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Volkswagen XL Sport Concept gets Ducati power: Paris 2014

The Volkswagen XL Sport Concept (pictured) gets Ducati power The Volkswagen XL 1 may well be an impressive ‘Supercar’ (that’s super-economical, rather than plain ‘super’), but it’s a daft amount of money and, unless you’re trying to make a ‘Green’ statement, not for everyone. But this Volkswagen XL Sport Concept is a more appealing car – both visually and mechanically – as VW take the XL 1 and rework it in to a sports car with a little help from Ducati. Because under the skin of the XL Sport lies a 197bhp V2 that’s come from Ducati (just as we reported a year ago) and delivers 197bhp through a seven-speed dual-clutch ‘box, with a reduction gear between engine and gearbox to boost torque, revs to 1,000 rpm and can get to 62mph in 5.7 seconds on its way to a top speed of 157mph.

Fiat 500X compact crossover debuts: Paris 2014

Fiat 500X compact crossover debuts The Fiat 500X is the latest member of the Fiat 500 family to arrive, and following a recent tease it’s debuted at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Fiat has decided to go the same route with the 500X as they did with the 500 L by creating two models – a 500X for the city and a 500X for the country. The 500X gets the same family design as the rest of the 500 range and sits on the same platform as the new Fiat Punto and comes in at 4.25 metres long (the butch version is just a couple of centimetres wider) and 1.80m wide.

Fitness-focused autonomous vehicle pedals to victory in Interior Motives Design Awards

Earlier tonight, on the eve of the first Paris Motor Show press day, the world's top designers and automotive journalists assembled at L'Espace Clacquesin in Paris to witness sponsors Ford and Volkswagen announce the 2014 Interior Motives Student Design of the Year: ‘Life Cycle' by Jason Chen and Dirk Wan of the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, USA. Launched in January of this year and themed ‘Beyond Styling: a Design for Life', the competition asked students to create projects around three diverse but specific briefs: ‘Beyond Autonomous', which posed the question of what would happen if we were to combine the latest developments in computing and robotics with automobile design; ‘An Interior for Life', in which students were asked to focus on one feature or element of a car's interior and adapt it for dual use in a user's ordinary life; and ‘Pickup Truck of 2030', which challenged the young designers to extrapolate what the future might hold for this popular and versatile mode of transport. This year's contest attracted more than 200 entries from students based at 57 schools in 24 different countries.

2015 Honda CR-V Facelift Paris 2014 debut

The 2015 Honda CR-V Facelift gets a Paris 2014 debut It’s two years since the latest Honda CR-V arrived in the UK (and a chunk longer since it arrived in the US and Japan), so it’s a time for a refresh, with the facelifted Honda CR-V for 2015 revealed ahead of a debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show later this week. Under the skin, the four-wheel-drive versions of the new CR-V get a more powerful 1.6 litre i-DTEC diesel engine from Honda’s Earth Dreams series, which replaces the current model’s 2.2 litre diesel. The new 1.6 litre comes armed with 158bhp and 258lb/ft of torque and emissions of 130g/km (with the six-speed manual) or 135g/km when mated to the new 9-speed auto ‘box – savings of 11 and 20 cent over the old engine/gearbox combinations.

Don't miss CDNLive, reporting on the best from Paris Motor Show 2014

As ever the Car Design News team will be reporting live from the halls of the Paris Motor Show. After the long summer break we're in the French capital for what promises to be a great event. CDNLive from the Paris Motor Show We're looking forward to turning our attention to a promising list of production-car debuts of all shapes and sizes, from the new Smart ForTwo and Opel Corsa to the Volvo XC90 and Renault Espace, via Mazda's new MX-5, the Fiat 500X and Jaguar XE.

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870

Jaguar XE full price & specs revealed – costs from £26,995 to £44,870 The new Jaguar XE had a glitzy London launch last month, but all we really got was the XE S; the lesser models were kept under wraps until the Paris Motor Show debut. But now that’s upon us we get full UK specs and prices for a car that will be the make or break of Jaguar, certainly in terms of becoming a real challenger to the German triumvirate and moving from niche maker to proper global player in the Premium market. And Jaguar are obviously feeling pretty bullish about the XE, because instead of offering it at a discount to their main challenger – the BMW 3-Series – they’ve actually come in at a bit of a premium.

2015 VW Passat price & specs – costs from £22,215

The 2015 VW on sale 7th October from £22,215 The latest Volkswagen Passat – the eighth generation, no less – was revealed in July as a sleeker, lighter and more upmarket Passat – one which could be an Audi if the badges were changed – as VW try once again to deliver a Passat that will make a real mark in its sector. Based on VW’s MQB platform, the new Passat gets a more rounded look, swept back headlights and a back end that looks more appealing and is set to go on sale on 7 October in VW’s UK showrooms. VW are only offering diesel engine options at launch, with a choice of a 118bhp 1.6 litre, a 2.0 litre with 148bhp or 187bhp and a 2.0 litre bi-turbo with 237bhp, DSG ‘box and 4MOTION.

Rockar Hyundai: Hyundai’s new digital sales channel

Rockar Hyundai will have a ‘Car Shop’ in Bluewater The death of the car showroom has long been predicted, and there’s no doubt that the car sales model we’re used to – visit showroom, see salesman, get upsold, leave with something you didn’t want – is going to die a death as the world and his dog get used to living, and buying, online. Now, Hyundai has decided there’s sufficient appetite for buying online to create a new digital platform for Hyundai buyers that removes the salesman from the equation and lets car purchases – and service followup – go properly digital. Enter Rockar Hyundai.

Designer insights: highlights of Auto Design Prague 2014

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, might not seem the most obvious choice for an automotive design conference. But when one considers the country's history of innovation in the arts and architecture, its long-lived automotive marques like Tatra and Skoda, and Prague's central location in Europe, it makes perfect sense. Conference speakers included the program design director for Citroën DS, Ivo Groen; Volvo vice president of design Thomas Ingenlath; Jaguar advanced design director, Julian Thomson; Gert Hildebrand, head of design for Qoros; and Johann Lemercier, program manager at Ferrari design.

Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept revealed ahead of Paris debut

Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept revealed ahead of Paris debut It looks like Kia is ready to push the start button on a new range of mild hybrids with the reveal of the Kia Optima T-Hybrid concept ahead of its debut later this week at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. The new mild hybrid powertrain isn’t going to make an enormous difference to power or economy, but in a world where taxation gets based on official CO2 figures it will make the Optima more appealing to company car buyers. The Optima hybrid gets the normal 1.7 litre diesel engine and adds a small electric motor powered by a 48V lead-carbon battery which will be enough for short running at low speeds on electric power alone or allow some electric ‘cruising’ on motorways.