Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of Honda's new hybrid.

Honda's oft-discussed, yet never spied Prius-fighter has been caught by the merry minions at KGP. A parade of three cars were shot in the desert, including the prototype you see above, a facelifted Civic Hybrid and the new model's arch rival, the Toyota Prius.

While the cloaked mule's shape could be easily mistaken as a Prius, the two-tier instrument cluster is a dead giveaway of the prototype's Honda origins. The nose is notably lower than its Toyota competition and although the hatch is an obvious rip on the Prius' aerodynamic rear, the fenders have a discernibly steeper angle, along with a trunk lid sporting a small spoiler.

The unnamed hybrid from Honda will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and will adopt many of the design cues found on the big H's hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity sedan.

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Kia Soul

While the production Kia Soul won't be revealed until later this year at the Paris Motor Show, the opening of the London show brings the release of more official images from the automaker. One thing's certain: it'll be hip to be square in 2009, when both the Soul and the Nissan Cube arrive to give the Scion xB some company. Kia also officially announced that the car will be offered exclusively in a front-engine/front drive layout and that it's 4,105 mm (161 in) long, 1,785 mm (70 in) wide, 1,610 mm (63 in) tall, and has a 2,550 mm (100 in) wheelbase. In case you were wondering, compared to the xB, it's got a shorter wheelbase and overall length, but is a hair wider and taller. The engine selection in Europe will consist of 1.6L gasoline and diesel four-cylinders. As you can see, the photos show a neat package that'll probably have plenty of folks embracing their inner geeks when it arrives in U.S. showrooms next April.


[Sources: Kia]

The 2009 BMW 3-series will be revealed in all its facelifted glory at the Paris Motor Show and sales will begin across North America this October. The only discernible differences up front are a new fascia that apes the recently unveiled 7-series, new headlamps with "altered graphics," a contoured hood and modified mirror housings. Out back, the subtle changes continue, with a new taillight design that integrates more cleanly into the trunk lid and a reworked bumper that will join a one-inch wider track on high end version of the 3-series.

Inside, you'll find a revised armrest on the driver's side door, an updated iDrive controller and software, a high-resolution 8.8-inch screen, with options for an 80-gig hard drive that can store MP3s and the sat nav software.

The 335i's (claimed) 300 hp, 3.0-liter twin-turbo six will remain, as will the 328i's 230 hp, 3.0-liter inline-six. The new addition to the family is the 335d, which is packing a 265 hp, twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six diesel, equipped with urea injection to keep the U.S.'s SMOG sniffers happy. However, if you were hoping for a 335d coupe, you're out of luck – the oil burner is only available in the sedan and fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission. Otherwise, the tranny choices will include the six-speed manual or six-speed auto 'box. However, Autoweek makes no mention of the DCT gearbox. Too bad.

Expect all the details to be revealed shortly.

[Source: Autoweek]

Chevrolet has big... well... smallish plans for Paris, where the automaker will unveil an "all-new" compact vehicle dubbed the Cruze. Born from Chevy's global design and engineering team, the Cruze will sport many of the exterior elements we've seen on recent concepts, so expect lots of angular lines, a high belt-line and a squat greenhouse. The Cruze will supposedly be able to handle a parcel of five passengers, along with whatever junk they can fit in the trunk, and will measure in at 4.6 meters (181 inches) -- think of it as the next Cobalt.

After its world premier in the City of Lights this October, the Cruze will go on sale across Europe in the spring of 2009, and, according to the press release below the fold, will be available in "other global regions" afterwards.

Click above for more spy shots of the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback.

We're eagerly anticipating the debut of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback and its Ralliart variant in Paris this September, and these recent shots of the five-door making the rounds in Barcelona are just enough to keep us interested. Judging by the German numberplates and a couple of shots that surfaced on Autoweek.nl, we'd guess that the Ralliart Sportback is in the hands of motoring journalists abroad or was on its way to a photoshoot ahead of its launch.

As we've seen previously, the Ralliart hatch takes the Evo-styled front end from its four-door counterpart, along with new side sills, darkened wheels and a subtle rear spoiler. In Europe, the Lancer Sportback will come equipped with either a 1.5- or 1.8-liter four, or a 2.0-liter turbodiesel, while those of us in the U.S. get to enjoy an Evolution experience on the cheap, with a de-tuned version of the 4B11T/C 2.0-liter four, producing 237 hp and 253 lb.-ft. of torque. We like it in red, white or slate grey would be our chosen hue when the Sportback goes on sale in the States early next year.



[Sources: The Auto Union, Autoweek.nl]

After nearly three years of rumors and speculation, the new jacked-up MINI SAV will finally make its debut, according to Autocar. The Brit pub is reporting that the MINI 'ute is bound for Paris, with an on-sale date sometime in 2010 and sporting a five-door design.

