Author: EuroCarBlog.com

These renderings of the future Audi A3 show the 2012 model which will debut a few months before the new Volkswagen Golf 7. The two new cars from the VAG group will share about 70 percent of the same components, from the so-called MQB platform. The new Audi Q3 compact SUV in turn will anticipate the A3 and its new components in a model which will debut in 2011.

The third generation A3 will be availale in a three-door coupe version and a five-door Sportback version with a similar look around the doors to the Q5 and the Q7. The new Audi A3 has a planned production schedule of 200,000 units a year and with the shared Golf platform, we could see hybrid and electric versions emerge.

Standard versions of the A3 will appear with the three-cylinder, 1.2-litre TDI engine with 75 hp, which has CO2 emissions of just 89 g/km. The top of the range Audi S3 will have the 2.0-litre TFSI twin turbo with 300 hp. A new engine to appear will be the 2.0 TDI with increased power to 184 hp and the whole engine range will be Euro 6 compliant.

New Audi A3 renderings

Source | Auto Motor und Sport

The first two teaser pics of the new BMW X3 have emerged, showing that the new SUV is slowly revealing itself. The teaser shots show a detail of the X3 bonnet and some rear lights. The images don’t tell us much about the new X3, particularly whether it will be any larger than the current model, thus undergoing a repositioning in relation to the new BMW X1.

The new X3 should, however, be a longer model, with its length increased to 465 cm. The engine range should undergo some changes later in the life of the model, including a new ActiveHybrid version. The new X3 will appear at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

Source | X3.bimmers.com

If you like Bugatti cars and just happen to have $ 745,680 just sitting around your savings account you could check out this Bugatti EB 110 (the name comes from Ettore Bugatti’s 110th birthday) that Formula 1 returnee Michael Schumacher is selling off on JamesList.

The 715hp SS version (Super Sport or Sport Stradale) was produced in just 33 units and this specific Bugatti has only 2875 miles on it.

Herr Schumacher must be easily bored by the toys he keeps in his garages, because last year he got rid off two Ducati motorcycles, a Ducati Desmosedici RR (a road legal MotoGP bike) and a Hypermotard.

Source | topspeed.com

Lancia on their official website has a section called “Storia & Design” (Story and Design) which also has gallery dedicated to new concept ideas where they put on line sketches and various drawings that they’re working on.

This is their latest sketch a coupe concept car and since it’s still more or less in an embryonic form, we’re keeping our head on our shoulders, because it could just be one of those thousands of ideas that remain only ideas.

Source | autoblog.it

There’s been talks about the next Opel Calibra debuting for for several years now and now Opel and Vauxhall may have decided to get this mid-size coupe on the market as early as 2013.

The new Opel Calibra will take its basic design from the GTC Concept, but this four-seater coupe will probably be just a two-door version of the Opel Insignia (sold in the U.S. as the 2011 Buick Regal).

In order to turn over a profit, Opel and its Vauxhall partner will have to build about 30,000 units a year, but according to an unnamed GM Europe source said : “We would feel a lot more confident about some of these projects if Buick, Chevrolet in North and South America and Saab (Saab is no longer part a part of GM) were sharing volumes and risk.”

Source | carmagazine.co.uk

The next instalment of the Audi A1 ‘Next Big Thing’ episode sees Justin Timberlake and Damia Ramirez in a kind of wrestling match and then this guy with a bunny on the back of his jacket turns up and then they try to take the keys to the A1 and Timberlake gets all tough and…. In what is not a particularly exciting action movie whose point is lost on us, it’s just as well the Audi A1 is still looking good. According to Audi, the first sales are well above initial expectations signalling another possible success for the company, or just the effect of having something new. The best line so far in these (bordering on tedious) episodes is “That’s my ride”.

After the first spy shots of the Opel Astra Sports Tourer emerged in March, here is the first spy video of the station wagon model which was taken as the car underwent testing at the Nurburgring. The Astra Sports Tourer will be presented this summer with its official photos, after which its first public debut will be at the 2010 Paris Motor Show in autumn.

