The concept is the Sofia sedan from the I.DE.A Institute. The design firm is based in Moncalieri on the outskirts of Turin and has grown to become a supplier of a whole range of new vehicle development activities, from styling to full scale model building, engineering, running prototype construction and manufacturing engineering.

The Sofia is a four-seater sedan with couple-like styling and is designed around a hybrid powertrain. Influences have been taken from past Italian cars as well as the curvature of the female body but sadly, the concept is purely a design exercise and isn’t headed to production in any form.

According to the I.DE.A Institute’s chairman, Pietro Lardini, the Sofia shows the firm’s unique design philosophy as well as the talents its employees. Lardini also revealed that the I.DE.A Institute is now in preparation to start working closely with major automakers in Europe, Asia and South America.

Source:motorauthority.com

Following on from 2008’s striking GTbyCitroen concept car, French automaker Citroen has unveiled a brand new concept car designed for the compact sports car segment. The latest concept was developed in partnership with the fashion experts GQ magazine and has been designed to provide “the ultimate gentleman’s drive”.

The new concept is called the GQ by Citroen and it’s powered by an advanced plug-in hybrid drivetrain consisting of a 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. Few details have been revealed thus far but according to its designers the car can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

Key people who worked on the car included GQ editor Dylan Jones and interior stylist Patrick Grant.

The Citroen GQ concept will be unveiled at a special event in London next week so stay tuned for an update.

Source:motorauthority.com

Despite Spyker’s management reshuffles and purchase of Saab, the Dutch sports car company remains confident of launching several new models of its own in coming years. Already we’ve seen the introduction of the long-wheelbase C8 Aileron and C8 Aileron Spyder, but soon we may be able to add a new ‘Super Sport Utility Vehicle’ (SSUV for short) to that list in the form of the production version of 2006’s D12 Peking-to-Paris concept car.

Speaking at this week’s 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Spyker CEO Victor Muller explained that development would now be accelerated using technology and engineering know-how borrowed from Saab.

With this latest model, Spyker will be focusing on the East European market for the first time, as well emerging markets like China and the Middle East. Many of the roads in these markets are often in poor condition and nearly impossible to navigate with low-slung supercars, thus buyers have been demanding performance vehicles with offroad capability. One of the key reasons we’ve seen vehicles like the new X6 and the more recent Aston Martin Lagonda Concept.

Not much is known about Spyker’s new SSUV but designers have reportedly decided to change the originally planned powerplant from a Volkswagen-sourced 6.0-liter W-12 engine to something from America–with GM’s LS line of V-8s most likely on the cards, hence a possible name change to D8.

Source:motorauthority.com

We’ve said it before, but the term “supercar” is so overused and often ill-applied these days that it’s lost a lot of its meaning. But in the case of Aston Martin’s One-77, the word is reborn. This is one Super Car, and the video below demonstrates this with audio and video evidence.

A haunting howl from deep within the One-77’s 7.3-liter V-12 chest breaks free as the driver mashes the pedal, sending the arched, muscular form of the Aston Martin off toward the vanishing point. Super. And yet from within the cockpit, the One-77 seems to be as refined and elegant as any Aston. Car.

The sights and sounds, while mesmerizing, should come as no surprise, however. Aston has long been known for producing some of the most mellifluous engine notes in the business, and its designs, particularly of late, rival or surpass the legendary Italians.

The One-77’s performance is no surprise, either, as the car has already broken the 220 mph mark in testing.

Source:motorauthority.com

Ferrari is already planning to push hybrid versions, like the 599 HY-KERS revealed this week, to every model in its lineup within three to four years, so it’s no surprise that new reports say Maserati is considering the move as well. The sister companies aren’t as tightly interwoven as they once were, but both are still under Fiat’s umbrella, and Maserati is expected to leverage Ferrari’s development for its own cars.

Maserati is perhaps an even better fit for hybrid drivetrains that Ferrari–though they are capable of impressive performance,  Maseratis are generally less expensive, more frequently driven, and as much about image as anything else–meaning a green clean-up that comes at the cost of performance or weight won’t have the purist’s sports car bias to overcome.

