Mitsubishi releases ambiguous teaser ahead of Paris debut

Mitsubishi has announced its Paris Motor Show line-up, and along with the world debut of the Lancer Sportback and the Dakar-ready Racing Lancer, it has provided a tease of an unnamed model/concept.

The image above doesn't give us any clear indication about what Mitsubishi will be showing off, but the new face of Mitsu is present and accounted for, along with a set of toned-down headlamps that blend the automaker's slanted lenses with round lights.

We won't know anything definitive until Mitsubishi's press conference on October 2nd, but speculation ranges from the production version of the Concept cX to the new Colt. Stay tuned and check Mitsubishi's press release after the jump.

Four-door Audi A1 headed to Paris

The small car market is heating up fast, even for upmarket brands like Audi, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, the latter of which has the majority of the market cornered with its MINI sub-brand. The Bimmer competitor from Ingolstadt plans on attacking that market with its A1 subcompact, but unlike the Metroproject concept from Tokyo, the new A1 due to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show will sport four doors. Europeans are likely to get a production model spawned from the concept, which will likely be built in Brussels, Belgium and be introduced as a 2009 model. An electric model could follow shortly thereafter. Will the U.S. be blessed with another Germanic mini car? Audi's elusive Magic 8-Ball currently says "Not Likely," but with sales of the MINI going strong it's entirely too early to count it out completely.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Paris Preview: 2010 MINI Crossover Concept

Click either image for a gallery of the MINI Crossover Concept

It's finally arrived folks... and it's not the coming apocalypse. MINI has released the first official images of the Crossover Concept, proving that BMW not only has a sense of humor, but that it's serious about bringing an all-wheel-drive MINI to market in 2010.

These initial images give us a clear indication of how future MINIs will be styled, and if BMW's reputation for making only a few revisions from concept to production hold true, this is very close to the finished product.

Measuring about six inches wider and taller than the Clubman, the Crossover Concept features a five-door body style, but that's where the similarities end. The right rear door has a conventional hinge, but the left door slides out and back, minivan-style. The rear hatch ditches the Clubman's dual doors and is instead fitted with a single panel that opens to the right. Sources suggest that the concept's door arrangement might be nixed in favor of something more traditional when it reaches production.

Power specifications and exact trim levels have yet to be revealed, but expect the Crossover to carry the same naturally aspirated and turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engines as its Cooper counterparts, BMW's Efficient Dynamics system (with start-stop tech) and naturally, all-wheel-drive.

It's likely that the Crossover won't be spending much time off road, but with a higher ride height, more space, a comfy interior and MINI's iconic styling, we're sure we'll see several on the highways and byways both here and abroad.

Read all the details in MINI's press release after the jump.

Gallery: MINI Crossover Concept

Naval architects float designs for nautical Range Rovers

Luxury sport-utes and yachts go together like champagne and strawberries. The good folk at the Volkswagen Group know that, which is why they came up with the VW Touareg North Sails and Audi Q7 V12 TDI Coastline concepts. But the British aren't about to leave all the wet n' wild fun to ze Germans, so they're cooking up a few sailing-themed SUVs of their own.

In cooperation with Land Rover, luxury yacht broker Edmiston has commissioned seven of the world's top yacht designers to participate in the Superyacht Range Rover Design Competition. The results of the design regatta will be put to sea (figuratively speaking) at the Monaco Yacht Show next month, at which point the obscenely wealthy may place orders for these bespoke SUVs at prices ranging from $300,000 to $1.2 million.

Yamaha branded Deus Ex Machina concept shatters convention

Click on the image to see more renderings of the Deus Ex Machina concept

If somebody asked us what an environmentally-friendly motorcycle of the future would look like, our best answer would be nowhere near as awesome as what Jake Loniak, a student at Art Center Pasadena, came up with. Perhaps that's why we are just bloggers who write about cool stuff instead of the actual designers. Called Deus Ex Machina, which means God Out of a Machine, the vehicle is a blend between a motorcycle and an exoskeleton.

Featuring seven artificial vertebrae, thirty-six pneumatic muscles and a head of its own, the Yamaha-branded concept looks like something out a child's worst nightmare. As speed increases, though, the two front wheels move outward, forcing the rider into a proper forward lean which resembles a current motorcycle stance more closely. In-wheel electric motors get their juice from a hybrid power pack made from Doped NanoPhosphate batteries and ultracapacitors. The designer believes that the machine could accelerate to sixty in three seconds and reach a top speed of seventy-five miles per hour. Sure, we're not likely to see anything like this in production in the near future, but it sure is cool to look at.

