TheCarConnection.com's spy photographers may have gotten one step closer to revealing the face of the new 2010 Ford Fusion with our first shots of a mule completely free of the usual heavy vinyl camouflage. Until now, even the earliest, rough Fusion mules were wearing the heavy front bras, covering their makeshift grilles and front bumpers. Now we can fully assess lines residing beneath the camouflage.
While the front fascia revealed here is obviously an approximation of the final look of the revamped 2010 Ford Fusion, the outlines, cut lines, shapes, and relationships are telling. Judging from this mule, it appears that Ford's three-bar grille design may survive, but the look of the 2010 Ford Fusion is very different from the current car. The mule's grille looks much bolder than the current model, with the top grille slat dipping down in the center for something of a "smiley" look. The grille dips down into the front bumper, while the outer edges of the bumper slant upward as they reach the side of the car. Such a slant would necessitate reshaped headlights, to accommodate the new bumper shape.
This mule shows cut lines for tall air inlets at the outer edges of the front bumper, which will also hold place for fog lamps. The shape and positioning of the inlets match perfectly the details seen beneath the camo on prior 2010 Ford Fusion prototypes.
It also appears that the changes will go a bit further than just the front fascia, as a new sharp character line on the front bumper can be seen wrapping around toward the front fender. The new surface development suggests may mean that the new 2010 Ford Fusion will be getting some chunkier front fenders, making the redesign a bit more extensive than a mere midcycle face-lift. We'll have to wait and see a more finished prototype to confirm this.
--KGP Photography
Posted in : 2010, Ford, Sedans, Spy Shots
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Posted in : 2011, Saturn, Spy Shots
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It's certainly been one of the bigger, longer, more drawn-out product reveals in recent car history. Now, though, Kia finally has lifted the veil on the 2009 Kia Soul, a compact four-door runabout that's aimed right at the heart of Toyota's Scion brand.
The production version of the Soul--shown here, and set to be shown off at the Paris auto show in the fall--follows the reveal of the concept versions at the recent Geneva motor show. Those concepts were spun from a concept shown at the 2006 Detroit auto show.
Few details have been confirmed on the production version of the Soul, but Kia promises that owners will be able to customize their Soul "through a variety of options, accessories and colors." Production begins in September; the Paris auto show opens to the media October 2.
Posted in : 2009, Kia, Paris Auto Show
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TheCarConnection.com's spy photographers caught the best shots yet of the 2009 Jaguar XF-R as it rolled through the city streets in the U.K.
Hood vents, a deeper, more aggressive front air dam, and a new mesh treatment to the grille coverings signify the hottest version of
the Jaguar XF, the new sedan that TheCarConnection.com's editors called "a modern icon." The XF's side vents are also blacked out for a more sinister look. Large turbine-style wheels (likely to be 20-inchers) are taped up a bit, but their aggressive design is clearly visible. Quad exhaust tips round out the visual changes. The XF-R's body mods are subtle, yet very pursposeful to set it apart from lesser XF models.
Sources report that the 2009 Jaguar XF-R will get a new supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 making a minimum of 500 horsepower, so Jaguar clearly appears to have the likes of the BMW M5 in its sights.
Posted in : 2009, Jaguar, Spy Shots
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Honda's taking aim on the Toyota Prius, as it confirms plans for not just a single new hybrid model--but three new hybrids for the coming model years.
Last year at the Tokyo Motor Show, Honda revealed that it would offer a new hybrid vehicle for production in early 2009. Today, Honda confirms that the new vehicle will be a five-door, five-passenger hybrid vehicle with a shape along the lines of the FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle. A name for the new vehicle and production details aren't available yet from Honda, which promises more on that car later this year. Honda expects to sell 200,000 copies of the new vehicle worldwide each year--with 100,000 of them headed to the U.S., where Toyota's Prius is selling nearly 150,000 units a year.
As for the other hybrids, Honda confirms that a new sporty car based on the CR-Z concept (shown here) is also headed for production. Honda also says it's set to produce a Fit Hybrid. Combined, including the Honda Civic Hybrid, the company will build four hybrids with a total volume worldwide of 500,000 units.
Honda also says that a new version of its IMA hybrid system will make its vehicles more efficient and inexpensive to produce.
"Honda has been at the forefront of hybrid development since it first introduced the American public to hybrid technology with the Insight in 1999," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "These new advancements in Honda's technology and production systems will result in cost reductions that will allow us to make hybrid technology available to a whole new generation of buyers."
Posted in : Honda, Hybrid Cars
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Marty Padgett May 30th, 2008
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TheCarConnection.com's spy photographers may have gotten one step closer to revealing the face of the new 2010 Ford Fusion with our first shots of a mule completely free of the usual heavy vinyl camouflage. Until now, even the earliest, rough Fusion mules were wearing the heavy front bras, covering their makeshift grilles and front bumpers. Now we can fully assess lines residing beneath the camouflage.;)
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