Autoblog

Click above image for a gallery of the Yaris 5-door

Small cars are back en vogue thanks to lofty fuel prices. As a result, Toyota is completing is Yaris lineup in the U.S. by finally adding the 5-door liftback to its list of offerings for the 2009 model year. Available in other markets (including Canada) since inception, the 5-door Yaris occupies roughly the same footprint as the 3-door, but is a lot more practical if you're going to be carrying backseat passengers frequently. Its powertrain will mirror the other Yaris offerings, and we're assuming it'll get the optional sport appearance package available on the 3- and 4-doors. Those sport models, by the way, get a new body kit and interior color schemes for MY09. Other '09 changes include the availability of cruise control on the hatch, as well as the addition of standard front side airbags and rear side curtains. Toyota hasn't released pricing or photos of the U.S. spec Yaris 5-door yet. We imagine the former won't stray too far off from the 3-door. In terms of photos, the gallery below shows you the base UK-market 5-door. Move the steering wheel over and you've pretty much got it. At least now when I catch the occasional episode of Psych, I won't be muttering that the blue 5-door Yaris the lead characters drive isn't available in the U.S.


[Source: Toyota]

Looking startlingly like a Vans shoe, preproduction versions of Kia's Soul will be doing their roadie routine with the Vans Warped Tour in the U.S. this summer. The front and rear of the car will be hidden under camo tape done up like Vans trademark checkerboard pattern, and dark windows will keep prying eyes out, but kids will still get a good look at what's on offer.

Taking what appears to be more than a few pages from the Scion playbook, the Warped Tour sponsorship will also include things like interactive Soul Lounges with live DJs, airbrush tattoo artists, and plenty of contests. There's even going to be a solar powered stage. Kids with custom Kia wristbands will get into Kia VIP sections near the main stages, and everyone can keep up with the action at Kia's concert blog site.

If what you want to do is actually see the car, Kia won't bare its Soul completely until the Paris Motor Show later this year.

[Source: Kia]

Click above for new high-res gallery of the 2009 VW Scirocco

We've got pricing on Volkswagen's new 2009 Scirocco. On sale in mid-November, the base price is £20,500 (about $40,220 USD, though don't trust currency conversions to give you a sense of something's value) for the bottom-rung 122-hp 1.4-liter TSI)model. Interestingly enough, that entry-level model won't be the first out of the gate. VW will initially introduce the four-seat hatch with two gasoline engines. The first is rated at 160 hp, while the second has a quoted output of 200 hp. These powerplants will be followed by the base 122-hp model, and a 140-hp turbo-diesel version. Unfortunately, there are still no indications that the legendary Scirocco will make it to our shores, unless you count the fact that some of these new Scirocco pics were shot near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. (Don't mind the editor who doesn't know the Portugal Suspension Bridge from the Golden Gate Bridge behind the curtain.)

[Source: VW via egmCarTech]

Click above to view a high-res version courtesy of AutoExpress.

According to AutoExpress, the next generation BMW 5-series will be offered as a hatchback, along with its standard sedan and wagon counterparts. The Brit pub supposedly has it on good authority that the new hatch design will be similar to the "TwinDoor" feature offered on the Skoda Superb, which allows the driver to raise either the trunk alone or the rear window and trunk simultaneously. If employed on the new 5-series, storage – with the rear seats folded flat – could approach X5 levels. Expect to see the new 5er launched in 2010.

[Source: AutoExpress]

The Nissan Note was the smallest of the "big" cars we sampled at Nissan 360. Sold in -- yet again -- Europe and Japan only, the English-built Note hatchback has been on the market for just a year. The car is aimed at "parents who need a practical five-seater," and the inside of the car feels like it's custom made to handle bouncing, throwing, stomping little ones. The front seatbacks even have little tray tables with cupholders in them. It's like coach class, but actually enjoyable.

The Note is basic, but nothing about it feels cheap. The only real issue we had was the tire noise that drowned out the four-cylinder, 110-HP mill. Due to that alone, the peppy little Note was the loudest car we drove all day. And while the super comfy fabric seats looked great, their coverings are perforated. The first time a McDonald's shake gets spilled -- or, heaven forbid, something that spoils -- we wouldn't want to be the ones who have to get the mess out of each little pore.

You can check out the Nissan 360 event site for more details on all the vehicles in Nissan's lineup. In the mean time, be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos below.



Our travel and lodging for this media event was provided by the manufacturer.