Transformers sequel roundup: Buell-based fembot, SR-71 and Audi R8

If leaked documentation, which you should avoid if you don't want to read any plot spoilers, regarding the upcoming Transformers sequel is accurate, it appears that Mr. Bay may be bringing a motorcycle-based female robot to the big screen. We've heard that the character known as Arcee was considered for the initial film but was discarded so as not to confuse the audience with multiple gendered robots. If the rendering seen above is any indication, though, we'd imagine that Arcee's pinky-purple coloring would get that point across right away. There are two female riders listed on a leaked Call Sheet for the upcoming movie, and it appears that they are to be riding the oddly-colored Buell in the film.

Also revealed in the leak is information that leads us to believe that a certain Decepticon may make an appearance as an SR-71, along with what could either be the shapely Audi R8 or the mystery car we showed you yesterday. If the German supercar did show up, it would end the all-GM lovefest and be rather interesting to see morph on-screen, as well. Consider our interest piqued, as if we already weren't.

The Dark Knight's shoulder-driven Batpod

Over the last 70 years, Batman has driven all sorts of vehicles, with a wide array of Batmobiles, planes, bikes and boats appearing in the various comic books, television series and movies. Arguably none have been as wickedly exciting, however, as the Tumbler which the superhero drove in the most recent Batman Begins. But with the sequel swooping into theaters this week, we're in store for a new piece of kit.

Called the Batpod, we've been bringing you details of the new motorcycle as they've become available. The Batpod is driven by a pair of motors hidden within the giant 20-inch wheels and steered by the shoulder, allowing the Caped Crusader to operate an arsenal of machine guns and grappling hooks. We'll have to hold on just a little bit longer to see it in action on the big screen, but in the meantime you can check out the images from the Batmobile's and Batpod's demonstration at Silverstone with the Toyota F1 crew in the high-resolution image bat-gallery

London Motor Show Mega Post

The British International Motor Show wrapped up earlier this week and although we weren't able to attend in person, we've assembled a sizeable gallery of live shots from the show floor. Unlike past shows in London, this year's event actually hosted some serious debuts, including the Lotus Evora, Honda OSM concept, Ford Focus RS, IFR Aspid, Renaultsport Megane R26.R, Lightning GT, a trio of Imprezas and the Opel Insignia. Some will make it Stateside, while others we'll adore from afar, but our gallery below is proof that London has come into its own. We're looking forward to next year's festivities and hopefully we can scrounge up enough scratch to make the trip across the pond.

Ford moving to three-year redesigns to keep things fresh

Back when it was virtually guaranteed 20% US market share, Ford would redesign its vehicles every five or more years. The Ford Ranger, Focus, and Crown Victoria changed even slower, with mostly only new lights and grilles. When competitive pressures started to put the Blue Oval into an anaconda death grip, that once guaranteed share began to shrink. To battle those competitive forces, Ford is looking to do a major redesign on its vehicles every three years from now on. Ford design director Peter Horbury told Automotive News that minor styling changes just aren't effective, and that future redesigns will include changes to everything but the doors, roof, and glass. That leaves bumpers, hoods, trunks, lights, quarter panels and front and rear facias as some of the items that can be refreshed in a much more timely fashion.

Horbury claims the Dearborn, MI automaker listened to the press with regard to styling changes, which emboldens us to ask for more. We'd like a twin-turbo four-pot Mustang, a plug-in euro Focus, a 40 mpg F-150, a seat on the board, and free Mondeos for all.

AM General to produce Standard Taxi cabs?

It sure ain't pretty, though beauty, in this case, is likely in the eye of the beholder. A few years back, a new take on the taxi was provided by Standard Taxi, a company based in Troy, Michigan. The design for the purpose-built people hauler uses GM running gear and is able to haul four passengers in relative comfort. We hadn't heard a peep from the company until today when we learned that Standard is now working on negotiations with AM General to build the vehicle in its plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, where AM General builds the Hummer H2 SUV and SUT. So far, no announcements have been made regarding whether or not the plant would continue working full-time in the face of lagging Hummer sales, though we imagine that plenty of excess capacity is available. According to AM General, the deal would in no way impact the assembly of military Hummer models.

We can't say whether a production version of the Standard Taxi would feature the pushrod 4.3-liter V6 that the concept had underhood, though there are plenty of options from the GM parts-bin from which to pilfer. A Standard Taxi equipped with GM's 2-Mode hybrid system could prove to be extremely well-suited for taxi duty in some of the world's toughest environments.

