Alfa Romeo will unveil the sport variant of the uber cool MiTo hatch, dubbed the MiTo GTA at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The concept which will be displayed at the show is likely to go into production with almost the same specifications and looks, by mid 2009. Though some find the standard MiTo’s styling odd the car does have an air of exclusivity around it. The GTA version is a whole new beast altogether and looks ravishing from all angles except head-on. The sports hatch looks a stunner from the rear with those wide section tyres, large diameter dual exhausts complimenting the squat look.

The stylish hatch will be powered by a new 1.75 litre direct injection turbo petrol engine with 240 bhp, developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies. GTA stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerito (Alleggerito means reduced weight in Italian), thus the car features many weight saving measures for improved power-to-weight ratio. That coupled with lowered centre of gravity, increased downforce through a carbon-fibre tailgate spoiler, roof and mirror fairings make the MiTo GTA an able performer.
Other upgrades include revised suspension setup which now includes an active suspension management system with advanced damper control and improved under-body aerodynamics.

Safety kit is extensive and includes multiple airbags, ABS, ESP and EBD as standard. The Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA would compete head on with the Mini Cooper JCW when it is launched in the middle of this year in Europe.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will debut their latest experimental car, called 200EX and also known as the ‘Baby Rolls’ at the Geneva Motor Show on 3rd March 2009. The 200 EX is a design study which will lead to a contemporary four-door saloon named RR4, and will be positioned as the entry level Rolls-Royce. The relatively compact Rolls-Royce 200 EX is expected to go into production as the RR4 by 2010.

Many camouflaged test cars have already been spotted undergoing testing so the 2010 date seems very possible.
The baby rolls is not that little with a length of 5.4 metres and width of 1.95 metres. Also, it will be powered by a new V12 engine, which will give it long legs and owners some ego boost.

Rolls-Royce has tried to blend in effortless performance, unparalleled refinement, exquisite quality and confident design in the 200EX and the saloon is expected to be the best value Rolls-Royce ever. The concept follows the traditional Rolls-Royce design theme including the grille with the Spirit of Ecstasy, elevated prow, long bonnet, short front overhang, sharply raked A-pillar, rear hinged coach doors etc. The car is immediately recognizable as a Rolls-Royce.

The LED headlamps look arresting as do the 20 inch seven spoke wheels. The interior abounds with quality hide, chrome and wood veneer along with Cornsilk carpets and cashmere blend headliner making it a really plush place to park your rear in. More details are expected at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Maybach never got the response the company expected and many even labelled it as a bloated S-Class. So even though this is not an ideal time to launch a super luxury car, Maybach will launch the Zeppelin edition of the 57 and 62 sedans. The Zeppelin nameplate was earlier used by Maybach from 1928-1934 on its top of the line cars and its comeback might just bring some excitement back into the marque.

To be unveiled at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show, the Maybach Zeppelin will feature a host of exclusive luxuries such as lavish ‘California beige’ interiors with black lining, piano black highlights, silver champagne glasses with engraved Zeppelin logo and an acrylic ball that infuses a fragrance in the cabin at the push of a button (comes in two fragrances and custom ones which cost $2,500 each). On the outside the Maybach Zeppelin with be painted in two-tone finish, ‘Rocky Mountain’ light brown on the top with ‘Taiga Black’ below. This along with new rear view mirrors and 20 inch dark chrome wheels make the Zeppelin look like a more exclusive Maybach.

The luxury yatch on wheels will be get an up rated version of the familiar 6.0 litre V12 twin-turbo engine which will produce 640hp (20 bhp more than the standard) and a whopping 1,000 Nm of torque.

Maybach will produce 100 numbers of the Zeppelin but considering the current scenario that might take a long time to reach. Prices for the Zeppelins (in Europe) will start at about $524,000 for the 57 and $610,000 for the elongated 62. Bookings start on debut in March’ 09 with first deliveries expected by September’ 09.

