First Official Photo of 2012 Renault Twingo Facelift

Renault has given the smallest model in its range, the Twingo minicar, a mid-life facelift to keep it alive and fresh until its replacement, which will be based on a brand-new rear-wheel drive platform shared with Smart's future four-seater model, arrives in the market.

The French car firm released a single photo of the faclifted Twingo that is scheduled to make its first public appearance at the upcoming Frankfurt auto show in September.

We only get a three-quarter view of the car, but it seems that if not all, most of the styling changes took place up front, which looks more sharper now.

Renault said that the revised Twingo is the first mass production vehicle to be inspired by the new design identity of the brand as seen in its recent concepts like the Frendzy van and the R-Space MPV.

More details on the refreshed Twingo will be released closer to the Frankfurt Motor Show.

 

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New Audi A5 Coupe DTM Racing Concept to Replace A4 Sedan from 2012

Get excited DTM fans because there’s a new kid coming to town. We’re talking about Audi’s freshly revealed A5 Coupe racecar, internally named “R17,” that will replace the four-door A4 with which Audi has conquered the DTM title four times since 2004.

Ingolstadt’s new touring model is based on the facelifted A5 Coupe that was presented earlier this week and it complies with the new technical and safety regulations that will come in effect in the German touring model championship next year.

The new Audi A5 DTM sports a high-strength carbon-fiber monocoque combined with a steel tube cage. The racing model adopts the current A4 DTM’s V8 engine with some minor changes and an output or around 460-horses. A six-speed transmission will continue to be used as well.

For now, Audi has shared a trio of renderings of the A5 DTM but we’ll get the chance to see the real thing at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

 

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BMW Marks Returns to DTM with New M3 Coupe Concept Racer

New DTM racing cars are like public transportation: you wait for ages and then , all of a sudden, three or four buses appear at the same time. Just yesterday we posted Audi’s new entry into the German Touring Car Championship or, as it’s more commonly known, DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters). Today, BMW pulled the wraps off its new own DTM racer based on the coupe version of M3.

And mind you, unlike Audi, BMW revealed the M3 in the flesh clad in carbon fiber and looking quite menacing with its matte paint, flared wheel arches and aerodynamic package.

This isn’t the final form of the racer as BMW Motorsport’s engineers will hone it for its 2012 premiere. Set to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, it is powered by a 480HP V8 built according to the racing series’ new regulations.

This is the first time that BMW will officially participate in the DTM series since its departure in 1994.

“The DTM comeback sees BMW return to its roots” said member of the board Dr. Klaus Draeger. “We will be facing our main competitors in the premium sector and we are looking forward to this challenge. We have enjoyed great success in the past, and I am convinced we will follow on in 2012 where we left off”.

BMW Motorsport Director Mario Theissen commented:

"The entire team at BMW Motorsport is approaching this exciting project with absolute commitment. We began making technical preparations following our declaration of intent in April, and established parameters for a high-performance vehicle concept for deployment in the DTM. The positive decision of the BMW Board of Management means we can now shift up a gear and give the green light for development."

Now we’ll have to wait for Mercedes’ competitor which will, more than likely, be based on the brand new C-Class Coupe. This three-way battle between the German premium automakers’ pumped-up coupes should be quite interesting to watch.

 

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Frankfurt Rumors Fuel Design of 2012 Volkswagen CrossPassat

Recent rumors have suggested that Volkswagen may introduce a high-riding, faux-crossover Variant of its latest generation of the European market Passat, as early as at the forthcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

And while we can’t confirm the rumormill, what we can do is show you a very well executed rendering of the VW Cross Passat made by a talented reader of Autoblog.nl.

The designer went for a similar look to VW’s other Cross models such as the Polo and Golf Plus editions, as well as the German car group's Skoda Octavia Scout, increasing the station wagon’s road clearance and adding a protective suite of plastic mouldings all around the lower part of the car’s body.

Via Autoblog.nl

 

 

 

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First Fisker Karma to be Delivered to Leo Di Caprio, Company has More than 3,000 Orders

Fisker is finally starting deliveries of its Karmaluxury plug-in hybrid sedan later this month –and the lucky person to get the first car will be none other than Hollywood star Leonardo di Caprio (....the spicy female model featured in the firm's print advert is not included with the car).

The company says it has already received 3,000 pre-orders with the waiting list reaching until early 2012. Other famous customers for the $100,000 hybrid sports sedan are former US Vice President Al Gore and former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The Karma is the work of former Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, who founded his own company.

It is built around a spaceframe chassis made of aluminium and it features a battery pack placed in the middle and two electric motors at the back, as well as a gasoline 260HP 2.0-liter turbo four up front which acts as a generator for the battery when it needs charging.

Production of the Karma has started at Valmet’s plant in Finland, at an initial rate of just five cars per week. This rate will rise to 300 cars per week in November, and Henrik Fisker estimates that his company’s customers “are split 50:50 between early-adopting car enthusiasts and total non-car enthusiasts who just like that we are bringing something totally new to the market”.

Fisker plans to add to Karma’s range a convertible and a shooting brake model. The latter may be unveiled as early as this fall at the Frankfurt Motor Show. If everything goes according to plan, Fisker will also launch a smaller, more affordable hybrid BMW 3-series rival, currently code-named “Project Nina”.

 

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