Ugur Sahin Design unveils USD GT-S Passionata concept

You may not remember the name Ugur Sahin, but if you've been reading Autoblog for a while you probably remember his designs. The Turkish designer has dreamed up the Corvette Z03 Concept, and before that brought the world his interpretation of what a modern Ferrari Dino might look like (he was a little off). It turns out that Sahin has been continually evolving his Dino design, however, and today we get our first look at the result of his extra doodling: the USD GT-S Passionata concept. Based on the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, the Passionata retains the grand sports tourer personality of its host chassis, but adds a body that's much more organic with swoops, bulges and soft curves everywhere the eye falls. The mega hood scoop makes the car look a little insect-like, and we also see some cues inspired by the Corvette, Lotus and even McLaren F1 in the front end, but overall it's a knock out design and the connection to Ferrari's own design language is unmistakable. Truthfully, we just wish that we could draw cars this well. Sahin, however, is hoping to do more than just draw the Passionata, as he claims in his press release after the jump that "production will be arranged" if there's a demand for it. Unfortunately, a brand new Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano will have to be sacrificed to build the Passionata, which we think probably violates Ferrari's warranty. Check out a high-res gallery of the Ugur Sahin USD GT-S Passionata below to view the design from every angle and let us know what you think in the comments.

Volkswagen Scirocco GT24 debuts at Wörthersee

If you've ever lingered behind after a professional sports event, you've probably seen some of the athletes graciously staying behind to shake hands and sign autographs while others make a B-line through the fans to the locker room. If the Volkswagen group were an athlete, it would be the former. Every year the German automaker comes to Wörthersee to meet its most die-hard enthusiasts, and never comes empty-handed. You'll recall that last year Volkswagen unveiled the shockingly exotic Golf GTI W12 650 while Audi showed up with the TT clubsport quattro. This year, not only is Audi bringing both the A3 TDI clubsport quattro concept and the pre-production TT clubsport quattro roadster, but Volkswagen has rolled in to town with the Scirocco GT24, the competition version of its new sport-hatch that the German automaker will be campaigning at this weekend's 2008 Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race.


As we've reported previously, power comes from the same 2-liter turbo four that drove the race-prepped GTI to victory at the Ring last year. 321 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque are channeled to the front wheels (not all four) via Volkswagen's trademark six-speed DSG, only with beefed-up clutch plates, revised gearing and a lightweight flywheel. Dimensions for the racing version have grown slightly, with an extra 227mm in length for aero stability and 61mm in width to cover the 18-inch racing rims on a wide track, dropping ride height by 75mm. The interior is stripped and race-prepped with a full roll cage, Recaro seats with five-point harnesses, competition steering wheel, electronic instrumentation and fire extinguisher, all in all stripping 178kg from the interior.

While the Scirocco GT24 wows the crowds at Wörthersee and takes on all comers at the Nurburgring, Volkswagen has given us a mouthwatering, knee-buckling preview of what a road-going Scirocco R version could look like. Check out the images in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Alfa Romeo confirms SUV for 2010

If Alfa Romeo is to make a successful return to the North American market, it will need to rely on more than its sexy Italian image. On these shores, that means two contradictory elements are needed in its line-up: sport-utes and green tech. Towards that end, Alfa's newly-appointed CEO, Fiat Group wunderkind Luca de Meo, has confirmed two new developments for the company. The first is the production of a sport-utility or crossover vehicle. The second is a start-stop engine system, possibly to be bolstered by hybrid technology borrowed from parent company Fiat.

The crossover, previewed by the Kamal concept at the 2003 Geneva show, is scheduled to debut in 2010. It is anticipated to be based on the 159 platform, which already supports Alfa's Q4 all-wheel-drive system and offers a range of gasoline and turbodiesel engines. Upon its arrival to market, the new Italian SUV will face tough competition from Germany's best compact SUVs, including the Mercedes GLK, BMW X3, Volkswagen Tiguan and Audi Q5.

Design students envision a modern Model-T

Recently, Ford Motor Company sponsored a contest with the goal of modernizing the iconic Model T, a car which revolutionized motorized transportation the world over. The winner of the competition, a 24-year-old junior at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit named Dong Trang, came up with an electric crossover of sorts. That's fitting, according to Peter Horbury, head of design for Ford in the Americas, because Henry Ford's original Model T sat high off the ground and had a modular design, capable of hauling people and their stuff at the same time.

What the modern-day designs don't share with their forebear is retro looks. Each of the modern T adaptations features fairly sleek styling and alternative power that goes along with our modern-day energy and emissions problems.

Trang's design is rather unique, featuring solar panels on the vehicle along with an energy-capturing suspension design that would help recharge the on-board batteries. Those batteries are also removable to provide power outside the vehicle. The seating arrangement is modular, allowing for up to four occupants or offering increased storage capacity. The rear hatch is also capable of folding away to offer a small pickup bed. Click past the break for some videos of Trang talking about his design.