The Astra Sports Tourer is similar in the rear to the larger Insignia Sports Tourer model, although it does seem to be a sportier and more aggressive wagon model. The underlying platform is slightly longer than the Astra sedan while the engine range will be exactly that of the Astra five-door model that was recently launched.

The new Opel Astra is certainly enjoying some success and after the Sports Tourer model is presented, we will also see the sports three-door version followed by the Astra cabriolet (to return to a classic soft top model), and another sedan model which will appear under Buick in the US.

Opel Astra Sports Tourer spy shots

A new Peugeot 308 GTi is back in the Peugeot range after the company must have decided that abandoning its traditions and the models that Peugeot fans love was not so great for the new brand strategy after all. The new sports hatchback is available as a five-door model only and is equipped with the new 1.6-litre THP engine which debuted on the Peugeot RCZ coupé, and a six-speed manual gearbox.

The new engine has 200 hp and 275 Nm of torque with turbocharger and variable valve timing. If that’s not enough, Sound System technology gives the new 308 GTi a distinctive acceleration sound. The new GTi could also signal a step in more environmentally friendly sports hatches for Peugeot, consuming just 6.9 litres/100 km of fuel and producing 159 g/km of CO2 emissions.

Our colleagues at Motosblog.fr are already asking whether you think the new Peugeot deserves the GTi badge. Let’s hope so, because the brand really needed to make a good one to get its mojo back on this front. According to reports, it could cost about 24,000 euros and will be available from July this year.

The Audi A2 will be back in 2012 as the MPV variant on the new Audi A1. The A2 will share the same platform as the A1, although some technical aspects may still come from the New Small Family platform of the Volkswagen Up!, which is spawning the Volkswagen Lupo, and the same segment cars from Seat and Skoda. The next generation Audi A2 will have the same style and design elements as the A1, including the sloping roof line and similar front and rear.

The A2 will have an extensive engine range, which will include an e-tron electric model, while 2013 could see the arrival of the Audi A2 hybrid. The A2 will mostly have four-cylinder engine units, although if the Volkswagen Up! platform is adopted, three-cylinder may be utilised. Compared to the previous A2, the biggest difference with the new model is its steel and not aluminium chassis, which would result in an increase in price.

Source | Caradisiac

While Toyota has recently suffered from image problems and missed and late recalls on several of their models, but the Europe-only Auris Hybrid hatchback that will hit the UK market in July could help recoup their image.

The Auris hybrid will come in two models, the Hybrid T4 and Hybrid T Spirit, both featuring Hybrid Synergy Drive Technology and will be priced at £18,950 and £20,700 respectively.

Built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant, it uses the same body shell as the traditional Auris hatch and features two electric motors and a 1.8 litre VVT-i petrol engine. The Auris HSD has four driving modes, including zero-emisisons EV mode, that are optimised for different driving conditions with CO2 emissions as low as 89g/km, and will offer an economy potential up to 74.3mpg on the official combined driving cycle.

Source | autocar.co.uk

There has been much speculation and curiosity about the new Mercedes-Benz ML-Class, so you will glad to know that today we have a batch of new photos of it and its interior. As you can see for yourself, the wheelbase looks more or less the same, while the body seems a little bit smaller than its predecessor. According to some a diesel-electric hybrid ML-Class is under development, but we can almost be sure that the model will be equipped with a gasoline-electric hybrid similar to the one powering the new ML450 Hybrid.

A lot of questions, speculation, and discussion has started since the announcement of this new version and according to our sources a plug-in variant of the ML hybrid is in the offing, featuring an 80-horsepower electric engine paired with a twin-turbocharged and direct-injection 3.5-liter V-6 and capable of travelling up to 18-miles on electric power alone. More news about Mercedes-Benz ML-Class are on the way, stay tuned!

