Volkswagen's been working on a new range of compact and subcompact cars for the world market. One of them--according to a report this morning from 4Car--says the new
Volkswagen Beetle will be ready in 2011, and will be getting some family members.
The report says the new New Beetle might get a few more body styles than the Coupe and
Convertible offered today. Among the new types could be a Speedster version, akin to the Ragster concept that VW showed in Detroit in 2005 (and shown above here), and a small SUV related to Volkswagen's 2000 Dune concept.
The new vehicles would share the current Rabbit's mechanicals but would have some styling elements shared with the Up! concepts that rolled around the auto-show circuit last year. Those cars are due out at next year's Frankfurt auto show.
[4Car via Autoblog]
Posted in : Concept Cars, Volkswagen
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I hadn't made any real plans to attend the Moscow auto show in August, mostly because Maria Sharapova refuses to take my calls. Now Mazda's giving us all a reason to pay attention to the onion-domed city's car show this year, though, as it preps to show a new crossover concept.
The new concept--as yet unnamed--will take on the styling themes of Mazda's recent concepts like the Nagare and the Hakaze. Though it's a concept, if I had to guess, I'd say it's a new compact crossover spun from the new Fiesta/Mazda2 platform, to be slotted beneath the
Mazda CX-7, and named CX-5 in production.
Mazda says the new car's designed specifically with the Russian market in mind, and with younger SUV owners "who have a strong sense of style."
I'll keep you posted on the new
Mazda concept as it gets closer to reality. The Moscow show opens to the media on August 26.
Posted in : 2008, Concept Cars, Crossover Vehicles, Mazda
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Posted in : 2008, BMW, Concept Cars
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Audi's shown us a Clubsport concept spun off the TT, but now it's time for the A3 to get some love--the diesel A3, that is.
This Audi A3 TDI Clubsport quattro concept starts with the 2.0-liter turbodiesel that's heading for U.S. customers in various Volkswagen and Audi models. In this form, it makes 224 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, shooting the A3 to 60 mph in less than 6.6 seconds on its way to 149 mph. A six-speed transmission and quattro all-wheel drive handle the power.
Body mods transform the A3 into a Clubsport--there's a spoiler ripped from DTM cars, bolt-on wheel-arch extensions, and an interior shod with racing bucket seats and an open gear-lever gate, along with six-piston brakes and ceramic discs, a version of the programmable steering/shocks/throttle system offered on the 2009 Audi A4, and Audi's magnetic ride control.
The latest Clubsport doesn't have a chance at becoming reality, at least not in the U.S. where the A3 hatchback only comes with a gas engine. And as much as we'd like a shot at it, it's not in the cards--the concept will spend the end of May as a part of the 27th annual Lake Wörther Tour in
Austria's Carinthia province (go past Salzburg; if you've hit Ljubljana, you've gone too far).
Posted in : 2008, Audi, Concept Cars, Diesels
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Everyone's getting in on the April Fools' Day jokes, including, we think, the funsters and wagsters at Carscoop. Witness this image here: according to the copy, it's a
Jaguar XF-C concept due at the Beijing auto show on April 20.
Carscoop says the four-seat coupe is based on the new XF, and powered by a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine that develops more than 500 hp. While they're at it, why not throw in amphibious capability and standard assault rifles -- the full Bond treatment?
Anyone with Photoshop and a few hours of free time could have made this image. The only problem is it sounds and looks totally plausible. We love the XF sedan and with all the takeover machinations from Ford and Tata, Jaguar needs a good, hot product story to swerve attention back to the cars. So what do you think -- is it the real thing? Should Jaguar spin off a two-door from the lovely XF?
Stay tuned later today, as all the Fools unmask themselves -- or at the latest in Beijing, if this thing takes off.
Posted in : 2008, China, Concept Cars, Jaguar, Just for Fun, Shoppers
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Marty Padgett June 23rd, 2008
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Volkswagen's been working on a new range of compact and subcompact cars for the world market. One of them--according to a report this morning from 4Car--says the new Volkswagen Beetle will be ready in 2011, and will be getting some family members.;)
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