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Pontiac Vibe

When the original Pontiac Vibe hit dealer showrooms for the 2003 model year, it was a different kind of General Motors vehicle in just about every way. Sure, it wore a Pontiac badge and had that horrible plastic cladding hanging off its sides, but the vehicle's basic shape was unlike anything else in the General's lineup. There was a very good reason for this, as the Vibe is produced by GM's joint venture with Toyota called NUMMI, or the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. This JV currently produces the Vibe, Corolla and Tacoma pickup for both automakers, and the new Vibe is basically the same vehicle as the 2009 Toyota Matrix with a different skin and interior.

For 2009, the Vibe loses all that plastic armor but keeps its Toyota ties, receiving the recently updated Corolla underpinnings and powertrains. Will the Vibe's many changes make the little Pontiac good enough for prospective buyers to consider again? We took a brand new 2009 Vibe GT for a week-long spin to find out.


All photos Copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.

The new Lancia Delta has been spotted at a photo shoot, and this blogger thinks it's a mighty find looking car. The production version of the Lancia Delta HPE Concept that debuted at the 2006 Paris Auto Show, was apparently considered a disappointment, and the lines haven't really changed.

The car has traces of some recent Ford (of Europe, of course) products, such as the Verve and Fiesta, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful, and remember the concept car was out two years ago. The Delta, at about 4.5 meters long, 1.8 meters wide and 1.5 meters tall, is meant to challenge the Audi A3 and VW Golf, and will get turbocharged engines from 120 hp up to 200 hp. It looks like Lancia will be the last Fiat brand and take the longest to return to former glory, but this is a fine start.

[Source: Autogespot]

Click the Fiesta for a high-res gallery

Until recently, Ford had only planned to sell the new Fiesta small car as a sedan in the US market. Judging from the reaction of readers in the comments here when we showed photos of the production version of the car, which is based on the Verve concept, most people disagreed. The vast majority of commenters chiming in said that they wanted the stylish little hatchback. Apparently, they aren't alone. When the Verve sedan concept appeared at the Detroit Auto Show, it was supposed to be shown alone. A last-minute change of plans was prompted by new Ford marketing chief, Jim Farley, who insisted that the original three-door hatchback concept from the Frankfurt show be displayed as well. The hatchback concept was on a European tour and was detoured for a stateside visit to judge reaction from American showgoers. It now looks like there is indeed a very good chance that the hatchback will be offered to US drivers in addition to the sedan.


[Source: Ford]

The Twingo still won't take you to mythical Silene, but the UK gets its own specially pimped version of the entry-level Twingo called the "Extreme." Think of it as a Tercel Blackhawk en français, s'il vous plaît. The Twingo Extreme consists of mostly graphics for the exterior, though there's a few extra bits of gear thrown in, too.

Power is provided by a 1.2-liter engine, and Renault throws in specially trimmed wheels, a tachometer, and foglights. Soccer Football fans will undoubtedly choose the flag of St. George graphics for the exterior, and there's also Union Jacks for the door handles and stripes or checkered flags can adorn the outside, too, all for a modest price. MINI has already shown that customization at the dealer level is a popular activity, and we hope that the rest of the driving public soon becomes as smitten with small hatchy-things as we are. If we create enough clamor, they might send us a Jerry Lewis edition or something.

Press release after the jump

[Source: Renault]

To replace its aging 147 hatchback, Alfa Romeo is going with two separate models. The 3-door version is being replaced by a little sport-hatch tentatively known as the Junior, of which we've seen countless spy shots and teasers. The 5-door, we'd been told, was being replaced by an entirely different model, likely to be labeled 149, but this is the first time we've seen it.

To make its products financially feasible, Alfa has been basing many of its new models on shared platforms from Fiat Group sister companies. So while the 3-door will be based on the Fiat Grande Punto, the 149 shares its platform with the larger Fiat Bravo. That corresponds to a bigger 149 than the 147 it replaces. The car in the spy shot is wearing mostly Bravo bodywork, but a sharp eye will notice the trademark Alfa grille up front.

Now pay attention, 'cause this model very well might make it over to the U.S. market with Alfa's return. Engine options will likely include a range of Fiat Group powerplants from the T-Jet and M-Jet series, and could include a 265-hp V6 for the GTA version. Alfa Romeo would be smart to stick with six-speed manual and automatic gearboxes – this writer has driven a 147 equipped with the Selespeed semi-automatic gearbox, and I agree with our source's assessment that the U.S. market especially would be better served by more conventional transmission choices.

The 149 is tipped to hit European markets with a €20 000 base price sometime in mid 2009 after the Junior becomes available this coming October. That means we could see it pop up at one of the big shows later this year.

[Source: World Car Fans]