Mercedes-Benz is well know making solid built cars with bullet proof reliability. In a bid to make you feel even safer, the company and has unveiled an armoured E-Guard variant of the new E-Class. Soon to be a favourite with corporate honchos, movie stars and politicians the Mercedes-Benz E-Guard employs a host of safety measures to keep the occupants safely cacooned in the case of any eventuality like an assault, assasination attempt or even a terror strike. The safety equipment list includes bulletproof polycarbonate windows which can withstand up to .44 Magnum calibre bullets, blast-proof floor which can absorb a DM51 hand-grenade and run-flat 17 inch tyres which can run for 50kms at 80km/h even when flat. The windows can also be rolled up and down electrically like in a normal E-Class.

The E-Guard is almost indistinguishable from a standard E-Class as all the modifications have been fully integrated in a seamless fashion, typical of Mercedes. All comforts and luxuries of the regular saloon are carried over into the E-Guard. To deal with the extra weight of the safety equipment and armour, the E-Guard has a special Level II Air Suspension but engine options remain the same as on the standard E-Class. The new E-Guard is available in three engine variants, with an option of the basic ELEGANCE line or the AVANTGARDE line. The price to be safe is a hefty 10,000 Euros over the standard E-Class, which many would eagerly shell out to keep any danger at bay. The E-Guard goes on sale in Europe from April 2009.

General Motor’s recent focus on producing small and fuel efficient cars is well known. Their Chevrolet Beat Concept originally unveiled at the 2007 New York Auto Show has been creating a good bit of curiosity amongst the automotive press who after the Chevrolet Cruze, believe that the company can develop and manufacture desirable and value for money cars to keep afloat and maybe even prosper.

Now, Chevrolet has revealed official pictures of the 2011 Spark which will also go on sale in the U.S by 2011 but would come to the Middle East by 2010 itself. The Spark will essentially replace the Chevrolet Matiz here in the Middle East as well as in other international markets. The new Spark is based on the Beat Concept and will be unveiled in the flesh at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. From the pictures the car looks almost as attractive as the funky concept but the large bisected grille and massive peel back headlamps look excessive. The sharp and taut styling has been thankfully retained. When launched, the new Spark will feature two 4-cylinder petrol engines in 1.0 litre and 1.2 litre displacement. These engines are expected to be extremely frugal with expected combined mileage figures of up to 18 km/l.

The new Spark will feature 5-doors, an overall length of 3,640mm and a 2,375mm wheelbase, which the company says is good enough to seat five adults with some bit of luggage. Despite being a urban hatch Chevrolet has equipped the 2011 Spark with 15 inch wheels, driver and passenger front air bags, front side airbags, roof rail head curtain airbags, antilock brakes and electronic stability control. That is essentially to meet current and future crash safety norms for all the international markets it plans to enter.

Just when we thought there could be no more variants of the Mazda3 platform, the company has announced plans of debuting the Mazdaspeed (MPS) at next month’s auto show in Geneva. This will be the third spin-off after the Mazda3 Sedan and the hatchback variant which was unveiled at the Bologna Show.

The sporty Mazdaspeed (MPS) has an aggressive looking front with a big scoop on the bonnet for sucking air into the turbo. The MPS also gets big air dams in the front bumper, a rear diffuser and large diameter twin-tailpipes which make it look fast even when stationary. There is also a big spoiler at the rear which looks cool. The four door configuration continues and makes this a practical sports hatch. Power will come via a turbocharged 4-cylinder 2.3 litre motor that produces 268 bhp. The car would be front wheel drive and no all-wheel option is in store.

With such power and its light weight the Mzda3 MPS would pit it against hot hatches like the Ford Focus RS, Honda Civic Type-R, VW Golf GTI etc. More details are expected nearer to the show date. Mazda will also unveil the Mazda3 with i-STOP, a fuel-saving stop-start technology at the Geneva Motor Show.

If you thought the Audi R8 couldn’t get any better then thisnews would come as a total surprise. Audi has plonked a Lamborghini inspired V10 FSI engine in the R8. The company has released official photos and full specs of this beast. The R8 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo’s platform and now with the V10 engine it moves into the supercar performance league. The V10 FSI motor is a 5.2 litre unit with a dizzying 8,700 rpm limit. This mammoth motor belts out 525 bhp as against 420 bhp of the V8 R8. The increased power only has to move around 31 kg more than the standard car and thus acceleration figures are much improved at 3.9 seconds for a 0-100 km/h dash (down from 4.6 seconds) and a top speed of 316 km/h. The new engine will be mated to either six-speed manual or Audi’s R tronic sequential gearbox.