Spy Shots: 2012 Mercedes-Benz ML-Class

Source | Motorauthority

The Fiat 500 five-door, which is in development, will likely be called the Fiat 600 according to reports. The new car would be based on the platform of the current 500 with a wheelbase increased by ten centimetres to improve rear passenger space. A movable rear seat will also be introduced for greater flexibility in the cabin and to make more boot space when required.

The new Fiat 600 would have some similar aspects to other vehicles from the Fiat group, including the Fiat Panda and the Lancia Ypsilon, and is already expected to appear on the market next year. It’s uncertain though, how this new compact Fiat will be distributed, as its creation is due mostly to the US market and not Europe.

In fact, the new car could be produced exclusively in Mexico meaning its unlikely we’ll see it in Europe. Production facilities would be at Toluca, where the Fiat 500 destined for the US will be assembled. The Fiat 600 will debut in the US towards the end of 2011, but won’t represent the entry level option on that market as it will cost slightly more than the Fiat Panda. We could still see a MPV version of the Fiat 500 emerge, which would be called the 600 Multipla.

Source | Automobile-Magazine via Autoblog.it

Early next week Volkswagen AG will probably announce that they will have bought a controlling stake in Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A., Italy’s largest design and engineering firm, according to two inside industry sources as reported by Automotive News Europe.

Volkswagen and Italdesign representatives declined to comment on the rumors, but the German car manufacturer will be buying into one of Italy’s iconic design and engineering company. Co-founded by the famous designer Giorgetto Giugiaro in 1968, Italdesign currently employs 975 people mostly based at the headquarters in Moncalieri, 10 miles south of Italy’s industrial capital Turin.

Last January, Italdesign stipulated a half-billion dollar deal cooperation agreement with Hybrid Kinetic Motors (HK Motors) for the styling and engineering of a family of hybrid vehicles that will be produced at a new plant in Baldwin County, Alabama, with the start of production scheduled in 2013.

Both Giugiaros are expected to continue working at Italdesign, but we have no idea if they will be able to continue doing other work outside the Volkswagen Group if the deal goes through.

If the truth be told, the world has a love affair with Britain – its history, culture and a style all its own. The British Empire is perhaps one of the greatest the world will ever see and this wonderful video celebrates 75 years of Jaguar: now owned by a company from a country that was a former British colony. But perhaps Tata Motors from India is one of the better placed companies to appreciate that class that English cars seem to have, with a combination of Indian know-how and a country with its own turbulent but noble history.

The models shown in this celebration of 75 years of Jaguar include: the original SS100, then the XK120, XK150 and the legendary race cars of the C and D-Type. We also get a look at the famous MKII sports sedan from the 1960’s, and also the E-Type. The 1970’s are represented by the XJ and the XJS coupé, and the XJR sports prototype.

These days, under Tata leadership, Jaguar is dedicating itself to some of the sexier sedans and coupés we’ve seen recently, with the strategic XF, the new XJ and the coupé and spider XK models. While we see less of pure racing pursuits in the company, Jaguar looks to embark on a new heyday which will include hybrid options in this modern era of environmental consciousness. Check out the video above for a look at historic Jaguar models in its 75th anniversary year.

The Alfa 8C Competizione GTA is back in the spotlight with these spy shots emerging from Italy. Months have passed since other presumed 8C GTA spy shots from the Nurburgring appeared and the idea that a Gran Turismo Alleggerita version could appear is very exciting.

The 8C is a classic Alfa car representing everything that’s famous for the brand – sports performance and sexy design. The 8C Competizione GTA in development could weigh 100-150 kg less than the standard version, and could be equipped with a 4.7-litre V8 producing more than 500 hp.

From these spy shots we can see some aerodynamic changes including a rear extractor, and new exhaust outlets at the back. Clearly with a lighter version, the 8C Competizione will have even greater performance, reaching 100 km/hr in less than four seconds and having a top speed of 320 km/hr. If this model does eventually appear, we can expect to pay no less than 230,000 euros.

