Both Aston Martin and Porsche will come to the market next year with production versions of their four-door-coupes; Lamborghini, on the other hand, will be taking a little longer. According to CEO Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini will not decide on whether to proceed with the production version of the Estoque until next year. After that it should take about four years to develop the four-door car.

Winkelmann said that he expects the car to be greenlighted for production, but confirms that Lamborghini does not yet have a platform. As far as teaming up with sister companies, Porsche (using the Panamera platform, Audi (using the A7 architecture) or Bentley, Winkelmann says: “that a platform will be sought ‘within the group.’”

Continue reading…

MINI’s upcoming crossover may not be called the ‘MINI Crossman’ after all. According to GoAuto who spoke with BMW’s global sales and marketing chief, Ian Robertson, the MINI Crossover Concept seen in Paris will have a different badge when it hits the markets in two years.

“I can assure you it won’t be known by that name,” Robertson said.

Robertson refused to confirm or deny another name in the rumormill - ‘Maxi.’ The name was used by British Leyland for a five-door hatch in 1969 that shared many features with the ADO15 Mini project. We would prefer ‘Crossman’ over ‘Maxi’ any day. Let us know you’re opinion in the comments section below.

Click through for high-res photos of the MINI Crossover Concept.

Live from Paris 2008: MINI Crossover Concept:

Continue reading…

Lamborghini has released images of the cockpit of its new Estoque concept that we saw at the 2008 Paris Motor Show last week. Lamborghini says that the Estoque offers a ’surprisingly generous feeling of spaciousness,’ - while we haven’t sat in one we’ll have to take Lambo’s word on that one.

What we do notice is the luxurious feel that the interior of the Estoque has rather than extremely sporty interior of the Reventon, Gallardo or Murcielago. The interior material is made of the highest-quality Nappa leather with each seat having electrical positioning options.

The cockpit has a large LCD-screen that displays audio, vehicle and navigation information. We also see controls reminiscent of BMW’s iDrive along with a steering-wheel that seems to be inspired by sister-brand Audi’s high-performance vehicles.

Lamborghini says that the trunk of the Estoque has plenty of room for ’several golf bags and pieces of luggage.

Check out more high-res images from the 2008 Paris Motor show after the jump.

Live from Paris 2008: Lamborghini Estoque:

Continue reading…

So who is it at Mazda that is designing cars now that their ‘golden boy’ Frans von Holzhausen left them to go work for Tesla Motors? Jo Stenuit, Mazda’s new chief of design - and he’s not doing a bad job with the whole ‘Nagare’ thing Holzhausen started.

With the help of Mickael Loyer and Gregory Vera, Stenuit and Mazda displayed a new small coupe concept called the Mazda Kiyora at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. According to Automotive News, the concept will spawn a Mazda1 city car that will go on sale in Europe and Japan. The idea of selling the car in North America is still a blur.

Continue reading…

The curtains have closed on the press days of the 2008 Paris Motor Show. We saw a lot of new cars and concepts on the floor in the two days but there were 10 that we felt deserved some extra attention.

Check out eGMCarTech’s lives of the Top 10 2008 Paris Motor Show Reveals after the jump and let us know what your favorites were in the comments section. Also, makes sure you check out our 2008 Paris Motor Show tag to see all the other debuts.

Continue reading…

Honda has taken the covers off of its new Insight Hybrid Concept, a concept that is pretty much the production ready model that will arrive on U.S. roads in April 2009. At the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Honda’s CEO Takeo Fukui said that he is targeting a price of just below $19,000 for the Prius rival (Prius starts at $22,000).

He also said that the Honda Insight Hybrid “will mirror” the fuel-economy of the Civic Hybrid which gets 40/45 mpg. That’s surprising to us since early inside information suggested at a fuel-economy of close to 60 mpg and since the Toyota Prius gets 48/45 mpg.

Check out a video of the Honda Insight Hybrid in action after the jump - along with high-res images from the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Live from Paris 2008: Honda Insight Hybrid Concept:

Continue reading…

We’ve seen a lot of the pics of the 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI over this past week but today we get to see the new high-performance hatch in action. Volkswagen has just released a 4 minute video of driving footage of the 2009 Golf GTI (which you can check out after the jump).