The V10 FSI R8 possesses a classic mid-engine weight distribution ratio of 44/56 which couples with the dynamic chassis and massive 235/35 front and 295/30 rear tyres makes this car test the limits of traction reaching up to 1.2g! Stopping power is also enhanced with 15 inch front and 14 inch rear disc brakes and optional carbon ceramic ones which are 9kg lighter than the steel ones. The V10 R8 can be made out from its smaller brother by its wider side sills, aluminium finish exhaust grilles and more aggressive ‘sideblades’. Another V10 exclusive is the 54 LED headlights which come as standard.

The V10 FSI R8 is expected to launch in Europe first this year at a price of about $182,800. Audi is also planning to launch a diesel V12 variant of the R8 thi year.

Aston Martin’s four door super-sedan the Rapide has been revealed early, ahead of its expected debut at next month’s Geneva Auto Show. These ‘official’ pictures which have leaked onto the web reveal the car in detail.

The Rapide essentially follows the Vantage’s design cues, both at the front and the rear. However there are two extra doors to make the Rapide a four-door, four-seater performance car. What that means is almost the same thrill and performance as the Vantage V8 but enjoyed by up to four people. Buyers can hope to get a massive 6.0 litre V12 motor with about 480 bhp of firepower which should help the Rapide accelerate from rest to 100 km/h in about 4.5 seconds (that is rapid indeed). The Rapide would obviously house all amenities and luxuries we have become accustomed to from an Aston Martin.

This performance sedan would be manufactured at Aston Martin’s Magna Steyr plant in Austria and would give a good fight to the Porsche Panamera and Maserati Quattroporte. The car should go on sale by the end of 2009 and the company must be hoping the economic scenario is brighter then and buyers queue up to sign on the dotted line for this special car.

Lamborghini has been in the limelight lately, with the launch of the limited edition Reventon, the Gallardo LP560-4 and their most recent ‘wow’, the Estoque concept which was unveiled at Paris. In the flurry of all this people seem to have overlooked the aging Murcielago which is the oldest car in Lamborghini’s line-up and has been in production for nearly 7 years. The guys at Sant’Agata are now working on its replacement and are likely to bring back the legendary ‘Jota’ badge with the new Murcielago.

The ‘Jota’ test car was snapped testing at the Nürburgring, disguised in the body of a regular Murcielago but with few key mods that tell that it ain’t no regular Murcielago. The first thing you notice are the flared fenders to accomodate the wider track. The ‘Jota’ will however retain the mid-engine layout and the V12 which will come with direct injection for more power. Performance will be increased via weight reduction too, with the new Lamborghini getting an aluminium space frame instead of the current steel tub. The all-wheel drive system is going to be carried forward for sure. With lower weight and increased power the new Murcielago is likely to be even more of a riot to drive and will match anything Ferrari, McLaren, Porsche and Aston Martin can throw at it. We expect the Lamborghini ‘Jota’ to debut by 2010 and we can’t wait to get a look at it in flesh.

We loved the 350Z when it was launched in 2003. The car had what it took to be a sporty coupe which you could take to the track as well as to the grocery shop. Now Nissan’s 6th Generation Z car the 370Z is ready to take the game even further. Nissan recently showcased the prototype 370Z in California. The 370Z has a very short 99-inch wheelbase (as against 104.3 in the 350) which makes the body behind the drivers cabin looks very curtailed. Thanks to this short wheelbase, the 370Z is likely to be quite responsive and agile though stability at speeds might be a worry. The design is more or less 350Z with some new bits thrown in.

What will be new is the engine, which is likely to be a 3.7 litre V6 (330bhp +) with a possible option for a 4.5 litre V8. These will be mated to a 7-speed auto however the test car Nissan recently showcased in Santa Monica, California was a manual, so that may be an option as well. Interiors are also expected to be better over the 350Z. A glimpse of the new Nissan 370Z is being offered through a teaser video for the upcoming Need for Speed racing game from Electronic Arts.