Source | UnicaStrada

These new renderings show the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet, whose debut was planned for 2012 along with the new Golf 7, although the cabrio version is based on the current Golf 6. It will have a classic fabric roof and possibly a central rollbar which harks back to the first Golf of 1974 and the third generation of 1991.

The Golf Cabriolet will appear in the range below the Eos which will have a new generation in 2013 representing the coupé-cabriolet model of the new Passat. The new Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet could even debut next year, avoiding any possibility that it could already be out-of-date when it hits the market. Bringing forward the date of its presentation also leaves more room for the Golf 7, planned for 2012-2013.

New Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet renderings

Source | Theophilus Chin

The new Peugeot 508 will appear in both sedan and station wagon versions, with the latter already undergoing testing. The 508 wagon in this rendering shows the evolution of this model, from the 407 (which it replaces) to the Peugeot Concept 5 which appeared at the Geneva motor show last March.

The 508 SW will put plenty of distance between itself and the 407, following more traditional design principles than the radical move which was behind the previous model. It will be smooth and balanced in its looks, but will also be a practical wagon, regaining some of the boot space that was sacrificed on the 407. The 508 will aim to be flexible and spacious, with a new design in the bargain.

The Peugeot 508 should be presented in 2011 and will be a larger model, not just in the boot, but also in the external dimensions, reaching a length of about 485 cm. That puts it in line with its competitors in the segment and internal space should be vastly improved on the 407 offering. More details after the jump.

The 508 station wagon will be launched in Europe about six months after the sedan, with both models sharing the same engine range. Two petrol units will be available: the 1.6-litre THP with 155 or 200 hp, and the future 2.0 THP which will have a power range of between 200 and 240 hp (it will also appear on the BMW 3 Series).

The diesel options will include four units: the 1.6 with 110 hp, the 2.0 with 140 and 163 hp, and the 3.0 V6 with 240 hp. There will also be the diesel-hybrid all-wheel-drive model which will be released at a later date and will have a 163 hp engine with electric motor, capable of overall power of 200 hp and 100 g/km of CO2. Off the back of this model we should also see a Peugeot 508 soft-roader model with a higher wheelbase that will follow in the tracks of the Audi A4 Allroad.

Source | Automobile-Magazine.fr

The design principles and style behind the new Alfa Giulietta are discussed in this video (in Italian, but you get the picture). From the overall shape of the car to the classic Alfa grille and badge at the front, we get a full tour of the new vehicle.

As designer Lorenzo Ramaciotti says, the Giulietta turns a new page for Alfa and many fans are hoping it will mark a new era at the Italian brand company. While Ramaciotti talks of the design, and there’s no denying this a good looking car, the first Giulietta test drives would indicate that it is also a pleasing car to drive. See the marketing pics with Uma Thurman below, and check out our test drive pics here.

This hard to miss SUV with it’s tie-dye camouflage paint job are spy shots of Land Rover road testing its new premium compact the Range Rover LRX.

The LRX is expected to be unveiled next month to coincide with the 40th anniversary of when the original Range Rover was first revealed to the public and should be showcased at the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

Production is set to begin in early 2011 and the LRX will be equipped with the Freelander drivetrain and will become the first Land Rover group product available with front-wheel drive.

Compare the spy pics with the video concept after the jump.

Source | autoblog.com via autoblog.it

European car sales were down 7.4 percent for the month of April, 2010, compared to the same time last year. It’s the first fall in ten months for the European car market, which has so far showed itself to be quite robust in the face of the international economic crisis. Germany’s market was hit particularly hard, with a decline of 31.7 percent, while the UK and France were up 11.5 and 1.9 percent, respectively.

Of the car companies, the largest decrease in sales was registered by Fiat, with a decline of 27.3 percent, followed by Toyota (down 20.7 percent), General Motors (19.1) and Ford (down 13 percent). Volkswagen managed to keep its losses to less 7.4 percent, while some brands were lucky enough to record gains: Renault (up 8.7 percent), BMW (up 13.1 percent) and Nissan (up 38.3 percent).

April European car sales