more powerful version of Ferrari's 6.3-liter V12 and have a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, according to the report. The last time we heard rumors to this effect, power output was pegged at more than 700 horsepower.

No doubt the new model will help boost Ferrari sales even further. The company reported record sales last year, some 7,195 cars, according to the report - a 9.5 percent increase from 2010. Revenue was up over 17 percent, to nearly three billion dollars, while Ferrari turned a $210 million profit.

Ferrari rings in record profits, promises 599 successor for Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford previews 2012 B-Max MPV ahead of Geneva debut

Noah Joseph — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Ford, Design/Style

You've seen the S-Max. You've seen the C-Max. Now get ready for the B-Max.

The latest European-focused mini minivan from Ford was previewed in concept form at last year's Geneva Motor Show, but has now been confirmed for production release at the 2012 edition of the same expo this March. Based on the Fiesta (the C-Max is based on the Focus), the new B-Max will arrive into a highly competitive segment overseas, so it will need to offer some alluring features to make its mark.

The edgy design should help, but the party piece for this diminutive people carrier is that it has no B-pillars. And we don't mean that the windows have no frame: we mean the entire pillars are incorporated into the doors themselves, so that when you open the doors there's no encumbrance to loading and unloading of passengers and cargo alike.

Motivation is provided by a 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine, with Duratorq diesels also on offer. After its unveiling in Geneva, the new B-Max will go on sale at dealers across Europe later this year. Follow the jump for the full press release and click the thumbnails below to view the pair of images released thus far in high resolution.

Continue reading Ford previews 2012 B-Max MPV ahead of Geneva debut

Ford previews 2012 B-Max MPV ahead of Geneva debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infiniti looking ahead to Geneva with mid-engined EV sports car concept

Sebastian Blanco — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:32:00 EST

The Detroit Auto Show media days are still in full swing, but Infiniti is already looking ahead to the Geneva Motor Show with another teaser of the company's plug-in hybrid electric sports car. Yes, we've seen other sketches of the car (this one) but not of this section, the general rear pillar area. You can click to enlarge the image above for a better view of what could become Prince's favorite concept car. See, it's purple.

The vehicle does not have a name yet, so Infiniti is calling it the "Advanced Sports Car Concept." We do know it's mid-engined, with a battery pack in there to extend the range. Infiniti says the purpose of this concept is, "to explore what might be the next stage in how to deliver a vivid, engaging and sophisticated driving experience from an electrically propelled vehicle." The EV range should be respectable, since Infiniti is promising "zero emission operation in urban situations," which we do hope means more than just a few spare miles in a lithium pack. We'll learn more in Geneva.

Infiniti has also been teasing an all-electric luxury sedan that is supposed to launch in 2014. See what little we officially know about that car here.

Continue reading Infiniti looking ahead to Geneva with mid-engined EV sports car concept

Infiniti looking ahead to Geneva with mid-engined EV sports car concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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