Questions still remain about what platform the new all-wheel-drive model will be based on, with sources suggesting it will either be based around the Clubman's architecture, making use of a new upper-body structure, or the current Cooper's chassis, using the front end and employing a new floorpan to accommodate the AWD system and new seating positions. Regardless of what's underpinning the SAV, MINI has to justify the R&D, so if the biggie-sized MINI proves successful, there's a possibility that a front-wheel-drive variant will be offered on the same chassis, oxymoronically dubbed the MINI "Maxi."

Production is expected to begin late next year at Magna's factory in Graz, which currently produces the X3. And with BMW shifting production of its entry-level SUV to the U.S. sometime next year, MINI will have the manufacturing capacity to bring its sales over the 340,000 mark.

[Source: Autocar]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the twin-turbo V8 BMW X5.

BMW has continued to deny the existence of an M-version of the X5, and by all accounts, it's true. The blokes from Bavaria maintain that the 'ute's size, weight, height and packaging won't warrant the tri-tones of the vaunted M. But the doesn't mean BMW can't produce a hotter version of its biggie-sized SUV.

Using the same 407 hp, 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 found in the recently released X6, BMW is taking aim at the Porsche Cayenne Turbo. KGP was able to snap off a handful of shots of the turbo'd X5 running the 'Ring, and despite the lack of a factory-approved M on the hatch, it's looking decidedly more aggressive than its siblings. The front fascia is taking all the normal cues from BMW's motorsports department, with massive air intakes and a gaping central air dam, while a set of quad exhausts are framed within a new rear bumper. There's no word on when the hotter X5 will debut, but with the Paris Motor Show right around the corner, BMW surely has a few things up its sleeves.

click above to view high-res gallery of the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback

Mitsubishi announced today that it will unveil the production version of its Lancer Sportback and Lancer Sportback Ralliart at the Paris Motor Show in early October. The Lancer Sportback is just what it sounds like, a five-door hatchback version of the recently redesigned Lancer model that's on sale around the world. Mitsubishi already revealed in its latest global business report that it would be selling the Lancer Sportback in the U.S. as well, but the only time frame given was sometime after the introduction of the Evo X, which is already on sale here.

In Europe, the Lancer Sportback will be powered by a 1.5L or 1.8L four-cylinder, or a 2.0L turbodiesel, while the Sportback Ralliart will feature a turbocharged 2.0L MIVEC engine producing 237 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque that's mated to Mitsubishi's Twin-Clutch SST transmission. It will also feature an Active Center Differential to help send torque to the wheels that can use it, as well as two-piston front brake calipers. Sounds like the same setup we saw on the U.S. version of the Lancer Ralliart sedan that debuted at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show in January. We were particularly smitten with that car, so adding some more interior cubes and a fifth door should only serve to increase our anticipation for Paris.


[Source: Mitsubishi]

With last week's news that BMW will begin producing the new X1 at its Leipzig facility, it was just a matter of time before the Bavarian boys gave us an indication as to when its compact CUV would be unveiled. As suspected, the wraps will be pulled off an X1 concept at the Paris Motor Show this September, but as is often the case with BMW, the "concept" is almost exactly what we'll see when it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2009. The new model will be built off the 1-series platform (a shortened 3-series) and according to an unnamed source quoted by Automotive News, "will use the two highest spec gasoline and the two highest spec diesel engines from the 1-series."

The source also confirmed earlier reports that the MINI SUV/CUV will debut in Paris with power provided by the Cooper S' turbocharged 1.4-liter or the Cooper D's oilburner. Sales of the MINI 'ute will begin in the second quarter of 2010.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Ferrari California

The gang in Maranello is continuing to dribble out more imagery of the new Ferrari California roadster, now with the car now making its first appearance with its hard top up. This blue GT can be seen in the gallery below with the top up, down and halfway in between. Thankfully, in spite of the 2+ designation (whatever that means) the car still maintains two-seater proportions, so it doesn't have a ridiculously long rear deck. There has been plenty of discussion in the comments about the virtues of the California's design details, but the overall proportions are definitely classic GT the folding hard top manages not to screw that up.

Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo recently had his first crack at driving the new car at the company's Fiorano test track and unsurprisingly came away feeling quite effusive about the newcomer. In the bosses words, "The California is, like all of our models, the epitome of cutting-edge innovation." The new hard top can apparently change state in a mere 14 seconds. Hopefully it will also prove to be more reliable than some other such examples. It's going to be a long summer of teasing from Ferrari before the California makes its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. In the meantime, Ferrari's latest press release is after the jump.


[Source: Ferrari]