According to the report, Maserati is also working on other initiatives to help improve fuel efficiency in its cars, including weight reduction. Ferrari has already revealed that its primary focus in employing hybrids across its range is meeting necessary emissions targets, meaning the F1-derived KERS hybrid system is something of a necessary regulatory evil. That same emissions-slashing logic applies at Maserati, so don’t be surprised if you see more than one hybrid rolling out with a Trident badge over the next several years.

Source:motorauthority.com

Jaguar Land Rover is undergoing a major transition, with its parent company, Tata Motors, recently announcing a new CEO in form of auto industry stalwart Carl-Peter Forster, and now Jaguar Land Rover itself announcing Dr. Ralf Speth as its new CEO.

Speth will be responsible for the entire Jaguar Land Rover operation and report directly to Forster. The 54-year-old auto exec has more than 22 years experience in the business, having previously worked as vice president of Land Rover whilst it was owned by BMW and then later as a production manager for the now defunct Ford Premier Automotive Group. He was most recently the global chief of Germany industrial gases and engineering firm Linde Group.

Source:motorauthority.com

Speth is replacing David Smith who stepped down from the role late last month. His key task now will be to turn around the financial performance of Jaguar Land Rover, which Tata Motors acquired from Ford back in 2008 for $2.3 billion.

An aggressive strategy the automaker is undertaking is a reduction of the current number of platforms from six to just two. This will mean that diverse models like the new XJ (pictured) and next-generation Range Rover SUV will be based on the same common architecture.

You may have seen the 2010 Lincoln MKT gliding around the streets of your town, the mammoth waterfall grille preceding its generous, if streamlined, frame. You may even have wondered to yourself, “who would buy one of those?!” Or you may own one. We wanted to get to the bottom of what drives people to the Lincoln MKT, and so we asked Ford’s utility vehicle communications man Jay Ward, and he gave us the inside scoop.

When our executive editor Marty Padgett drove the 2010 Lincoln MKT last August at Pebble Beach, he called it “a big boulevard cruiser–a station wagon minus the cultural baggage.” And it’s certainly that–the function of the big crossover is undeniable, seating six or seven adults with comfort.

It’s most capable in EcoBoost form, and sales are reflecting that clearly–the take rate on the 355-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 is 42 percent, well above the 25 percent expected, says Ward. Close to 50 percent of all MKTs being ordered by dealers are now EcoBoost models. As we noted in our review of the 2010 MKT, however, not even the EcoBoost engine can make the MKT into a driver’s crossover (if any such thing exists). Instead, it gives the MKT the straight-line athleticism necessary to move its bulk around with ease, and does it with only a 1 mpg penalty over the naturally-aspirated 268-horsepower v-6.

But what about those funky aesthetics? Ward acknowledges that the design is “polarizing,” but adds that its exactly that design that’s bringing customers from rival brands into the showroom. Sales volume isn’t massive, but January sales of the MKT were 715, just over 10 percent of Lincoln’s total sales for the month. That’s down 143 from December 2009’s 858 sales, but still part of Lincoln’s overall rise of over 15 percent for both months.

2010 Lincoln MKT

Enlarge Photo

Customers are also opting for lots of technology, a fact easily understood. Ford and Lincoln’s SYNC system is, in our opinion, one of the best on the market, and the THX II 5.1 surround sound system is equally a benchmark for in-car audio. Ninety percent of all MKTs are ordered with the Elite package, which includes the SYNC system with navigation, the THX II sound system, the BLIS blind spot warning system and a power panoramic sun roof. Another 75 percent of MKTs sold feature adaptive cruise control, 69 percent opt for the second-row freezer/refrigerator, and 65 percent add the self-parking feature.

Adding all these features makes it easy to push prices to nearly $55,000, however, putting the MKT well into Cadillac, Lexus, Acura and Infiniti territory, and edging up against the generally more expensive Germans. But it seems comfortable there. Ward told us the MKT is doing well in its “conquest” figures–an industry term for sales of the MKT to owners of rival brands: three of the top 10 trade-in models are conquests from Cadillac (especially the SRX), representing 13 percent of the MKT’s sales, and the number 11 conquest is the Acura MDX, the volume leader in the full-size luxury crossover segment. They’re even managing to take some sales from BMW–about 3 percent of conquests are from the blue-and-white brand. Keeping things in the family is going well, also, with many Lincoln Town Car owners trading up for the MKT.