Refresher: Power comes from 2.0L 4-cylinder TSI that produces 207-hp giving it the ability to go from 0 to 62 mph in 7.2 seconds. Fuel-economy comes in at an impressive 31 mpg.

Click through for the video and high-res photos of the 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Live from Paris: 2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI:

Continue reading…

Besides the BMW Concept X1, BMW also showed off the MINI Crossover Concept for its MINI division. The concept hints at model, so far confirmed to be called ‘Crossman,’ that will enter production next year. Production will be outsourced to Magna Steyr with a total of 80,000 units planned annually.

This fourth variant in the MINI lineup will have four-doors, four-seats, four-wheel-drive and will be powered by a variety of 4-cylinder engines - some of which may carry a turbo charger. Diesel variants for European markets are also planned.

The MINI Crossman is expected to arrive in showrooms by 2010 - alongside the X1.

Live from Paris 2008: MINI Crossover Concept:

Continue reading…

Summer is over - but that didn’t stop Lexus from debuting its convertible IS at the 2008 Paris Motor Show this week. Lexus has also released a short video showing the Lexus IS 250C dropping its top to very epic music that makes you feel like Maximus.

The hard-top 205-hp Lexus IS 250C will go on sale in Europe in Summer 2009. Pricing details and the possibility of the IS 250C coming to the U.S. have yet to be confirmed.

Follow the jump for the video along with high-res images of the Lexus IS 250C.

Live from Paris 2008: 2010 Lexus IS 250C:

Continue reading…

What financial crisis? Ferrari is expecting record sales in 2008 and at its Ferrari California debut at the 2008 Paris Motor Show today, the Italian automaker said it has sold out of the convertible until 2011. Ferrari has sold the entire 2009 and 2010 production of the $246,724 hard-top California.

According to Ferrari’s boss Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, 60 percent of buyers who have ordered the car have never bought a Ferrari. Montezemolo said that Ferrari will not be increasing production to meet demand and will continue with the 2,800 units planned for 2009 and the 3,000 planned for 2010.

Refresher: Power comes from a 4.3L V8 producing 460 horsepower engine mated to a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. 0-60 comes in just under 4 seconds with a top speed of 193mph.

Live from Paris 2008: Ferrari California:

Continue reading…

Next year will be pretty exciting for BMW. It will be introducing the 2009 BMW 7-Series along with a hybrid variant, a BMW X6 Hybrid and a production version of its new BMW Concept X1.

As we’ve told you over and over again, the BMW X1 will go into production next year at BMW’s Leipzig plant in Germany with 100,000 units planned annually. Known internally as the E84 as well as a Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), the BMW X1 will hit the market with a range of 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder turbo charged engines. Europe will also get diesel versions.

According to CAR, BMW’s EfficientDynamics is currently working on a hybrid X1 that should arrive on the market within two years of the production version which will come at the end of 2009.

Follow the jump for live high-res photos of the BMW X1 from the Paris Motor Show.

Live from Paris 2008: BMW Concept X1:

Continue reading…

Ford of Europe has yet to announce pricing on the 2009 Ford Focus RS but 1,000 enthusiasts have already signed up for the high-performance hatchback. 40 percent of those who signed up asked to get their Focus RS in the Electric Green colored being shown at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

The 2009 Ford Focus RS is powered by a 2.5L 5-Cylinder Duratec engine that produces 296-hp with a maximum torque of 221 lb-ft of torque. 0 to 60 mph comes in under 6 seconds.

Deliveries will begin later this year with other colors including Electric Blue and Frozen White.

Click through for more high-res photos from Paris.

Live from Paris 2008: 2009 Ford Focus RS:

Continue reading…

Earlier this week, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S along with some computer generated images. Today the German automaker is showing off at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

Power comes from the same hand-built 5.5L V8 AMG from the SLR McLaren 722 coupe. It’s good for 650-hp with a maximum torque of 604 lb-ft that allows for a 0 to 62 mph time of 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 208 mph. A 5-speed automatic transmission transfers power to the wheels.

Production of the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S will take place at the Formula 1 workshops of McLaren in Woking, England with a limited production run of 150 units.

Live from Paris 2008: Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S:

Continue reading…