So now we know who is buying the Lincoln MKT: people that want a high-tech, powerful, but not performance-oriented full-size luxury crossover. And we know why they’re buying it: they can’t find what they want at a Cadillac or Acura dealership, and they find the controversial front-end design a conversation starter even if it isn’t a universally-loved look. Or as Marty Padgett put it in his review, the 2010 MKT “requires some daily due diligence before you can grapple with its immense proportions, its peaky sticker price and its place in a world of true luxury brands offering less for more.”

Source:motorauthority.com

Development of the next-generation Porsche Boxster is well underway and images of a prototype for the car have once again surfaced, this time captured while it was undergoing cold weather testing in Northern Europe.

A rumor alleging that Porsche insiders are talking about a lightweight, turbocharged four-cylinder platform for the next-gen Boxster recently began making the rounds. The thought coincides with possible rumors of a revived 914 that could be co-branded by both VW and Porsche, which means the new Boxster could certainly be fitted with a highly charged four-banger. If that’s the case, we’re sure Porsche will still offer a six-cylinder option for upper range models.

Such a design premise might offer more room to launch a detuned entry-level Carrera also aimed at improving emissions ratings. Even the current six-cylinder Boxster and Cayman, the most efficient in Porsche’s line, emit about 222 g/km of CO2–about 100 g/km more than the projected 2015 limits.

Whatever Porsche has in store for the new car, we’ll have to wait until its expected arrival in 2011 to find out.

Source:motorauthority.com

We’re fresh off the Chicago Auto Show, the Geneva Motor Show is looming on the horizon, and already we’ve got details coming from the New York Auto Show, which kicks off in April. But the details are juicy: Bengt Halvorson at sister site TheCarConnection nabbed the exclusive low-down on the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport’s U.S. debut, and we’re bringing you the key facts.

The Outlander Sport will be the U.S.-market version of the Japanese RVR, also sold in Europe as the ASX. The new vehicle, due for sale in the fall, will fit into the Mitsubishi range as the smaller sibling to the Outlander. Its compact size puts it into an area not much populated by capable crossovers.

Power is expected to come from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a CVT transmission with manual mode. Like most fuel-conscious new cars, it’s also likely to get electric power steering. Fuel consumption should nestle comfortably in the 30-mpg range, and both front- and all-wheel drive versions will be available.

It’ll also have a handle on techie appeal, with USB and Bluetooth connectivity and a HDD-based navigation system available. Regenerative braking to power the accessories and luxury features like a panoramic sunroof are also expected.

For the full run-down on the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, including the first details on Mitsibishi’s Outlander sub-branding plans, head over to TheCarConnection at the link below.

Source:motorauthority.com

Over the past year or so most of the buzz surrounding Jaguar’s future sports car lineup has centered on a new roadster model dubbed the XE, which is expected to arrive in the next couple of years. However, around the same time, a replacement for the stunning XK is also due.

We now have the first solid details on the next-generation XK, which is due to go on sale in 2013 and be available with a new, high-performance turbodiesel variant for the first time.

The new XK will be based on the same platform as the current model and is expected to grow in size despite the addition of the not-so-much smaller XE roadster. Both Coupe and Convertible models will be offered, the latter continuing with an automated folding soft-top for packaging, performance and cost reasons.

A 2+2 seating configuration will also remain. This is mostly due to the fact that the current model’s rivet-bonded platform of alloy extrusions will carry over largely unchanged, as will the front and rear axles and adaptive suspension set-up.

While the mechanicals might be a little familiar, the exterior styling will be a radical departure from the current model. Gone will be the oval shaped grille, instead replaced with a new rectangular design similar to the one on the XF and XJ though with its own unique twist. Expect sharper lines and a more contoured appearance for the rest of the body.

In terms of powertrains, most of the supercharged and naturally aspirated V-8 units of the current model will carry over but with minor revisions for emissions regulations and possibly more power. However, the big news is that the potent 3.0-liter turbodiesel from the European Jaguar XF S will be available in a new XK D model. In the XF the engine develops 271 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque but in the XK it could deliver even more juice. Sadly, this particular model is unlikely to be sold in the U.S. but the car’s 2013 release date is still some time away and a lot could change between now and then–namely, a rise in the popularity of diesels.

Pictured above is the new 2011 Jaguar XKR, which has been decked out in the new Speed and Black Packs and is due to make its world debut next month at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

Source:motorauthority.com